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371 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
No connection in all of sports was more intimate than this one, the one between town and high school.On the surface, the intensity with which the townspeople of Odessa embrace their high school football team is rather endearing. It gives the kids something to do on a Friday night; it gives them something to work for and to be proud of. But as the author delves further, the intensity starts to seem a little grotesque. These people depend on high school football to survive. More than just an escape from the financial ruin that has set in since the Texas oil bust, high school football is the only thing that matters. They live vicariously through these teenagers, these children, as if they are somehow their only connection to anything good or right in the world. That’s a pretty heavy burden for a 17 year-old to bear. And more than that, these 17 year-olds start to believe it themselves—that there’s nothing else for them beyond high school football. They are hit in the head with this concept over and over again as very little concern is shown for their academic progress. To their peers, their teachers, their counselors, their parents, town officials, and to basically everyone else in their sheltered world, high school football is the most important thing they will ever have.
Permian High School Panthers: 1988 Football SeasonDon’t mess with Texas.
vs. Palo Duro Dons — LOSS (Pre-Season)
vs. El Paso Austin — WIN
vs. Marshall Mavericks — WIN
vs. Odessa High Bronchos — WIN
vs. Midland High Bulldogs — WIN
vs. Abilene High Eagles — WIN
vs. Dallas Jesuit — WIN
vs. Cooper Cougars — WIN
vs. Midland Lee Rebels — LOSS
vs. San Angelo Central Bobcats — WIN
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vs. Amarillo Tascosa Rebels — WIN (Post-Season)
vs. Andress Eagles — WIN (Post-Season)
vs. Irving Nimitz Vikings — WIN (Post-Season)
vs. Arlington Lamar Vikings — WIN (Quarter-Finals)
vs. Carter Cowboys — LOSS (Semi-Finals)