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Canadian football set for postseason rematch against Muleshoe after Week 4 shootout

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Canadian football set for postseason rematch against Muleshoe after Week 4 shootout

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The regular season has come to a close for high school football in the Texas Panhandle, bringing the beginning of the postseason this week.

A number of schools in the Amarillo area play in the bi-district round of the UIL playoffs this Thursday and Friday, with Happy State Bank Stadium and Dick Bivins Stadium hosting multiple games each day. Four programs in the region will travel outside of state lines for their first-round matchup with Randall, West Plains and Friona making a trek to New Mexico while Wellington heads to Lawton, Oklahoma, for its contest against Petrolia.

Here are the best bi-district matchups featuring teams from Amarillo and the surrounding areas.

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GAMES OF THE WEEK

Canadian (7-3, 4-0) vs Muleshoe (6-4, 2-2)

7 p.m. Thursday at Happy State Bank Stadium

Canadian enters the bi-district round of the postseason coming off a 28-7 win against Childress that secured the District 1-3A Division II title for the Wildcats.

As a result, Andy Cavalier’s team will meet Muleshoe in the first round of the playoffs for an exciting rematch between two high-powered offenses. In Week 4, the Wildcats topped the Mules in a 74-67 shootout that featured impressive performances from each team’s starting quarterback.

Both squads are led by senior signal callers, with Clay Kendall at the helm for the Wildcats and Nathan Martens quarterbacking the Mules. Martens logged just eight pass attempts against Slaton in Week 9 while Muleshoe lost its last two games of the regular season.

If Martens is fully healthy against Canadian on Thursday, however, the Mules’ offense should return to form. Coach Jason Richards’ team topped 40 points in six of its first eight games, and managed to find a rhythm on the ground with talented running back Davian Sital after moving the sophomore up to varsity from JV in the middle of the season.

Before Martens was limited against Slaton, the Mules’ were off to a strong start in District 2-3A Division II competition. Muleshoe beat Roosevelt 42-36 on the road and knocked off Littlefield 55-51 in a big-time rivalry game.

Martens and Sital will have to lead Muleshoes’ offense against a Canadian defense that has improved since the start of district play. In the Wildcats’ final four regular season games, Canadian allowed just 30 total points.

Randall (9-1, 4-1) vs Ysleta (8-2, 6-2)

6 p.m. CT Thursday at Hobbs High School (N.M.)

After an impressive regular season, the Raiders travel outside of state lines to take on a strong Ysleta team in the first round of the UIL Playoffs. Randall’s only loss came at the hands of West Plains, while the Indians lost two contests by a combined six points.

Hereford (7-3, 3-2) vs Riverside (9-1, 7-1)

6 p.m. Friday at Ratliff Stadium

Led by Texas baseball commit Kalub Ramirez, Hereford heads to the Permian Basin on Friday for a matchup against one of El Paso’s top teams. The Rangers were bi-district champions in 2023 after beating Big Spring and will play for another gold ball against Hereford this week.

Wheeler (8-2, 4-1) vs Electra (8-2, 4-2)

 7 p.m. Thursday at Vernon High School

Led by quarterback Creed Newkirk and star running back Julius Atherton, Wheeler is fresh off a 51-14 victory over Shamrock and will look to carry its momentum into the first round of the postseason. Both of Electra’s losses came in the final three weeks of the season as the Tigers were outscored 77-6 by Windthorst and Archer City.

Childress (5-5, 3-1) vs Slaton (7-3, 2-2)

7 p.m. Friday at Floydada High School

The Bobcats will look to rebound on Friday after losing to Canadian in the final week on the regular season. Childress will have to do so, however, against a strong Slaton team that is coming off a 20-point win over Roosevelt.

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