Month: March 2019

by Evan Ren

FEATURE: From Ghana to Goldthwaite … Amponsah learning Texas culture, discus

By MIKE LEE (Special to Big Country Preps)

 GOLDTHWAITE — One of the first things Kofi Amponsah did after moving 6,500 miles from Ghana, Africa, to Goldthwaite was buy a heavy coat.

“Where I lived, it was never too hot or never too cold. You could go swimming at the beach the whole year round,” said Amponsah, who moved to Texas in the seventh grade after living in Accra, the capital city of Ghana located near the equator where annual temperatures fluctuate only from 78-85 degrees

“When I got here (Goldthwaite) it was in January. I was instantly cold. I could not feel any part of my body. We had to go to Walmart and buy a huge coat.”

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Eagles snap four-game skid, Coogs edge Rider in 10

WEATHERFORD — The Abilene High baseball team snapped a four-game losing streak Friday, using a five-run sixth inning to erase a one-run deficit in a 7-3 win over Weatherford.

After holding a 2-1 lead through the fourth inning and seeing a two-run Kangaroo fifth put them in a 3-2 hole, the Eagles bunched four hits and two walks together in the pivotal sixth inning to rally for the skid-stopping victory.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME RECAP: Washington pitches, slugs Lady Eagles past Richland

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS — Kaylen Washington tossed a six-inning one-hitter and hit a sixth-inning grand slam Friday to lead the Abilene High Lady Eagles to a 14-0 win over North Richland Hills Richland.

Leading 7-0 after five innings, AHS exploded for seven runs in the sixth to put the 10-run rule into effect. The victory improved the Lady Eagles’ record to 18-1-2 overall and 7-0 in District 3-6A play.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Timely hits, stellar pitching lead Wylie to historic softball win over Cooper

The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.”

That saying was proven true by both the Wylie and Cooper softball teams on Friday afternoon in a District 4-5A matchup at Bulldog Field — one that marked the first regular season matchup between the two schools ever.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Hawley edges Albany 3-2, takes district lead

ALBANY — A troublesome first inning and a late unearned run were all that separated area rivals Hawley and Albany in Friday’s District 8-2A showdown at AHS. 

Hawley’s Dylan Frazier outdueled Albany’s Ben West in a 3-2 win for the Bearcats, who gradually built a 3-0 lead before surviving a seventh-inning rally by the Lions. 

Kolter Willeford with 1 for 2 with a walk, a sacrifice and two RBIs and Robert Ybarra plated two runs to lead Hawley, which managed to pull off the win despite charting only four hits.  

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Hill embracing role as Cooper Cougars’ ace

Cooper junior Braiden Hill has a lot of physical tools that make him a successful starting pitcher. He’s big, he throws hard and he’s got a good second pitch he can turn to when that fastball’s not going quite where he wants it to.

But it’s Hill’s mentality that has taken him from a solid rotation piece for coach Cody Salyers last season to the unquestioned ace of the Cougar pitching staff this year.

The strong-armed right-hander believes he’s better than every batter he faces, and it’s his goal each at-bat to prove that.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 39: Evan, Daniel talk to Yeager about decision to leave De Leon

After posting a 52-23 record in seven successful seasons at De Leon, coach David Yeager announced his decision last week to resign as the Bearcats football coach to more closely follow his son Kevin’s collegiate career at Incarnate Word.

This week, Yeager took some time to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about what went into that decision and what the future holds for him and his family in this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.

Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss last week’s Big Country baseball and softball action and highlight the teams that are getting mentioned in statewide polls. 

by Daniel Youngblood

GAME RECAP: Hard-luck Abilene High Eagles fall 3-2 to Weatherford

The Abilene High baseball team saw its losing streak hit four games Tuesday, suffering its third consecutive one-run loss in a 3-2 setback against Weatherford at Blackburn Field.

The Eagles rallied to score single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, tying the game at 2-2 with their second run, but the Kangaroos broke the tie in the ninth with what proved to be the game-winning run.

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Cooper walks off against Aledo, Wylie blasts Rider

The Cooper softball team rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the seventh inning Tuesday to score a 3-2 walk-off win over Aledo and take over first place in the District 4-5A standings.

The Lady Cougars were no-hit through five innings and outhit 11-5 for the game, but they bunched four of those hits in the final inning, getting an RBI single from Kaleigha Kemp to tie the game and another from Jennika Willis to win it.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Woodward pitches Breckenridge past Boyd

BRECKENRIDGE — The Breckenridge baseball team wasn’t supposed to be playing at home on Tuesday night, but the Buckaroos found themselves there anyway due to ongoing renovations at Boyd’s field.

Entering the night in a three-way tie with the Yellowjackets and Paradise for second place in District 7-3A, the Buckaroos turned to staff ace Owen Woodward to try and remain a game behind district leader Brock.

Woodward was magnificent in 6.2 shutout innings before being lifted due to pitch count limitations as the Buckaroos took a 2-0 win to move to 16-2 on the season and 4-1 in district play.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: De Leon holds on to beat Goldthwaite

DE LEON — One inning made all the difference.  A shot in the arm for De Leon. A disaster for Goldthwaite. 

A seven-run second inning eruption pushed DHS to an important 8-6 win over the visiting Lady Eagles on Tuesday, giving De Leon (17-4, 6-1) a one-game lead over Goldthwaite (8-7, 5-2) for first place in District 9-2A.  

Micaela Miller and Coral Sparger both had two hits and two RBIs and Kylea De La Torre was 3 for 4 with a double and a triple to lead De Leon, which built and early 7-1 lead before holding on for the win. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Hill, big third inning fuel Cooper to 4-0 win over Rider

Braiden Hill tossed a gem on the mound and the Cooper lineup packed all of its offense into a third-inning outburst Tuesday to top Wichita Falls Rider 4-0 at Cougar Field.

Coach Cody Salyers’ squad turned four singles and an error into a 4-0 lead after three innings, which proved more than enough support for Hill, who tossed six shutout frames to help the Cougars (8-13 overall, 3-2 in district) take sole possession of second place in District 4-5A.

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Comanche’s Beck takes the top spot

It was a big week for Comanche athletics, and our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column reflects it, beginning with our top spot.

Kendel Beck, a powerlifter in the 275-pound class, lands in this week’s spotlight after winning a Division 3 state championship over the weekend.

Beck, who along with fellow senior Kade Mercer (ninth place in 181-pound class) represented the Indians at the Taylor County Expo Center, won the 275-pound class with a three-lift total of 1,785 pounds.

This included a 700-pound squat, a 460-pound bench and a 625-pound dead lift.

“Great kid, great competitor,” coach Marty Wyatt said. “Truly an honor to coach him.”

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME RECAP: Wylie bounces back with 10-0 rout of Wichita Falls High

WICHITA FALLS — The Wylie baseball team rebounded from Tuesday’s loss at Wichita Falls Rider with a blowout win in the same location Friday, blasting Wichita Falls High 10-0 at Hoskins Field.

Dash Albus and Brooks Gay combined for a two-hit shutout, and seven Bulldog players had at least one hit as Wylie improved to 8-5 overall and 2-2 in District 4-5A action.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Eagle rally comes up short in 4-3 home loss to Hurst Bell

An early 4-0 deficit proved too big a hole to climb out of for the Abilene High baseball team Friday, which saw a late rally come up short in a 4-3 loss to Hurst Bell at Blackburn Field.

The Eagles, who fell to 1-3 in District 3-6A play with the loss, scored two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to pull within a run heading into their final at-bat. But a double play erased a leadoff single in the seventh inning before AHS’ comeback hopes were officially dashed with a game-ending line out by Kallin Sipe.

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