Month: December 2018

by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: AHS boys get even with crosstown rival Cooper

The Abilene High Eagles didn’t have to wait long to avenge their 69-65 overtime loss to crosstown rival Cooper. Just one week to be exact.

AHS overcame a 27-23 halftime deficit with a strong third quarter and poured it on the fourth on their way to a 63-52 win Friday at Eagle Gym. The victory capped a 2-0 week against fellow Abilene high schools.

The Eagles, who went 0-3 at last week’s Catclaw Classic, edged Wylie 52-49 in a nondistrict thriller Tuesday, providing some positive momentum heading into Friday’s game with Cooper.

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by Evan Ren

Highly touted Forsan fights off stubborn Roscoe (box score and photo gallery included)

ROSCOE — If the Forsan Lady Buffaloes went into Friday’s game at Roscoe as a heavy favorite, someone forgot to give the Plowgirls the memo. 

At the very least, Roscoe gave a team expected by many to do some postseason damage a major test, falling 44-39 in a seesaw game that saw the momentum turn on a dime several times. 

Macey Evans scored 17 points and Emily Garcia added 13 more to lead Forsan (13-5), which saw separate leads of eight and 13 points nearly evaporate in the face of two second-half runs by the Plowgirls. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

Malakoff outlasts Brock 23-21 in Class 3A DI state semifinals

FRISCO — A late pass interference call on a fourth-and-7 play from the Brock 11 gave Malakoff new life, and the Tigers capitalized, scoring what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with three minutes remaining to edge the Eagles 23-21 in Friday’s Class 3A Division I state semifinal at the Ford Center.

Brock, which scored with five seconds left to beat Shallowater by an identical score last week, had a chance at another season-extending drive Friday. But after getting 11 yards from Toby Morrison on the first play, the Eagles stalled, seeing their hopes dashed on a fourth-down sack with less than two minutes on the clock.

With Brock down its final timeout, Malakoff was able to run off most of the clock, before sealing the victory in earnest when back-to-back offsides calls gave the Tigers a first down with four seconds remaining.

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by Evan Ren

Gruver ends Albany’s run with 30-17 win in state semifinals

PLAINVIEW — The special night that might have been didn’t happen for the Albany Lions. 

Just one victory away from reaching the Class 2A Division II state title game (after an 0-5 start) and giving coach Denney Faith his 300th career win, the Lions fell to Gruver 30-17 in a state semifinal at Greg Sherwood Memorial Stadium. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

DANIEL YOUNGBLOOD: Work never done for hungry Brock Eagles

With the success the Brock Eagles have experienced since starting up their football program eight years ago, the creeping nature of complacency is a natural and constant threat.

When you’ve only once in six varsity seasons lost as many as three games in a year— and you just happened to end that campaign in a state title game — it can be hard not to take that level of achievement for granted.

But if coach Chad Worrell and his Eagles have been spoiled by their success, they have a funny way of showing it.

In fact, talking to Worrell and his players about this year’s run, which has them set to face Malakoff in a state semifinal game at 4 p.m. Friday in Frisco, you might conclude they were the Rocky Balboa in this story — toppling one celebrated opponent after another on the way to their ultimate goal.

If you’ve ever wondered how this program has accomplished what it has in such a short period of time and continues year after to year to be great, it’s in that focus and hunger that you’ll find the answer. 

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by Evan Ren

Evan Ren’s Big Country Playoff picks: Albany, Brock head into state semis

LAST WEEK: 4-1, .800

SEASON TOTAL: 445-98, .820 

To my recollection, I’ve never gone into semifinal week with fewer than 100 missed picks on the year. While it has been common for this column to hit around 80 percent accuracy for a season, as a general rule, I’ll miss more than 100 picks along the way, with that number usually topped somewhere around the area round or regional semis. 

But here we are, still running at an all-time high .820 with just a handful of games left. Now that I’m done patting myself on the back, it’s time to jump into this week’s action. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 26: Evan, Daniel talk Jim Ned hoops with Hunter Cooley

A former high school standout at Hawley and college All-American at Abilene Christian University who has led both the boys and girls basketball programs at Jim Ned, Hunter Cooley has been a part of the Big Country hoops scene for decades now.

This week, he took some time to talk a little basketball with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood, touching the strength of this year’s Jim Ned girls team, his coaching career and his thoughts on the current state of the game in this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.

Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel bid farewell to the De Leon and Hamlin football teams and preview this week’s state semifinal games for Albany and Brock.

by Maverick16

Plowgirls hold off Highland to kick off doubleheader sweep

ROSCOE — A fast start in the first quarter was the difference in the game Tuesday as the Roscoe Plowgirls fended off the Highland Lady Hornets for a 41-30 victory.

The Plowgirls started the game hot, outscoring Highland 19-3 in the first quarter. Senior Bonnie Wilkinson led the early charge, scoring seven points during the first quarter.

Wilkinson suffered a lower leg injury late in the period, however, which would halt Roscoe’s momentum. Highland outscored Roscoe 12-4 in the second quarter to trim the Plowgirls’ lead to 23-15 at halftime.

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by Evan Ren

Stamford pulls off sweep of perennial power Eula (w/ photo gallery, box scores)

STAMFORD — With one roster filled with freshman and another still rusty after a lengthy football season, the Stamford Bulldogs may have gone into Tuesday’s doubleheader with Eula as an unranked underdog two times over. 

By evening’s end, however, it was the Pirates walking the plank — not once, but twice in a girls-boys sweep that saw SHS notch wins of 38-34 and 59-52, respectively. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Lady Eagles top Trinity in 3-6A opener

The Abilene High girls basketball team opened District 3-6A play on a winning note Tuesday, outlasting Euless Trinity for a 40-38 win at Eagle Gym.

Trailing 13-8 after a quarter, the Lady Eagles rallied to tie the game at 20-all by halftime. And with the game still tied heading into the fourth period, AHS outscored the Lady Trojans 10-8 over the final eight minutes to escape with the two-point win.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Talley’s late 3-pointer lifts Abilene High over Wylie

Abilene High senior Landon Talley was relatively quiet for most the Eagles’ game Tuesday at Wylie. But his go-head 3-pointer with 32.9 seconds remaining proved to be the difference in a thrilling 52-49 win over the Bulldogs on their home floor.

Talley’s shot, just his second field goal of the game, capped the second of two two-possession rallies for AHS, which sealed the victory on the defensive end and at the free-throw line.

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN: No need to call Denney Faith this week

Everybody and their dog will want a piece of Denney Faith this week.

With the combination of 300 career wins and a trip to state (after an 0-5 start) on the line at the same time, Big Country fans will be keeping an close eye on Faith and his Lions (9-5) in Thursday’s Class 2A Division II state semifinal matchup with Gruver (13-1) in Plainview.

It’s only natural.

It is truly a special opportunity — the combination of two incredible accomplishments that could potentially be achieved in the same evening. 

I thought about calling him, knowing that everyone else in the media will be. 

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Preps Player of the Week: West snags the award

Is it possible for the planets to align for a team that started the season at 0-5?

Ben West

For the time being, Albany quarterback Ben West has helped create a situation where they just might. 

Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week had a monster game in Albany’s 41-27 win over Hamlin on Friday, leading the Lions to the Region II-2A Division II title.

Finishing 16 of 21 through the air for 269 yards and five touchdowns, West also recovered a fumble and returned it 45 yards for another TD to help the Lions (9-5) to their ninth straight win.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Midland Christian shoots way past Wylie in Catclaw final

The Midland Christian Mustangs spoiled Wylie’s perfect run at the Catclaw Classic, knocking down 14 3-pointers in a 68-42 win in Saturday’s title game at Bulldog Gym.

The loss forced coach Gregg Ruffin’s squad to settle for the runner-up spot in the Bulldogs’ annual tournament.

Cooper also was in action Saturday, outlasting Bullard Brook Hill 73-68 in a meeting of No. 3 seeds out of their respective pools. That improved the Cougars to 2-2 at the tournament and 8-5 on the year.

Abilene High, which went 0-3 through pool play, was originally scheduled to play San Angelo Lake View on Saturday, but that game was canceled due to Abilene’s wintry weather.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Wylie sweeps pool, advances to Catclaw Classic title

The Wylie boys basketball team stayed perfect in Catclaw Classic play with a pair of wins Friday, while Cooper split a pair of games and Abilene High went 0-2.

The Bulldogs, who routed San Angelo Lake View 73-31 to open the tournament on Thursday, downed Bullard Brook Hill (58-38) and Canyon (57-40) on Day 2 to take the top spot in Pool A and earn a date in Saturday’s championship game with Pool B winner Midland Christian. That game is slated to tip off at 3 p.m.

Cooper, meanwhile, rebounded from Thursday’s 56-53 loss to Midland Christian with a 69-65 overtime win over Abilene High before falling 64-62 to Fort Worth Chisholm Trail on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. The Cougars, Pool B’s third-place team, will face Pool A No. 3 Bullard Brook Hill at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Abilene High, which lost to Chisholm Trail 51-48 on Thursday, fell to 0-3 in Catclaw action Friday, following the loss to Cooper with a 52-37 loss to Midland Christian. The Eagles took fourth in Pool B and were scheduled to face off with Lake View on the Classic’s final day, but that game was canceled due to the wintry weather in Abilene on Saturday.

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by Evan Ren

Haskell’s Eddleman chalks up win No. 300

Through 18 years of consistency and patience at four different schools, Haskell girls basketball coach Blake Eddleman reached a significant milestone on Friday, collecting his 300th career victory with a 63-23 win at Archer City. 

Eddleman, who is currently 160-39 in seven years at Haskell, went into this year’s Wildcat Classic in Archer City needing three victories to hit the 300 mark. The Maidens got him there in as many games, sweeping Wichita Falls High (62-42), Wichita Falls City View (98-14) and the host team in their first three contests. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

Late TD drive lifts Brock over Shallowater in instant classic (photo gallery and box included)

SWEETWATER — The Brock offense isn’t designed to strike quickly, but the Eagles showed Thursday they can when they need to.

Trailing Shallowater 21-17 with less than two minutes remaining in the game, coach Chad Worrell’s team drove 59 yards in 92 seconds, scoring on a 1-yard pass from Takota Taylor to Zakk Young with five seconds remaining to claim the Region I-3A Division I championship with a thrilling 23-21 win.

The final touchdown capped a back-and-forth affair that saw the lead change hands on five occasions, including three times in the final quarter.

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by Mike Lee, Special to Big Country Preps

San Saba eliminates De Leon 31-17

BROWNWOOD — When Jerod Fikac arrived at San Saba in 2017 and inherited a 0-10 team, he asked his players a simple question.

“Coach Fikac asked us which was bigger: the rearview mirror or the front windshield?” recalled Armadillos’ end Joseph Watson. “We all said the front windshield. He told us not to look through the rearview mirror because it shows what’s in the past. The front windshield looks toward the future. He wanted us looking toward the future.”

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by Evan Ren

West has huge night to lead Albany to second win over Hamlin (box & photo gallery included)

If one player may serve as a microcosm of the remarkable turnaround seen by the Albany Lions this year, it may very well be quarterback Ben West. 

And if one West performance may exhibit that argument, then Thursday’s five touchdown-pass effort in a 41-27 regional title win over Hamlin is arguably the best example.  

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by Daniel Youngblood

De Leon’s Yeager out to end stellar high school career on right note

When it comes to pure production, few quarterbacks in Texas high school football history can match Kevin Yeager’s achievements.

The De Leon standout has been torching defenses from his quarterback spot for four years now, and he’s piled up stats in the process that have him in or approaching the top 10 on career leaderboards for a number of passing categories.

But it’s not climbing those lists that fuel Yeager’s drive to extend his senior season. Instead, it’s something far more personal.

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by Evan Ren

BCP Week 15 Playoff forecast: Six Big Country teams remain (w/ Evan Ren’s playoff picks and BCP Drive-Time Podcast)

LAST WEEK: 7-2, .777

SEASON TOTAL: 441-98, .818 

I’ll be honest with you.

I didn’t expect to be forecasting five games this week, with six of our Big Country teams still showing a pulse.

Yet here we are. 

Hamlin, with its monumental upset of Wellington last week, blew up my pick and earned a second shot at its old nemesis, Albany.  And De Leon, another team I had designated to begin basketball season, dominated Riesel to keep on dancing in December. 

Continue reading “BCP Week 15 Playoff forecast: Six Big Country teams remain (w/ Evan Ren’s playoff picks and BCP Drive-Time Podcast)” →

by Daniel Youngblood

Sudden stardom: Brock’s blue chip TE Cupp hopes to finish wild ride with title

A four-star tight end prospect with an offer list “in the 20s,” Brock senior Baylor Cupp is a well-known name in recruiting circles.

It hasn’t always been that way, however.

In fact, Cupp, who is now ranked as the No. 1 tight end nationally by 247sports.com and holds offers from two of the four teams in this year’s College Football Playoff, wasn’t even sure he’d be playing Division I football after high school this time last year. But a single offer from Kansas in January started a deluge of attention that would only be quelled by his commitment to Texas A&M in April.

That meteoric rise, which saw Cupp climb from the No. 467 prospect in the nation to No. 20 in 10 month’s time, put him on the wish lists of many of college football’s most successful coaches and on fan boards from coast to coast. But it hasn’t changed who he is or the goals he has for his remaining time in Brock.

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN: Albany, Hamlin rematch is a weird game in a weird season

Every football season has the unexpected. Every football season has its share of stunners. 

If that weren’t the case, the game would have been kicked to the curb and replaced with soccer a long time ago.

We live for the drama. We live for the shock to our system that only football can provide. 

But seriously, 2018 gave us an overdose. 

In fact, this entire season has been nothing short of weird. And everything surrounding this rematch between Albany and Hamlin on Thursday fits right in with the oddest football season in my recollection. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 25: Evan, Daniel talk Brock football with coach Chad Worrell

In just eight years on the Brock campus, coach Chad Worrell has built the Eagle football program from scratch into a consistent state title threat. This year, he has his team in position for another run to AT&T Stadium, with his Eagles set for a Region I-3A Division I title clash with Shallowater on Thursday.

Worrell took some time this week to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about that matchup, the success his program has enjoyed and his unique offensive and defensive schemes for the Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.

Also in this week’s episode, Evan and Daniel discuss the Big Country football teams lost during last week’s region semifinal round and those that will play for a region championship this week.

by Evan Ren

BREAKING: Former Cooper QB Neal to be named next McMurry football coach

A source close to the McMurry University athletic program has informed Big Country Preps that former Cooper and Hardin-Simmons quarterback Jordan Neal will officially be named as the next head football coach of the War Hawks on Thursday.

Neal, who has been a part of the Hendrix College staff since 2012, is currently serving as the Warriors’ offensive coordinator. 

Prior to his arrival at Hendrix College, Neal served as the offensive line coach at Texas Lutheran in 2012 and was the offensive coordinator at Howard Payne University in Brownwood from 2008-11.
 
At Hendrix he helped to reinstall a football program that had been dormant from 1960 through 2012. In their first season back with Neal guiding the offense, the Warriors posted a 3-7 mark with averages of 33.7 points and 420.8 yards per game. 
 
Consistent improvement followed from 2014-17, with successive records of 6-4, 8-3, 7-3 and 8-2 before finally slipping to 2-8 this season. 
 
Along the way, the Warriors broke the NCAA Division III record for total offense with more than 600 yards per game in 2016.
 
At McMurry, Neal will replace former coach Lance Hinson, who resigned on Nov. 12 after posting a 14-35 mark over five seasons. 
 
Neal will inherit a club that finished 2-8 in 2018, including an 83-6 loss to his alma mater, Hardin-Simmons, on Nov. 10. 
 
After his 2001 graduation from Cooper, where he was a standout quarterback with the Cougars, Neal had a highly successful playing career with HSU, taking ASC Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2006. He graduated from HSU holding 16 school records, including a career passing mark of 8,347 yards.
by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Montes shoots AHS girls past Odessa High in OT thriller

Georgia Montes hit eight 3-pointers Tuesday, and the Abilene High Lady Eagles needed every one of them to escape Eagle Gym with a 57-56 overtime win over Odessa High.

Montes finished with a game-high 24 points to pace AHS, which outscored the Lady Bronchos 8-7 over the extra period to improve to 8-8 on the season.

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by Evan Ren

C-City splits doubleheader with Greenwood

COLORADO CITY — Defensive stops and preventing Midland Greenwood from getting to the foul line were the 1-2 punch used by the Colorado City Lady Wolves in a 50-29 win in the first game of a girls-boys doubleheader on Tuesday. 

Kaci Hudson scored 22 points and Mia Monroe added 18 more to lead the Lady Wolves (10-2), who raced out to an 8-0 lead and never trailed throughout the game. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

Williams, Henson shine as Wylie girls rout Merkel

Wylie guards Skylar Williams and Abbey Henson put on a show Tuesday, combining for 53 points to fuel the Lady Bulldogs to a 75-39 win over Merkel in a nondistrict game at Bulldog Gym.

Williams poured in a game-high 27 points while Henson followed with 26 to help Wylie improve to 10-4 with its third straight win and fifth victory in its last six games.

Merkel, which was outscored 55-25 over the final three quarters, was led by Alyssa O’Malley with 13 points and Kaydi Pursuley with 10.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Third-quarter surge fuels Cooper boys past Lee

Midland Lee outscored Cooper in three of the four quarters Tuesday, but the Cougars had a strong enough third period to overcome that in a 60-57 nondistrict win on their home court.

Trailing 29-24 after halftime, the Coogs used a 19-10 advantage in the third quarter to take a four-point lead into the fourth before holding off a late Rebel rally to improve to 6-3 on the year.

Deven Bailey scored a game-high 17 points and Josh Henry followed with 16 for Cooper, which saw a 56-47 lead with 2:51 to play trimmed to three points in the final minute.

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Hamlin’s Sepeda snags the accolade

Big Country Preps Player of the Week isn’t strictly about numbers. 

Sometimes, drama can be the deciding factor. And in that regard, Hamlin’s Jackson Sepeda takes home this week’s Oscar after helping Hamlin to an incredible 21-18 win over heavily favored Wellington — one of the biggest upsets the Big Country has seen in the last decade. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

Yeager, De Leon rout Riesel to earn rematch with San Saba

WHITNEY — Senior quarterback Kevin Yeager passed for three touchdowns and ran for three more to lead De Leon to a 44-21 win over Riesel on Friday and earn a rematch with district mate San Saba in the Region II-2A Division I championship game.

Riesel, which lost starting quarterback Steven Searcy in the early in the second quarter, trailed 13-0 at that point and never got closer than two scores after Yeager’s second of three TD passes made it 27-13 at halftime.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Comanche bows out to Gunter in Region II-3A DII semis

SPRINGTOWN — The Comanche Indians saw their season come to an end one game shy of the Region II-3A Division II finals, falling 53-14 to Gunter in a region semifinal matchup at Porcupine Stadium.

The Tigers (13-0) raced out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and extended their advantage to 36-7 by halftime in advancing to face Holliday for the II-3A DII crown.

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