I keep hearing about a semi-final game that was played in the midst of a raging blizzard, between Vernon and Phillips. Epic game that ended up in a zero-zero tie, Phillips advancing on gross yardage (by something like a bare 3 yds, as I recall).
Then, Phillips went on to win the state title.
At one time, I was given to understand by a reputable source that the unofficial total of money bet on high school football in Texas exceeded the amount bet on either college or pro football. A rancher betting a grand that the Dumas Demons would beat the spread vs the Dalhart Wolves was not unheard of.
Odds are that some of those guys sitting around the coffee shop in "The Last Picture Show's" Anarene (Archer City) on Saturday morning had lost some serious bread on the last game of the season vs Antelope (Olney).
There was even a rivalry in Central Texas (Clifton & Meridian?) that got banned because, every time the two teams met, the game ended with a knock-down, drag-out fight between the two towns. This around 1992-or-so, as I recall.
Texas high school football: Nothing like it.
I went to school and played football in Oklahoma. It was serious....but nothing like Texas.
We played Lawton Eisenhower, Altus, and Duncan before entering into the district with Brownwood, Stephenville, Iowa Park, and Vernon. You cannot tell me the Okie boys don't play just as hard. Our coach had the longest winning streak in Oklahoma HS football at Lindsay back in the early 60's.