Mitchell-Zimmerman Field (Alex Driggars/Floyd County Record)
LOCKNEY — Historic Mitchell-Zimmerman Field in Lockney had its first football game in 1928, making it one of the oldest stadiums in Texas High School football, and this Thursday is maybe one of the biggest state playoff games the stadium has ever hosted. Mitchell-Zimmerman will serve as the final step for two 1A-II Six-Man football powers in a state semifinal between the No. 1 Motley County Matadors (13-0) and the No. 8 Klondike Cougars (12-1) to decide who is going to the state championship game on December 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Motley County is the Region 2 Champion with playoff wins over Rule 52-6, No. 4 Balmorhea 68-44, and No. 5 Jayton 60-8. The Matadors have an average winning margin of 60-19 in the playoffs, and 65-14 on the season.
Motley County has been the No. 1-rated 1A-II school, the smallest classification in the Lone Star State, since Dave Campbell’s Texas Football released its pre-season ranking in June. Motley County has made a habit on knocking on the door of supremacy in recent years, falling to the eventual State Champion Balmorhea Bears in the Region 2 finals in 2020, and in 2019 losing at the State Championship game to the Richland Springs Coyotes. Motley County won it all in 2007.
Klondike, located south of Lamesa, is the Region 1 Champion with playoff victories over Whitharral 71-48, No. 9 Groom 72-42, and No. 7 Anton 69-54. The Cougars are riding a seven-game winning streak since Whitharral knocked them off in week four of the regular season. Klondike has been outscoring their opponents by a 54-24 margin this fall. The past two seasons have been school record-setting seasons for Klondike by being a state-rated top 10 team in both 2020 and 2021.
Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Lockney.
Other Nearby Playoffs
No. 6 Roosevelt Eagles (13-0) vs. No. 9 Abernathy Antelopes (12-1) in a Region 1-3A-II Final at Jones AT&T Sradium in Lubbock on Friday at 7 p.m. This will be a rematch of an exciting win by Roosevelt 58-56 over Abernathy on week number eight of the season that eventually decided a district championship.
This will be the first football game Roosevelt has ever played in the month of December. It will be the biggest stage for them in more than one way — it’s their first time to play for a Region 1 Championship, and in the largest venue of Jones AT&T Stadium (capacity 65,000). Every win that Roosevelt has won since week eight (8-0) is a school record of consecutive wins. The Eagles never had a perfect 10-0 season record in the history of the school. Every step the Eagles take is into unchartered territory.
