WEST TEXAS (KMID/PKEJ) – Friday night was the 66th meeting between two bitter rivals, Midland Legacy and Permian High. Permian leads the all-time series 40-24 with one tie, including playoffs.

This game is the pinnacle of high school football here in West Texas, and something both cities… Odessa and Midland look forward to and take immense pride in.

“The Permian, Midland Legacy, former Lee High School football games is one of the great traditions, not only in the history of high school football in Texas, I think its one of the great traditions throughout the country,” said Blake Feldt, MISD’s Executive Director of Athletics and Former Permian Head Football Coach.

“The rivalry between Permian and Lee was right on the money (referencing the Friday Night Lights movie). That was the game you always want to win,” said Allen Jones, a MOJO Historian, who is also a Teacher at Permian High currently.

Friday is arguably the biggest rivalry game in the state. Locals on both sides know what’s at stake with district play, but also its ‘bragging rights’.

“We tend to be more fun during OHS week, but we get to Lee, and it’s beat Lee. We gotta focus we got to get there, it’s the one,” said Jones, who also helped fact-check accuracy in the movie ‘Friday Night Lights’.

A rivalry that goes back decades….Inspiring the ‘Friday Night Lights’ novel and movie seen around the world.

“What other rivalry is there when they make a movie about it,” said Feldt.

“Just the history of it, you’ll want to see this game, you’ll want to be in the stands,” said Jones.

Locals still involved with this game have been around for most of that rivalry! They still get excited as this game approaches each year.

“It goes back way into the 70’s, Permian won their second championship in 1972, Gil Bartage was the head coach then and he went from here to be the Athletic Director in Midland, so since then there’s always been that back and forth,” said Jones.

In the end Pemian goes on to win the 2023 game 32 to 31 over Legacy.