THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Levelland High School Athletics

The UIL handed down the district alignments back in February and, even back then, the Estacado and Levelland coaching staffs thought there was a pretty good chance their two teams would meet for the championship. As politically incorrect as it was at the time and vowing not to overlook the opponents in the interim, the two teams looked at the landscape and sensed their regular season finale at PlainsCapital Park’s Lowrey Field would be for the District 2-4A Division II crown. Both teams have gone through the wringer unscathed and the 7 p.m. Thursday game is exactly what both staffs thought it would be: for the title. “Coming into it, we really did,” Matadors coach Joe Cluley said. “I had pegged them early on as one of the best teams in the district for sure. I’ll tell you this, I think Dalhart surprised everyone with how good they were. When we got into district, we were very concerned about Dalhart, but from the time we started I thought there was a chance this would be for the district championship.” Not much separates Estacado (7-2 overall, 3-0 in district) and the Lobos (6-2, 3-0) beyond margins of victory versus Dalhart. The Matadors won by 26 points at home and Levelland by two on the road the following week. The two teams combine for two of the top 10 area rushers, five of the top 10 tacklers and eight of the top 12 tackles for loss leaders. This contest has the pregame feel of the last two Matador and Levelland meetings, both of which were the single most important in deciding the past two district championships. “I’m excited for our kids,” Lobos coach Curtis Lowery said. “Ever since offseason, we’ve been talking about it. We just want to play the best football we can and peak at the right time. Estacado is a really, really good and talented football team. We’re excited to be able to play for it.” It’s Levelland with the advantage in statistics leaders. Zak Betancourt has an area-best 31 tackles for loss and his 113 tackles this season make him the area’s second-best in sheer tackling. Four other Lobos defenders lead in both tackling and tackles for loss. Cluley has seen the film and lost all doubt the Lobos were padding their stats even though they’ve given up 48 points in district play to his side’s 18. “The first couple of times, you see someone had 10 tackles for loss and you’re thinking, ‘There’s no way,’” Cluley said. “You watch the film, and it’s exactly what’s happening.” For all the defense, both teams have offenses capable of working around conflict points. Levelland quarterback Chris Gerber is a top 10 leader in passing and rusher while the Matadors’ have running back Jermiah Dobbins in the top 10 for rushing with fellow back Seth Porter just outside. Estacado quarterback Jay’Lon Dobbins is the area’s 12th most productive passer in sheer yardage. “They break a tackle, this is an offense that can score from anywhere on the field,” Lowery said. “We’ve got to eliminate big plays and get off the field. Then, offensively, we have to finish drives. Just stay ahead of the chains and finish drives.”

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Levelland High School Athletics

ESTACADO, LEVELLAND MEET FOR DISTRICT TITLE

MIKE GRAHAM

Lubbock Online | 11/9/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Levelland Athletics