This is the moment that the Odessa High football team has been working toward for the past year.

Ever since the final whistle of the 2017 season, the Bronchos made making the playoffs one of their goals for the 2018 season.

The regular season concludes at 7:30 p.m. Friday against Midland High at Ratliff Stadium, the same spot Odessa High saw its season come to an end in 2017.

The winner of Friday night’s game will play El Paso Franklin in the bi-district round of the Class 6A Division I playoffs.

The Cougars won the District 1-6A title last Friday with a 31-28 victory over El Paso Pebble Hills.

That singular moment that the Bronchos have been yearning for is now a reality and something that the players understand.

“There is no maybe about it,” quarterback Trey Smith said about Friday’s game. “If we win, we’re in and that gets us going even more.”

“I think it helps that we control our own destiny,” senior linebacker Michael Gonzalez said. “Everyone is going to focus in and it will show who the big time players are.”

The Bronchos are also looking to erase the disappointment from last week’s 35-21 loss to Amarillo Tascosa.

Odessa High led through the first half and the early portion of the second half before the Rebels rallied for 22 unanswered points to pull away for the victory.

Head coach Danny Servance commended his team’s effort following Friday night’s game, saying that they were resilient and felt like they had matured throughout the season.

His players shared a similar view.

 “I thought we played well Friday night,” senior safety Charles McClure said. “The effort was there and we fought to the end.”

McClure added, “We did have a couple of mental busts in the last quarter but we played as a team.”

“We gave 110 percent Friday night even though we didn’t come out with the win,” senior receiver Tyrone Caufield said.

With that game in the rearview mirror, Odessa High turns its attention to Midland High.

The defense will look to key in on Midland High quarterback Suddin Sapien.

The UTSA commit has been the go-to playmaker for the Bulldogs, compiling 2,325 yards and 24 total touchdowns in 2018.

“Suddin is a great athlete,” McClure said. “For our defense, it’s a good test because if we get to the playoffs, we’ll get to see a lot of guys like him.”

Friday will mark the final hurdle that Odessa High needs to clear in order to reach the postseason for the first time since 2013. For the seniors, it may very well be the final time that they will play at Ratliff Stadium.

With a playoff spot on the line, the emotion and intensity gets ratcheted up even more.

The Bronchos know they have to stay focused on the task at hand, acknowledging that the postseason run has already started.

“I feel like we’ve gotten better as the season has gone on and I’m hoping that last loss can help us focus in,” Gonzalez said.

“They (Midland High) have a lot of fight,” Smith said. “They’re coming in with the same goal and to battle for that last playoff spot and that’s the mindset that we have to come in with Friday night.”

With two catches against Amarillo Tascosa, senior wide receiver Julian Galindo moved closer to the top spot on the Bronchos’ all-time receiving chart. Galindo needs four more catches to match and five to break Gabriel Rodriguez’s record of 83 career receptions.

Meanwhile, senior running back Josh Lara is 132 yards away from finishing with 1,000 yards for the season.

If Lara is able to reach that mark, he would become the first Broncho to break that milestone since Sebastian Galindo in 2014. Galindo ran for 1,256 yards that season.

DEBUT: Sophomore kicker RJ Marquez saw his first action of the season against the Rebels, replacing Cain Cordova. Marquez made all three of his extra point attempts and also handled kickoff duties for the Bronchos.

SERIES BREAKDOWN: Friday night will mark the 98th meeting between Odessa High and Midland High, dating back to 1921. Odessa High leads the all-time series 49-48 but Midland High has won four straight meetings.

The last time that the Bronchos defeated the Bulldogs was back in 2013, a 35-30 win.

Coincidentally, that was also the last time that Odessa High won on senior night and the last year that the Bronchos were in the playoffs.
