Football Recap: Estacado Takes Down Fort Stockton in a Playoff Battle + How To Watch

With a playoff win on the line, Estacado rose to the challenge on Friday. They took down the Fort Stockton Panthers 31-17. Given the Matadors' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 257th, while the Panthers are ranked 568th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Fort Stockton's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nick Almendarez, who rushed for 136 yards while picking up 7.6 yards per carry. The team also got some help courtesy of Cedric Lopez, who picked up 89 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Matadors

Previous 5 Games (Away)

11/14/25 @ Fort Stockton	31-17
10/24/25 @ Borger	74-24
10/10/25 @ Levelland	20-13
09/19/25 @ Sweetwater	46-21
09/05/25 @ Hereford	35-33

Estacado pushed their record up to 8-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 41.2 points over those games. As for Fort Stockton, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-5.

Looking ahead, Estacado will square off against Brock at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Eagles' defense has only allowed eight points per game this season, so the Matadors' offense will have their work cut out for them. Fort Stockton does not have any more games scheduled as of now.