What happened: Midland Lee held off Midland High 33–27 Friday night at Astound Broadband Stadium. The Bulldogs stayed within reach but could not finish the comeback. Lee secured second place in District 2-6A and its 10th straight win in the rivalry.

Going Deeper: Lee opened the game with a 75 yard drive capped off with a 6 yard Hayes Hamm TD run but after a penalty, missed the extra point.  Lee then pinned the Bulldogs on the one and forced a punt from there, but were unable to score on a short field when MHS’s Cade Rylander picked of JP Reyes in the endzone.

MHS started the 2nd quarter with a 39 yard run by Evan Taylor to the 2 and then scored on the next play to put MHS up 7-6 to cap off a 9 play 80 yard drive.   The Rebels responded with a 3rd and 17 from their own 21 with a Reyes to Ja’braylen Andres 47 yard pass followed by a 12 yard Hamm TD run taking a 12-7 lead.  After an MHS punt LHS drove 67 yards on 14 plays leading to Hamm’s 3rd TD run of the half to put Lee up 19-7.  MHS stormed back with a 2 minute drill for a Taylor 5 yard TD run with 30 seconds before the half to make it 19-14.  But Lee was not quite ready to go into the locker room as Andres would run the ensuing kickoff back 86 yards to make it 25-14.

MHS would open the 2nd half with 9 play 75 yard drive ending in an 8 yard run by QB Howard to make the score 25-20.  After trading possessions with no scores until Lee opened the 4th quarter with a 73 yard drive and Reyes finding Jordan Shields for a 31 yard TD strike.  After a 2 point conversion pass by Reyes to Hamm that made the score 33-20 Rebels with 9 minutes to go.

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After trading possessions, MHS closed the scoring gap to 27-33 with a 11 yar TD pass from Howard to Walker Campbell with 1:29 to go in the game to cap off an 11 play 70 yard drive.  MHS attempted an onside kick but did not give themselves a chance to recover it as the ball went directly out of bounds.  The Rebels were able to run the clock out with three snaps to seal the game.

The big picture: Both teams had secured playoff spots before Friday. The game decided which would finish second in the district, and Lee entered with the same 2–1 district record as Midland High. The Rebels finished the regular season 7–3 overall and 3–1 in district. Midland High finished 5–5 and 2–2.

For the Bulldogs, reaching the playoffs followed a turnaround from an 0–3 start. Midland High answered those opening losses with wins over Bastrop, Harlingen and Red Bluff. District victories over Odessa High and San Angelo Central followed.

Lee also came into the rivalry game following a win. The Rebels beat Odessa High 51–13 and had edged Central 32–27 earlier in district play. Their only district loss came against Permian.

Friday also brought younger musicians into the rivalry through Lee’s Junior High Band Night. The published performance schedule included students from Abell and Alamo joining the Mighty Rebel Band for “Grandioso” and “Land of Thousand Dances.”

What’s next: Both football teams now move into the Class 6A playoffs, though they will compete in separate divisions based on enrollment.

Lee enters Division I and will visit District 1-6A champion El Paso Pebble Hills on Thursday, Nov. 12. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Central. Midland High enters Division II with a first-round matchup against El Paso Franklin.

Friday settled the district standings between the two Midland teams. Each now needs a win against an El Paso opponent to extend its season.