Photo credit: Provided to The Permian Press

What happened: Midland High came close to picking up its first win of the season Friday night but couldn’t hold off Amarillo High on its final drive, falling 17-14 at Astound Broadband Stadium. The Bulldogs took their first lead with 8:32 remaining, but Amarillo scored the go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes left.

The game was also Midland’s homecoming, with Halen Day and Madelyn Frasier crowned homecoming king and queen, and a 9/11 memorial marking the 25th anniversary before kickoff.

The big picture: On the opening possession, the Bulldogs had Amarillo facing third-and-4 and appeared to stop the Sandies for a 6-yard loss, but a facemask penalty gave Amarillo a first down at the Midland 30-yard line. The Sandies capitalized when quarterback Hunter Randles connected with tight end Caden Virden for a 10-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.

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Amarillo added a field goal in the second quarter to make it 10-0 before Midland answered with about three and a half minutes left in the half. Facing a critical third-and-goal from the 22-yard line, quarterback Holt Howard found junior Frankie McGehee for a 21-yard reception. Howard then ran it in from the 1-yard line on fourth down, cutting Amarillo’s lead to 10-7.

Midland got the ball back at the Amarillo 47-yard line following a Sandies punt with about nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Howard connected with wide receiver Walker Campbell for a 45-yard strike to the 2-yard line, setting up the go-ahead score. On the next play, running back Evan Taylor rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the night, 14-10, with about eight and a half minutes remaining.

Amarillo started its final drive at its own 25-yard line and worked its way into the red zone. Midland forced the Sandies into third-and-goal from the 15-yard line, but Randles found receiver Jeb Grammer in the end zone on a scramble play to put Amarillo back on top, 17-14, with less than two minutes remaining. The Bulldogs couldn’t answer on their final possession, sealing the 17-14 loss.

Go deeper: Campbell led the Bulldogs with eight catches for 104 yards. Howard finished 13-of-30 passing for 175 yards and added Midland’s first rushing touchdown. The Bulldogs finished with 11 first downs and 58 rushing yards on 24 carries.

Amarillo finished with 15 first downs and 132 rushing yards, while Randles went 12-of-14 passing with no interceptions.

What’s next: Midland (0-3 overall) will head to Bastrop to face the Bears (1-2 overall) on Friday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m.