Month: June 2022

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Forsan 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 Wednesday, Aug. 17. 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. 1, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2022 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

We move to Class 2A Division I with the Forsan Buffaloes. On Thursday we will take a look at the Anson Tigers, followed by the Cisco Loboes on Friday.

Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Forsan Buffaloes”

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 Wednesday, Aug. 17. 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. 1, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2022 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

We continue in Class 2A Division II with the Hico Tigers. On Wednesday we will take a look at the Forsan Buffaloes, followed by the Anson Tigers on Thursday.

Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Hico Tigers”

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 Wednesday, Aug. 17. 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. 1, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2022 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 Hico Tigers, followed by the Forsan Buffaloes on Wednesday.

Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Santo Wildcats”

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Haskell Indians

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 Wednesday, Aug. 16. 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. 1, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2023 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

We continue in Class 2A Division II with the Roscoe Plowboys. On Sunday we will take a look at the Haskell Indians, followed by the Santo Wildcats on Monday.

Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Haskell Indians”

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 Wednesday, Aug. 17. 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. 1, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2022 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

We continue in Class 2A Division II with the Roscoe Plowboys. On Sunday we will take a look at the Haskell Indians, followed by the Santo Wildcats on Monday.

Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Roscoe Plowboys”

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 Wednesday, Aug. 17. 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. 1, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2022 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

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

Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Cross Plains Buffaloes”

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 Wednesday, Aug. 17. 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. 1, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2022 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

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

Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Hamlin Pied Pipers”

Evan Ren’s 2022 BCP Baseball/Softball All-Hustle Team: The hardest-working players in the area!

OTHER 2022 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS TEAMS

Character, grit and work ethic aren’t seen in a box score. And it is with our Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team that we wish to honor those players (male and female) who exemplify those qualities. 

The All-Hustle team isn’t about who the best baseball and softball players were. It honors the best teammates. 

It is here where effort, discipline and coachability — traits that coaches wish they had in every player and upon which championships are built — are honored.

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 Big Country had to offer during the 2022 baseball and softball seasons.

The players below are listed in no particular order. 

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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 Wednesday, Aug. 17. 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. 1, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2022 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

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

Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Albany Lions”

2022 Big Country Preps Baseball Superlatives

Here are our superlative award winners for the 2022 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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2022 All-Big Country Preps Baseball: First-Team Roster

Here are our first-team selections for the 2022 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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2022 All-Big Country Preps Baseball: Second-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)

Here are our second-team selections for the 2022 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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2022 Big Country Preps Rising Stars Baseball Team: The top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country!

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2022 All-Big Country Preps baseball teams. 

Here, you will find our Rising Stars Team honoring the top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country.

For the rest of this year’s girls basketball selections, please click the links at the bottom of the next page.

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2022 Big Country Preps Softball Superlatives

Here are our superlative award winners for the 2022 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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2022 All-Big Country Preps Softball Team: First-Team Roster

Here are our first-team selections for the 2022 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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2022 All-Big Country Preps Softball: Second-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)

Here are our second-team selections for the 2022 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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2022 Big Country Preps Rising Stars Softball Team: The top Freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country!

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2022 All-Big Country Preps softball teams. 

Here, you will find our Rising Stars Team honoring the top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country.

For the rest of this year’s girls basketball selections, please click the links at the bottom of the next page.

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GAME REPORT: Red defeats Blue in Big Country FCA All-Star Football game

ABILENE — Shotwell Stadium bid farewell to the 2021-22 athletic school year on Saturday with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Myrle Greathouse All-Star Classic football game.

Eldorado’s Korbin Covarrubaiz caught two touchdown passes to help the Red Team to a come-from-behind 28-10 win. The game closed a week-long Big Country All-Star Festival, which included boys and girls basketball games in Brownwood and baseball and softball games in San Angelo, before closing with volleyball and football in Abilene.

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GAME STORY: Brock can’t hold onto early lead, rally late in 16-13 state title game loss to London

ROUND ROCK — A second seventh-inning rally in as many days was just too much for Brock to ask for, as the Eagles saw their bid for the Class 3A state championship come up a few runs short in a 16-13 loss to Corpus Christi London on Saturday at Dell Diamond.

BHS, which scored two seventh-inning runs to claim a 7-6 walk-off win over Diboll in the state semifinals on Friday, rallied from a six-run deficit to pull within two (15-13) after 5½ innings Saturday. But after London tacked on an insurance with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles could manage only a walk in their final trip to the plate, seeing their season end with loss to the Pirates for the second straight year.

Brock, which scored four in the first inning and five in the second, led 9-4 after 1½ innings and maintained a 9-7 advantage until the bottom of the fourth. But the Pirates scored five runs in that inning to take their first lead at 12-9 and tacked on three more in the fifth to increase their lead to six heading into the sixth inning.

Those two rallies concluded a stretch of 11 unanswered runs for London, which was able to hold from there to win the highest scoring state championship game in UIL history.

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GAME STORY: Brock rallies for wild walk-off win over Diboll in Class 3A state semifinals

ROUND ROCK — On a day when virtually any ball hit in the air to the right side was an adventure, the Brock baseball team was both the beneficiary and victim of some high-sun wackiness in its Class 3A state semifinal matchup with Diboll on Friday at Dell Diamond.

But with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles caught the biggest and final break when what appeared to be routine fly ball off the bat resulted in a two-run, walk-off error and a dramatic 7-6 win over the Lumberjacks.

With his team down to its final out after watching Diboll rally from a 5-4 deficit in the top of the inning, Brock catcher Gavin Boedeker stepped the plate as the Eagles’ last hope. The junior sent the first pitch he saw off reliever Gabe Smith in the air to medium deep right field, but after fighting the sun and drifting to the spot, DHS outfielder Riley Sarmiento had the ball bounce off the heel of his glove and out, allowing Peyton Shaffer and Cam Harris to score the tying and winning runs, respectively.

It was a wild ending to an intensely competitive affair, sending the Eagles to their first state championship game since 2006.

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STATE BASEBALL PREVIEW: Brock looking to break through state semifinal barrier against Diboll

First-year Brock baseball coach Tim Arden wasn’t coaching the Eagles when they fell in the Class 3A state semifinals to Corpus Christi London last June, but he knows the impact that loss had on his returning players.

Back in the same round one year later, with a semifinal matchup against Diboll set for noon Friday at Round Rock’s Dell Diamond, this year’s BHS team is determined to avoid the same fate suffered in 2021.

Whether it’s a rematch with London (24-13) or a date with Gunter (36-1), the Eagles want to be playing for their second state title when the championship game begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday. But having seen each of their last four state trips end in the semifinals, they know well the challenge that lies ahead.

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FEATURE: Brock banking on pitching and defense heading into state tournament

BROCK — While it may sound clichéd to say that pitching and defense wins championships, one is hard-pressed to find teams in this year’s state baseball tournament that run contrary to the axiom.

And Brock (the lone representative in the Big Country Preps coverage area still that is still alive) fits the old saying as well as any other.

The Eagles (35-3) will face Diboll (38-4) in the Class 3A state semifinals at 1 p.m. on Friday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The winner will advance to face either Gunter (36-1) or Corpus Christi London (24-13) at 9 a.m. on Saturday. 

“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to the kids,” first-year coach Brock coach Tim Arden said. “When I walked in, one of the first things I did was a defensive drill on pickoffs and rundowns. 

“And the way they executed pickoffs and rundowns without me saying a word, I knew I had a lot (of ability) to work with. These kids know how to play baseball and they’ve got the fundamentals down. … It’s by far the best defensive team I’ve ever coached.”

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FEATURE: Washington State’s Regalado headlines inaugural Big Country Football Clinic

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, Marco Regalado was an unknown position coach at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Memorial High School in the Rio Grande Valley.

During the pandemic, Regalado became a viral sensation known as the “TikTok Coach” as his videos depicting different coaches on every coaching staff took off like crazy and led to a whirlwind career that in just two short years has seen him land as the director of recruiting for Washington State University’s football team.

On Friday, the Zapata native was back in his home state as he headlined the inaugural Big Country Football Clinic at Station One in downtown Abilene.

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GAME STORY: Ortiz, Gonzalez guide South to win at FCA men’s basketball game

BROWNWOOD — It may have been an exhibition, but those involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes men’s basketball all-star game were playing — and coaching — to win Saturday at Brownwood High School.

In the end, it was Michael Bacon’s South squad that pulled away for an 89-73 victory in a game that featured intense competition throughout.

San Angelo Central’s Raven Ortiz, the game’s MVP, scored 21 points, while fellow point guard Drew Gonzalez, of Cooper, added 17 to help the winning squad answer each North run with one of its own to keep the South in control for most of the game.

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GAME STORY: Graham leads South to come-from-behind win at FCA women’s all-star game

BROWNWOOD — With a career at Abilene Christian University on the horizon, Claire Graham will soon be tackling a new challenge at the Division I level. But representing Jim Ned one final time Saturday at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes women’s basketball all-star game, the standout guard showed the talent that made her one of the most decorated players to come out of the Big Country in recent memory.

The two-time All-Big Country Preps Player of the Year scored a game-high 15 points and pulled down six rebounds to lead the South to a come-from-behind 49-46 win over the North, earning the game’s MVP award in the process.

Graham’s 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer pulled her team within five points at the break, and she fueled a second-half rally that gave the South a narrow win in what was a competitive game throughout at Brownwood High School.

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GAME STORY: Argyle one-hits Stephenville in 4-0 win, ends Yellow Jackets’ run in I-4A finals

WEATHERFORD — In drawing five walks and three hit batsmen, the Stephenville baseball team did what it could to make Argyle’s pitchers work in Game 2 of the Region I-4A championship series Friday at Weatherford College. But any pressure applied ended on the base paths due to the Yellow Jackets’ inability to add a few clutch hits to their disciplined approach at the plate.

Eagles starter Trevor Duck pitched with runners in scoring position in four of his five innings on the mound, but he and reliever Hudson Emeterio combined to shut out the Jackets, limiting coach Justin Swenson’s squad to one hit while collecting 14 combined strikeouts in a 4-0 win.

The victory pushes Argyle through to the Class 4A state tournament, while Stephenville saw its season end one round shy of a second consecutive trip to Austin.

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GAME RECAP: Argyle too much for Stephenville, scores 8-1 win in series opener

WEATHERFORD — The Argyle baseball team got a strong pitching performance from Evan Brandt and took advantage of four Stephenville errors to down the Yellow Jackets 8-1 in Game 1 of the Region I-4A championship series Thursday night at Weatherford College.

The Eagles scored three runs in the third and two each in the fourth and sixth innings to take a 7-0 lead, and the two teams traded runs in the final frame as Argyle put Stephenville on the ropes heading into Friday’s Game 2. 

Of the Eagles’ eight runs, only four were earned. But even that was more support than needed for Brandt, who limited Stephenville to just one run on two hits and three walks over 6.1 strong innings.

Continue reading “GAME RECAP: Argyle too much for Stephenville, scores 8-1 win in series opener”

GAME RECAP: Brock outlasts Bowie in nine innings to clinch sweep, earn return trip to state

COPPELL — It took two extra innings Thursday, but the Brock baseball team finally got to the Bowie pitching staff, scoring three ninth-inning runs to break a 1-all tie for a 4-1 win in Game 2 of the Region I-3A championship series. 

The victory clinched a series sweep for the Eagles, who punched their ticket to the Class 3A state tournament for the second consecutive year.

Ian Fuchs and Dusty Baker were dominant on the mound, allowing one run on six combined hits and two walks over nine stellar innings, and the Brock offense found its groove late against reliever Kynan Demoss to outlast the Jackrabbits and improve to 35-3 on the year.

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GAME STORY: New Home’s big third inning spoils Albany’s fast start, fuels Leopards to Game 1 win

SNYDER — Scoring runs in each of the first two innings, the Albany baseball team got off to exactly the type of start it was hoping for in Game 1 of the Region I-2A championship series against New Home. But the Leopards used a three-run third to shift the momentum in their favor and led the rest of the way in a 5-3 win Thursday at Moffett Field.

Lions ace Cole Chapman was sharp for most of the game, putting up zeros in three of the five innings he pitched. But the junior right-hander temporarily lost his control in the third, and New Home took advantage, scoring three runs on two singles and four walks to erase the early 2-0 deficit.

The Leopards added two unearned runs in the fifth to go up 5-2, and the Lions could get only one of those runs back in their final three trips to the plate, falling behind in a series for the first time in their playoff run.

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GAME STORY: Coahoma just misses in one last comeback at state

AUSTIN — For nearly a month, a young, unheralded Coahoma softball team captivated the Big Country with one postseason comeback after another to elimate a row of powerhouses.

Merkel, Holliday and Franklin had all fallen in succession in elimination game comebacks by the Bulldoggettes. So when Hallettsville took a late 6-3 lead in Thursday’s 3A state championship game, it was nothing out of the norm. 

With one exeption: Hallettsville managed to stave off the inevitable Coahoma rally and held on for a 6-5 win at McCombs Field. 

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GAME STORY: Lady Cards fall short of title in loss to D’Hanis

AUSTIN — Among the statistics that the Hermleigh Lady Cardinals may remember most from Wednesday’s 6-2 loss to D’Hanis in the Class 1A state title game, will be runners left on base. 

The Lady Cardinals stranded nine of them —more than double the D’Hanis victory margin in a frustrating afternoon of missed opportunities in an otherwise cleanly played game at McCombs’ Field.

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GAME RECAP: Boedeker tosses two-hit shutout as Brock takes Game 1 from Bowie

COPPELL — Tristan Boedeker was nothing short of dominant on Wednesday, collecting 10 strikeouts during a two-hit shutout to lift the Brock baseball team to a 3-0 win over Bowie in Game 1 of the Region I-3A championship series.

The senior right-hander needed just 98 pitches to dispatch the Jackrabbits, throwing 64 of those for strikes. He walked just two to go with his two hits allowed, never allowing a Bowie baserunner to reach scoring position.

The Eagle lineup, meanwhile, gave its starter all the run support he would need during a two-run first inning, spoiling an otherwise strong outing for Bowie starter Carson Sanders.

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GAME STORY: Coahoma outlasts Franklin in semifinal war

AUSTIN — On paper, it was a Class 3A state semifinal softball game. But it took three hours and fifteen minutes, nine innings, a combined 24 runs, 29 hits and six errors for Coahoma and Franklin to finally settle the issue. 

Hannah Wells was 3 for 4 with a double, two homers and six RBIs to lead Coahoma to a come-from-behind 14-10 extra-inning win Wednesday at McCombs Field. The victory advances the Bulldogettes to the Class 3A state title game against Hallettsville, set for 1 p.m. on Thursday at the same venue. 

For Coahoma (33-4-1), it was the third straight elimination game in postseason play that saw the Bulldogettes rally from an early deficit. CHS rallied to eliminate Merkel in Game 2 in the Region I semifinals and rallied again to eliminate Holliday in the regional title game. 

Franklin closed the year at 36-5.

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