With the non-district portion of the schedule complete, the Pampa Harvesters (0-5) have reached their midseason bye week and now turn their attention toward District 2-4A play.
Head coach Floyd White said the first half of the season has shown him plenty about the character of his team.
“Now that we are at the midpoint of the season, I have learned that we have a resilient group of young men who are learning how to continue to play week after week,” White said. “They realize that they can play with anyone, but it takes another level to win those games.”
Growth Through the First Half
When White compares the team that began the season against Caprock to where the Harvesters are now, he said the biggest improvement has been in the team’s maturity.
“The biggest growth that I have seen is in the maturity that this team has displayed,” White said. “We have had multiple lineups and have had numerous issues that have reared their heads throughout the season, yet our kids have decided to show up and continue to try to make their community proud with their play.”
The non-district schedule also showed White that Pampa is capable of matching opponents physically.
“The one thing that I can say that we took away from this pre-district slate was that we can play physical football with any team we face,” White said. “We can play tough-nosed football when we must. We have not always been able to pull that off. That kind of football travels when you get into the playoffs.”
Using the Bye Week
With no game this week, the Harvesters have an opportunity to recover physically while also returning to the fundamentals before district play begins.
“When we get into the bye week, we try to meld the week so that we can get healthy yet go back to the fundamentals that we feel we have been lacking during pre-district,” White said. “There are always a ton of things that we can do to help get things going in the right direction.”
White said the beginning of district play also gives every team an opportunity to reset.
“It is the same adage that everyone uses — you are 0-0 and have your whole season in front of you,” White said. “You must find a way to win games in this district. Nothing will be given to you at any time in 2-4A.”
Offensive and Defensive Progress
Offensively, White has seen the Harvesters prove they are capable of moving the football, but protecting possession will be critical during the second half of the season.
“As we have progressed through pre-district, offensively we have shown that we can move the ball against almost anyone,” White said. “We need to become more consistent in our care of the ball. Once we do that, we will be able to score the points we need to be in any game.”
Defensively, White said improvement against the run will be especially important as district play begins.
“We played decent defense most of the pre-district slate,” White said. “We must play better in the front seven to be the team we want to become. In Texas high school football, you must be able to stop the opponent’s running game. If you cannot do that, you will struggle against almost any team you play.”
District 2-4A Challenge
Pampa’s district slate features Randall, Hereford, Dumas, Canyon and West Plains, giving the Harvesters five different challenges over the second half of the season.
“Our district always is one of the toughest districts in the state,” White said. “You do not find a weak team throughout the entire schedule. All the teams you will see week in and week out are tough outfits that all play a different style. It provides a challenge every week.”
The Harvesters will open district play against Randall, a team White described as one of the district’s most versatile.
“Randall always provides a tough matchup because they have the most versatile group in the district,” White said. “They have a great mix of speed and skill that is hard for most teams to match.”
Hereford brings a different style, with the longtime matchup traditionally centered around physical football.
“Hereford is an old-school matchup that is a mixture of just old-fashioned tough and physical football,” White said.
White said Dumas combines many of the challenges presented by both Randall and Hereford.
“Dumas is a mixture of Randall and Hereford,” White said. “They always have a ton of skill, and they play physically as well. You always must bring your ‘A’ game.”
Canyon will present another challenge because of its combination of athleticism and size.
“Canyon is tough because they have skill kids, but they always have a ton of size that is hard to outmatch,” White said.
West Plains has been among the district’s top programs over the previous two seasons, but White said the Harvesters know every opponent can be beaten.
“West Plains has been the top of the district for the last two years,” White said. “They want to remain in the same place. They have a ton of talent but are beatable just like everyone else on our schedule.”
Keys to the Second Half
With five district games determining which teams move into the postseason, White said Pampa’s formula for success comes down to improving in three major areas.
“Like I said previously, we will have to take care of the ball offensively, we will have to stop teams’ running games, and we will have to play better on special teams to give ourselves the opportunity to move on into the playoffs,” White said.
The bye week gives the Harvesters a chance to recover, correct mistakes and prepare for a fresh start as the most important portion of the schedule begins.
Midseason Stat RoundUp
Note: These stats are from the TurboStats program John Lee and myself record during the games. We feel fairly confident in the offensive stats but defensive is harder to get live during the game, especially with tackles.
Through five games, the Pampa Harvesters have recorded 1,549 total offensive yards, including 964 rushing yards. Sophomore Colton Rose leads the rushing attack with 385 yards on 52 carries, averaging 7.4 yards per carry with two touchdowns and a long run of 72 yards. Junior Jeryn Owens has added 291 rushing yards on 56 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per attempt, while sophomore Madden Campos has 95 rushing yards on 25 carries. Senior Gunter Thomas leads the receiving totals with seven catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, the Harvesters have recorded 178 total tackles, 30 tackles for loss, four sacks, five fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Sophomore Mason Mitchell leads the team with 25 tackles and has also recorded one sack. Junior Aiden Hammond has 22 tackles, a team-high seven tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Sophomore Ramiro Baca has 21 tackles and four tackles for loss, while senior Kiaro Flores has 16 tackles, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. On special teams, Thomas has 215 kickoff return yards on 12 returns, including an 89-yard touchdown return. Pampa has 378 total kickoff return yards as a team. Junior Bryan Montelongo is 1-for-2 on field goals with a long of 30 yards and is 5-for-6 on PATs. Montelongo has also produced four touchbacks on 14 kickoffs. The Harvesters have leaned heavily on the ground game through the first half of the season, with approximately 62 percent of their total offense coming by way of the run. Pampa has picked up 61 first downs through five games and has converted 23 of 56 third-down attempts, a rate of about 41 percent. The Harvesters are 2-for-5 on fourth downs. Pampa has recorded eight plays classified as “big plays” in the statistical report. Sophomore Cruise Godino has recorded Pampa’s interception. The Harvesters have recovered six fumbles through the first five games. Senior Gage Gamblin, senior Baron Botello, Hammond, senior Cy LeBlanc, Mitchell and senior Evan Orand have each recorded one fumble recovery.
