AMARILLO - It’s a key game that may be viewed differently by the teams taking the field Friday night at Dick Bivins Stadium.

The home team, the Palo Duro Dons, sit atop the District 2-5A standings at 3-0. The Dons already dispatched Abilene Cooper and surprising Wichita Falls Legacy. With ease.

The visiting Wylie Bulldogs took only their first serious step toward the postseason last week, topping Wichita Falls Memorial 27-13 at Sandifer Stadium.

Should PD beat Wylie, the Dons likely will lock up a second straight district title. The Palo Duro still have Memorial, but the Mavericks have two losses.

This could be their game for the gold ball.

Wylie coach Clay Martin knows his team has three more games to play. After missing the playoffs in 2025, he is more prone to taking it one game at a time.

“They’re all district championship games,” Martin said. “We get to play six of these things and we treat each one of them the same. When you have two undefeated teams playing, everyone wants to talk about that, but there is a lot of football left.

“We’re going to prepare like we do every week, and I believe we’ll be ready to go on Friday.”

To go on a long road trip up and back, for sure.

Regardless of viewpoint, it should be another good game in the Panhandle. It will be a brisk night as temperatures there are forecast to plummet toward the freezing mark. An earlier chance of rain has lessened, but Martin said weather is not a concern for him.

Both teams have to deal with the heat, the cold, the wind, and dampness during a season.

PD may be eyeing this game as for the district championship.

“It won’t be on our part,” Martin said of the unavoidable championship vibe. “I think our kids do a good job of keeping things in perspective

“I think our kids will be focused from the jump.”

PD GMAE SET OFF DOWNWARD SPIRAL LAST YEAR

A year ago, the Dons scored twice to take a 14-0 lead and the teams traded touchdowns after that.

Wylie took a hit when its starting center was knocked out of the game. The Bulldogs on the fly had to adjust personnel against a good PD defense.

It didn’t look good for the Bulldogs until a sideline play by Jordan Lockett. Lockett stripped the football from talented PD quarterback Julian Reese II and his 75-yard return led to a touchdown with just under 2 minutes to play. That tied the game at 35 and overtime looked imminent.

However, Reese, who scored two rushing TDs in the game and would be named the league’s offensive MVP, put his athleticism to work.

He bobbled the ensuing kickoff near his goal line but evaded a Wylie tackler, got a great block on the left side, and scampered to midfield. He was tackled, sort of, by the Bulldogs’ kicker, who drew a15-yard penalty.

That put the ball at the Wylie 36 and Raymond Johnson V got the win with a 16-yard scoring run with under a minute to play.

The 42-35 loss started a three-game losing streak for the Bulldogs, bookended by another 42-35 road loss - this one at Lubbock-Cooper. Wylie would finish 5-5 overall and 3-3 as the fifth-place team in the district.

WYLIE GETS HEALTHY WITH WIN OVER MEMORIAL

Wylie’s 27-13 win over Memorial was big in many ways.

It pushed the Bulldogs to 2-0 in district.

It avenged a tough 45-14 loss in 2025, at home.

It was the team’s first win at Sandifer in three tries.

The defense clearly was the star.

“I thought we had a really good game plan coming in and we made some adjustments at halftime. The kids believed in what we're doing and played really fast,” Martin said. “That’s the key to defensive football, playing fast and playing assignment football.

“I thought we played as good as we have all year.”

It also was the first game since Week 1 that Wylie was close to full strength. The Bulldogs got out of the game intact, meaning Wylie will play PD with its best offensive and defensive players available.

Going into the PD game, Martin said one difference between the 2025 and 2026 Bulldogs is experience. Last year’s team was led by juniors, who still were getting varsity experience.

The talented group has experience this year.

“I think we have to lean on that experience,” Martin said. “They have been in games like this year. In games like this, it comes down to execution.”

Yet, the Bulldogs also will lean a group of super sophomores who have matured this year and become key players.

But this is a big game, bigger in a payoff standpoint than taking on powerhouse Stephenville.

“We’re in the grind right now of trying to get better as a team,” Martin said. “You get caught up in all that other stuff and you lose your focus on what’s important.”

PD STANDS FOR PRETTY DIVERSE

Wylie faces a balanced offensive team (1,300 yards rushing and 1,200 yards passing). Reese now is a senior and may not be the best player on the team even though he has plans to attend the University of Delaware.

That may be receiver-outside linebacker Kryon Brown, who already is committed to the University of Texas.

Brown was a pain last year. It was his block that got Reese free up the sideline on the kickoff return. He then snared a 28-yard pass to get the Dons in the red zone to set up the winning touchdown.

Thus, the three players who hurt Wylie offensively last year - Reese, Brown, and Johnson - are back.

“Obviously, they have some really talented players,” Martin said. “Number 1 (Reese) gets to touch it every play. Any time those guys touch the ball, there is a chance for an explosive play.”

Reese has hit 57 percent of his passes this fall for 11 touchdowns.

“We have to find ways to limit his ability to make a huge play,” Martin said.

Wylie counters with senior Jadin Karleskint, who had 17 scoring throws - third best in the league - and a completion percentage of 70 percent - the best in 2-5A.

Neither quarterback throws a pick - Reese has three and Karleskint two this season.

Johnson, who scored three times in the 2025 game, leads PD with close to 600 yards rushing, with Reese adding 450.

Wylie has leaned more on the pass, with Cooper Jones and Jett Wilson teaming for 550 rushing yards. Wilson had his biggest game last week, gashing Memorial for a game-high 125 yards.

Karleskint has a 1-2 pass-catching punch in Blaze Ruffin and Jackston Williams. Ruffin caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Karleskint last year, but it was his only catch of the game.

Wylie likely will need those two, and its other receivers, to have big games to open the playbook for Wylie.

The Bulldogs would love to play from ahead this time.

“You always want to get off to a lead. That changes the game for everybody,” Martin said. “Turning this into a football game and not a track meet is huge for us.

“We have to limit explosive plays. Both teams are going to have explosive plays. We have to make them earn it. And we have to limit the self-inflicted plays.”

CONTROLLING THE LINE

Last week, Martin said the game would come down to which team owned the line of scrimmage. Wylie did in the second half, on both sides of the ball.

The Dons, he said, are good up front again.

“But so are we,” he said. “In the end, it’s going to come down to blocking and tackling. Who is going to control the line of scrimmage.”

Palo Duro ‘s calling card again is its defense. The Dons have given up 75 points all season, with 21 coming in its opening loss to rival Amarillo High.

PD allowed 217 points over 12 games in 2025, or 18 a game.

This year, the Dons are giving up just 11 ppg.

Wylie has played outstanding defense at times, too. That was showcased last week when Memorial, which averaged more than 500 yards a game on offense, was held to one first down and less than 50 total yards in the second. Wylie tossed a trio of 3-and-outs in the second half that allowed the offense to pull away from a 13-13 tie to a two touchdown win.

Palo Duro has won nine straight league games after losing its 2024 finale to Abilene Cooper to close a 5-5 season.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

It’s an interesting week of games in District 2-5A.

On the top side, Abilene Cooper and Legacy battle in Wichita Falls to stay in the thick of the race. Both teams have lost to Palo Duro but otherwise are a combined 3-0. The winner stays close to the Dons.

It’s a feather in the cap for Legacy to be considered a playoff threat seven games into the season. The Leopards are 4-2 overall, having won just two games its first two seasons as a Wichita Falls school.

Cooper was second in the district last year.

Wylie still has to play both teams - Legacy in Wichita Falls in two weeks and the Coogs at Sandifer Stadium to end the regular season.

The other game matches two teams that have combined for one win.

Coronado, which downed Lubbock High in non-district play, takes its 1-6 record to Wolfforth to face Lubbock-Cooper, which is 0-6. The Mustangs lost a close game to Monterey and defeated Lubbock High, which has one win, by a 21-10 score.

As it stands now, five teams are vying for the four playoff spots. A good team will sit.

2026 DISTRICT 2-5A STANDINGS
Team District Season
W L Pts. Def. W L Pts. Def.
Am. Palo Duro 3 0 140 16 6 1 258 75
Wylie 2 0 83 33 4 2 190 112
Ab. Cooper 2 1 83 69 4 3 175 146
WF Legacy 1 1 46 64 4 2 210 158
WF Memorial 1 2 100 83 3 4 304 268
Lub-Cooper 0 2 20 65 0 6 83 236
Lub. Coronado 0 3 27 170 1 6 131 287

LAST WEEK'S GAMES
Palo Duro 55, Coronado 0 (Thursday)
Wylie 27, Memorial 13
Abilene Cooper 27, Lubbock-Cooper 6
Legacy open

FRIDAY'S GAMES
Wylie at Palo Duro
Abilene Cooper at Legacy
Coronado at Lubbock-Cooper
Memorial open