DIMMITT — Littlefield and Dimmitt both needed a non-district finale like Friday's.
The football teams entered the Week 6 contest with one loss between them, but the undefeated Bobcats hadn't been tested by a group the caliber of Littlefield. The Wildcats were coming off their first setback and had one last chance to get right before a rugged district schedule.
Littlefield earned a 21-20 win at Bobcat Stadium to send both teams to 5-1. All things considered, it wasn't a bad result for Dimmitt, either.
Littlefield football sees defense bounce back
It wasn't a fun week of practice for the Littlefield defense. The Wildcats had to prepare with the memory of a 64-36 loss to Levelland looming over them.
Littlefield bounced back with one of its best defensive outings this season. Fittingly, the Wildcats
all but sealed the win with Nehemiah Beanes' interception with less than two minutes to go.
"I'm proud of them," Littlefield coach Bo Bryant said. "We always give great effort, but we just had blown coverages last week. Levelland's really athletic. Dimmitt, they've got athletic kids, too. … That was a good test for us heading into district, because we've got some tough opponents coming up."
The Wildcats gave up 283 yards on the ground but also recorded 12 tackles for loss. A significant portion of that came from James Lockridge, who accounted for four tackles for loss, including a sack.
"It's hard for offenses to block him," Bryant said. "We lean on him a lot. We put him in that gap and tell him to go and make plays. We did a bunch of that tonight."
The front has been the catalyst for Littlefield's defense. Friday marked the third-fewest points allowed by the Wildcats, who gave up 26 per game entering Week 6.
Dimmitt football tested in first loss
Dimmitt entered the game undefeated, but its schedule left much to be desired. The Bobcats' opponents were 3-23 combined through five weeks. Dimmitt coach Jimmy Arias knew Littlefield presented a step up in competition, which was much-needed ahead of district play.
The Bobcats started slow — falling behind 14-0 after two Wildcats drives — but settled in to show they're an improved group. Dimmitt won five games all of last year in Arias' debut. The program hadn't posted more than three wins before that since 2016, also the last winning campaign.
The Bobcats fought Friday without their first-string quarterback, too. Sophomore Diego Cortez made his first start under center and responded with 202 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His 18-yard scramble tied the game as the first half expired.
"He knows if he gets back and he sees a lane, he can take off and use his speed to the best of his ability," Arias said. "He'll sacrifice his whole body just to get some points for the Bobcats."
Arias said starting QB Kaden Carpio should return from injury within the next two weeks. That will be an even greater way for Dimmitt to measure its improvement. The Bobcats open district against Childress and Canadian.
Arias said details will be amplified, just as his players learned Friday. Cortez threw a TD pass to Hugo Rodriguez with 6:28 remaining, but the ensuing extra point failed after a mishandled snap. That kept Dimmitt down by one.
"Sometimes the little things like special teams are the things that affect us," Arias said, "and we need to make sure that we're 100% on those small things."
Littlefield, too, has a tough road ahead. The Wildcats enter a district fight that includes No. 1-ranked Idalou among what Bryant called a "gauntlet." The coach is proud to have QB Sammy Saenz leading the charge. The only player in the Lubbock area's top 10 in both passing and rushing yards, Saenz finished with 113 through the air and 171 and a TD on the ground Friday.
"Man, he's just a warrior," Bryant said. "It's every day. In practice, on game night, we just know that we're gonna get everything that he's got."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Where Littlefield, Dimmitt stand after thrilling non-district finale
