Abilene Cooper at Amarillo Palo Duro Live Updates: Texas High School Football

An early district showdown in West Texas high school football takes place Thursday night in Amarillo.

Abilene Cooper makes the journey up into the Panhandle to take on the Dons of Palo Duro in a matchup between two of the three teams currently tied for first place in District 5-2A Division II.

Watch Abilene Cooper vs. Amarillo Palo Duro LIVE on the NFHS Network

Cooper, Palo Duro and Abilene Wylie all share the lead. Wylie is off this week, so the winner between Cooper and Palo Duro will be in sole possession of first place in the district going into next week.

Last week, Cooper (3-2, 1-0) won its district opener with a 49-28 win against Wichita Falls Memorial. As for Palo Duro, the Dons started district play with a 50-9 win against Wichita Falls Legacy.

Follow High School On SI correspondent Buck Ringgold (@Bucks_Ballpark) for all of the live updates and scoring from Amarillo.

Scroll down for live score and game updates from kickoff to the postgame. Refresh this page for the latest.

COOPER 0, PALO DURO 0 1ST QTR.

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FIRST QUARTER

- Palo Duro forced a third-and-long, but the Dons were flagged for roughing the passer, giving Cooper a first down near midfield.

- The opening kick from Palo Duro goes into the end zone for a touchback. Cooper to start at its own 25-yard line.

PREGAME

- Palo Duro wins the toss and defers to the second half. Cooper will field the opening kickoff in mere moments.

- Live from Dick Bivins Stadium in Amarillo, it’s a District 5-2A Division II showdown as Abilene Cooper travels to square off against the Dons of Palo Duro.

ABOUT ABILENE COOPER

After starting the season 0-2, the Cougars come in riding a three-game win streak. In addition to their district-opening win last week, they have also defeated San Angelo Central and Odessa High.

In last week’s win, the Cougars broke a 28-all tie in the fourth quarter. Running backs Markquel Sims and Jamarion Dunson combined for five TDs, and Dunson also caught a TD pass.

ABOUT AMARILLO PALO DURO

The Dons returned five starters on both sides of the ball from a team that went 10-2 and made the area round last season. One of those returnees is senior quarterback Julian Reese II, a Delaware commit, who had 335 yards of total offense and five TDs in last week’s win against Wichita Falls Legacy.

Like Cooper, Palo Duro also dropped its season opener, falling to Amarillo High, but since then, have reeled off four straight wins. The Dons easily handled crosstown foes Caprock and Tascosa as well as Dumas before hanging half-a-hundred in last week’s district opener.

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