In most years, the Big Country is too big and too deep in talent for it not to compete for state championships across the spectrum of sports. And the calendar year of 2025 was no different, with multiple state titles taken at various levels.
So many, in fact, that most of our Top 10 area sports stories for 2025 involved an area team taking a state title.
Here, we take a look at those stories in descending order, counting down to No. 1.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Sweetwater-Jim Ned basketball doubleheader (39 images)”
TUSCOLA — While the two games took on a different character, both ends of Tuesday’s varsity doubleheader between Jim Ned and Sweetwater had one thing in common: both were frustrating for SHS.
In Game 1, the Jim Ned girls used a 14-0 start and a 38-point night by Lily Bryant to hand Sweetwater a 56-39 loss at Bill Thornton Arena. The nightcap saw the Indians down Sweetwater 49-47 in a physical, slow-tempo duel in which Jim Ned executed just well enough down the stretch to keep the Mustangs at bay.
Hosting Brock for a strong nondistrict test, the Wylie boys basketball put together one of its most complete performances of the season on Tuesday, racing out to a 10-2 lead and maintaining that pace the rest of the way for a 74-62 win at Bulldog Gym.
The Bulldogs (8-10) never trailed, stretching a 22-15 first-quarter advantage to 42-28 by halftime and answering every BHS run from there to roll to the double-digit victory.
Senior Swade Sipe was at the heart of that effort, knocking down half of his team’s 12 3-pointers to lead all scorers with 33 points. The 6-foot-5 sharpshooter had at least six points in every quarter to keep a talented and resilient Eagles squad from ever fighting its way back into the game.
Nobody played a tougher schedule over the holidays than the Wall boys. And nobody had a bigger impact on their successful run through a brutal five-game stretch than 6-foot-7 big man Paxton Brake who takes our first Big Country Preps Player of the Week for 2026.
Brake, a junior, scored a combined 70 points through the break, averaging 14 points, 9.2 boards and 3.2 assists to help the Hawks go 4-1 over the break with wins over Decatur, Lorena, Ponder and Sweetwater, along with a close loss to perennial power Brock.
Wall enters this week at 17-5 overall.
EULA — The Jim Ned boys basketball team fell just short of the Eula Holiday Classic championship on Wednesday, dropping a hard-fought game to a familiar foil in the event’s title game at Mary Mosley Gymnasium.
The Indians got off to a fast start against region rival Holliday, building an early 17-9 lead, but they couldn’t maintain that momentum in a 42-36 loss to the Eagles.
That matchup capped a strong boys tournament for area teams, as Graford placed third with a 64-33 win over Christoval and Clyde took fifth with a 45-36 win over Andrews. Other noteworthy results involving area squads included a 36-34 loss by Tolar to Bells in the seventh-place game and 69-64 loss by Eula to New Deal in the consolation third-place game.
EULA — Before last year, Eula coach Josh Fostel had never won a Eula Holiday Classic championship in the tournament’s long and illustrious history. On Wednesday, he and his Lady Pirates won their second straight.
After racing out to a double-digit lead in the first half of Wednesday’s championship game, EHS saw Jim Ned rally to take its first lead of the contest on a Lily Bryant 3-pointer with just over 17 seconds remaining. But Reagan Barr answered with a clutch 3 of her own with five seconds to play to lift the Lady Pirates to a thrilling 49-47 win at Mary Mosley Gymnasium.
That action-packed title game capped a strong overall tournament for area squads, as Tolar topped Hermleigh 54-46 to take the third-place game and Clyde defeated Spur 53-44 to win the consolation title. Hico also finished sixth in the 16-team girls field, falling to Nazareth 44-27 in the fifth-place game after knocking off Holliday 50-40 in its third-round game on Tuesday.
EULA — The Jim Ned boys basketball team outlasted Christoval in the semifinals of the Eula Holiday Classic on Tuesday to earn a spot in Wednesday’s championship game against regional nemesis Holliday, which routed Graford in Tuesday’s other semifinal to set up the title game between the two Region I-3A contenders.
Trailing 32-31 with less than five minutes to play, the Indians closed the game on a 7-0 run to defeat the Cougars in their semifinal matchup. The Eagles, meanwhile, cruised past the Jackrabbits, outscoring GHS 31-7 in the second half on their way to a 57-26 victory.
With those victories, Jim Ned and Holliday advance to play for the tournament championship at 4 p.m. at Mary Mosley Gymnasium, while Graford and Chrisoval will play for third place at 1:20 p.m. at the same site.
EULA — The Eula and Jim Ned girls basketball teams played their way into the championship game of the Eula Holiday Classic on Tuesday, scoring semifinal wins over Tolar and Hermleigh, respectively, to set up a clash of Big Country powers for the tournament title on Wednesday.
The Lady Pirates rallied from a 12-9 first-quarter deficit to pull away for a 37-27 win over the Lady Rattlers, while the Lady Indians pulled off the comeback of the tournament, digging out of a 30-11 second-quarter hole to slip past the Lady Cardinals 51-50 in a thriller.
Eula and Jim Ned will tip off at 2:40 p.m. at the Mary Mosley Gymnasium for the championship following a noon third-place game between Tolar and Hermleigh. At Eula Middle School, meanwhile, Clyde will play Spur for the tournament’s consolation title after defeating New Deal 55-47 in the consolation semifinals.
EULA — The Graford boys basketball team encountered little resistance on the opening day of the Eula Holiday Classic, following a 97-18 win over Abilene TLCA in its tournament opener with a 68-37 quarterfinals win over Tolar to become the first area team to earn a spot in the event’s semifinals.
Clyde almost joined the Jackrabbits, after earning a 58-53 win over Eula in the first round. But the Bulldogs were edged 59-56 in overtime by Holliday in the quarterfinals, leaving Graford to play the Eagles in the semifinals on Tuesday for a spot in Wednesday’s championship game.
Jim Ned, which defeated Muenster 47-37 in its opener, is the only other area team remaining with a chance at the tournament title. The Indians will play Bells in the quarterfinals at 9:20 a.m. Tuesday, while Christoval and Andrews will face off in the final quarterfinals matchup at 10:40 a.m.
EULA — The Tolar and Eula girls basketball teams were the first to punch their tickets to the semifinals on the opening day of the Eula Holiday Classic, earning a pair of wins on Monday to earn a matchup against each other on Tuesday for a spot in Wednesday’s championship game.
Tolar followed a 54-42 win over Clyde in its opener with a 49-41 victory over Hico in the quarterfinals, while Eula picked up double-digit wins over larger programs from New Deal (36-24) and Holliday (52-38).
The other semifinal qualifiers on the girls side of the tournament will be determined Tuesday morning, following quarterfinals matchups between Nazareth and Jim Ned (9:20 a.m.) and Springtown and Hermleigh (10:40 a.m.). Jim Ned defeated Strawn 49-37 in its opener, while Hermleigh routed Andrews 89-56.
In helping the Jayton Jaybirds to a second-straight state title last week, senior running back Bode Ham not only produced the top game in our coverage area, but his performance will likely remain part of six-man lore forever.
With Jayton topping Richland Springs 99-54, Ham’s numbers were nothing short of shocking, with 430 yards rushing and a state championship record 10 TDs on 28 carries.
For good measure, he was 3 of 4 through the air for 118 yards and an additional three scores, giving him 548 total yards and a direct hand in a state championship-record 13 touchdowns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
ARLINGTON — In Stephenville’s first six state championship games — all wins — high-flying Yellow Jackets offenses averaged 38 points per contest, including outputs of 70 and 38 points in their last two.
Friday’s game was, well, different.
In this one, a 10-0 win over Kilgore, the Jackets traded their trademark offensive fireworks for old-school physicality and execution. And the result, while unStephenville-like in nature, was no less impressive.
ARLINGTON — With many prognosticators expecting a low-scoring rock fight in Friday’s Class 4A Division I state title game between Stephenville and Kilgore, the game delivered precisely that.
Trot Jordan rushed for a game-high 86 yards and threw for 78 and one touchdown to lead Stephenville (16-0) to a 10-0 win, closing the season with the seventh state title in program history.
Limiting Kilgore to only 150 yards in total offense, the Yellow Jackets broke a scoreless tie at the 11:08 mark of the third quarter when Jordan hit Adan Jergins with a 40-yard TD pass.
It proved to be the game-winner for the ‘Jackets, who took the title with just 251 yards in total offense, 173 of which were on the ground.
ARLINGTON — Whether or not you believe the old axiom that defense wins championships, the Wall Hawks put forward a strong argument for it in Thursday’s 3A Division II state championship game at AT&T Stadium.
In a matchup that was widely considered to be pairing of Texas’ best 3A defense against the state’s top 3A offense, Wall combined several defensive stops with a handful of big plays to earn a thrilling 25-24 win.
“It hasn’t set in yet,” Slaughter said at the postgame news conference. “We really couldn’t breathe with (Newton’s) explosive offense, but I couldn’t be happier.
“It was a special year from the jump. We knew we had a chance to play here tonight. Then we see a loaded Newton team (on tape) and we knew we’d have to play well. If you had told me that we’d hold them under 24 points, I probably (wouldn’t have believed it.)
ARLINGTON — The Wall football team didn’t win the stat sheet Thursday night in its Class 3A Division II state championship game against Newton at AT&T Stadium. But the Hawks won where it mattered: on the scoreboard.
Buoyed by a near-perfect start and a strong defensive performance throughout, the Hawks built a 25-8 halftime lead, before holding on for dear life over the final 24 minutes to secure a thrilling 25-24 win and its first state title in program history.
The victory capped a perfect season for coach Craig Slaughter’s squad, which improved to 16-0, while Newton closed its campaign at 14-2, bookending the year with one-score losses to Class 4A DII title hopeful West Orange-Stark and Wall.
When talking about the Stephenville football program, you never have to go back too far in time to find the the Yellow Jackets’ last trip to a state championship game. The program has, after all, played for a state championship six times — all since 1993.
And since SHS is six for six in converting those appearances into titles, that means you never have to go back too far to find the Jackets’ last championship.
But for the 2025 team, which will take on Kilgore for the Class 4A Division I championship on Friday, that 11 a.m. kickoff will mark the first state championship experience for any of its players. Stephenville’s seniors were eighth graders when the 2021 team won the program’s last title, and while many of them were in the stands with their now teammates to root that squad on, the current Jackets are ready to make their own memories on the AT&T Stadium field.
While our All-Big Country Preps Volleyball team is in place to honor those who achieved the most on-court success, our “Max Effort” team is something much more uncommon.
This is a special accolade, which has nothing to do with talent or stats.
It is here where character, grit and work ethic — traits that coaches wish every player had — are recognized. It is here where we honor the best teammates and best citizens that area volleyball has to offer.
It is for that reason that this team is selected by area coaches and described in their own words.
Big Country Preps is now honored to present these individuals to you — the hardest-working, toughest volleyball players in our coverage area.
Ladies and gentlemen: Our 2025 Big Country Preps Max Effort Team.
Here are our superlative award winners for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps volleyball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps volleyball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps volleyball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our third-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps volleyball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here is our 2025 All-Big Country Preps volleyball Rising Stars Team, comprised of the top freshmen and sophomores in the area. For the rest of this year’s volleyball selections, click the links below.
Since practice began in preparation for the 2025 football season, the Wall Hawks have had two dates figuratively circled on their calendars:
• Whenever — if ever — they got a chance for revenge against Gunter
• And Dec. 18.
Thanks to a thrilling 28-25 win last week, Wall placed a big X over the first box. By dispatching the three-time defending Class 3A Division II state champion Tigers in the state semifinals, the Hawks helped erase the memories of last season’s 42-32 loss, also in the semifinals. In the process, Wall ran its record to 15-0.
Consequently, there is still one more X to apply. And it’s THE BIG ONE.
ARLINGTON — Jayton senior running back Bode Ham admitted that he was cramping up in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s Class 1A Division II state championship game at AT&T Stadium.
When he found out that he was on the precipice of history, however, he fought through the cramps and made sure that he would be back on the field for the final time in a storied high school career.
The gutsy effort saw him run for 430 yards on 28 carries, throw for 118 yards and account for a UIL record 13 total touchdowns — including a record-breaking 10 rushing — as the Jaybirds took a 99-54 win over Richland Springs to cap off a perfect 15-0 year.
ARLINGTON — Richland Springs coach Harley Ethridge opened his postgame press conference by simply stating: “Jayton is good, and I think I underestimated them. I hate to admit that.”
Behind a record-breaking performance from senior Bode Ham, Jayton was able to repeat as Class 1A Division II state champions with a resounding 99-54 win over the Coyotes on Wednesday at AT&T Stadium.
Ham set UIL records for rushing touchdowns (10) and total touchdowns (13) in a state championship game. The Jayton senior also narrowly missed setting a record for most rushing yards in the title game after finishing with 430 yards on just 28 carries.
Jayton’s star added 118 yards and three touchdowns passing while earning Offensive and Defensive MVP honors in the game. He had eight tackles, including three for a loss, and one pass breakup.
ARLINGTON — The Gordon Longhorns cemented their place in the conversation for the greatest six-man dynasty of all time with a 69-22 win over Rankin in the Class 1A Division I state championship game on Wednesday morning at AT&T Stadium.
The Longhorns held the ball for just 3:56 and scored nine touchdowns on just 16 plays in securing their third straight state championship.
After the game, Gordon coach Mike Reed didn’t shy away from that conversation.
LAST WEEK: 3-0, 1.000
SEASON TOTAL: 543-113, .828
Jerry World, here we come.
Five teams from the Big Country Preps coverage area — Stephenville, Wall, Gordon, Jayton and Richland Springs will take the field this week with state titles at stake. The latter three, beginning today at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games and select six-man games, in addition to the results of our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
Gordon is one victory away from history.
Winners of 43 straight games, the Longhorns can capture their third consecutive state championship when they play at 11 a.m. Wednesday against Rankin at AT&T Stadium.
Gordon coach Mike Reed remembers the last time a Big Country team was attempting a three-peat at the Class 1A Division I level. Westbrook had a chance to pull off that feat in 2023, but instead a sophomore-heavy Longhorns squad overwhelmed the Wildcats 70-20.
Gordon hasn’t been tested in the two years since, but Reed cautioned that Rankin shouldn’t be overlooked now.
We’ve reached the final week of the season, and as expected, teams from the Big Country Preps coverage area will play a significant role in deciding both six-man state championships.
In Division I, the two-time defending state champion Gordon Longhorns will try to further cement their legacy as one of the most impressive dynasties in six-man football history when they take on Rankin for a third consecutive title at 11 a.m. Wednesday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
And in Division II, it’s an all-area matchup between the defending state champion Jayton Jaybirds and perennial power Richland Springs immediately following the Division I game.
The culmination of another outstanding year of six-man action, these two contests should provide a fun celebration of the sport for both longtime fans and those newer to the six-man game. Without further ado, let’s dive in and take a look at both matchups in our final “Six-Man Lookahead” column of 2025.
Continue reading “SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Three area teams ready for state championship action”
If you were told that the Big Country had a possible boys basketball star in the making, where would you guess he was from?
Jim Ned? Eula? San Saba?
While those choices often make sense, there is a rising star on the block from an area that is seldom attached with basketball greatness. His name: Carter Toof, a junior from Cisco where pigskin has served as the athletic identity of the school for more than two decades.
Named as our Big Country Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 13, Toof, a gifted guard, earned our accolade with a performance that bordered on scary.
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we offer fans the chance to pick the winners of all games involving our local and area 11-man football teams, as well as select six-man games. With the state championship games upon us, we’re expanding beyond our coverage area again this week to pick all of this week’s title games.
The results of these weekly polls, which will close at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, will be included in our weekly Pick ‘Em Panel.
Here are the games for Week 17:
MESQUITE — The Brock football team saw its season come to a close in the Class 4A Division II state semifinals on Friday, falling to the defending state champion Carthage Bulldogs 49-21 at Memorial Stadium.
After reaching the end zone late in the first quarter to knot the score at 7-all, the Eagles were outscored 42-7 over the middle two quarters to close their campaign in the state semifinals for the third consecutive year.
The loss was the first of the season for Brock, which capped 2025 at 14-1. Carthage, which downed Brock in the state semis for the second straight season, improved to 15-0, earning its 11th state championship game appearance since 2008 and 12th all time.
STEPHENVILLE — The Wall football team had circled a state semifinal rematch with Gunter and was zeroed in on getting revenge for the past 364 days after a 42-32 loss in 2024.
A sign in the Hawks locker room even read: “Hey Gunter — we have been looking for you!”
But what started out as a revenge game turned into a heavyweight prize fight as the Hawks held on for a 28-25 win at Art Briles Stadium to earn a berth in the Class 3A Division II state championship game at 7 p.m. Thursday night against Newton, which beat East Bernard 74-20 on Thursday night.
STEPHENVILLE — In the end, it came down to who made the final set of big plays.
Wall’s thrilling 28-25 win over three-time defending state champion Gunter in a Class 3A Division II state semifinal rematch went beyond what many expected. The topsy-turvy matchup saw Wall build a 14-0 first-half lead, lose it in second half and recover it with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to earn their second trip to a state title game (the first coming in 2013).
Landon York threw for 182 yards and two scores while the Wall defense limited Gunter to 285 yards and forced two turnovers to key the win for the Hawks, who now advance to face powerhouse Newton (14-1) in the Class 3A DII state championship game on Thursday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
FORT WORTH — Advancing to a state championship game isn’t supposed to be easy, and it certainly wasn’t for the Stephenville Yellow Jackets on Friday at Knight Stadium.
But at the end of four grueling quarters, it was coach Sterling Doty’s squad hoisting its sixth gold ball of the season following a wild 24-21 win over Celina in the Class 4A Division I state semifinals.
SHS trailed trailed at the end of each of the first three quarters and never led until Brighton DeVivo’s 45-yard field goal split the uprights with two seconds remaining the game. But that slight edge was enough to lift the Yellow Jackets to their seventh state championship game, where they’ll face off with Kilgore next Friday at AT&T Stadium.
When the season began, Wall coach Craig Slaughter was confident he’d have an explosive offense. After all, the Hawks returned the area’s third-leading passer in Landon York and a deep and talented group of pass-catchers, led by speedy senior Reid Robertson.
When it came to the defense, though, the veteran coach wasn’t quite as sure what to expect. Wall graduated seven of its 11 starters from last year’s state semifinalist squad, and Slaughter felt the offense may need to carry some extra weight while the defense found its stride.
As it turned out, though, the defense’s learning curve was much shorter than expected. In fact, it was basically nonexistent. The Hawks established a brisk defensive pace through a tough nondistrict schedule and have done nothing but improve since, allowing seven points or fewer in 10 of their 14 games (all victories), including a total of 14 points in the four playoff wins leading up to Friday’s clash with three-time defending state champion Gunter.
There’s no question that, of all the challenges the Brock football team has faced en route to a 14-0 record this fall, Friday’s game with Carthage, also 14-0, represents the holy grail for the Eagles.
Even if, technically, it’s only Holy Grail 1.0.
It earns that distinction because a win over the vaunted Bulldogs would still leave Brock one victory away from the Class 4A Division II state championship. No state title is ever proverbial “gravy.”
Still, the Carthage game is more than just a giant step toward potential history. It’s a giant step, period, especially when you consider two especially enticing plot elements that surround this week’s matchup at 7 p.m. in Mesquite between the two unbeatens.
With 1,505 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns, it’s fair to say that Stephenville running back Zyler McClendon is having a special junior season.
Just don’t expect Yellow Jackets’ coach Sterling Doty to say he’s surprised by McClendon’s output.
“He got some good burn last year and he had a really good offseason,” Doty said as Stephenville prepares to face defending state champion Celina in the 4A Division I semifinals. “Sawyer (Wilkerson) graduated so he knew he had an opportunity to start and compete for carries.”
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games and select six-man games, in addition to the results of our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Sunday night each week and close Thursday evening.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
Frustrated at times by Cooper’s athleticism and defensive intensity, the Stephenville girls basketball team found itself in a dogfight late in the third quarter Tuesday at Cougar Gym. But after leading just 15-12 at halftime and 21-17 with 10 minutes remaining in the game, the Honeybees closed the contest on a 9-3 run to grind out a 30-20 win.
SHS made just 10 shots from the field in a physical defensive game that saw 17 field goals made between the teams. But coach Jason Hodges’ squad held the Lady Cougars to five points or fewer in three of the four quarters to record its fifth straight win.
The victory improved the Honeybees to 10-2 on the year, while Cooper fell to 1-12 with the loss.
It took the Wylie girls basketball team a few minutes to find its stride Tuesday, but once the Lady Bulldogs did they never lost it in a 68-20 win over Graham at Bulldog Gym.
Tied with the Lady Blues at 4-all more than halfway through the opening quarter, Wylie closed the period on a 14-2 run and extended its 18-6 first-quarter lead to 34-13 by halftime to set the tone for the lopsided win.
Using aggressive defense to speed Graham up and force turnovers, the Lady Bulldog never allowed more than seven points in any quarter. And on the other end of the floor, coach Duane Hopper’s team moved the ball through and around the Lady Blues’ zone to get open looks both on the perimeter and in the lane.
The result was a convincing win that improved Wylie’s record on the season to 13-2 with another month to go before the start of District 4-5A play.
LAST WEEK: 6-2, .750
SEASON TOTAL: 540-113, .827
With six-man teams from Gordon, Richland Springs and Jayton having already qualified for next week’s state championship games in Arlington, there are three additional 11-man possibilities for the Big Country Preps coverage area in the state semifinals.
Stephenville will take on Celina in 4A DI; Brock will face Celina in 4A DII and Wall will square off with Gunter in 3A DII. All three of those games will take place on Friday, with the winners advancing to their respective title games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington next week.
All three matchups are razor-thin when it comes to looking for reasons to pick one team or the other. But frankly, that’s what we want at this time of year, so here goes nothing.
Here’s this week’s playoff forecast.
With five teams playing in the four Class 1A state semifinal games, the Big Country Preps coverage area was guaranteed to have a presence in next week’s state championship games.
As it turns out, our area will have a substantial one.
With Gordon advancing in Division I and Jayton and Richland Springs earning spots in the DII title game, the Big Country Preps area will have three of the four state participants when games kick off next Wednesday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
For the final time this year, it’s time to take a look at how we got here in the last “Big Country Rewind” column of the 2025 season. We hope you enjoy this look back at last week’s action.