By Neil Robertson
MaxPreps.com
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After a well-timed bye last week, all District 2-5A teams start district play this week. Injuries were mounting from non-district play during the first half of the season and a week off allowed for healing at key positions.
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Lubbock Monterey, No. 18 in the Padilla Texas poll, takes a perfect 5-0 non-district record into the "second season", including a victory over Odessa Permian. Clearly, Monterey is the team to beat going into district play. Amarillo Tascosa, under second-year coach Heath Parker, has stepped it up this season in non-district games at 4-1 and leads the district is total offense thanks to the rushing skills of Rebel running back Anthony Scott.
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Another Scott to the south, Quindrick Scott of Lubbock, leads district 2-5A in rushing yards at 821 despite his team's dead-last total offense ranking.
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Quarterbacks will play a key role in determining which 2-5A teams make the playoffs. Leading the district at mid-point is Lubbock Coronado's Austin Zouzalik, passing for 1,000 yards thus far on a completion ratio of 63 percent and seven touchdowns. His favorite targets rank second through fifth in receiving district-wide going into district play - Landon Quigley, Evan Dickson, Kholbye Walker, and Collin Flathers.
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Tyson Dennis of Amarillo Tascosa leads 2-5A receiving with 441 yards on 27 catches for five touchdowns. Tascosa has gone through its entire depth chart on quarterbacks and started over again. Scott Rutledge will be the starting signal caller for the Rebels this week and will finish out the district schedule at that position.
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Amarillo's Kyler Hill is currently second in passing efficiency for District 2-5A. Lubbock Monterey's Joel Lira is sixth in district passing statistics but makes up for it by helming the Plainsmen's ground game flex bone offense to near-perfection - not to mention ranking third himself in district rushing at 561 yards - Vince Young-like quarterbacking.
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Ironically, Amarillo Tascosa's No. 1 district offense is tempered by their defense which is next to last. Amarillo leads the district in total defense with a stingy 937 total yards allowed over four games.
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Week 6 Games
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San Angelo Central at Lubbock High - 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Lowery Field
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Showdown of two great running backs.Lubbock's Quindrick Scott at No. 1 in 2-5A with 821 yards rushing versus San Angelo Centrals Blake McCarthy at No. 4 with 557 yards.both averaging well above 5.5 yards per carry.
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Lubbock Coronado vs. Lubbock Monterey - 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lowery Field
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Cross-town rivalry No. 1 in District 2-5A will be played simultaneously 125 miles due south of cross-town rivalry No. 2 (Amarillo vs. Amarillo Tascosa).the duel of the district's leading passer in Coronado's Austin Zouzalik versus the district's leading rushing quarterback in Joel Lira.if Coronado's air assault can match the flex bone option run game of Monterey, look for a high-scoring affair with the victor a leg-up as early district champ favorite.
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Amarillo High vs. Amarillo Tascosa - 7:30 p.m. Friday at Dick Bivins Stadium
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The second cross-townÿ rivalry in 2-5A this week will be the 50th edition of this classic Amarillo match-up - on Friday the 13th, no less.back in the fall of 1958, Amarillo High's old downtown campus enrollment was cut in half to fill young then-suburban Tascosa's brand-spanking new classrooms.the Amarillo Sandies and Tascosa Rebels have since been bitter rivals.although Amarillo High is now considered the suburban campus (after a 1974 relocation to southwest Amarillo), the rivalry has not subsided. "Hell Week" comprises the five days leading up to this annual grudge match with egg-tossing of cars and toilet-papering of rivals' yards the norm.the true action is always on the field, especially in this 50th edition.Tascosa's running attack of Anthony Scott faces the No. 1-ranked Sandie defense anchored by three-year letterman senior Dustin Bohanon at linebacker.Amarillo's offense is led by No. 2-ranked quarterback Kyler Hill versus the No. 1-ranked receiver Tyson Dennis of Tascosa.to the victor, the early lead for district champion to be defended against the winner of Monterey vs. Coronado down the road.