ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – After not just one, but two previous losses, the Cisco Loboes are looking to make a comeback against the Hawley Bearcats. The teams will face off at 7:00 at ACU’s Wildcat Stadium on Friday, December 2. Fans of both teams are already getting in the Friday night mood to cheer their boys on from the stands.
“It’ll be a good match up no matter what happens, but Hawley’s gonna get the win,” Hawley Elementary teacher, Amber McKinney said in utmost confidence.
“We are ready for them. We know what we need to do, and I’m sure the coaches have done their homework,” said Jerry Choate, owner of JT Ranch Quilt Shop, LLC in Cisco.
The fans, much like the teams, are pretty well matched in terms of spirit. Each side has stocked up on merchandise to show support though different sources.
“No matter where the game is, you’re gonna see Cisco people there,” Choate predicted.
In Cisco, fans can get their custom-made merch from the JT Ranch Quilt Shop, at 706 Conrad Hilton Boulevard. While in Hawley, that role is filled by the Chigger Creek Boutique.
“It seems to be going pretty quickly, the more the playoffs go on,” commented Chigger Creek owner, Jodi Smith.
No matter the town, one thing is clear: Each takes high school football seriously. This is the lesson Cisco restaurant owner, Billy Woodrich, learned after moving in from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
“I’ve studied high school football more than I ever have in my life,” Woodrich said.
Woodrich told KTAB/KRBC he streams the games each Friday, after seeing what happens to the town when the team takes the field.
“The first Friday night, it was like we got bombarded, and then it was a ghost town in here,” Woodrich recalled. “Everyone got food to-go and headed to the game.”
Likewise, Bearcat fans are ready to back their boys for every down of the Friday match, with the hopes of adding win to the team’s 13-0 season.
“I wish them [Cisco] well, but be ready, because Hawley is,” McKinney warned. “It’s our year.”
Choate continued, “Coaches are ready and the boys are ready. We’re just glad to be playing December football.”
Click here to watch Cisco ISD’s livestream of the game. Don’t forget to tune into KTAB and KRBC Friday night for highlights from the game.