The Pampa Harvesters (0-7, 0-2) have shown plenty of fight over the last two weeks, particularly in the second half of their district matchups. Now, as they prepare to hit the road to face the Dumas Demons (2-5, 1-1), the challenge is finding a way to bring that same energy, execution and determination to the opening kickoff.
For the second consecutive week, Pampa found itself facing a significant halftime deficit, trailing Hereford 31-0 before responding with a strong second-half performance. Over the last two games, the Harvesters have been outscored 72-0 in the first half but have outscored their opponents 31-27 after halftime.
Despite the difficult starts, Pampa Head Football Coach Floyd White believes those second-half performances speak volumes about the character of his players and the ability of his coaching staff to make adjustments.
“Our kids, the one thing they do is they’re always going to fight,” White said. “They’re always going to go out there and work their butts off and do the things that we need to do.”
White also credited his coaching staff for identifying problems, making adjustments and communicating those changes to the players.
“I also think it says a lot for our coaches about how they can go in and make changes to help the kids be successful,” White said. “It’s a testament to both relationships, to the kids trusting us to get them in the right spots and also for the coaches to be able to communicate with one another and get that information to the kids.”
Early Injuries and Offensive Struggles
The Harvesters struggled to establish an offensive rhythm against Hereford, finishing the first half with minus-22 yards of offense.
An early injury to Pampa’s starting quarterback, senior Gage Gamblin, forced the coaching staff to abandon portions of its original game plan almost immediately.
“The first thing is, you go and your quarterback gets hurt on the third offensive play of the game,” White said. “Once again, here you go having to revamp everything that you did because your backup can do some of the stuff, but you can’t do all of it.”
White explained that the early injury, combined with the defense’s inability to consistently get off the field, created a difficult situation for the Harvester offense.
“The other thing was that defensively we weren’t able to get enough stops to give our offense a chance to get back on the field to get into some kind of rhythm,” White said.
The combination of limited offensive possessions and adjustments to the game plan made it difficult for Pampa to find its footing.
“You prep all week to do one thing, and then all of a sudden something happens and you’ve got to switch gears,” White said. “It takes you a little bit to switch those gears.”
Special Teams Provide Bright Spots
While the Harvesters experienced some difficulties on special teams, there were also several encouraging moments, including an impressive 82-yard punt from junior Brayan Montelongo.
Montelongo, who began the season handling kickoffs and field goals, has taken on additional responsibilities as Pampa’s punter.
White praised Montelongo for his positive attitude, preparation and willingness to step into whatever role the team needs.
“Brayan does a great job for us. We always appreciate him,” White said. “He comes out there, he’s got a smile on his face. We sit there and mess with him, but whenever it comes down to it, whenever he has to get a ball off or kick a field goal, he’s amped up and ready to go.”
White also credited Coach Seth Foster for his work with the team’s specialists, noting that kickers have a unique role and require specialized instruction.
Despite the positives, White emphasized that Pampa must eliminate costly mistakes in the kicking game, particularly those that give opponents favorable field position.
The Harvesters struggled with a mishandled kickoff against Hereford, another example of the early mistakes that have contributed to difficult starts.
White said improving those situations begins with players understanding their assignments and paying attention to instructions before the ball is kicked.
“We’ve got to really make sure that we do a lot of paying attention and listening whenever coaches tell you something, and not just take it as a suggestion,” White said.
Pampa also executed a fake punt and produced several positive kickoff returns, showing the potential for special teams to become a strength when assignments are carried out correctly.
“We do things well on special teams,” White said. “We’ve just got to make sure that we don’t do the things that put us into a hole early.”
Harvesters Return to the Road
After three consecutive home games, Pampa will travel to Dumas for its third district matchup of the season.
Although the Harvesters have not played away from Zach Thomas Stadium since September 18, White does not expect the change in venue to significantly affect his team’s preparation.
“Going on the road is not really a big deal because most of our slate has been on the road,” White said. “It’s not really going to change the way we prep anything. It’s going to change the way we travel and a little bit about what we do on Fridays.”
White explained that the familiarity between district opponents also helps simplify the preparation process.
“For us, it’s a district game. We know these guys well. We know what they’re going to do,” White said. “Once you’ve played them and you play them every year, you know what people are and who they are and what coaching staffs are.”
The focus, White said, remains on preparation, execution and giving maximum effort regardless of where the game is played.
Dumas Offense Presents Multiple Challenges
The Demons feature an offensive attack built around a physical running game, with the ability to create explosive plays through the air and with their quarterback’s mobility.
Although Dumas operates out of spread formations, White said the Demons rely heavily on power-running concepts and gap-scheme plays.
“People think they’re spread, but they run a lot of gap-scheme runs,” White said. “They run a little bit of zone stuff, and then, of course, they can throw the ball.”
Leading the offense is senior quarterback Colton Mills (No. 17), an experienced playmaker who has been contributing at the varsity level since his freshman season.
“He’s been doing it since he was a freshman. He’s a heck of a player,” White said.
Dumas also features multiple capable running backs, including junior Angel Jara (No. 25), who helps establish the physical identity of the Demons’ offense. Junior Damyan Gonzalez (No. 32) is also listed at running back on the Dumas roster, giving the Demons another option in the backfield.
White was particularly complimentary of the Dumas offensive line, describing a group that plays with physicality and moves well.
“Up front, they’re just good, solid offensive linemen,” White said. “They get on your body, they stick on you, and they move around really well.”
For Pampa’s defense, White said the key will be recognizing formations, reading assignments and executing consistently.
“We’ve got to make sure that we read keys, make sure that we look at formations,” White said. “Every team has tells with things that they do. We have our kids prepped and ready for those things. Now it’s just a matter of making sure that we execute those on a down-to-down basis.”
Opportunities Against the Dumas Defense
Defensively, Dumas presents a different challenge with its aggressive 3-4 alignment and heavy use of man-to-man coverage.
White said the Demons frequently play press coverage, creating opportunities for Pampa’s receivers if the Harvesters can win individual matchups.
“They play a lot of press man,” White said. “There are plays to be had if you can get over the top of them, which we have some guys that can get over the top of them. We’ve got to be able to get that ball out there.”
The Demons are particularly strong along the interior defensive line, led by senior Arturo Oliva (No. 72), a physical nose guard who can make life difficult for opposing offensive linemen.
“He’s a hoss,” White said. “He takes up a lot of space, and he’s also kind of a hard guy to move. He moves around really well.”
White also identified senior defensive backs Kayson Benge (No. 13) and Colt Fox (No. 2) as important pieces of the defensive unit, praising their ability to match up with opposing receivers.
“Those guys do a great job in coverage,” White said. “They get to your interior guys and they can really stick to you and make life difficult.”
Despite the challenges, White believes Pampa can find opportunities by taking advantage of favorable matchups and forcing defenders to react to different looks.
“They do a really good job within their scheme, but their scheme has holes in it if you can take advantage of the matchups that you have,” White said.
Starting Fast and Limiting Mistakes
As Pampa prepares for Friday night’s district contest, White made it clear that the Harvesters cannot afford another slow start.
The combination of early turnovers, offensive struggles and extended defensive possessions has repeatedly placed Pampa in difficult situations.
For White, the solution begins with attention to detail, particularly before the snap.
“We’ve got to take care of the mental side of what it is that we have to do pre-snap to make sure that we’re in a spot to put ourselves where we need to be,” White said.
Once those responsibilities are handled, White believes execution will improve across all three phases of the game.
The Harvesters will also need to contain Dumas senior quarterback Colton Mills, whose ability to extend plays with his legs presents a significant challenge.
White recalled a play from last season when Pampa had Mills facing a third-and-long situation but allowed him to escape pressure and produce a substantial gain.
“We had him in third-and-20, and I think it started at 21 actually,” White said. “We had four dudes around him, and he scrambled for a first down, scrambled for like a 40-yard gain. Those are things that we can’t have happening to us.”
Offensively, White wants the Harvesters to remain patient rather than feeling pressured to produce a big play on every possession.
“We’ve got to be okay with gaining three and four yards at a time instead of thinking everything has to come in big chunks,” White said. “Sometimes it will, sometimes it won’t, but for the most part, we’ve just got to be steady and patient.”
Above everything else, White identified two priorities that will be essential if Pampa hopes to compete with the Demons.
“First things first, we’ve got to be able to start fast, in whatever capacity, whether we’re on offense or whether we’re on defense,” White said. “The other thing is we can’t turn the ball over.”
For the Harvesters, the fight has been evident, even when the scoreboard has not been in their favor. The challenge now is putting together four complete quarters of football and turning that determination into a stronger start.
With another district opportunity ahead, Pampa will look to carry its second-half momentum from the last two weeks into Friday night’s opening kickoff against Dumas.
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.
