With injuries continuing to take their toll on the Pampa Harvesters, head football coach Floyd White has seen his team face plenty of adversity throughout the 2026 season. However, despite another difficult result on the scoreboard Friday night in Dumas, White believes his players are continuing to show the kind of fight and determination that can help build the program’s future.
The Harvesters (0-8, 0-3) dressed just 23 players against Dumas, forcing nearly everyone available into significant playing time on both sides of the football field. Despite the limited numbers, Pampa continued to battle throughout the contest, showing flashes of what the team is capable of when everything comes together.
Now, the Harvesters return to Zach Thomas Stadium for their final home game of the season Friday night against the Canyon Eagles (5-3, 1-2). The evening will also serve as Senior Night, recognizing the football players, cheerleaders, athletic trainers and film crew before the game, with the senior band members honored at halftime.
Resilience Shines Through Despite Injuries
With nine starters sidelined by injuries, White acknowledged the challenges of competing with a roster significantly smaller than anticipated.
“You know, our kids, like I said, they go out there, they play hard,” White said. “They do things we ask them.”
White pointed out that the final margin against Dumas did not necessarily reflect how competitive the game was throughout much of the evening, particularly before a late score widened the gap.
“Our kids, they’re very resilient,” White said. “They go out there and they bust their humps and just keep finding ways to keep themselves in games.”
The Harvesters would normally expect to have approximately 32 to 34 players available, but injuries have forced younger players into larger roles and required others to remain on the field for nearly every snap.
“It doesn’t help when you have nine starters injured,” White said. “We should have about 32, 34 kids out there and we walked out there with 23. That’s always difficult, but it’s always got to be the next guy mentality.”
Big Plays Show Offensive Potential
One of the brightest moments against Dumas came early in the contest when junior quarterback Jeryn Owens connected with sophomore Paxton Daniels on a 76-yard near-touchdown pass.
White explained that the play developed after Owens began moving outside the pocket, allowing Daniels to adjust his route and get behind the defense.
“Initially he wasn’t open, and then as Jeryn started moving the pocket, then he turned and went vertical,” White said. “When he did, he got behind those guys because those guys started looking in the backfield.”
The play demonstrated the explosive potential White believes the offense possesses when everyone executes their assignments.
“When our kids are playing and we’re hitting on cylinders, we can make a lot of stuff happen in a hurry,” White said. “You hate that you don’t do it like that all the time, but you can do that fairly often if everybody’s executing.”
However, the Harvesters also experienced the frustration of having other significant gains erased by penalties, including a long completion to senior Gunter Thomas and a quarterback scramble.
White acknowledged the disappointment of seeing promising drives disrupted but emphasized that the team must continue improving its fundamentals.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” White said. “Ultimately, we just got to play cleaner and better and just make sure we’re moving our feet and moving our hands and doing those things. If we do that, we’ll be just fine.”
Defensive Leaders Continue to Step Forward
Despite the challenges, White identified several defensive players who continue to make an impact, beginning with senior defensive lineman Connor McKinley.
“He’s a stalwart with what we do defensive line-wise,” White said. “He’s a big, athletic kid who’s finally starting to figure it out. You hate that you’re going to lose him at the end of the year because you wish you had another year with him.”
White also praised junior Aiden Hammond, who has continued to emerge as one of the team’s most dependable defensive players.
“Aiden Hammond, he did a tremendous job,” White said. “He was all over the place again this week, and he’s really starting to figure it out.”
Another player earning recognition was senior captain Cy LeBlanc, whose contributions extend beyond individual tackles and statistics.
“He’s a captain, but also he’s a leader in the secondary,” White said. “He helps everybody get lined up. He does all those things.”
White noted the significant improvement LeBlanc has made from his junior season to his senior year, particularly in his understanding of the defense and his leadership responsibilities.
“It’s crazy the difference a year makes for a guy like him,” White said. “Last year, he had a hard time doing a lot of things, but he was having to start for us. Now as a senior, he’s able to kind of put it all together.”
White expressed his appreciation for the effort and commitment shown by those players throughout the season.
“I’m super proud to be able to be called their coach,” White said. “I’m just happy I get to work with them every day.”
Young Offensive Players Building for the Future
Offensively, White praised several players who have continued to make contributions despite the difficult circumstances.
Along with Daniels’ long touchdown reception, sophomore running back Colton Rose has continued to provide consistent production on the ground.
“Colton, every week he just finds a way to keep churning out yards,” White said. “He keeps plugging away, plugging away.”
White also highlighted the development of junior quarterback Jeryn Owens, who has continued to lead the offense despite not always producing eye-catching statistics.
“He kind of is unheralded just because he doesn’t have all the big stats,” White said. “But he goes out there and runs the offense exactly the way we need the offense run.”
While acknowledging the occasional mistakes that come with developing a quarterback, White believes Owens’ willingness to compete will pay dividends.
“He’s out there and he’s trying and fighting and competing,” White said. “I’m very, very, very excited about what the future holds for him.”
Another young player making an impression is sophomore Cade Wilson, who has taken on a significant workload on both sides of the football.
“He does a tremendous job,” White said. “He turns around, plays almost every play defensively, and then gets a little quick breather and goes out there and plays every play offensively.”
For White, the development of players willing to accept those responsibilities is an encouraging sign for the program.
“It’s guys like that and being able to play like that that’s going to help us out in the future,” White said.
Senior Class Leaves a Lasting Impression
With Friday’s contest marking the final home appearance for Pampa’s seniors, White reflected on his first experiences with the group when the coaching staff arrived in the spring of 2024.
At that time, the players were finishing their freshman year and preparing to enter their sophomore season.
White recalled the conversations the coaching staff had with the young players about staying committed to the program, learning how to compete and developing the work ethic necessary to succeed.
“The one thing I can tell you about them is that they always go out there every day and they work their tails off,” White said. “I just love being able to be around them.”
Although the seniors have endured a difficult final season in terms of wins and losses, White believes their character and commitment will serve them well long after their football careers conclude.
“I hate that they’re going to graduate and head on to other things,” White said. “But these guys are going to be tremendous young men.”
White said he looks forward to watching the seniors grow into their future roles beyond high school.
“They’re going to be tremendous fathers. They’re going to be tremendous community members, tremendous business owners,” White said. “I’m just so excited about them and what’s going to happen in their next phase of life.”
Canyon Brings Physical Offensive Attack
Turning his attention to Friday’s opponent, White described Canyon as a physical football team capable of attacking defenses in several different ways.
The Eagles utilize multiple offensive formations, including one-back and two-back sets, while operating both from the shotgun and under center.
“They do a lot of things kind of like some of the stuff we were doing early in the year,” White said.
Although Canyon is capable of throwing the football, White believes its greatest strength is its physical running attack.
“They like to run because they’re very physical,” White said. “They’ve got big kids all over the place, big tight ends, big backs, and they’re going to try to pound the ball on us.”
Leading the offense is senior quarterback Brox Hacker, who White praised for his experience and ability to distribute the football.
“He’s a good operator,” White said. “This is his second year doing the offense and what they do. He does a great job of distributing the ball.”
Up front, White identified senior offensive lineman Wesley Millican as one of Canyon’s most imposing players, particularly because of his ability to create running lanes.
“He’s just a big old mauler,” White said. “He pulls, he gets square, and he will pop you out of a hole in a hurry.”
Junior tight end Jaxson Small provides another physical presence in the Eagles’ offense, particularly as a blocker along the edge.
“He’s just another big old tackle, basically,” White said. “He can help seal the edge and do things like that.”
In the backfield, senior running back Austin Turner gives Canyon another dependable weapon behind its experienced offensive line.
“He’s a good, solid high school back,” White said. “They give him the ball deep and let him kind of make things happen.”
White believes the combination of Canyon’s physical offensive line and powerful rushing attack will provide a significant challenge for Pampa’s defense.
“We’re going to really have our hands full defensively,” White said. “We’ve got to make them earn it instead of giving up big plays.”
Eagles’ Defense Presents Familiar Challenges
On the defensive side, Canyon operates primarily from a 3-4 alignment, a system White said shares several similarities with Pampa’s own defensive approach.
“They do a lot of things very similar to us,” White said. “Basically what you’re watching with them is you’re watching another version of us.”
White identified Canyon’s defensive front as one of its greatest strengths, particularly junior defensive lineman Jace Forney, who anchors the middle of the Eagles’ defense.
“He’s a big body and he’s hard to move,” White said. “He does a lot of stuff to plug up gaps and things like that.”
At linebacker, senior Levi Turner presents another challenge because of his ability to move across the field and disrupt plays. White also noted Turner’s versatility and contributions on the offensive side of the football.
“He runs around from sideline to sideline and really makes things happen,” White said. “We’re going to have to make sure we know where he’s at.”
White also praised Canyon’s athletic secondary, which consistently rallies to the football and makes plays.
While the Eagles present a difficult matchup, White believes the Harvesters can find opportunities to move the football if they execute their assignments and take advantage of favorable matchups.
Execution and Ball Security Will Be Critical
For the Harvesters to have success Friday night, White believes the offense must continue building on the improvements shown during the last several weeks.
That includes finding opportunities to get playmakers such as sophomore Cruise Godino into open space while maintaining a consistent rushing attack.
“We definitely have some areas where we’re looking to take advantage of sometimes overly aggressive play,” White said. “We’re always looking for those mismatches wherever we get them.”
However, White emphasized that the biggest key remains protecting the football and avoiding mistakes that put the offense behind schedule.
He pointed to improved ball security against Dumas as one reason the Harvesters were able to remain more competitive.
“For us, it always starts with we’ve got to make sure we possess the ball,” White said.
When the offense executes its blocking assignments and remains patient, White believes the Harvesters can consistently move the football without relying exclusively on explosive plays.
“When we’re just chugging along and we’re not worried about the big play, we can chunk out five and six yards a pop without a problem,” White said.
White added that the Harvesters must also capitalize when opportunities for bigger gains present themselves.
“We’ve got to take advantage of those opportunities,” White said. “Whenever we get those opportunities to make the big play, we get those opportunities to get a ball out there in space, we’ve got to make sure that we take advantage of it.”
Playing for the ‘P’ One Last Time
As the Harvesters prepare for their final home appearance, White wants his seniors to appreciate the significance of the moment without allowing the emotions of Senior Night to overwhelm them.
Instead, he wants the players to focus on the purpose behind their effort and the pride that comes with representing Pampa.
“We’ve talked about playing for something, making sure that you’re going out there and you’re giving your all for whatever your why is,” White said.
For the Harvesters, that motivation includes the letter displayed on the side of their helmets.
“We talked about playing for that P on your helmet,” White said. “That P on your helmet is special. No matter who, what, when, where, why, that P is special.”
White also expressed his appreciation for the Pampa community, which has continued supporting the team despite the difficult season.
“We have a lot of fans who, while times have been tough this year, they come out here, they support,” White said. “We have some of the most gracious fans around and some of the most loving fans.”
That support, White said, has not gone unnoticed by the players or coaching staff.
“It doesn’t go unnoticed in our locker room,” White said. “Our kids notice it, and they’re excited to be able to get out here and play in front of the Pampa fans for the last time.”
With the final home game approaching, White hopes the community will fill Zach Thomas Stadium and provide the seniors with one more memorable Friday night.
“I would encourage people to come out and encourage these boys,” White said. “Come out and be loud and just have a great time with these guys one last time with these seniors.”
And while the Harvesters are still searching for their first victory of the season, White remains hopeful that Friday night can provide a special ending to the team’s home schedule.
“Come out and yell and be loud and stay late and continue to yell afterwards after we get a win,” White said.
For White and the Harvesters, Friday night represents more than another football game. It is an opportunity to honor a group of seniors who have remained committed to their teammates, their coaches and their community through every challenge.
You can find HSN on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@HarvesterSportsNetwork/. You can also follow them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HarvesterSportsNetwork. Lastly, there is a Twitter/X page: www.x.com/PampaHSN. Mike Mitchell and Troy Schwiegerath will be calling the game. The game will also be broadcast locally on 103.3 FM KRXZ Radio. That station will be piped through the YouTube feed. The pre-game show will begin on YouTube and 103.3 FM at 6:45 p.m. and kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
