Dublin 28, Tolar 27 — Hagen Huffman rushed for 116 yards and two scores to help the Lions to a second-straight come-from-behind one-point win in the final minutes.
Cy Wing scored on a 5-yard TD run with 2:37 to play, after which Gabriel Renteria’s PAT gave the Lions (6-0, 1-0) the final margin of victory.
Cisco 48, Coleman 0 — Heavily favored Cisco produced 309 of its 417 total yards via the running game while limiting Coleman to 65 yards in total offense.
Cooper Witt threw for 108 yards and two scores and Stanley Callahan rushed for 106 yards and three TDs to lead coach Brent West’s Cisco team (5-0, 3-0).
Dumas 55, Big Spring 0 — The Demons simply shut Big Spring down, holding the Steers to just 207 yards in total offense.
Spencer Williams led the way for Dumas, passing for 103 yards and a score and rushing for 100 and another TD to help the Demons improve to 5-2.
Snyder 29, Monahans 27 — It took three overtimes to prove it, but the Snyder Tigers can now be seen as the team to beat in District 1-4A DII.
Greg Williams scored a touchdown in the third overtime and Logan Greene provided a two-point conversion to provide what proved to be the winning points for the Tigers (5-1, 2-0).
Albany 48, Baird 12 — Albany QB Ben West had his best performance as a Lion, hitting 13 of 15 throws for 193 yards and three scores as AHS improved to 1-5 and 1-0.
Ryan Hill (three catches, 49 yards) was on the receiving end of two West TD strikes while Dillon Hindman (2-20) caught the third.
Brock (5-1, 2-0) — Coach Chad Worrell’s squad had the week off, which could come in handy with a good Whitesboro team coming to town next.
The Eagles have played to the level of their competition some this year, but they’ve been at their best against the best teams on their schedule. If they can continue that trend through Week 8, they’ll likley cruise to an undefeated district title with Pilot Point in their rear view and games against Ponder, Boyd and Paradise coming up.
De Leon 21, Hico 14 — Kevin Yeager rushed for 110 yards and passed for 181 and three scores to help De Leon snap a three-game losing streak.
The Bearcats, who were highly touted prior to the season, hadn’t won a game since a 36-23 victory over Tolar on Sept. 7. With a district-opening win, however, they are now in the hunt for the league title many had them picked to win.
Hawley 44, Winters 14 — Tanner Schnoor and Colton Marshall rushed for 128 and 122 yards respectively and two touchdowns each to help Hawley to a big win on the road.
Hawley limited the normally prolific Winters ground game to just 112 yards as a team and held standout QB Jovan Young to just 21 yards on four carries.
Colorado City 45, Lubbock Roosevelt 6 — The Wolves had little trouble in opening district play with a win, outgaining Roosevelt 358-109.
Leonard “Bubba” Williams charted 78 yards rushing and four TDs to lead Colorado City, which improved to 6-0 and 1-0 on the year.
Wall 28, Clyde 13 — Chase Rios rushed for 93 yards and two scores while Mason Fuchs rushed for 83, threw for 67 and accounted for two TDs to lead Wall (3-2, 1-0) to a district-opening win.
With the score knotted at 7 after one quarter, the Hawks gradually took control of the game with a touchdown in each period.
Brownwood 34, Gatesville 14 —Tommy Bowden rushed for 154 yards, threw for 155 and accounted for four scores in a vital win for the Lions (4-2, 1-0).
Brownwood built a comfortable 27-7 halftime lead before coasting to the finish line. The Lions now have a likely playoff spot in the five-team district race (unless a three-way tie develops), but can lock up a postseason berth with one more win.
TUSCOLA — If one to project the least-likely result for a Jim Ned-Breckenridge football game, Friday’s 10-7 win over the Buckaroos in the Big Country Preps Game of the Week may fit the bill.
In six prior meetings between the two clubs, Breckenridge owned a 5-1 record over the Indians and not since a 28-14 Indians victory in 2007 had Jim Ned registered a win in the series.
Friday, however, saw the Indians win a trench war (the favored style of Breckenridge) in rainy, soggy conditions — posting the lowest combined scoring output in the history of the series by a full 25 points.
Noah Garcia rushed for 239 yards and Aidan Thompson passed for four touchdowns as the Cooper Cougars cruised to a 49-15 win over Amarillo Palo Duro on Friday at Dick Bivins Stadium.
The Cougars, who outgained the Dons 529-235, led 35-0 at halftime and never punted in what was a dominating effort from start to finish.
WICHITA FALLS — A rough season for the Wylie Bulldogs didn’t get any better in their District 3-5A Division II opener at Memorial Stadium in a 34-7 loss to Wichita Falls Rider.
The Bulldogs managed just 126 yards of offense in the first half — and 221 for the game — in falling to 0-6 on the season and 0-1 in district.
The Abilene High players and coaches will likely be replaying the final 2½ minutes of Friday’s 17-15 loss to San Angelo Central in their heads for quite some time.
If one of any number of things during that sequence had gone just a little bit differently, the Eagles would have been talking about their sixth consecutive victory and gearing up for a battle of District 3-6A unbeatens with Haltom City Haltom next week.
Instead, a perfect storm of events forced the home team to watch a jubilant Bobcats squad celebrate a last-second win on the on the Shotwell Stadium turf.
7:30 p.m. Friday at Shotwell Stadium, Abilene
What it means: The Eagles can be one of just two unbeaten teams in District 3-6A play after Friday with a victory over the Bobcats. The league’s only other undefeated teams, Euless Trinity (5-0, 2-0) and Haltom City Haltom (5-0, 1-0), meet Friday in Bedford, so one is guaranteed its first loss. AHS still has both of those teams on its schedule, playing Haltom on the road next week and hosting Trinity in Week 10. A victory here would put district championship implications on those two games. This is the 99th meeting between AHS and Central. It’s been a hyper competitive series to date, with the Eagles holding a narrow 48-44-6 advantage. The Bobcats have won four of the last five meetings, however, since snapping a 10-game AHS win streak in 2013.
7:30 p.m. Friday at Dick Bivins Stadium, Amarillo
What it means: Both teams are off to 1-1 starts to District 2-5A Division I play, so the winner will move into the top half of the district while the loser will feel some pressure over the final four weeks of the season. Cooper has played the tougher district schedule to this point, routing Lubbock Monterey (58-20) and falling to district favorite Lubbock Coronado (42-23). Palo Duro, meanwhile, has lost to Amarillo Caprock (41-29) and beaten 1-5 Lubbock High (54-13). This is just the second matchup all time between these two schools. The only other meeting came in 1969, when the Cougars downed the Dons 17-0 in a bi-district playoff game.
7 p.m. Friday at Memorial Stadium, Wichita Falls
What it means: This is the start of District 3-5A Division II play for both teams, so it’s the biggest game either has played to date. Both squads come into this one on extended losing streaks as Wylie went winless through its nondistrict schedule and Rider lost four in a row heading into last week’s open date. This is the first time these two teams have ever played each other, and the winner of this inaugural matchup will take a big step toward securing a playoff spot in this district.
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 7)”
Abilene High senior Tyler Simpson is a confident kid. He has to be to play cornerback at the Class 6A level.
Manning a position that puts him on an island with some of the most talented receivers in the state, he knows that the slightest hesitation or indecision can have the opposing band striking up the fight song within seconds.
If that sounds like a high-stress job, it is. But the one-on-one, do-or-die nature of his position only adds to the thrill of playing it.
LAST WEEK: 27-7, . 794
SEASON TOTAL: 215-59, .785
The first game out of the chute in a merciless district is often the most important one — especially if the game doesn’t involve the league favorite.
Applying that axiom to District 3-3A DI, a league opener between Breckenridge and Jim Ned is vital, given that Wall is expected to beat everyone. That makes every other contest indispensable between five teams vying for three remaining playoff spots.
For a sophomore filling the shoes of one of Cooper’s all-time greats at running back, Noah Garcia keeps a remarkably even keel. If he’s feeling pressure to live up to the performance of 2,000-yard rusher Tyrees Whitfield, he does a good job of hiding it.
Instead, the 5-foot-7, 160-pound Garcia just goes out each week and quietly gives his best effort for his team. That that effort has him among the area’s top rushers through the Cougars’ first six games is just a bonus for him.
Garcia’s 676 yards rushing, which have largely been accrued over the past four weeks, have him ranked sixth among Big Country rushers this season. But he’s far more concerned with what his production has meant for Cooper’s record, which stands at 2-4 overall and 1-1 in District 2-5A Division I play heading into Friday’s game at Amarillo Palo Duro.
Wylie’s struggles through an 0-5 start to the season are well documented. The Bulldogs were outscored 201-77 over the nondistrict portion of their schedule, falling 48-0 to Cooper and 53-21 to Brownwood in their two most recent outings.
But after a much needed bye week to prepare for the start of District 3-5A Division II play on Friday, coach Hugh Sandifer’s team is feeling rejuvenated.
Ask the Bulldog players and they’ll tell you the record that matters is is not 0-5, but 0-0, and all the goals they set the before the season are still within reach.
Since taking over a moribund program at Cross Plains eight years ago, coach Daniel Purvis has turned the Buffaloes into a perennial playoff team. And this year, he has his squad off to the best start of his tenure at 4-1.
This week, Purvis took some time to talk to Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about the program he’s built, the state of his current team and the District 7-2A Division II race in the Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss the biggest developments of Week 6, which featured a shortened schedule for the Big Country.
In common gridiron parlance otherwise known as “coach speak,” the standard thing for the man wearing the headset to tell the media about his team’s district goes something like this: “Our district is strong from top to bottom. You can’t take anyone lightly because on any given night, everyone in this league can beat anyone else.”
We’ve all heard it time and time again — so often that we’re nearly numbed by it.
Every now and then, however, there is a point in time when cliché meets the truth — when the overall strength of a league actually matches what most coaches will say out of politeness.
While last week could be considered an uneventful week for most squads in the Big Country, which posted 14 wins in limited action, it’s one loss that sent shockwaves through the state’s six-man ranks.
Strawn, which won the Division II state championship last year, saw its four-game winning streak snapped in a 34-23 loss to still-unbeaten Garden City.
Abilene High 28, Hurst Bell 7 — Playing for coach Del Van Cox, who lost his father to an inoperable brain tumor just days before Friday’s game, the Eagles did what they needed to do to secure an emotional road win Friday in Bedford.
Trailing 7-0 late in the first quarter, AHS (5-1, 2-0) tied the game on a 49-yard pass from Kallin Sipe to Clay Cox, Del Van’s son. And the Eagles took the lead for good midway through the second, when Griffin Cooke blocked a field goal attempt and Tyler Simpson took it back 72 yards to the house.
The Eagles ran just 30 offensive plays in the victory, gaining 244 total yards, but they limited the Blue Raiders (1-5, 0-2) to 212 total yards. Sipe finished 3-of-5 passing for 144 yards and two touchdowns, with two of those throws going to Marcos Garcia for 95 yards, including a 77-yard bomb in the third quarter.
Lubbock Coronado 42, Cooper 23 — A tough offensive night overshadowed a strong defensive performance in the Cougars’ first loss of the District 2-5A DI season.
Cooper (2-4 overall, 1-1 district) limited an explosive Mustangs offense to 335 yards and got defensive touchdowns from Dylon Davis (82-yard fumble return) and Brady Miller (21-yard interception return). But four Cougar turnovers and a recovered pooch kick led to 21 points for Coronado, allowing the Mustangs (5-1, 2-0) to pull away in the second half.
Sophomore running back Noah Garcia had 128 rushing yards on 19 carries for Cooper, which was held to just 227 total yards in the loss. Coronado, meanwhile, got 278 passing yards from quarterback Sawyer Robertson, who hit receiver Blair Conwright (11-120) with a pair of touchdown passes.
Wylie (0-5) — The Bulldogs’ bye week came at a good time, providing a much-needed break from a rough nondistrict schedule. But after spending last week getting back to the basics and working on itself, Wylie must shift its focus to its district opener Friday at Wichita Falls Rider.
The Bulldogs will need to play better if they hope to rebound in the second half and contend for a playoff spot, but the schedule should get much more manageable now that 3-5A DII play is here.
With much of the Big Country idle last Friday, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column is shorter than it normally is.
That’s not to say there weren’t some noteworthy performances. On the contrary, our Player of the Week for the week ending Oct. 7 led Ballinger to a 55-39 win over Anson with an effort that would challenge for the top spot more often than not.
Edgar Nunez, a junior quarterback, rushed for 303 yards and four scores on 17 carries to help the Bearcats improve to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in District 4-3A Division II.
But he wasn’t done there.
Canyon 38, Big Spring 0 — Lawton Rikel passed for 169 yards, rushed for 78 and accounted for three scores to keep Canyon (6-0) unbeaten .
Big Spring (2-4), which was limited to 174 total yards, was led by Ethan Cortez with 104 yards passing.
Stephenville (3-2) — The Yellow Jackets were idle on Friday.
However, they will open district play at home against China Spring on Oct. 12 having a full two weeks to prepare for it.
Brock 31, Bowie 13 — The Eagles struggled a little more than expected against the 1-4 Jackrabbits but recovered in plenty of time to secure a comfortable win.
Bowie led 6-0 after one quarter, but Brock (5-1, 2-0) countered with 31 unanswered points, outscoring the Jackrabbits 24-0 over the middle two periods.
Toby Morrison paced the Eagle offense, rushing for 208 yards and four touchdowns on just 16 carries. The Brock defense, meanwhile, limited Bowie to 264 total yards and forced three turnovers.
Brady (1-4) — A tough nondistrict schedule resulted in an unsightly record, but coach Shay Easterwood’s Bulldogs are both battle-tested and well-positioned to earn a playoff spot in this district.
Brady, which was idle this past week, opens 13-3A DII play with a much-improved Ingram Moore squad, before playing winnable games against Johnson City, Blanco and Comfort.
Snyder 27, Fort Stockton 13 — Trailing 13-3 after the first quarter, Snyder stormed back to hand Fort Stockton its first loss of the year.
JJ Burns rushed for 187 yards and two scores to lift Snyder (4-1, 1-0) which will face a huge test on the road at Monahans next week.
The Tigers rushed for 366 yards as a team to earn the win.
Fort Stockton (5-1, 1-1) was led by Nick Johnson, who rushed for 111 yards and one TD.
Clyde 21, Stamford 13 — CHS was the lone team in this district to play on Friday, with the rest enjoying a bye week to prepare for the opening of district play on Oct. 12.
And needless to say, they made the most of the opportunity to snag the spotlight.
A week removed from seeing QB Peyton Bevel set state records with 789 yards passing and 12 TDs in a win over De Leon, SHS was handed a stunning upset loss by coach Scott Campbell’s Clyde team.
Colorado City (5-0) — C-City, along with every other team in this district was idle on Friday night.
The entire league will kick off on Oct. 12th, with the Wolves among three favorites to win it all — Abernathy and Idalou being the others.
Thus far, C-City QB Markis Monroe (49 of 81, 1,066 yards, 17 TDs) is living up to his billing, as evidenced by the video above in a recent game with Clyde.
Quanah 34, Olney 7 — The Indians cruised to victory in the one of two games played in this district in Week 6, pounding out 248 rushing yards in improving to 3-2 on the year.
Quarterback Clayton Laughery rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown and passed for 120 yards to lead Quanah, which opens district play next week at home against Wellington.
Cisco 54, Merkel 13 — Cooper Witt threw for 75 yards and two scores and rushed for 159 and another TD to lift Cisco (4-0) over Merkel.
A total of five Loboes found the end zone, including Stanley Callahan, who rushed for 84 yards and two scores on 12 carries.
Jonah White topped the Merkel stat sheet with 144 yards rushing and a touchdown. The Badgers dropped to 1-4.
Dublin (5-0) — The Lions, along with every other team in this district, took Friday night off in an across-the-board bye week.
Yet it is Dublin that will garner much of the attention when district play opens on Oct. 12.
Forsan 25, Wink 24 —The Buffaloes built a 25-12 halftime lead and held on to get their first win of the season.
Kobe Richardson threw for 134 yards and two scores and rushed for 63 yards and another TD to lift the Buffs (1-5), who will enjoy a bye week before starting district play with Ozona on Oct. 19.
Hico 57, Petrolia 0 — Hico rushed for 402 yards in rout of Petrolia to improve to 2-3.
Pablo Cruz led the way with 166 yards and three scores 14 carries.
It was a much-needed win for the Tigers, who could use some momentum going into their district opener at De Leon next Friday.