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Month: November 2018
Sparks, Shallowater too much for Eastland in 56-21 win
SWEETWATER — Quarterback Cutter Sparks and the explosive Shallowater offense proved too much for Eastland to handle Thursday as the Mustangs piled up 700 yards of total offense and had five scoring plays of at least 37 yards in a 56-21 Region I-3A semifinal win at the Mustang Bowl.
Sparks accounted for 236 of his team’s 489 rushing yards and passed for 201 yards and three touchdowns to keep the Mustangs perfect at 13-0 and end the Mavericks’ season at 9-4.
Eastland, which got 245 yards passing and two rushing touchdowns from quarterback Behren Morton, fell behind 28-0 before scoring its first touchdown and could never make the stops necessary to get back in the game.
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 14)
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 14)”
BCP Week 14 Playoff Forecast: Morton, Mavs face Shallowater (w/ Evan Ren’s playoff picks, BCP Drive-Time podcast)
LAST WEEK: 19-5, .791
SEASON TOTAL: 434-96, .818
Week 14 has seven of the Big Country’s 11-man teams still showing a pulse and an additional three in the six-man ranks still alive.
And as one would expect, it only gets tougher from this point forward, with more than half of our teams projected as underdogs heading into this week’s action.
BCP Podcast No. 24: Albany’s Denney Faith talks Lion football with Evan, Daniel
One of the longest tenured and winningest coaches in Big Country history, Denney Faith has experienced more than his share of success in his three decades in Albany. So it should surprise no one that this area coaching legend has his Lions in the region semifinals once again despite an uncharacteristic 0-5 start to this season.
Faith took some time this week to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about his team’s turnaround, this week’s playoff opponent and what has kept him in Albany all these years for this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel say goodbye to the team’s lost during last week’s area round of the football playoffs and look ahead to this week’s action.
PHOTO GALLERY: Jim Ned-Brownwood basketball doubleheader (93 images)
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LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Coogs top Estacado; AHS, Cooper girls fall to area foes
LUBBOCK — The Cooper boys basketball team continued its strong start to the season Tuesday, rallying from seven points down at halftime to knock off Lubbock Estacado 70-65.
The Cougars took the lead with a 27-17 third-quarter run and held off the Matadors in the fourth to improve to 4-1 on the year.
Deven Bailey once again led the Coogs, scoring a team-high 21 points for the second straight game, while Ben Thompson added 13, Josh Henry and Noah Garcia both scored nine, and Kaden Davis pitched in eight.
No. 4 Haskell girls rally past Eula 35-29
HASKELL — Down 22-20 to start the fourth quarter, the fourth-ranked Haskell Maidens scored 15 points over the final eight minutes to knock off the upset-minded Eula Lady Pirates in a 35-29 victory at the legendary Tee Pee.
Leading the way for the Maidens (7-1) was freshmen Melody Martinez, whose five-point outburst late in the fourth quarter helped put away Eula for good. C’Era Taylor, meanwhile, had a team-high eight points and two rebounds for Haskell.
PHOTO GALLERY: Mineral Wells-Abilene High boys basketball (36 images)
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Abilene High boys dominate Mineral Wells 61-31
The Abilene High boys basketball team outscored Mineral Wells 17-1 in the second quarter Tuesday to stretch a six-point lead to 22 points by halftime in routing the Rams 61-31 in a nondistrict matchup at Eagle Gym.
Post Devyan Wilkins came off the bench to score 14 points to lead AHS, which held Mineral Wells to single-digit point totals in every quarter but the fourth.
Area Round BCP Six-Man Roundup
A rough second round of the playoffs for the Big Country in the 11-man ranks trickled on down to the six-man squads as well.
A week after 10 teams won their bi-district matchups, all but four were eliminated over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend slate of games.
The Big Country contingent is down to Gorman, Jayton, Stephenville Faith and Strawn. Should Jayton and Strawn win this week and next, the two will play December 19th for the state championship.
Jim Ned sweeps Brownwood in doubleheader (box scores + photo gallery included)
BROWNWOOD — A big night from the 3-point line and some timely defense were enough to lift the Class 3A Jim Ned Lady Indians to a 54-44 win at Class 4A Brownwood on Tuesday.
Libby Tutt scored 20 points and Jenna Moore added 12 (via four 3-pointers) to lift Jim Ned (7-3), which maintained a fluctuating lead from as much as 17 to as little as six points, by coming up with key defensive stops along the way.
The Lady Indians connected on eight 3-pointers as a team, with Malone Graham hitting two, Claire Graham hitting one and Tutt adding another.
Brownwood, which slipped to 4-5, got 13 points from Matyha Thompson, six from Hadley Monroe and five from Ryleigh Dalleh.
BREAKING NEWS: McLemore reassigned in Big Spring
Big Spring athletic director/head football coach Mitch McLemore has been reassigned.
McLemore, who posted a 3-19 overall mark with the Steers through two seasons, coached Big Spring to records of 0-10 and 3-9, respectively, upon arriving from Junction in 2017. He inherited a team that had gone 0-9 in 2016.
Continue reading “BREAKING NEWS: McLemore reassigned in Big Spring”
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Marshall closes great season with our weekly accolade
Aside from having what might be the single greatest hairdo in Big Country history (next to mine, of course), Hawley running back Colton Marshall closed a remarkable season on Friday, with yet another remarkable game.
Rushing 36 times in a heartbreaking 37-36 loss to Sundown in the Region I-2A Division I area round, Marshall charted 213 yards and five touchdowns.
With that performance, he finished the season with 282 carries for 1,935 yards and 27 scores, helping the Bearcats to a 10-2 record and earning our Big Country Preps Player of the Week.
Class 2A Area-Round Report
De Leon 31, Wolfe City 20 — The Bearcats (8-4) gained just 318 total yards in their Region II-2A Division I area-round matchup with Wolfe City, but it was enough when combined with a strong defensive performance to advance and earn a region semifinals date with Riesel (10-2).
Quarterback Kevin Yeager led De Leon, which extended a 21-7 to three touchdowns in the third quarter, rushing for 114 yards and two scores while passing for 124 yards and two more TDs
Jorge Gonzalez added 80 rushing yards, and Chris Cox and Emery Amick each caught TD passes.
The Bearcats will play Riesel at 7 p.m. Friday in Whitney for a chance to play in the region title game against the winner of San Saba (12-0) and Celeste (11-1).
Class 3A Area-Round Report
Comanche 42, Edgewood 38 — Comanche rushed for 351 yards, with Kade Mercer (23 carries, 148 yards, two TDs) leading the way in an area-round nail-biter.
As is their custom, the wing-T-based Indians only threw for 138 yards. But they were efficient through the air, with Trendon Morin finishing with a 6-of-7 tally and one TD pass.
PHOTO GALLERY: Haskell-Wheeler football (58 images)
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Class 4A Area-Round Report
Celina 31, Stephenville 21 — Five turnovers proved more than Stephenville could overcome Friday in a Region II-4A Division I area-round loss to Celina at Fort Worth Brewer’s Bear Stadium.
Stephenville, which was hurt by two interceptions and three lost fumbles, was outscored 10-0 in the second half in seeing its season end at 7-4.
The Yellow Jackets’ only lead came at 21-14 with five minutes remaining in the second quarter, when Krece Nowak had his second of two rushing touchdowns. But the Bobcats (7-4) answered in the final minute of the period to tie the game 21-all at halftime, before securing the upset with 10 fourth-quarter points.
Big Spring’s season ends at the hands of Hereford
PLAINVIEW — Nobody expected coach Mitch McLemore’s squad to be in Friday’s Region I-4A Division I area round after back-to-back winless campaigns in 2016-17.
When the UIL’s biennial realignment came about in February, Big Spring was placed in a four-team district guaranteeing the Steers a playoff berth.
After wins over Sweetwater (33-7) and Pecos (39-20) in the first four weeks of the year, the Steers appeared to have turned a corner before losing six straight to end the year — including all three district games to enter the playoffs as the fourth seed out of District 2.
Then came the bi-district upset of District 1 champion Clint (28-22) and a matchup Friday against Hereford, an overtime winner last week against Springtown.
The Steers’ season came to an end Friday as the Herd knocked Big Spring off 57-13 at Bulldog Stadium.
PHOTO GALLERY: Cooper-N.R.H. Birdville football (57 images)
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Birdville ends Cooper’s season with 49-14 win
MINERAL WELLS — The combination of Laderrious Mixon and Stone Earle proved too much for Cooper on Friday, as the North Richland Hills Birdville running back-quarterback duo combined for more than 450 total yards in a 49-14 victory in a Region I-5A Division I area-round game at Ram Stadium.
Mixon ran for 200 yards and a touchdown while also catching a 30-yard TD pass on a trick play, and Earle passed for 233 yards and four scores while adding a fifth score on the ground.
Those two propelled the Hawks (11-1) to a 28-0 halftime lead and helped grab the momentum back after it appeared as though Cooper might work its way back into the game in the third quarter.
Haskell’s improbable run ends with loss to Wheeler (stats and photo gallery included)
VERNON — Most Cinderellas eventually hand in their slippers.
For unheralded Haskell, a fourth seed out of District 7-2A, that moment came shortly after a 26-12 loss to heavily favored Wheeler in a Division II area-round game Friday at Lions Stadium.
Canadian ends Wolves’ season for second straight year
PLAINVIEW — Heading into Friday’s Region I-3A Division II area-round playoff game, the Colorado City football team had lost three games dating back to the start of the 2017 season.
All three of those teams were either undefeated or had just one loss when they faced the Wolves.
The Wolves’ season came to an end on Friday with a 56-26 loss to 11-1 Canadian — marking the second consecutive year that Colorado City was stopped by the Wildcats.
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 13)
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 13)”
Cooper ‘D’ ready to match strengths with potent Birdville running game
Facing off with a 10-1 North Richland Hills Birdville team in its area-round playoff, Cooper’s game plan Friday will be a familiar one. The Cougars will look to establish the running game on offense and stop the run on defense.
That’s been the preferred mode of operation for coach Aaron Roan’s squad all season, and when it’s accomplished those two things, a winning result has usually followed.
This week, though, the the second half of that equation will present an enormous challenge as few have slowed a Hawk running attack that comes in averaging more than 200 yards per game and features a 1,600-yard rusher in junior Laderrious Mixon. But it’s a challenge the Coogs are accepting head on.
Evan Ren’s Area Round Forecast (released early for Thanksgiving)
LAST WEEK: 31-6, .837
SEASON TOTAL: 415-91, .820
Normally our playoff forecast is released on Thursdays. But, in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, we’re pushing it out a day early.
I don’t mind saying, it has been a good year for the column, picking at nearly 84 percent in Week 12 and holding at 82 percent on the year.
BCP Podcast No. 23: Evan, Daniel talk playoff football with Haskell coach Brian Hodnett
The Haskell Indians got off to rough start this season, dropping three of four games during nondistrict play, losing each of those games by at least 28 points. But things started clicking for coach Brian Hodnett’s team during district play, which saw the Indians take good Cross Plains and Albany teams to the wire and defeat Roscoe and Baird to claim the fourth playoff seed out of District 7-2A Division II.
Haskell (4-6) took advantage of that opportunity, coming from behind to defeat District 8 champion Eldorado 26-22 in the bi-district round, snapping a nine-year playoff victory drought. Earlier this week, Hodnett took some time to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about the Eldorado win, this season and what he expects to see in Friday’s area-round matchup against Wheeler for this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel break down the most significant — and shocking — developments of the first week of the high school football playoffs.
LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: AHS girls top Cooper for second time in five days
Playing their crosstown rival for the second time in five days, the Abilene High Lady Eagles had far more trouble with Cooper on Tuesday than they had in the previous meeting, but coach Terri Aston’s team still managed to come away with a 38-35 win at Eagle Gym.
AHS, which routed Cooper 61-38 in a winners bracket consolation semifinal in the Polk-Key City Classic on Friday, needed a fourth-quarter rally to edge the Lady Cougars on Tuesday.
PHOTO GALLERY: Comanche-Clyde girls hoops (67 images)
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by pushing the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery.
PHOTO GALLERY: Wylie-Jim Ned girls basketball (38 images)
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by pushing the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery.
Wylie girls weather early storm to earn win at Jim Ned
TUSCOLA — The Jim Ned girls basketball team couldn’t have asked for a better start to its nondistrict game against Wylie on Tuesday. But when momentum shifted in the Lady Bulldogs’ direction late in the first quarter, it never came back in a 54-47 loss for the home-standing Lady Indians.
Coach Hunter Cooley’s squad raced out to a 10-3 lead in the first 2½ minutes and stretched it to 19-8 by the 2:03 mark of the first quarter. But the Lady Bulldogs closed the period on an 11-0 run, getting a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 19-all heading into the second.
Wylie (6-3) then outscored Jim Ned 30-19 over the next two quarters to take control and held off a late run in the fourth to return to Abilene with the fifth victory in its last six games.
Clyde’s Nellie Parrish notches her first career victory
CLYDE — After 16 combined years of working as a varsity assistant and junior high coach, along with an 0-3 start this year, first-year Clyde girls basketball coach Nellie Parrish was more than ready to get her first career varsity win.
It came Tuesday night in a 45-26 win over Comanche in a Class-3A nondistrict matchup at the Bulldog gym.
Bi-District BCP Six-Man Roundup
The opening week of the postseason was a good one for area six-man teams as 10 different squads earned wins and the right to play over the Thanksgiving holiday.
While most of the teams that advanced are playing on Friday, Strawn will follow Hamlin’s lead from the 2017 season and host Walnut Springs on Thanksgiving Day.
One can only hope the Hornets get a chance to eat at Mary’s after the game.
Before we take a look back at last week (and look ahead to this week), here at Big Country Preps, we would like to thank all of you for your support this year. When you see Daniel, Evan or myself out and about at games, please say hello. We enjoy meeting all of you and hearing your ideas.
LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Abilene High, Wylie boys fall on road
WOLFFORTH — The Abilene High boys basketball team led Wolfforth Frenship 16-13 after a quarter Monday, but the Eagles were outscored by 26 points the rest of the way in a 74-51 loss.
AHS, which trailed 33-29 at halftime, saw a 22-10 third-quarter disadvantage sink its efforts in falling to 2-2 on the season.
Landon Talley led the Eagles with 12 points, followed by Jalen McGee and Brian Patton with nine points apiece.
Hermleigh girls continue strong start with win over Roby
HERMLEIGH — After following last year’s state tournament appearance with a hot start to this season, the Hermleigh girls basketball team has caught the attention of many as the fourth-ranked team in Class 1A. After Monday’s win over No. 14 Roby, the Lady Cardinals solidified their place as the team to beat in this region.
Hermleigh (9-1), which connected on seven 3-pointers and had three players reach double figures, dominated the top-15 matchup, topping the Lady Lions 56-43.
Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Cooper RB Noah Garcia makes dramatic return
When Cooper sophomore Noah Garcia was last seen at Shotwell Stadium, he was leaving the Cougars’ regular-season finale against Amarillo High on a stretcher.
The 5-foot-7, 160-pound running back had just taken a hard hit near the line of scrimmage and spent several minutes face down on the turf awaiting and receiving medical care.
But the thumbs up he gave the crowd as he was wheeled away from worried coaches, teammates and family members seemed to offer assurance that he would be back at some point to help the team he’d been so good for to that point. Little did anyone know that would occur just one week later.
Not only was Garcia back for the Coogs’ playoff opener at El Paso Eastwood, he was good enough in their 49-41 bi-district victory to earn Big Country Preps Player of the Week honors for the first time this season.
Stamford Bevel’s Lindsay, advances to face New Deal
MINERAL WELLS — The Stamford Bulldogs had their worst quarter of the season Saturday afternoon at Ram Stadium, falling behind Lindsay 27-6 after the first 12 minutes of their Region I-2A Division I bi-district matchup against the Knights. But it was the Peyton Bevel and Co. show after that as Stamford roared back for a wild 68-34 win.
The Bulldogs will face New Deal in an area-round matchup at 1 p.m. Friday in Snyder.
Bevel threw for just 80 yards in the opening quarter before going wild with 434 yards and six touchdowns in the second and third quarters. He finished the game with 514 yards.
Continue reading “Stamford Bevel’s Lindsay, advances to face New Deal”
Bishop Lynch tops Wylie for Polk-Key City title
The Wylie girls basketball team finally met its match in the championship game of the Polk-Key City Classic, falling 67-57 to private school power Dallas Bishop Lynch in Saturday’s title game to finish one win shy of defending last year’s crown at Hardin-Simmons’ Mabee Complex.
Jim Ned, meanwhile, bounced back from its semifinal loss to the Lady Friars on Friday to cruise past Odessa High 58-36 and take third place for the second year in a row in Texas’ longest-running girls basketball tournament.
Bishop Lynch completed a perfect 4-0 run through the PKC field, defeating the tournament’s two most recent champions — the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Indians — to do it. Tournament MVP Endyia Rogers was a catalyst in both of those victories, following Friday’s 16-point effort against Jim Ned with 26 points in the title game Saturday.
Class 4A Bi-District Report
Stephenville 47, Dunbar 31 — Krece Nowak rushed for 218 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries and Kade Renfro threw for 250 yards and a score to lift Stephenville to an easy bi-district win over Dunbar.
The Yellow Jackets had built a 34-0 lead by halftime and were never seriously threatened while improving to 7-3. Stephenville will square off with Celina (6-4) in the 4A Division I area round.
Dunbar finished its season at 5-5.
Class 3A Bi-District Report (to be updated throughout the weekend)
Spearman 33, Cisco 29 — A rash of turnovers doomed heavily favored Cisco in this 3A Division II bi-district matchup
Three lost fumbles and three interceptions found their way onto Cisco’s half of the stat sheet while fourth-seeded Spearman walked away turnover-free to advance to the area round.
Class 2A Bi-District Report (to be updated throughout the weekend)
Haskell 26, Eldorado 22 — Trailing 22-14 after three quarters, Haskell rallied with two late touchdowns to win a bi-district championship.
Cutter Medford threw TD passes to Zander Garcia and Reed Roewe in the final quarter to lift the Indians (4-6), who have now won three of their last four games after a 1-5 start.
PHOTO GALLERY: Wall vs. Pilot Point (53 images)
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PHOTO GALLERY: Polk-Key City Classic Day 2 (74 images)
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by pushing the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery.
Wylie advances to PKC final, Jim Ned falls to Bishop Lynch in semis
The Wylie girls basketball team will play for the Polk-Key City Classic championship on Saturday after winning both of its games Friday, while Jim Ned just missed an opportunity to serve as the Lady Bulldogs’ title game opponent.
Coach Amy Powell’s squad defeated El Paso Burges 63-47 and Odessa High 51-28 to earn a spot in the championship round against Dallas Bishop Lynch, which came from behind to defeat Jim Ned 60-51 in Friday’s other semifinal.
The Lady Indians earned their spot in the semis with a 47-39 win over Abilene High, which rebounded to defeat Cooper 61-38 to earn a spot in Saturday’s fifth-place game against San Antonio Stevens.