Photo by Thomas Hays
Throughout February, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football managing editor Greg Tepper is taking a look back at the 2016 Texas high school football season in each region of the state. For a detailed explanation of the regional breakdowns as well as the rankings methodology, read this piece.
Previously...
Big Country
Super Centex
Coastal Bend
Dallas-Fort Worth
East Texas
El Paso
Golden Triangle
Hill Country
Houston
North Texas
Northeast Texas
Today: The Panhandle
When outsiders think of Texas, I believe they think of the Panhandle — the rolling South Plains of Lubbock, the vast fields of Amarillo, the small towns dotting the landscape. And appropriately, arguably no part of the state takes their high school football as seriously as the Panhandle. Luckily for them, the 2016 season was awful good to the northwest portion of the state.
For the sake of clarity, here is a map of how we are defining “The Panhandle."
Now that we’ve set the boundaries, let’s break down the best of high school football in the Texas Panhandle in 2016.
Top 20
| Regional Rank | Team (Record) | Class |
| 1 | Wellington (13-2) | 2A DII |
| 2 | Canadian (12-3) | 3A DII |
| 3 | Lubbock Coronado (11-2) | 5A |
| 4 | Abernathy (12-3) | 2A DI |
| 5 | Lubbock Monterey (10-3) | 5A |
| 6 | Levelland (10-4) | 4A DI |
| 7 | Seagraves (10-4) | 2A DII |
| 8 | Childress (9-4) | 3A DII |
| 9 | Stratford (10-2) | 2A DI |
| 10 | Memphis (10-2) | 2A DII |
| 11 | Post (10-3) | 2A DI |
| 12 | Farwell (10-2) | 2A DII |
| 13 | Littlefield (9-4) | 3A DI |
| 14 | Muleshoe (8-5) | 3A DI |
| 15 | Lubbock-Cooper (9-3) | 5A |
| 16 | Perryton (9-2) | 4A DII |
| 17 | Clarendon (8-3) | 2A DII |
| 18 | Bovina (9-2) | 2A DII |
| 19 | Idalou (8-4) | 3A DII |
| 20 | Canyon (8-3) | 5A |
Player of the Year
QB Nick Gerber, Levelland
The Panhandle was chock-full of playmakers this year, but the record-smashing Lobos signal-caller stood out above the rest, etching his name in Texas high school football lore.
Honorable Mentions
Abernathy QB Bryson Daily
Lubbock Coronado QB Qua Gray
Canadian ATH Cameron Copley
Post RB AJ Reed
Coach of the Year
Wade Williams, Wellington
Guided the Skyrockets through the rough-and-tumble Region I of the 2A Division II bracket behind a grinding running game and fierce defense.
Honorable Mentions
Chris Koetting, Canadian
Jared Sanderson, Levelland
Jason Sims, Childress
Steven Coursey, Perryton
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