Amarillo (3-0) vs Amarillo Palo Duro (2-1):

The battle for bragging rights in the city of Amarillo continues this week as red-hot Amarillo High hosts upstart Palo Duro, which is looking to keep its two-game winning streak alive.

The Sandies have been running rough-shod through 2-6A in non-district as they won their third straight over the Little SWC with a hard-fought 31-24 win over Midland High. AHS QB Jett Lopez and WR Austin Sluder connected for three touchdowns to lead the Sandies attack. Amarillo ran out to a quick 14-0 lead on the Bulldogs, but they trailed 21-17 going into the fourth before a rally kept the unbeaten season alive.

Palo Duro last week showed they are more than just a speedy, high-flying team as Eric Mims’ squad showed they can play smash-mouth football at a high-level as well with a convincing 35-7 victory over Canyon. North Carolina ATH commit Darien Lewis notched an interception; he had a touchdown run and also caught a touchdown pass as Palo Duro led 28-0 at halftime and put things on cruise control in the second half.

This isn’t the biggest rivalry in the city as Amarillo-Tascosa tops this one in terms of scale, but there’s some intensity in this one as well and Palo Duro would love nothing more than to beat their rivals from the southside. Both teams have elite playmaking at the QB spot in Jett Lopez for AHS and Julian Reese for Palo Duro. This game comes down to which defense can contain the other QB. The Dons’ stingy defense that’s allowed just 17 points is the slight upset pick here.

Stepp’s Pick: Amarillo Palo Duro by 3