Sandies bounce back strong in district opener against Monterey

Thursday night at Dick Bivins Stadium, the Amarillo High Sandies looked like a team with something to prove. Just six days removed from a stunning 35-14 loss to Palo Duro, the Sandies opened District 3-5A Division I play with a 37-21 victory over Lubbock Monterey. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was the kind of resilient performance Amarillo needed to show after their first stumble of the season.

The win pushes Amarillo to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in district, while Monterey falls to 2-3 and 0-1. 

Despite being without standout wide receivers Oliver Parsons and Austin Sluder for most of the game, Amarillo’s offense hit the ground running. Quarterback Jett Lopez connected with Tate Blackwell for a 20-yard touchdown just 83 seconds into the contest. Blackwell later added a 15-yard reverse run for another score, helping to give the Sandies a 23-7 halftime lead.

The Sandies leaned heavily on their ground game, finishing with 252 rushing yards. Running back Jude Dunavin powered the attack with 150 yards on 23 carries, including a 20-yard touchdown late in the first quarter that immediately answered Monterey’s lone first-half score.

Monterey had its chances but couldn’t capitalize. A costly sequence late in the first half turned the tide. After a 52-yard pass to Cam Taylor put the Plainsmen inside the Amarillo 10, Taylor was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, pushing the ball back. On the very next play, Sandies defensive back Creed Cavalier intercepted quarterback Jonah Reed, killing the drive. Amarillo marched downfield and scored before halftime, a swing that Monterey coach Jason Sims called “basically a 14-point swing.”

Reed threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns, including a 54-yarder to Taylor in the fourth quarter, but the Plainsmen mustered just 15 yards rushing against Amarillo’s front. Meanwhile, Lopez finished with three touchdown passes, including a late strike to Caden Virden that sealed the win.

The game wasn’t without its blemishes. Both teams combined for nine 15-yard penalties, most of them in a sloppy first half. Still, Amarillo’s ability to control the line of scrimmage and respond to Monterey’s momentum shifts carried the night.

In the end, the Sandies accomplished exactly what they set out to do: leave no doubt that last week’s loss was a bump in the road, not a turning point.