Month: June 2021

by Evan Ren

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Colorado City Wolves

Football is just around the corner, and we at BigCountryPreps.com are committed to bringing you the information you need to prepare for your favorite team’s season.

We’ll be releasing our Big Country Preps Preseason Football Preview, the most comprehensive look at the upcoming Big Country football season anywhere, on Saturday, Aug. 14. But you won’t have to wait until then to sate your gridiron appetite.

Leading up to the first day of fall football practice on Aug. 2, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2021 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

Today, we stay in Class 2A Division I with the Colorado City Wolves. On Thursday we will take a look at the Forsan Buffaloes, followed by the Haskell Indians on Friday.

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by Evan Ren

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Anson Tigers

Football is just around the corner, and we at BigCountryPreps.com are committed to bringing you the information you need to prepare for your favorite team’s season.

We’ll be releasing our Big Country Preps Preseason Football Preview, the most comprehensive look at the upcoming Big Country football season anywhere, on Saturday, Aug. 14. But you won’t have to wait until then to sate your gridiron appetite.

Leading up to the first day of fall football practice on Aug. 2, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2021 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

Today, we move to Class 2A Division I with the Anson Tigers. On Wednesday we will take a look at the Colorado City Wolves, followed by the Forsan Buffaloes on Thursday.

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by Evan Ren

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Santo Wildcats

Football is just around the corner, and we at BigCountryPreps.com are committed to bringing you the information you need to prepare for your favorite team’s season.

We’ll be releasing our Big Country Preps Preseason Football Preview, the most comprehensive look at the upcoming Big Country football season anywhere, on Saturday, Aug. 14. But you won’t have to wait until then to sate your gridiron appetite.

Leading up to the first day of fall football practice on Aug. 2, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2021 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

We continue in Class 2A Division II with the Santo Wildcats. On Tuesday we will take a look at the Anson Tigers, followed by the Colorado City Wolves on Wednesday.

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Preps 2021 Baseball-Softball All-Hustle Team: Our hardest-working players!

OTHER 2021 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS TEAMS

Our All-Big Country Preps softball and baseball teams, released on Sunday, are in place to honor those who achieved the most on-field success in 2021. It is off the field, however, where character, grit, and work ethic are often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team that we wish to honor those players, male and female, who were (simply put) the hardest-working, best teammates in the area this spring. 

This team isn’t about who the best baseball and softball players were.

The All-Hustle team honors effort, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches wish they had in every player and upon which championships are built.

It is for that reason that this team is largely selected by area coaches and described in their own words.

Big Country Preps is now honored to present these individuals to you — the best team players (boys and girls) that the the Big Country had to offer during the 2021 season.

The players below are listed in no particular order. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

All-Big Country Preps Baseball Superlatives: Yardley, Brooks, Swenson nab top honors

Here are our superlative award winners for the 2021 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2021 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: First-Team Roster

Here are our first-team selections for the 2021 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2021 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: Second-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)

Here are our second-team selections for the 2021 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Evan Ren

All-Big Country Preps Softball Superlatives: Daniel, Gutierrez, Herrera headline the top spots

Here are our superlative award winners for the 2021 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Evan Ren

2021 All-Big Country Preps Softball Team: First-Team Roster

Here are our first-team selections for the 2021 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Evan Ren

2021 All-Big Country Preps Softball Team: Second-Team Roster (w/honorable mention)

Here are our second-team selections for the 2021 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Evan Ren

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Hico Tigers

Football is just around the corner, and we at BigCountryPreps.com are committed to bringing you the information you need to prepare for your favorite team’s season.

We’ll be releasing our Big Country Preps Preseason Football Preview, the most comprehensive look at the upcoming Big Country football season anywhere, on Saturday, Aug. 14. But you won’t have to wait until then to sate your gridiron appetite.

Leading up to the first day of fall football practice on Aug. 2, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2021 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

We continue in Class 2A Division II with the Hico Tigers. On Monday we will take a look at the Santo Wildcats, followed by the Anson Tigers on Tuesday.

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by Evan Ren

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Cross Plains Buffaloes

Football is just around the corner, and we at BigCountryPreps.com are committed to bringing you the information you need to prepare for your favorite team’s season.

We’ll be releasing our Big Country Preps Preseason Football Preview, the most comprehensive look at the upcoming Big Country football season anywhere, on Saturday, Aug. 14. But you won’t have to wait until then to sate your gridiron appetite.

Leading up to the first day of fall football practice on Aug. 2, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2021 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

We continue in Class 2A Division II with the Cross Plains Buffaloes. On Sunday we will take a look at the Hico Tigers, followed by the Santo Wildcats on Monday.

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by Evan Ren

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Albany Lions

Football is just around the corner, and we at BigCountryPreps.com are committed to bringing you the information you need to prepare for your favorite team’s season.

We’ll be releasing our Big Country Preps Preseason Football Preview, the most comprehensive look at the upcoming Big Country football season anywhere, on Saturday, Aug. 14. But you won’t have to wait until then to sate your gridiron appetite.

Leading up to the first day of fall football practice on Aug. 2, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2021 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

We continue in Class 2A Division II with the Albany Lions. On Saturday we will take a look at the Cross Plains Buffaloes, followed by the Hico Tigers on Sunday.

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by Evan Ren

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Roscoe Plowboys

Football is just around the corner, and we at BigCountryPreps.com are committed to bringing you the information you need to prepare for your favorite team’s season.

We’ll be releasing our Big Country Preps Preseason Football Preview, the most comprehensive look at the upcoming Big Country football season anywhere, on Saturday, Aug. 14. But you won’t have to wait until then to sate your gridiron appetite.

Leading up to the first day of fall football practice on Aug. 2, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2021 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

We continue in Class 2A Division II with the Roscoe Plowboys. On Friday we will take a look at the Albany Lions, followed by the Cross Plains Buffaloes on Saturday.

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by Evan Ren

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Hamlin Pied Pipers

Football is just around the corner, and we at BigCountryPreps.com are committed to bringing you the information you need to prepare for your favorite team’s season.

We’ll be releasing our Big Country Preps Preseason Football Preview, the most comprehensive look at the upcoming Big Country football season anywhere, on Saturday, Aug. 14. But you won’t have to wait until then to sate your gridiron appetite.

Leading up to the first day of fall football practice on Aug. 2, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2021 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

We start in Class 2A Division II with the Hamlin Pied Pipers. On Thursday we will take a look at the Roscoe Plowboys, followed by the Albany Lions on Friday.

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by Daniel Youngblood

ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS DREAM MEET: Boys field

While the UIL state track meet provides a fun and exciting end to the high school track season every year, giving the best athletes in each part of the state an opportunity to compete against the other top athletes in their classification, we here at Big Country Preps weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to the sport.

After adding track and field to our coverage for the 2020-21 school year, we’ve decided to end our season with the inaugural All-Big Country Preps Dream Track Meet.

As with our All-Big Country Preps teams for other sports, our Dream Meet is our way of honoring some of best athletes the Big Country had to offer this past school year. But our concept for this is just a little bit different.

Instead of being presented as a team, we’re treating this like a meet with an area-wide field in each event. There are no distinctions made for classification, just a collection of the top performers from across the BCP coverage area. 

Without further ado, we present our first All-Big Country Preps Dream Meet boys field. We hope you enjoy reading through our selections.

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by Evan Ren

ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS DREAM MEET: Girls field

While the UIL state track meet provides a fun and exciting end to the high school track season every year, giving the best athletes in each part of the state an opportunity to compete against the other top athletes in their classification, we here at Big Country Preps weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to the sport.

After adding track and field to our coverage for the 2020-21 school year, we’ve decided to end our season with the inaugural All-Big Country Preps Dream Track Meet.

As with our All-Big Country Preps teams for other sports, our Dream Meet is our way of honoring some of best athletes the Big Country had to offer this past school year. But our concept for this is just a little bit different.

Instead of being presented as a team, we’re treating this like a meet with an area-wide field in each event. There are no distinctions made for classification, just a collection of the top performers from across the BCP coverage area. 

Without further ado, we present our first All-Big Country Preps Dream Meet girls field. We hope you enjoy reading through our selections.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Red squad tops Blue 17-7 in defensive slugfest at FCA football all-star game

On a night where offensive yards were at a premium, it was the Red team that came away with a 17-7 win over the Blue team in the Big Country Fellowship of Christian Athletes Myrle Greathouse All-Star Classic on Saturday night at Shotwell Stadium.

Jim Ned’s Zach Henderson came up with big catches all night, hauling in four passes for 44 yards, and then sealed the win with an interception midway through the fourth quarter.

Abilene High’s Jeshari Houston led the Red squad with 56 yards on four catches, earning Offensive MVP honors.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Budd, London reverse script in 7-2 state semifinal win over Brock

ROUND ROCK — During their impressive run through the Region I-3A bracket, the Brock Eagles grinded teams down with consistent pitching, a disciplined approach at the plate and calculated aggression on the basepaths.

On Friday, in their state semifinal matchup against Corpus Christi London, they were beaten at their own game.

BHS got off to a near perfect start, racing out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. But the patient Pirates put up six runs in the second to chase Eagles ace Carson Lightfoot and a rode starter Kade Budd from there to a 7-2 victory. 

London, which improved to 33-5-1, outhit Brock 6-2, drew five walks to the Eagles’ two and came within one of matching BHS’ four stolen bases to advance to Saturday’s title against the winner of Malakoff and Gunter.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Brock’s unique offensive approach has opponents feeling the pressure

Looking solely at Brock’s run production, one might assume that the Eagles and coach Hart Hering are blessed with a lineup full of mashers. 

Averaging 7.6 runs per game for the season, BHS has been held under five runs just three times since beginning district play in mid-March, tallying double-digit run totals in 16 of the 27 games over that span.

But contrary to what one might suspect, those numbers have rarely been achieved with bases-clearing gap shots or three-run homers. Instead, the Eagles employ a unique combination of patience at the plate and calculated aggression on the basepaths to achieve the same ends.

Brock’s offensive approach is all about putting pressure on the opposing pitcher and defense and betting that, over the course of a game, the Eagles will out-execute their counterparts. And with a 29-10-1 record heading into Friday’s Class 3A state semifinal with Region IV champion Corpus Christi London (32-5-1), it’s hard to argue with the results.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Stephenville’s dream season ends with 13-0 loss

AUSTIN — Not all dream seasons end on a high note. In the case of the Stephenville Yellow Jackets, what is arguably the best season its baseball program’s history ended with a 13-0 loss to Texarkana Pleasant Grove in a Class 4A state semifinal Wednesday at Disch Falk Field. 

Blake Jennings tossed a two-hit shutout and JM Long was 2 for 3 with two triples and four RBIs to lead Pleasant Grove (34-8), which will take on either Sinton or Rusk in the 4A state title game at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Disch Falk Field. 

For Stephenville, a 28-9-1 campaign ended with a frustrating day that saw multiple hard-hit balls directly at opposing fielders, while the Hawks were able to pile up 13 runs on seven hits, eight walks, three hit batsmen and two SHS errors. 

Continue reading “GAME STORY: Stephenville’s dream season ends with 13-0 loss” →

by Evan Ren

FEATURE: Stephenville southpaw emerges as one of area’s top pitchers — at just the right time

In the final game of the 2020 football season, Stephenville junior Reece Elston suffered a broken ankle in a playoff game on Nov. 19 with Argyle that eventually required surgery. 

Nearly seven months later, the 18-year-old was celebrating a trip to state after delivering a complete-game three-hitter in a 6-1 win against … you guessed it … Argyle. As in, defending Class 4A state champion Argyle. 

Thursday’s win capped a 2-0 sweep of AHS by the Yellow Jackets and continued one of the more remarkable postseason performances — and comebacks — by any Big Country athlete in the 2020-21 school year. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

PHOTO GALLERY: Brock-Shallowater Region I-3A championship series (152 images)

Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.

LINK … GAME STORY: Brock comeback bid falls short in 6-5 Game 1 loss to Shallowater

LINK … GAME STORY: Big first inning pushes Brock to 7-0 win over Shallowater in Game 2

LINK … GAME STORY: Brock crushes Shallowater in Game 3, takes regional title with 12-1 win

by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High’s Watts nabs MVP award as North tops South in FCA men’s game

BROWNWOOD — Like many of the players picked to play in the eighth Fellowship of Christian Athletes men’s basketball all-star game, Nathan Watts won’t be playing the sport collegiately.

But the former Abilene High post and future engineering major at Texas A&M made one more memory on the hardwood Saturday, tallying 16 points, nine rebounds and two steals to lead the North to a 75-66 win and leave Brownwood High School’s Warren Gym as the event’s MVP.

The 6-foot-7 Watts displayed the same efficient scoring style he had for three years at AHS, going 7 of 8 from the field — including 1 for 2 from 3-point range — to help his team overcome a double-digit deficit in the first half and hold off a big South rally in the second.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Coleman’s Allen, San Saba’s Adams fuel South to FCA All-Stars win over North

BROWNWOOD — Coleman post Abbi Allen was a force on both ends of the floor Saturday at Brownwood High School’s Warren Gym, teaming up with San Saba guard Brighton Adams to fuel the South All-Stars to a 52-39 win over the North in the 12th playing of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes women’s basketball all-star game.

Allen scored 12 points to go with five steals and three blocks, earning the event’s MVP award for her work, while Adams went 4 for 6 from the field and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to lead all scorers with 13 points.

That duo helped the South outscore the North 28-15 over the final two quarters to turn a tie game at halftime into a double-digit win.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Brock crushes Shallowater in Game 3, takes regional title with 12-1 win

What started as an interesting series, promising nail-biters from beginning to end, closed on a very lopsided note on Saturday, with Brock eliminating Shallowater, 12-1 in six innings via the mercy rule at Abilene Christian University. 

After dropping Game 1, 6-5 on Thursday, the Eagles roared back to take Game 2, 7-0 on Friday before Saturday’s rout which saw BHS build an early 4-0 lead and never look back. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Big first inning pushes Brock to 7-0 win over Shallowater in Game 2

Playing with its back against the wall after falling to Shallowater 6-5 on Thursday in Game 1 of the Region I-3A championship series, the Brock baseball team’s urgency was apparent from the start in Friday’s Game 2.

The Eagles took control early with a four-run top of the first inning and used a strong pitching performance from Peyton Shaffer and Ian Fuchs to maintain command in a 7-0 victory at Abilene Christian University’s Crutcher Scott Field.

With the win, BHS forced a deciding third game on Saturday, scheduled for 1 p.m. back at Crutcher Scott Field.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Anson falls in Game 3 to New Deal, 10-2

SEMINOLE — Through five straight innings, the Anson Tigers remained competitive with New Deal in Friday’s Region I-2A finale, despite leaving multiple runners on base and missing several opportunities that came with it. 

Unfortunately for Anson, the dam eventually burst in a six-run sixth for New Deal and a 10-2 win for the Lions at Robert Ryan Baseball Field. 

Noah Rodriguez was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Arric Mares was 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI to lead New Deal (27-4), which advances to the Class 2A state semifinals next week in Round Rock. 

Nick Miller topped the stat sheet for Anson (25-8), going 2 for 4 with a run scored. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Elston pitches Stephenville past defending champs, into first state tournament

“We wanted to see the best. (Argyle) was the champions. We wanted to take the champs down.”

Those words from Stephenville baseball coach Justin Swenson were ultimately prophetic after the Yellow Jackets took down two-time defending state champion Argyle 6-1 at Abilene Christian University’s Crutcher Scott Field on Thursday night.

The win completed a two-game sweep of the Eagles, who have won four titles since 2014, and propelled Stephenville to the first state tournament in school history.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Anson, New Deal split pair to set up deciding third game

SEMINOLE — Nothing was decided after two games in the Region I-2A championship series between Anson and New Deal as the Tigers and Lions battled to a 1-1 split Thursday at Robert Ryan Baseball Field.

After New Deal outlasted Anson for a 5-3 win in eight innings in Game 1, the Tigers responded with a 5-2 victory in Game 2, forcing a deciding third game at noon Friday back in Seminole.

With its back against the wall after dropping the opener, AHS (25-7) took advantage of some timely hitting, some shaky New Deal defense and an outstanding relief effort by Dylyn Pyle to extend its season for at least one more day.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Brock comeback bid falls short in 6-5 Game 1 loss to Shallowater

Accustomed to fast starts and applying the pressure in their aftermath, the Brock Eagles saw the roles reverse in Game 1 of the Region I-3A championship series, falling 6-5 to Shallowater on Thursday at Abilene Christian University. 

Breken Ramos was 1 for 3 with a two-RBI double and earned the win with six innings of work on the mound to lead Shallowater (34-6), which can clinch the series with a win in Game 2, set for 7 p.m. Friday at ACU. Game 3, if needed, is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday at the same location.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Stamford rallies to beat Crawford, take Class 2A title

AUSTIN — With nerves frayed by a combination of state championship pressure and a raucous crowd from Crawford, the Stamford Lady Bulldogs were well on their way to losing Wednesday’s Class 2A title game at McCombs Field, trailing 3-1 in the fifth inning.

But a little break in the form of a lightning delay allowed Stamford to collect itself. And after Crawford pushed its lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the frame, the Lady Bulldogs rallied with a four-run sixth en route to a 5-4 win. 

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