Gridiron Pilgrimage Part II

Homage to "the greatest sport in the greatest state." ™

Join us in this multi-part series built around a love for Texas high school football.  Grant Goodwin (Sideline 2 Sideline) and Kevin McPherson took advantage of the lull in Texas high school football action to pay homage along a route rich in schoolboy football tradition.

Part II - Saturday

Waking up to the not so soothing sounds of a pre-dawn rooster in Post, we hit the ground running and pointed our chariot West toward Tahoka.  Pulling in to Tahoka, we found the home of the Tahoka Bulldogs and caught the sun rising over the Bulldogs’ Friday night battle grounds.

Tahoka Stadium

Leaving Tahoka, we hopped back on 380 and pointed our vehicle towards Brownfield. Upon hitting the city limits we promptly saw what seemed to be the largest structures in town, the stadium lights. We found very nice facilities that should make every Brownfield fan and player proud.

Brownfield Cub Stadium

Leaving Brownfield we hit State Highway 62 south towards Seagraves. At this point in our journey the landscape started to change. Gone was any semblance of trees, which were replaced by scrub brush and the unofficial plant of west and south Texas, the prickly pear cactus. Along the way we pulled in to Wellman, Texas, and found the home of the Wellman-Union Wildcats in a stadium snuggly situated behind the Southwest Cotton Growers Association headquarters.

Wellman-Union Stadium

Leaving Wellman, we hopped back on 62 and made the quick drive to Seagraves. Once entering this cozy community we came across the iconic Dixie Dog at the corner of Highway 62 and Railroad Ave. We were a little heartbroken that Dixie Dog had not opened, as hot dogs for breakfast are kind of our thing. We quickly located the Seagraves Eagles football stadium. Top notch stadium with lots of Eagle history around it.

Seagraves Eagles Stadium

Seagraves Eagles Stadium

Heading South on 62, our next stop was Seminole to take a look at Wigwam Stadium, home of the Seminole Indians. Again, we found premium facilities and loved the water tower right behind the home bleachers. Kind of reminds the visiting teams who they are dealing with.

With a 95 percent dry gas tank, we decided to take our chances on making it to Andrews before running out of petrol (our version of living on the edge). We found U.S. Highway 385 south and headed that way. Along with our empty gas tank, our empty stomachs prompted us to find grub before stopping at Mustang Stadium, and man did we find some local delight. We were introduced to the legendary steak fingers at Buddy’s Drive In in Andrews. We each ordered up a plate piled high with these crispy breaded, but fork tender delights. We decided that we could die happy men. By the way, the strict no smoking rules apply at Buddy’s, as there is “no smoking after 11 a.m.” sign. With a handful of leftover steak fingers tucked into our pockets, we drove a couple of minutes and found Mustang Stadium where the Andrews Mustangs reign supreme. The locals here have done a wonderful job of adding the new amenities while maintaining the character and feel of a different era with the bleachers and overall design of the stadium.

Buddy's Drive-In - Andrews, Texas

If you want to get your smoke on at Buddy's - it better be before 11AM!

Mustang Stadium - Andrews, Texas

We finally had to say goodbye to Mustang Stadium, gassed up (in more ways than one), and hit the road down State Highway 115 to Kermit. The drive between Andrews and Kermit is surprisingly filled with sand dunes on both sides of 115. We would have love to have gotten out and slid down some of the dunes but someone in the car, not naming names, was scared of rattlesnakes. Upon arriving in Kermit we easily found the home of the Kermit Yellow Jackets. We noted the WPA era stadium entrance. But, at this point in the journey was where our horrible sense of direction came in to play. We took a wrong turn on Highway 18 out of Kermit and not only ended up in another state, we ended up in another time zone. We felt kind of strange in the Mountain Time Zone and quickly decided to return to normal.

Kermit Yellowjackets Stadium

Uh-oh... I think we took a wrong turn!

• Post Antelopes
• Tahoka Bulldogs
• Brownfield Cubs
• Wellman-Union Wildcats
• Seagraves Eagles
• Seminole Indians
• Andrews Mustangs
• Kermit Yellow Jackets

Stay tuned as we continue our pilgrimage through some great Texas high school football country!

by Grant Goodwin & Kevin McPherson

Gridiron Pilgrimage Part I

this article

Gridiron Pilgrimage Part III

Gridiron Pilgrimage Part IV