Two weeks into the district campaign, there is already plenty of intrigue in District 8-5A DI.

Sports editor Josh Havard held a question-and-answer session with Lufkin head coach Todd Quick on Tuesday afternoon. The Panthers fell to 1-3 on the season and 0-2 in district play with a 26-24 loss to the Magnolia Bulldogs at home Friday night. Lufkin will return to action when it faces the…

It’s been 19 years since Reggie McNeal and the Lufkin Panthers stormed to the only state football title in the history of Lufkin High School.

GROVETON — Ethan Flori hauled in a 45-yard touchdown pass from Brent Roberts on the final play of the game as the Centerville Tigers pulled off a 26-20 win over the Groveton Indians on homecoming night here Friday.

DIBOLL — Jaylon Jackson and James Johnson combined for 285 yards on the ground and the Diboll defense held a shutout until the final two minutes as the Lumberjacks continued to roll through district competition with a 50-7 win over Palestine Westwood here Friday night.

Travis Moore and Mitch Hall combined for 257 rushing yards, and the Magnolia Bulldogs took advantage of a pair of huge special teams plays in the fourth quarter on the way to a narrow 26-24 win over a determined group of Lufkin Panthers in the home opener at John Outlaw Memorial Field at Abe…

If patience truly does pay off, the Lufkin Panthers have to think they’re ready to start making an impact.

Linebacker. Running back. H-Back. Tailback. Tight end. Wide receiver. Kick/punt returner. Coverage teams.

Attend any Huntington High School football game, and Hunter Mayes is easy to find.

A team can’t win a district title in the opening week, but they can certainly make their path much easier.

Sports editor Josh Havard held a question-and-answer session with Lufkin head coach Todd Quick on Tuesday afternoon. The Panthers dropped a 37-20 road decision to the Magnolia West Mustangs on Friday night to fall to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in district play. Lufkin will be in action for its home…

MAGNOLIA — Even while challenging for district titles and playoff spots over the last two years, the Magnolia West Mustangs never came close to threatening the Lufkin Panthers.

The Magnolia West Mustangs have been one of the biggest district challengers since joining 8-5A DI with the Lufkin Panthers two seasons ago.

Without taking the field, the Diboll Lumberjacks moved to 3-0 in district play when the Elkhart Elks canceled Friday night’s regularly scheduled game.

Even as a kid, Wilburn Smallwood grew up dreaming of the day he’d step on the field as a Lufkin Panther. But with his parents protecting him from injuries for as long as possible, he waited for his chance to start his football career.

Hudson’s Kayleigh Wagnon and Lufkin’s Adan Hernandez easily outpaced the competition in rolling to individual titles at the Hudson Cross Country Meet on Saturday morning.

Sports editor Josh Havard held a question-and-answer session with Lufkin head coach Todd Quick on Tuesday afternoon. Lufkin (1-1) is coming off its first win of the season, a 31-28 road victory over Nederland on Friday. The Panthers will travel to Magnolia West for the district opener on Friday.

HUNTINGTON — The Huntington Devilette volleyball team picked on a bigger opponent for Tuesday’s non-district match and played well against a stronger Lufkin Lady Panther team.

NEDERLAND — It was an admittedly long night for the Lufkin Panthers after being touched up for 500 yards and 70 points in the season opener seven days earlier.

DIBOLL — The Diboll Lumberjacks forced six turnovers and James Johnson had 184 yards on 13 carries as Diboll rolled to a 47-0 win over the Huntington Red Devils on homecoming night here Friday.

The halls of the Panthers’ locker room are lined with pictures of former Lufkin players who have moved on to the collegiate level.

It’s been a tale of two seasons for the Huntington Red Devils and Diboll Lumberjacks.

Lufkin’s Paula Bautista and Kristopher Murphy raced to individual titles as the Panthers and Lady Panthers had a strong showing in Longview’s 2020 Nicole Leman Invitational at the LeTourneau cross country course on Saturday.

When the Nacogdoches Dragons canceled their Oct. 2 game with the Panthers, the wheels started turning for Lufkin head coach Todd Quick.

Lufkin’s Lady Panther volleyball team is displaying some new skills on the court, and those skills don’t involve getting their hands on the ball. In fact, those key skills are located between their ears, according to head coach Leah Flores.

TYLER — The last time the Lufkin Panthers made the trip to Tyler to take on the Red Raiders, they escaped a jaw-dropping 38-point deficit for a 52-49 win.

HUNTINGTON — The Huntington Red Devils entered the district portion of the schedule looking like a potential playoff team. In the 9-3A DI opener, the Crockett Bulldogs looked like a team with district title aspirations.

GROVETON — Cermodrich Blank ran for 206 yards and passed for 88 as the Garrison Bulldogs rolled to a 60-21 win over the Groveton Indians in non-district action here Friday night.

The Lufkin Panthers’ swarming defense has a few positions that have little room for error. One of those just happens to be at defensive end where they have had their share of beastly players in recent years.

The Huntington Red Devils spent the first two weeks of the season showing a winning mindset. When they took a step up in competition last week, they showed it would take a little extra to send them home with a loss.

The Tyler Legacy Red Raiders feature a new name, a new head coach and a new look as they head into the 2020 season opener against the Lufkin Panthers tonight.