The Texas high school football season ended within the past few weeks at the UIL State Championships in Arlington.
With the 2025 campaign, and calendar year, coming to a close, it’s time to reflect on some of the best contests from around the Texas Panhandle this season.
While there were a number of thrilling contests, these matchups captivated fans and came down to the wire. Here are the Top 5 football games from the 2025 season in the Amarillo area
Note: Only games attended by Amarillo Globe-News/USA Today reporters are up for consideration.
No. 5: Randall 14, Canyon 7
On Nov. 7, the Raiders and Eagles met at Happy State Bank Stadium in a cross-town rivalry contest to close out the regular season.
With the GOAT Trophy on the line, Randall took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter even after starting quarterback Braylen Preciado limped off the field early in the game. Despite going ahead by two scores, though, the Raiders’ offense could not muster any points after the opening frame.
Canyon’s Brox Hacker ran for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, giving the Eagles life late in the contest. Head coach Matt Lovorn’s team embarked on a promising drive in the game’s waning moments, but a fumble inside the Raiders’ five-yard line killed the Eagles’ comeback chances as Randall held on to win.
No. 4: Gruver 19, Stratford 14
On Dec. 5, the Greyhounds and Elks met in the Region I-2A Division II title game at Happy State Bank Stadium.
This wasn’t the first time Gruver and Stratford met during the 2025 campaign, though. Head coach Jon Murphy’s team defeated Kurt Haberthur’s squad 40-27 on Oct. 10, but the second meeting between the two featured a lower scoring output.
The Greyhounds led 13-0 entering the fourth quarter, but a passing touchdown and rushing score by Chase Lantelme gave the Elks a 1-point lead with less than five minutes left in the game. Gruver answered, though, as Dax Conyers ran in the go-ahead score with less than three minutes left.
Senior Brock Butler grabbed an interception on Stratford’s final drive to seal the game for Gruver as the Greyhounds returned to the state semifinals.
No. 3: Bovina 24, Seagraves 16
On Nov. 20, the Mustangs met the Eagles in Littlefield for an area-round playoff matchup.
Bovina fell 37-0 at the hands of Seagraves on Sept. 19, but delivered a much better showing in their second matchup.
Bovina took a 16-8 lead into halftime, but entered the fourth quarter tied at 16 apiece. The Mustangs turned away Seagraves at the goal line with a fourth-down stop from Angel Lara, who then caught the game-winning touchdown pass with less than two minutes in the contest.
Lara scored all three of Bovina’s touchdowns to help Wade Wilson’s team reach the regional semifinals for the first time since 2011.
No. 2 Canadian 40, Dumas 35
On Sept. 12, Dumas traveled to Canadian for an exciting non-district matchup.
Wildcats’ running back Slayden Dickinson dominated in the first half, tallying four touchdowns to give Canadian a 34-14 halftime lead. An injury sidelined Dickinson for the second half, though, and Dumas took advantage.
Following a scoreless penultimate frame, the Demons scored 21 unanswered points to go ahead 35-34 with around three minutes left in the game. Canadian’s Riggs Pennington came up with a few big catches to help the Wildcats stay alive in the fourth quarter, ultimately making a leaping grab for the go-ahead touchdown.
The Demons got the ball inside the red zone on their final drive, but were unable to muster a score as Canadian notched a fourth-down stop to win the game.
No. 1: West Texas 50, Panhandle 49
On Oct. 17, the Panthers traveled to Stinnett for a District 1-2A Division I showdown against the Comanches.
Led by star quarterbacks Broxton Robinson and Cayde Winters, both offenses took turns scoring throughout the contest. Panhandle led 41-34 entering the fourth quarter, but an astounding effort from Winters led West Texas past Robinson and company.
After rushing for a touchdown that cut the Panthers lead to 49-48, Winters broke multiple tackles to reach the end zone for a go-ahead 2-point conversion. On the ensuing drive, the Comanches intercepted a pass to secure a hard-fought victory.
Winters finished with 369 yards, 7 touchdowns and 4 two-point conversions on the ground.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: 2025 Games of Year — Top 5 football games in Amarillo area this season
Reporting by Randall Sweet, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
