Lubbock Westerners Fall to Abilene High at Home

The Westerners received the opening kickoff and ran into trouble early. Two penalties put Lubbock High behind the sticks to set up a 3rd and long. Braiden Dunkerson caught an 18-yard pass to bring up 4th and short, and the Westerners gambled early. They went for it on 4th down but could not gain that yard. Abilene High took over at Lubbock High’s 31-yard line. 

It only took one play for the Eagles to get on the board. Abilene High’s Bryson Perez took a shovel pass on a well-designed reverse to put the Eagle out on the perimeter with blockers out in front. Perez made the edge before he sprinted the remaining distance for a 21-yard touchdown. Abilene High led early, 7-0.

Followed by a Westener’s punt, Abilene High scored on another 1-play drive. Abilene High’s Ryland Bradford caught a pass on the outside just past the line of scrimmage, made his man miss, and was off to the races. Lubbock High had one chance to tackle him late, but Bradford proved lethal in the open field on his way to a 69-yard touchdown.

Lubbock High gained their first 1st down of the ball game on the ensuing drive. Dunkerson muscled his way for 14 yards before the Westerners’ offense hit a wall. Faced with a 4th and long, Lubbock High had to punt. The Westerners’ defense stepped up after that to force a field goal attempt from Abilene High. A bobbled snap put the football on the turf, and Lubbock High’s Josh Olaniran jumped on the fumble to give the ball back to the offense. 

Lubbock High had to convert a 4th down attempt on a 4th and one near the 40-yard line. The successful run from Hector Torrez set up Lubbock High with a 1st down at the 37. On the next play, Torrez launched a deep pass to Derek Torrez, who caught the pass for a 63-yard touchdown. Lubbock High pulled within 7 points with time winding down in the 1st quarter, 14-7.

Abilene High’s Perez made his presence felt on the ensuing kickoff. Perez found a crease in the middle of the field that set up a 51-yard kick return. The Eagles set up shop at the Westerners’ 27-yard line. Just a few plays later, Bradford scored his second touchdown of the evening on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Tristan Beal. 

Following another Lubbock High punt, Bradford hit a big return of his own. He fielded the punt at the 47-yard line before he outran everyone to the sideline. He sprinted 42 yards to set up the Eagles at Lubbock High’s 11-yard line. Lubbock High’s defense forced another 4th down from there, but the Eagles connected on a 25-yard field goal to take a 24-7 lead with 10:25 remaining in the 2nd quarter.

While the Westerners’ offense struggled to make progress after their initial touchdown, the defense played well. Lubbock High forced a field goal and then had a goal-line stand to end the first half. Lubbock High trailed at halftime, 27-7.

Unfortunately for the Westners, they could not replicate the same level of success on defense in the final two quarters. The defense allowed six touchdowns, while the offense only managed one. Explosive plays caused the score to get out of hand quickly as Abilene High rolled to another district win, 69-14.

Lubbock High did manage a final touchdown as time expired in the 4th quarter. Dunkerson caught a screen pass at Abilene High’s 10-yard line and sprinted into the end zone. Despite the final score, the last-second touchdown gave the Westerners something to build on. Lubbock High returns to action on Friday, October 25, on the road against Caprock in Amarillo.