Facing their third consecutive road game to start the season, the eighth-ranked Stephenville Yellow Jackets marched into Bulldog Stadium and used a dominant defensive performance to take a 41-28 win over Wylie on Friday night.
Stephenville’s defense forced five turnovers in moving to 2-1 on the season, while Wylie dropped to 0-3.
For the second consecutive week, the Abilene High football team needed to rally in the second half for a victory. This time, it was against crosstown rival Cooper.
Trailing 13-3 at halftime, the Eagles outscored the Cougars 17-0 over the final two quarters, taking their first lead of the game late in the third quarter and holding on in the fourth for a 20-13 win Friday at Shotwell Stadium.
“We knew exactly what we would get from them,” Abilene High coach Del Van Cox said. “In this game, you can throw out records, you can throw out who’s hurt and who’s not hurt. You saw how hard both teams played, especially them in the first half and then our kids responded and played very well in the second half.
“But you can throw all records out, as you can tell. It’s going to be a battle any time you play the Cooper Cougars.”
7:30 p.m. Friday at Shotwell Stadium, Abilene
What it means: This is the most anticipated game of the year in Abilene — and for good reason. The Abilene High-Cooper game, or Crosstown Showdown as it has come to be known, represents one of the best high school rivalries in the state at any level. Cooper holds a 33-23-1 edge in the series, which has been played annually since 1961, but AHS has won 10 of the last 13 meetings, including three in a row from 2014-16. The Cougars bring bragging rights into this year’s game, however, after winning the 2017 matchup 49-35.
7:30 p.m. Friday at Bulldog Stadium, Abilene
What it means: This is the continuation of what has become a fun rivalry in recent years. The Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets have played seven times in the past eight seasons, with the only gap in that timeline coming in 2013. The teams met in the playoffs in 2012, when Stephenville scored a 59-28 win in the Class 3A Division I state quarterfinals, and the past four meetings had all been district contests, with Wylie taking three of those games. The Jackets hold a 4-3 advantage in the series, winning the 2017 matchup 33-20, but neither team has won more than three games in a row.
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games, in addition to the results of Evan Ren’s Twitter polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Monday night each week and close Thursday evening.
Disagree with our picks or the Twitter consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
With all three starters back from last year, Abilene High’s defensive line depth chart may have a familiar look to it. But the performance of the players at the top has experienced a serious upgrade in 2018.
After being baptized by fire a year ago, senior ends J.D. Dugger and Griffin Cooke and junior nose guard Tygee Gambrell head a unit that is now among the team’s biggest strengths.
And the trio credits the experience gained during a tough 3-7 campaign last year for the leap they’ve made this fall.
LAST WEEK: 38-7, .844
SEASON TOTAL: 71-26, .731
Prior to the season, had someone suggested that the Dublin/De Leon matchup would be our Big Country Preps Game of the Week for Week 3, I would have politely shrugged it off.
But after two games, Dublin (2-0) has literally made it happen.
Off to their first 2-0 start since 2007, the Lions will play host to a 2-0 De Leon team many believe will win their region and have a shot at reaching Arlington.
In the midst of it: A Divison I-caliber quarterback in De Leon’s Kevin Yeager (29 of 47, 471 yards, 5 TDs ), an area upstart in Dublin’s Cy Wing (19 of 37, 454 yards, 4 TDs) and a pair of excited communities.
When he came back out for football as a senior after focusing his athletic efforts on basketball during his sophomore and junior years, Cooper senior Nic Bailey wasn’t expecting to play a major role for the Cougars.
Bailey, who hadn’t played football since his first year of high school, just missed the sport and wanted to do what he could to help the team.
As it has turned out, though, he can do quite a bit. Through two games, the 5-foot-8, 180-pound tailback has emerged as a playmaker out of the Cooper backfield, and he’s seen his role in the offense grow as a result.
Given his scatback size, it’s easy to underestimate Bailey Hicks’ physicality. But those who sell the Wylie senior short are liable to get themselves trucked or taken for a ride.
Listed on the Wylie roster at 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds, Hicks isn’t a big back by any means. But he’s not afraid of contact either.
Thus far, his straight-ahead, one-cut running style has him averaging more than 100 yards per game and ranked in the top 20 among Big Country backs in rushing yardage. And with the faith his coaching staff has in him, both trends could continue a while.
WINTERS — If things had gone according to plan last year, the Winters Blizzards would have been known as a triple-option team out of its base flexbone offense.
There was just one problem: Winters’ skill personnel was better-suited for a power approach, so that’s what head coach Matt McCarty eventually settled on. Blessed with one of the top 2A offensive lines in the Big Country, the Blizzards remained in their flexbone sets and bulldozed their way to a 5-6 record and a trip to the playoffs.
With the arrival of 2018, however, a notable change is taking place.
After a series of shocking results in the opening week of the season, this past weekend was devoid of such upsets.
One of the early season surprises has been the Aspermont Hornets, who have knocked off Newcastle (66-18) and Jayton (76-38) in succession to open 2018.
The matchups last week we were looking forward to were Eden-Rotan, Lometa-Blanket and Loraine-Bronte, all of which were expected to be close affairs. Unfortunately, the Eden-Rotan matchup was washed out by the severe weather that hit the Big Country last week.
Abilene High 31, Midland Lee 24 — The Eagles’ first win of the season couldn’t have come in much more dramatic fashion.
After controlling the action for the first 46 minutes of game time, Abilene High allowed two long passing touchdowns in a 17-second span to fall behind 24-23 with 1:37 to play. But after the ensuing kickoff was run out of bounds at the 2-yard line, senior Kallin Sipe orchestrated a 98-yard scoring drive, hitting Reese Pettijohn for a 62-yard catch and run to put AHS back up for good.
Sipe, making his first career start, finished 15 of 29 for 258 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 53 yards rushing and another score on 12 carries. Pettijohn, who broke no fewer than four tackles on the game-winning play, had team highs for catches (8) and receiving yards (130).
Grapevine 31, Cooper 13 — Mistakes kept this game from being closer than it could have been for the Cougars, but coach Aaron Roan’s team made significant progress Friday on a rainy night at Apogee Stadium.
The Coogs outgained the Mustangs 276-223, and had a chance to make it a game in the fourth quarter but missed a few key opportunities and had turnovers lead to defensive scores for Grapevine.
Senior running back Nic Bailey continued his emergence as a playmaker for Cooper, rushing for 128 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries while adding 104 yards and another score on three catches.
In a Week 1 win over Merkel, Stamford quarterback Peyton Bevel threw four touchdown passes but was edged out for our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award.
Friday night in Roscoe, however, he returned to throw six scoring passes and account for a seventh touchdown on the ground in a 53-29 win that saw the Bulldogs improve to 2-0.
The second time was the charm.
Lubbock Monterey 28, Wylie 21 — The Bulldogs made some major strides offensively in Week 2 but saw their hopes of a victory thwarted by a late score and defensive stand by the Plainsmen.
Wylie, which finished with 370 yards, including 223 on the ground, tied the game at 21 with a Harrison Atwood touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter. But Monterey answered with a long kickoff return and a touchdown and then stopped the Bulldogs on downs just outside the red zone to seal the win.
Running back Bailey Hicks had another nice game for Wylie, rushing for 122 yards on 19 carries while catching five passes for 15 yards and a touchdown. Atwood went the whole way at quarterback, completing 14 of 25 passes for 147 yards and two TDs while rushing for 76 yards on 12 attempts.
Stephenville 41, Everman 16 — For anyone who was wondering after their season-opening loss to Argyle, the Yellow Jackets are going to be just fine.
Coach Greg Winder’s team burst into the win column with a dominating effort against the Class 5A Bulldogs, controlling the game from start to finish. Stephenville, which got 245 yards passing from quarterback Cole Stanley, led 21-10 at halftime before putting the game on ice with a 20-point fourth quarter.
Running back Krece Nowak was a dual threat in the victory, rushing for 48 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries while catching four passes for 60 yards.
Big Spring 33, Sweetwater 7 — The Steers not only snapped their 26-game losing streak Friday, they did so in dominating fashion at the Mustang Bowl.
Building off last week’s performance against Midland Greenwood, Big Spring kept Sweetwater off the board for the final three quarters while scoring all 33 of its points over the middle two periods. Sophomore quarterback Ethan Cortez and senior receiver Jeremiah Cooley led the effort for the Steers, who will take on Monahans this week.
Big Spring is already in the playoffs by virtue of playing in a four-team district, but coach Mitch McLemore has his team looking dangerous early in the season.
Snyder 31, Brownwood 21 — The Tigers kept their strong start to the season going, defeating Brownwood for the first time since 2011 and just the third time in the series’ 14-game history.
Quarterback Logan Greene had a big game, hitting 20 of 25 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with Jake Chavez on eight of those throws for 106 yards and a score, while running back J.J. Burns kept things balanced with 86 yards and a touchdown rushing on just 13 carries.
Snyder, which has already matched last season’s win total, will try to stay unbeaten this week when it hosts San Angelo Lake View for a 7 p.m. game Friday at Tiger Stadium.
Brock 24, Iowa Park 7 — The Eagles weren’t quite as sharp in Week 2 as they were during their season-opening dismantling of Brownwood, but they still faced little drama in their first home game of the season.
Brock held Iowa Park under 200 total yards and used a 14-point third quarter to take a commanding 21-0 lead into the final period.
Running back Toby Morrison once again led the Eagles, going for 129 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, while Hunter Bramblett added 56 yards rushing on nine attempts.
Brady 56, Haskell 12 — The Bulldogs snapped their 15-game losing streak in grand fashion Friday, outscoring the Indians 49-6 from the start of the second quarter on at Indian Stadium.
Brady rushed for 350 yards, getting 101 yards and three scores from Walker Bauer, while Marshall Schmitz and Ryan Decker combined for 161 yards and each found the end zone once.
Coach Shay Easterwood’s has his second Brady squad looking dangerous, and the Bulldogs will look to build on this momentum next week when they host Llano for a nondistrict game.
Hamlin 58, Munday 20 — Sophomore Hamlin QB Braydin Warner threw for 208 yards and three scores and Jackson Sepeda rushed for 39 yards and two TDs to push Hamlin to 2-0 on the year.
Leading 10-6 after one quarter, the Pipers blew the game open with a 27-0 second period.
Coach Patrick Corcoran’s Moguls fell to 0-2. On the plus side for the Moguls, they did manage 239 yards rushing, led by Brendan Kuehler’s 94 yards and two scores.
Colorado City 41, Crane 21 — Markis Monroe threw for 196 yards, rushed for 24 and acccounted four touchdowns to help the Wolves improve to 2-0.
Monroe wasn’t without help. Akimas Clarrett charted 107 yards rushing on 13 carries. Crane fell to 0-2 with the loss.
Dublin 26, Albany 20 — Dublin QB Cy Wing had his second big game in as many weeks, helping DHS to a win over perennial power Albany.
Wing threw for 209 yards and a score and rushed for 109 and another TD to lead Dublin (2-0). Albany got 165 yards passing and one TD from Ben West. Cutter Edgar lead AHS on the ground with 76 yards and one score on 24 carries.
Ballinger 32, Reagan County 6 — The Bearcats used a dominating defensive effort to improve to 2-0 on the year, holding the Owls to 29 yards rushing and 120 yards in total offense.
Ballinger QB Edgar Nunez threw for 82 yards, rushed for 77 and accounted for two scores to lift Ballinger. Damian Willborn was another big contributor, rushing for 95 yards on nine carries, including an 83-yard TD run.
De Leon 36, Tolar 23 – Kevin Yeager passed 331 yards and three scores and rushed for 113 more and two additional TDs to lead De Leon (2-0) to a win over the Rattlers (0-2).
Chris Cox was the primary target, catching six Yeager passes for 129 yards and a touchdown.
Hamlin 58, Munday 20 — Sophomore Hamlin QB Braydin Warner threw for 208 yards and three scores and Jackson Sepeda rushed for 39 yards and two TDs to push Hamlin to 2-0 on the year.
Leading 10-6 after one quarter, the Pipers blew the game open with a 27-0 second period.
Jim Ned 48, Anson 30 — The Indians overcame two separate deficits to get the win, trailing 8-0 and 21-20 along the way.
The Indians had 437 yards in total offense behind 174 yards passing from Dylan Martin and 135 rushing by Cooper Castro. Drew Hagler and Elijah Moser led Anson with 184 and 113 yards rushing respectively.
DENTON — Cooper let one slip away Friday night — literally.
Taking advantage of a lost fumble, a pair of in-and-out-of-the-receivers’ hands interceptions and a slew of kicking game bobbles by the Cougars, Grapevine dealt the visitors a 31-13 loss at soggy Apogee Stadium. The venue, on the campus of the University of North Texas, served as the Mustangs’ home field because of construction on their own stadium.
Friday, it also served as a virtual rain gauge, as a steady showers sprayed the setting throughout the game, which was delayed for 30 minutes by lightening spotted in the area at the close of the first quarter.
The Cougars likely felt they had been struck by a figurative lightening bolt, as a number of potential Cooper possessions wound up with the ball on the ground or in their opponents’ hands at the most inopportune times.
MIDLAND — Kallin Sipe’s first career start at quarterback couldn’t have gone much better than it did Friday night.
Trailing Midland Lee 24-23 with 1:37 left on the clock after his team had led for most of the game to that point, Sipe led a 98-yard scoring drive, hitting Reese Pettijohn on a post and watching his receiver break at least three tackles on his way to a 62-yard touchdown.
The senior then hit a diving Pettijohn for the two-point conversion to give the Eagles a 31-24 lead they would preserve when Lee’s Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete in the end zone as time expired.
7:30 p.m. Friday at Indian Stadium, Tuscola
NOTE: Originally scheduled to be placed in Anson, this game has been shifted to Jim Ned, due to heavy rain on Anson’s grass field.
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games, in addition to the results of Evan Ren’s Twitter polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, those polls go up on Monday night each week and close Thursday evening.
Disagree with our picks or the Twitter consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
7:30 p.m. Friday at Hawk Stadium, Wall
7:30 p.m. Friday at Memorial Stadium, Dublin
7:30 p.m. Friday at Trojan Stadium, Stinnett
7:30 p.m. Friday at Plowboy Field, Roscoe
7:30 p.m. Friday at Buckaroo Stadium, Breckenridge
7:30 p.m. Friday at Grande Communications Stadium, Midland
7:30 p.m. Friday at Apogee Stadium, Denton
7:30 p.m. Friday at Bulldog Stadium, Clyde