Month: November 2021

by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper girls pull away from crosstown rival Abilene High for 53-39 victory

The Cooper girls basketball team overcame an early challenge from a hot-shooting Abilene High squad Tuesday to earn a 53-39 win over its crosstown rival at Cougar Gym.

The Lady Cougars trailed on three occasions in the first quarter as the Lady Eagles knocked down three of their eight 3-pointers in the opening period. But coach Arsenio Geter’s squad closed the first half on a 15-7 run to go to halftime with a seven-point lead and held off one last push by AHS in the third quarter before finally putting the Lady Eagles away in the fourth.

Guards Karrigan Parrott and Kyla Speights fueled the effort for the Lady Coogs, scoring 16 and 13 points, respectively, to put their team back above .500 at 5-4.

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by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stephenville linebacker Young takes award once again

It’s not easy for defensive players to wrestle the spotlight away from those on offense. It’s just the nature of things. 

But in the case of Stephenville linebacker Reese Young, he’s beginning to make a habit of it. 

Young, who charted 22 tackles (14 solos) in SHS’ 21-17 regional semifinal win over Argyle last week is our Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week for a second time this year. 

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by Evan Ren

Class 2A regional semifinal report: Albany, Cisco, Hawley advance; Santo sees season end

DIVISION II

Albany 34, Muenster 21 — Cole Chapman threw for 176 yards and two scores and Jaheim Newton rushed for 162 yards and another TD to lift Albany (12-0) over previously unbeaten Muenster.

The Lions raced out to a 28-0 halftime lead and held off a late Muenster rally to get the win. 

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Santo falls to Windthorst, 40-7

rioGRAHAM — When Santo’s option offense gets rolling, it puts opponents on edge and drains precious minutes off the clock.  

But the Wildcats couldn’t gain any traction Friday afternoon against No. 3 Windthorst’s dominant front. 

That translated into a lot of Santo punts and short fields for the Trojans, who kept their title defense hopes alive with a 40-7 victory at Newton Field. 

Windthorst (12-1) advances to play Albany next week for the Region II-2A Division II title, while Santo ends one of its best seasons in school history at 11-2. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Hawley wins physical battle with Coleman

With over 8,000 fans in attendance, the Region I-2A Division I semifinal between Hawley and Coleman lived up to the expectation of a street fight and the associated hype as a matchup of unbeaten teams.

Austin Cumpton ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns, including one on which he flipped over the pile and landed on his head, to fuel the Bearcats to a 21-7 win Friday night at Wylie’s Hugh Sandifer Stadium.

Hawley coach Mitch Ables knew his squad was going to be in for a fight and was looking forward to watching the game film to see how hard both defenses were hitting.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Stephenville overcomes slow start to edge Argyle, advances to region title game

MANSFIELD — During its 12-0 run to the Region II-4A semifinals, the Stephenville football team didn’t have to play from behind very often.

But facing a tough Argyle squad Friday at Vernon Newsom Stadium, the Yellow Jackets proved they’re more than capable of rallying if need be.

Trailing 14-0 less than 10 minutes into the game and 17-14 midway through the fourth quarter, SHS came from behind on a pair of occasions to score a 21-17 win over the Eagles and earn a date with top-ranked Melissa in the Region I-4A championship game next week.

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by Evan Ren

Class 4A region semifinal report: Celina ends Snyder’s surprising run; Stephenville escapes Argyle

DIVISION II

Celina 46, Snyder 6 — The Bobcats outgained the Tigers 442-118, building a 39-0 lead by halftime on their way to a dominating victory.

Celina (11-1) hurt Snyder for 268 yards on the ground, getting 123 yards and one touchdown from Gabe Gayton and 96 yards and two scores from Troy Peterson. Noah Bentley, meanwhile, had an efficient day passing the ball, going 9 for 16 for 174 yards with TD passes to Collin Urich, Brady Cunningham and Jacob Vincent.

Snyder was limited to just 55 yards rushing on 30 carries, getting 25 yards from Bryce Ford and 24 from Dom Dominguez. Hunter Stewart threw for 63 yards on 7-of-21 passing but was intercepted three times.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Brock dominates Jim Ned to advance to Region I-3A title game

BROWNWOOD — To whatever degree Brock may have wished to atone for last year’s regional semifinal loss to Jim Ned, the Eagles found a way to erase all debts on Friday with a stunning 70-25 romp over the defending state 3A DI champions at Gordon Wood Stadium. 

Kutter Wilson rushed for 295 yards and five touchdowns and Tyler Moody threw for 229 yards and four more scores to lift Brock (13-0), which advances to face Whitesboro in the Region I-3A title game next week. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel vs. Twitter Polls (Week 14)

Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games and select six-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 vs. Twitter Polls (Week 14)” →

by Evan Ren

EVAN REN’S WEEK 14 PLAYOFF FORECAST: 16 area teams still battling for regional titles

LAST WEEK: 17-4, .809
SEASON TOTAL: 487-105, .823

Some areas have quantity. Others have quality. The Big Country has both — at least, this year it does. 

Entering Week 14 there are no fewer than 16 area teams with a shot at reaching December. And with six of them paired off against each other, the Big Country is guaranteed to have at least three survivors a week from now. 

I have a strong feeling we’re going to see more area survivors than that. But we will have some casualties this time around. There’s no avoiding it with the level of competition our teams are facing. 

With 11-man teams reaching the regional semifinal round and six-man teams playing for regional titles, there are nothing but monsters remaining to block the path to Arlington. 

Who will make it through? 

Here’s this week’s forecast: 

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by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dublin’s Teten earns honor with historic effort

With a huge passing game in Dublin’s 41-35 area-round win over Palmer, junior Chris Teten put up numbers worthy of our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week award.

But it’s only once you grasp the historical significance of the Lions’ win over the Bulldogs on Friday that you gain a full appreciation for the junior’s performance.

In hitting 19 of 26 passes for 406 yards and six touchdowns — all of which were needed to escape Joshua’s Owl Stadium with a victory — Teten was objectively excellent behind center for the Lions. Now for the kicker: the win over Palmer marked the first area-round victory in the history of the Dublin program, which is significant considering the school has been playing football for more than a century.

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by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT RECAP: Jim Ned girls blaze through Pug Parris Classic to remain unbeaten

The Jim Ned girls basketball team topped El Paso Mountain View 58-42 on Saturday at McMurry University’s Kimbrel Arena to complete a perfect run through the inaugural Pug Parris Classic and claim the tournament championship.

The No. 13 Lady Indians, who earned their spot in the title game with impressive wins over El Paso Ysleta (70-26), Lubbock Trinity Christian (69-32) and Wylie (47-36), raced out to a 17-8 first-quarter lead on Mountain View and were never threatened after in improving to 7-0 on the season.

Jim Ned’s run to the title completed a successful first run for the Pug Parris Classic, which was started by McMurry this year when the Hardin-Simmons University-hosted Polk-Key City Classic — believed to be the longest-running girls basketball tournament in the state — was not resumed.

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by Evan Ren

Class 2A area round report: A look at all of this week’s 2A area round games involving the Big Country.

DIVISION I

Cisco 69, Panhandle 21 — Hunter Long rushed for 334 yards and three scores as Cisco eliminated Panhandle. 

Trent Huston added 146 yards rushing and three more TDs to help Cisco, which built a 48-7 halftime lead before putting things into cruise control.

The Loboes (10-2) finished with 686 yards in total offense including 664 on the ground. They advance to face New Deal (11-1) in the Region I-2A DI semifinals next week. 

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by Evan Ren

Class 3A area round report: A look at all of this week’s 3A area round games involving the Big Country

DIVISION I

Jim Ned 49, Muleshoe 20 — Jim Ned rolled up 525 yards in total offense to corral the Mules. 

Xavier Wishert rushed for 312 yards on 34 carries and Tate Yardley threw for 128 yards and two more TDs to lead the Indians (12-0), who advance to face Brock in the Region I-3A DI semifinals next week. 

Leading 7-6 after the first quarter, Jim Ned secured the upper hand with consecutive second-quarter TDs — an 8-yard run by Wishert at the 11:56 mark, followed by a 15-yard TD pass from Yardley to Wishert at 5:27.

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by Evan Ren

Class 4A area round report: A look at all of this week’s 4A area round games involving the Big Country

DIVISION I

Stephenville 28, Paris 10 — Stephenville (12-0) rolled up 480 yards in total offense, despite Paris’ efforts to kill as much clock as possible. 

The Yellow Jackets rushed for 228 yards and threw for 252 while limiting PHS to 149 yards in total offense (138 on the ground). 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Aubrey’s triple-option attack too much for Sweetwater

STEPHENVILLE — Friday night’s Region I-4A Division II area championship could not have started any better for the Sweetwater Mustangs at Tarleton Memorial Stadium against Aubrey.

The Mustangs recovered a surprise onside kick to open the game and scored five plays later but after that it was all Chaparrals as Aubrey rolled to a 42-7 win.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Early’s best season in 14 years ends with loss to Shallowater

CLYDE — A week removed from earning their first playoff win since 2007 with a stunning victory over Pilot Point, the Early Longhorns were hoping to spring another surprise area round. 

Unfortunately for the ‘Horns, the Shallowater Mustangs arrived at Bulldog Stadium fully prepped for a difficult matchup and defeated Early going away, 43-14. 

The Mustangs pounded out 291 yards rushing en route to the win, led by Keagan Campbell’s 96 yards on 14 carries. SHS now advances to face Whitesboro (8-4) in the Region I-3A DI semifinals next week.  Shallowater never trailed and was never threatened after building a 23-0 halftime lead.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Brady comes through in clutch to top Stanton in area-round dog fight

WALL — The Brady Bulldogs bent at times, but they refused to break in their Region I-3A Division II area-round clash with Stanton on Friday at Hawk Stadium.

The BHS defense came up with a pair of red zone stops in the first half and two huge turnovers in the second, while the offense scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally for a dramatic 21-13 win over the Buffaloes.

The hard-fought victory pushes the Bulldogs into the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2009, earning coach Shay Easterwood’s team a region semifinal matchup with unbeaten Lubbock Roosevelt next week at a time and location to be determined.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: New Deal edges Forsan 28-24, to end Buffaloes’ dream season

COLORADO CITY — What had been expected by many to be an orderly high school playoff game between two relatively conservative offenses, turned into something totally chaotic between Forsan and New Deal on Thursday. 

With a starting quarterback knocked out of the game and the scoreboard knocked out by a technical problem, New Deal outlasted the Buffaloes through four second-half lead changes for a 28-24 win at Wolf Stadium. 

Leric Eaton rushed for 238 yards and four scores on 42 carries to lead New Deal (11-1), which advances to face either Cisco (9-2) or Panhandle (6-5) in the Region I-2A DI semifinals next week.  

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Santo runs away from Roscoe in second half, earns trip to third round

CISCO — The Santo football team used a familiar formula to overcome a sluggish start Thursday, rushing for 318 yards to wear down and eventually pull away from Roscoe for a 33-12 area-round win at Chesley Field.

Trailing 6-0 less than three minutes into the game and in danger of falling farther behind after fumbling the ball away on their first possession, the Wildcats used a red zone stop, a touchdown drive and a scoop-and-score to take a 14-6 lead into halftime.

And after the Plowboys pulled within two with a touchdown on their first drive of the second half, Santo (11-1) controlled the ball, the clock and the game the rest of the way to advance to the third round of the playoffs for just the third time in program history.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Stingy defense, ‘Boss Baby’ lead Snyder past Graham

Hunter Stewart may not have the strongest arm, and at 5-foot-8 he stands eye to chest with some of the linemen in front of him, but Snyder’s football team looks up to the senior quarterback they affectionately call “Boss Baby.”

On a night where the Tigers defense shut down the Graham offense, Stewart did enough to lead Snyder to a 14-3 win over the Steers in a Region I-4A Division II area round game Thursday night at Shotwell Stadium.

Stewart completed 14 of 19 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another 36 yards and another score as the Tigers improved to 9-3 on the year.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel vs. Twitter Polls (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 vs. Twitter Polls (Week 13)” →

by Evan Ren

BCP PLAYOFF FORECAST: Gramps Ren on fire, picking 87 percent in postseason heading into area round

LAST WEEK: 34-5, .871
SEASON TOTAL: 470-101, .823

I’ll take an 87-percent pick rate anytime. But when it comes in Week 12, with loads of bi-district matchups between far-flung No. 2 and No. 3 seeds creating opportunities for misses,

I’m more than happy with it.

It will, however, only going to get more difficult from here.

Entering Week 13, the Big Country Preps coverage area still features 23 teams with a playoff pulse. And if my picks are on target, roughly 15 of them will survive to play Thanksgiving weekend.

That said. let’s dive in. I’ll see you on the road.

Here’s this week’s forecast: 

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by Evan Ren

FEATURE: Youthful Jaybirds reach regional semis, give Stanaland a shot at career win No. 100

JAYTON — The key question for the Jayton Jaybirds heading into the 2021 season wasn’t if they would be good. The question was, how  good?

The ‘Birds afterall, have grown accustomed to success under coach Josh Stanaland, who has posted a 99-48 mark in 12 seasons at JHS, including a 60-14 mark since 2016.

But 2021 was to bring some special challenges. To begin with, no fewer than four standout players — Pecos Smith, Tripp Scott, Caleb Valerio, Mason Long and Devon Jones — had been handed their diplomas.  Secondly, the 2021 ‘Birds would carry only four seniors on their roster, with no more than two being on the field at the same time, offensively or defensively. 

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by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hico sophomore Booth earns the spotlight

Big numbers will generally get one strong consideration for our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. But when those numbers come against a team from a much larger classification, it quickly makes us take notice. 

Class 2A Hico’s Grace Booth did exactly that last week in a 61-57 win over Class 4A Mineral Wells, dominating both ends of the floor to lead the Lady Tigers in their season opener. 

Aside from the 40 points she poured in, Booth snagged 10 rebounds to chart a double-double. She also forced multiple turnovers (viewable on the video above), including three steals.

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