Month: October 2018

District 3-6A: Week 8 Report

Haltom City Haltom 28, Abilene High 14 — The Eagles (5-3, 2-2) held the Buffalos to their season-low scoring output, including just seven points in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to hand Haltom its first loss of the season.

The Buffs (7-0, 3-0) raced out to a 21-0 halftime lead, extended it to 28 points with a third-quarter touchdown and held off a late AHS rally to stay alone atop the 3-6A standings.

The Eagles allowed 445 yards, with 195 of those coming on Haltom’s four scoring plays. The back-breaker came on the Buffs’ final touchdown, an 84-yard pass from Michael Black to Julian Johnson after Black had retrieved an errant shotgun snap.

Leading the way for AHS, which was limited to 260 yards, was backup quarterback Matthew Ezzell (7-12-1—103, 1 TD), running back Xavier Carrillo (25-95 rushing) and receiver Reese Pettijohn (7-84 receiving).

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District 2-5A Division I: Week 8 Report

Cooper 28, Amarillo Caprock 12 — The Cougars (4-4, 3-1) got back to .500 for the first time since the start of the season, downing the Longhorns for their fourth win in five games.

Cooper, which outgained Caprock 353-299, led 14-0 at halftime and outscored the Longhorns 14-12 in the second half to maintain control of the game.

Sophomore running back Noah Garcia led the way offensively for the Coogs, rushing for 163 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, while Daelin Campos and Jessus Menjivar also rushed for TDs.

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District 3-5A Division II: Week 8 Report

Wichita Falls High 64, Wylie 22 — Coyote quarterback Anthony Vargas passed for 523 yards and eight touchdowns Friday to silence a homecoming crowd at Wylie’s Bulldog Stadium.

Wichita Falls, which also got big games from receivers Isaiah Johnson (8-217, 3 TDs), Andrew Byrd (8-183, 4 TDs) and Tre Mitchell (5-97, 1 TD), led 30-8 after a quarter and shut out the Bulldogs (0-7, 0-2) in the second half to improve to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in district play.

Wylie, which was limited to 213 total yards, was led offensively by Bailey Hicks, who rushed for 40 yards on eight carries and caught four passes for 51 yards and a touchdown.

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Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Cisco QB Witt takes the accolade

Having covered Big Country athletics since 2006, I can, with a good degree of accuracy, say that it is rare for a Cisco football player to win a Player of the Week accolade. 

There are two reasons for this: Cisco has not only been very good under coach Brent West, but they’ve been merciful in the process — often pulling their starters early to avoid embarrassing the opposition. 

This makes it difficult for a CHS player to crack our Top 10, much less take the top spot. 

Nonetheless, it does happen, upon occasion and Friday night is an example of it.

Senior quarterback Cooper Witt, despite being pulled after one series in the third quarter, snags our Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending Oct. 20 after leading the Loboes to a 68-0 win over San Angelo Grape Creek.

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District 13-3A Division II: Week 8 Report

Johnson City 48, Brady 23 — The Bulldogs fell behind the Eagles early and never recovered in dropping to 1-6 on the season and 0-2 in 13-3A DII play.

Brady, which allowed 360 yards and five touchdowns rushing, trailed 21-7 at halftime and saw that deficit reach 41-7 early in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs scored two touchdowns in the final seven minutes, but the outcome of the game was decided by then.

The loss to Johnson City, Brady’s fifth in a row, puts some serious pressure on coach Shay Easterwood’s Bulldogs in the final three weeks. They’ll need to win two of their last three against Blanco, Comfort and and Sonora to earn one of the four playoff spots out of this district.

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District 7-2A Division II: Week 8 Report

Hamlin 48, Haskell 7 — Hamlin used its duel-threat attack to rush for 255 yards and pass for 159 in a win over Haskell. 

Braydin Warner was 10 of 15 for 100 yards and a score  and rushed four times for 52 yards and two more touchdowns to help lead the Pipe Pipers (7-0, 2-0). Jackson Sepeda was a big contributor as well,  with 12 carries for 148 yards and three touchdowns. 

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District 4-3A Division II: Week 8 Report

Cisco 68, San Angelo TLCA 0 — The Loboes (6-0, 4-0) had little trouble staying unbeaten, rolling up 562 yards in total offense while limiting TLCA to 23 total yards. 

Cooper Witt was 12 of 14 for 251 yards and three scores to guide Cisco offense, which also got 311 yards rushing via committee. 

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District 5-2A Division II: Week 8 Report

Wellington 60, Munday 0 — The Rockets (7-0, 2-0) used a 38-point second quarter to break open what was a 6-0 game one period in.

Wellington, ranked No. 2 in Class 2A behind Mason, passed for 167 yards and rushed for 302, getting  the bulk of its production from senior quarterback Jo Jo McKnight, who passed for 158 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 166 yards and two more scores.

Coach Patrick Corcoran’s Moguls, now 0-7 overall and 0-2 in 5-2A DII play, will try to work their way back into the playoff discussion over the next three weeks, when they wrap up the regular season with Quanah (Friday), Shamrock (Nov. 2) and Memphis (Nov. 9).

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District 2-3A Division II: Week 8 Report

Abernathy 34, Coahoma 7 — Abernathy had 403 total yards. But it was the Antelope defense that dictated the outcome of this district matchup, holding the Bulldogs to just 169 total yards. 

After a scoreless first quarter, AHS took the lead for good with a 19-yard TD run by Adrian Macias at the 10:45 mark of the second and a 72-yard pick return by Joseph Sanchez at 7:54.

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District 3-3A Division I: Week 8 Report

Eastland 44, Breckenridge 41 — Behren Morton threw for 217 yards and two scores and kicked the game-winning field goal to lead Eastland in a come-from-behind win over Breckenridge. 

Trailing 13-0 after one quarter, Eastland (6-1. 2-0) rallied with 21 straight points through the second quarter.

The seesaw battle was tied at 41 following a 22-yard TD run by Breck’s Angel Ruiz in the fourth quarter. But Morton’s go-ahead field goal from 32 yards as time expired put the game away.

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District 4-3A Division I: Week 8 Report

Brock 34, Whitesboro 29 — The Eagles rallied from a two-score deficit on two separate occasions Friday to sneak past an inspired Bearcat squad and remain undefeated in 4-3A DI action.

Brock (6-1, 3-0) fell behind 10-0 to start the game and trailed 23-14 at halftime, but coach Chad Worrell’s squad scored the first three touchdowns of the second half to overcome Whitesboro (5-3, 2-2) at home.

Jake Teskey (10-132)  and Zakk Young (11-118) both topped the 100-yard rushing mark, while Toby Morrison had 84 yards and three touchdowns for the Eagles, who outgained the Bearcats by a 450-353 margin in the victory.

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District 1-4A Division II: Week 8 Report

Sweetwater 37, Pecos 34 — Alex Gallegos rushed for 211 yards and two scores to help Sweetwater (1-6, 1-2) to its first win of the season

Trailing 34-27 in the fourth quarter, the Mustangs rallied with 10 points in the final minutes to capture the win, beginning with a safety with 4:28 to play to cut the gap to five.

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District 5-4A Division I: Week 8 Report

Waco La Vega 32, Stephenville 15 — Big plays were the order of the day as the Pirates overcame a 7-0 deficit to improve to 5-2 and 1-0. 

With Stephenville (4-3, 1-1) holding a 7-0 lead after a 21-yard second-quarter TD pass from Kade Renfro to Kyle Lindsey, the Pirate offense exploded with several big plays in the second quarter.

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District 2-4A Division I: Week 8 Report

Big Spring (idle) — Coach Mitch McLemore’s Steers (2-5, 0-0) enjoyed an open date on Friday in preparation for their district opener with Andrews on Oct. 26. 

Big Spring will enter league play with a three-game losing streak, including shutout losses to Canyon and Dumas in the latter two. 

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Cooper controls Caprock for homecoming win

Cooper entered Friday night’s homecoming game knowing that a win over Amarillo Caprock would go a long way toward securing a better seeding for a potential playoff berth.

The Cougars (4-4 overall, 3-1 district) did their part with a 28-12 win over the Longhorns and just missed out on moving into a tie for first place in District 2-5A Division I when Lubbock Coronado scored with four seconds left to take a 34-33 win over Lubbock Monterey.

After securing the win, Cooper coach Aaron Roan was closely watching the scoreboard to see how the Coronado-Monterey game would end.

Though Cooper missed out on moving into a first place tie, the Cougars all but clinched a playoff berth Friday night.

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Fast start, big plays spark Haltom past Abilene High 28-14

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS — Haltom’s quick-strike offense accounted for three big-play touchdowns, and that was enough to propel the unbeaten Buffalos to a 28-14 win over Abilene in a District 3-6A game Friday night that probably left the Eagles wondering, “What if …?” afterward.

Though the Buffs improved to 7-0 on the season and 3-0 in league play, Abilene High’s defense often put the clamps on a team that was averaging more than 50 points per game — and that had taken down perennial district kingpin Trinity 48-34 a week earlier.

It couldn’t stymie Haltom’s talented quarterback Michael Black three times, however, and that was pretty much the difference in a hard-hitting game. Black ran for a 51-yard score and threw a 51-yard touchdown bomb to Decorian Mitchell. At that, it was his third scoring play that showed why the Buffalos are so dangerous.

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GAME OF THE WEEK: Wolves beat physical Idalou at its own game, 21-7 (box score, video, photo gallery included)

COLORADO CITY — It wasn’t fancy, nor did it furnish items for the highlight reel. 

But Colorado City did prove one thing in a 21-7 win over a physical Idalou team in the  Big Country Preps Game of the Week: The Wolves can play smash-mouth football when they need to, and win at it.

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Wichita Falls High passing game too much for Wylie in 64-22 loss

Wichita Falls High grabbed the momentum early and never let it go Friday in routing Wylie 64-22 to spoil the Bulldogs’ homecoming festivities.

The Coyotes forced a three and out on Wylie’s opening possession, picked up two points on a safety when a high punt snap rolled through the end zone and proceeded to put on a passing clinic in burying the home team with 44 first-half points.

Wichita Falls, which outgained the Bulldogs 670-213, got 523 yards and eight touchdowns passing from quarterback Anthony Vargas, who spread the ball out to a speedy receiving corps that the Wylie secondary struggled to keep up with.

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Eagles head to Haltom City for matchup with unbeaten Buffs

ABILENE HIGH (5-2, 2-1) AT HALTOM CITY HALTOM (6-0, 2-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday at Birdville Fine Arts/Athletics Complex, North Richland Hills

What it means: A win by Haltom would keep the Buffalos alone atop the District 3-6A standings as the league’s only undefeated team, while an AHS victory would put the Eagles in a tie with as many as three other teams for the district’s top spot. This matchup, the fifth between these schools, features 3-6A’s best offense (Haltom, 51.3 points per game) and best defense (AHS, 16.4 points allowed per game). The Eagles hold a 3-1 edge in this series, with the lone loss coming last year in a 36-35 thriller at Shotwell Stadium.

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Cooper welcomes Caprock to town for homecoming

AMARILLO CAPROCK (4-2, 2-0) AT COOPER (3-4, 2-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday at Shotwell Stadium, Amarillo

What it means: The winner will all but clinch a playoff spot and gain a leg up for the No. 2 playoff berth out of District 2-5A Division I, while a third-place finish is likely the best-case scenario for the loser. This is homecoming for Cooper, so the Cougars will want to give an inspired performance and erase the memory of their last home game — a 42-23 loss to Lubbock Coronado. Cooper and Caprock have met only one time before, with the Coogs earning a 45-43 win over the Longhorns in a bi-district playoff game in 2015.

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Wylie hosts Wichita Falls High for homecoming, crucial district game

WICHITA FALLS HIGH (2-4, 0-1) AT WYLIE (0-6, 0-1)

7 p.m. Friday at Bulldog Stadium, Abilene

What it means: Both of these teams dropped their District 3-5A Division II openers — Wylie to Wichita Falls Rider and Wichita Falls High to Canyon Randall — so this is a virtual must-win for each team’s playoff chances. The losing team will need at least one upset over the final three weeks to get back into the into the postseason discussion, while the winner can all but clinch a playoff berth with a win over 1-5 Plainview. This is also Wylie’s homecoming game, so you can expect a big crowd and a motivated Bulldog team for its first-ever matchup against the Coyotes.

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Stamford gets a surprise visitor: Steelers’ James Washington comes home

James Washington of the Pittsburgh Steelers  (center, black jacket) poses with Stamford’s football team at his old high school on Thursday. 

With the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers enjoying open date this weekend, a window of opportunity presented itself for a familiar face to return to his Big Country home. 

James Washington, who starred at both Stamford High School and Oklahoma State University, made his way to the SHS fieldhouse on Thursday to say hello to coach Ronnie Casey and the current roster of Bulldogs.

Washington, who has reeled in five catches for 49 yards and a score through six games in his rookie season this year, took advantage of the open date to visit his parents in Stamford and swing by his old stomping grounds at the high school, where he starred in football, basketball and track. 

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Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 8)

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 morning.

Disagree with our picks or the Twitter consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.

Continue reading “Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 8)”

Stout Abilene High defense looks to slow stampeding Buffalos

While Abilene High’s last-second loss to San Angelo Central may have kept this week’s game against Haltom City Haltom from being a clash of District 3-6A unbeatens, it did little to steal the intrigue from what remains one of the region’s top Class 6A matchups for Week 8.

The game, which pits 3-6A’s top offensive team against the district’s top defense, still has massive implications on the league’s playoff and championship races.

Add some history to the mix — Haltom came from behind to beat AHS 36-35 last year, effectively taking the district’s fourth playoff spot from the Eagles in the process — and you’ve got enough storylines to get even the most casual of fans excited for this one.

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Controlling line, stopping run points of pride for Cooper front

With three first-year starters on his defensive line, Cooper coach Aaron Roan had high hopes for his defensive front coming into the season. But they were at the time just that — hopes.

That D-line group had graduated a pair of all-district performers in nose guard Anthony Arellano (first-team) and end Noah Flowers (second-team) off last year’s team, and the Cooper staff found out shortly before fall camp that its most experienced returner — Michaelin Toney — would be transferring to Cedar Hill for his senior season. 

So while Roan believed he had strong pieces with which to rebuild the defensive line, he wasn’t sure how those players would respond to expanded roles or how long it would take for that group to jell.

Fast forward to today, and the Cooper front has been one of the most consistent units for what has rapidly become a very strong defense. And those hopes Roan started the season with have evolved into expectations.

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BCP Game of the Week: C-City hosts Idalou (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country picks, Drive-Time Podcast)

Evan Ren

LAST WEEK: 37-5, .860

SEASON TOTAL: 252-64, .797 

Before the season, many viewed Colorado City (6-0, 1-0) as the odds-on favorite to take District 2-3A Division II, and I agreed with them. 

But as each new season evolves, surprises typically emerge and that’s certainly the case in this league where Idalou (5-1, 1-0) and Abernathy (5-1, 1-0) have shown themselves as too good to simply label as No. 2 or 3 seeds. 

Continue reading “BCP Game of the Week: C-City hosts Idalou (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country picks, Drive-Time Podcast)”

Baird, Cross Plains rivalry one of Big Country’s most storied

The Baird-Cross Plains matchup is not only the biggest rivalry for both programs, it’s among the longest and most hotly contested in the entire Big Country. The two Callahan County schools have met 85 times in a series that has spanned 94 years and has, in its history, decided playoff spots, district championships and county bragging rights.

This year’s bout between the two rivals, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Buffalo Stadium, could be for a playoff berth in a tough district that also features Albany, Hamlin, Haskell and Roscoe. The Bears will be looking to avenge the 52-0 loss they suffered last year — Cross Plains’ largest victory margin in the rivalry’s history.  

But to discover how the rivalry became so fierce and heated, one must travel back to the 1920s.

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Bulldogs happy to be back home for crucial district game

When the Wylie football team takes the field Friday against Wichita Falls High, it will have been more than a month since the Bulldogs last played a game on their home field.

Coach Hugh Sandifer’s squad, which is hosting the Coyotes for homecoming this week, has had three road games and an open date since hosting Stephenville on Sept. 14. And after losing their last three by an average score of 45-9, the Bulldogs are glad to be back in front of their home crowd for one of their most important games of the season.

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BCP Podcast No. 18: Evan, Daniel talk Snyder football with coach Cory Mandrell

Former Snyder player and assistant Cory Mandrell didn’t experience much success in his first two years as the Tigers’ head coach, leading his team to one win in 2016 and two in 2017. But the Tigers have turned a corner in Year 3, starting the 2018 season at 5-1 with some of their biggest wins in years.

Mandrell took some time to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood on his program’s turnaround, the excitement level around town and the future of Snyder football in this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.

Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss the Week 7 slate and where it leaves the Big Country’s football teams with four more weeks remaining in the regular season.

New-look Clyde Bulldogs rapidly improving

CLYDE — During a successful six-year run under coach Rocky Smart, the Clyde Bulldogs never suffered from an identity crises — quickly becoming known for a full-throttle, air raid attack that seldom changed gears. 

With Smart resigning in the spring and Clyde replacing him with Luling’s Scott Campbell, it may have been assumed by some that CHS would simply keep its foot on the gas offensively, given their success with an up-tempo scheme.

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BCP Week 7 Six-Man Roundup

This past week saw the severe weather forecasted hold off long enough for the games to get in — something that may not be the case this Friday.

Blackwell, Highland, Ira, Panther Creek, Robert Lee and Strawn all posted lopsided wins in games that were stopped early on account of six-man’s 45-point rule.

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District 3-6A: Week 7 Report

San Angelo Central 17, Abilene High 15 — The Eagles (4-2, 2-1) dropped an absolute heartbreaker to the Bobcats, who got a 37-yard field goal as time expired to escape Shotwell Stadium with the win.

AHS had a chance to put the game away before the game-winning drive, pushing the ball inside the Central 10-yard line with a 15-14 lead and a little over two minutes remaining, but a fumble inside the 5 gave the Bobcats (4-2, 2-1) one final chance. They responded by driving 78 yards to set up Miles Houser’s field goal.

The Central offense scored just 10 offensive points, but a fumble return touchdown allowed the ‘Cats to take a 14-9 lead into halftime. Quarterback Kallin Sipe passed for 124 yards and Xavier Carrillo ran for 111 for Abilene High, which was narrowly outgained 326-324.

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District 2-5A Division I: Week 7 Report

 

Cooper 49, Amarillo Palo Duro 15 — Cooper, which outgained Palo Duro 529-235 and scored on each of its first seven possessions, led 21-0 after a quarter and pushed that to 35-0 by halftime.

Running back Noah Garcia rushed for 239 yards on 18 carries to spearhead a 325-yard rushing attack, while quarterback Aidan Thompson completed 11 of 16 passes for 204 yards and four touchdowns. Tony Green led Palo Duro (3-4, 1-2) with 106 yards rushing, but he averaged just 3.8 yards per carry.

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District 3-5A Division II: Week 7 Report

Wichita Falls Rider 34, Wylie 7 — The Raiders’ struggling offense got untracked against the Bulldogs on Friday, pounding out 319 yards rushing in a game they controlled throughout.

Samuel Manuel led Rider (2-4, 1-0) with 111 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, while three others — Darien Boyd (11-77, 1 TD), Jacob Rodriguez (12-76, 1 TD) and Tre Byrd (11-53, 1 TD) — ran for at least 50 yards and one score.

Wylie (0-6, 0-1), which was limited to 221 total yards — 133 rushing and 88 passing — got its only touchdown in the fourth quarter when Jaxon Hansen hit Parker Sanford from six yards out. 

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Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Anson’s Hagler snags the top spot

It was only a matter of time before Anson junior quarterback Drew Hagler appeared at the top of our weekly list. 

He had, after all, provided at least two other performances that would have normally garnered Player of the Week honors, only to fall victim to bad timing — topped by other remarkable performances that occurred on the same evening.

The week ending Oct. 13, however, belonged to Hagler, who finished with 301 yards and four touchdowns passing and 177 yards and two TDs rushing in a 49-41 win over Merkel.

Defensively, he charted three solo tackles, one assist and one tackle for loss to help Anson improve to 2-4 overall and 2-1 in District 4-3A Division II play.

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District 13-3A Division II: Week 7 Report

Ingram Moore 48, Brady 44 — Sophomore quarterback Timmothy Leatherman was too much for the Bulldogs on Friday, rushing for 173 yards and five touchdowns and passing for 110 yards and another score to lift the Warriors to thrilling win over Brady.

Coach Shay Easterwood’s squad led 20-18 at halftime of this hyper-competitive matchup, but Moore (5-1, 1-0) took the lead with a 16-8 third quarter and held off the Bulldogs in the fourth.

Now 1-5 overall and 0-1 in 13-3A DII play, Brady will look to snap a four-game losing streak and bull its way into the playoff picture when it hosts Johnson City (1-5, 0-1) on Friday.

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