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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Cisco-Cooper girls basketball (38 images)”
Month: November 2022
GAME STORY: Cisco girls open Pug Parris Classic with win over Cooper
Kyla Speights gave the Cooper girls basketball team a 3-0 lead early against Cisco as both teams began the Pug Parris Classic at Cougar Gym on Thursday night, but the Lady Loboes rebounded quickly on their way to a 52-34 win.
Braley Brunson and Brooklyn Hurtado led Cisco with 16 and 11 points, respectively, while Speights’ 14 points led the Lady Cougars.
Having scrimmaged each other already, both coaches knew what they would get from the other squad.
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 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.
Disagree with our picks or the Twitter consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS WEDNESDAY NIGHT PODCAST: Wylie’s Clay Martin talks Bulldog football w/Evan & Dan
BIG COUNTRY PREPS WEDNESDAY NIGHT PODCAST: Wylie’s Clay Martin talks Bulldog football w/Evan & Dan – YouTube
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYOFF FORECAST: Several big matchups dot the area landscape
LAST WEEK: 34-6, .850
SEASON TOTAL: 497-115, .812
There’s always a certain sadness to the playoffs.
The finality of it all can be difficult to cope with after covering a group of teams for three straight months. And unless I’ve missed my guess, this week’s area round may be particularly painful for the Big Country.
If I’m correct, our coverage area will say goodbye to no fewer than 14 of our remaining 26 teams, leaving a dozen with a shot at still reaching Arlington. And from there, it only gets more difficult.
That also holds true for accurately picking winners. The column hit at 85 percent accuracy last week, but from this point forward, history has shown that hitting that number late in the postseason is extremely difficult. So perhaps the area will have a few extra survivors.
I’ll see you on the road. Here’s this week’s forecast:
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche QB snags this week’s accolade
With standout running back Sawyer Wilkerson getting much of the media attention in 2022, the Comanche Indians have been receiving efficient, under-publicized play from the quarterback spot through much of a 10-1 record.
Last week was perhaps the best example of that, with junior signal caller Layden Welch torching Henrietta with an 11 of 16 passing performance for 248 yards and five TDs in a 69-27 win.
But that’s just the beginning.
Welch also rushed 11 times for 65 yards and two scores. He gathered five solo tackles, four assisted stops, forced a fumble and deflected a pass to help CHS advance to the area round.
PHOTO GALLERY: Snyder-Ferris football playoff (78 images)
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Snyder-Ferris football playoff (78 images)”
PHOTO GALLERY: Santo-Seymour football playoff (39 images)
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PHOTO GALLERY: El Paso High-Wylie football playoff (90 images)
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: El Paso High-Wylie football playoff (90 images)”
PHOTO GALLERY: Hawley-Christoval football playoff (53 images)
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Hawley-Christoval football playoff (53 images)”
CLASS 4A/5A BI-DISTRICT REPORT: Big Country teams combine to go 6-1 in strong opening-round showing
REGION I-4A DIV. I
Big Spring 38, El Paso Riverside 35 — The Steers pulled out and absolute thriller over the District 1-4A DI champion Rangers, scoring the winning points on a wild fourth-and-10 play with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game.
Quarterback Gavin Padron, who passed for 230 yards and three touchdowns, evaded multiple sack attempts with some creative scrambling in the backfield before heaving it up running Kavien Ford in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown hookup. That ended a back-and-forth that saw three lead changes in the final 15 minutes.
CLASS 2A BI-DISTRICT REPORT: Cisco, Forsan, Hawley, Bangs, Coleman, Albany, Santo all advance to area round
REGION I-2A DIV. I
Cisco 55, Reagan County 0 — The Loboes dominated Reagan County, rolling up 555 yards in total offense, of which 378 were on the round.
Hunter Long and Trent Huston combined for 263 yards rushing and four touchdowns to lead Cisco (9-2), which led 42-0 at the break.
CLASS 3A BI-DISTRICT REPORT: Jim Ned wins eighth straight; Brock, Early Comanche, Wall advance to area round
REGION I-3A DIV. I
Jim Ned 41, Pilot Point 0 — Troy Doran rushed for 174 yards and two scores to lead Jim Ned to an easy first round win over Pilot Point.
The Indians rolled up 479 yards in total offense en route to the win, overcoming a 3-1 turnover disparity in the process. Leading 14-0 at the break, Jim Ned blew the game open with 27 unanswered points in the second half.
GAME STORY: Resilient Snyder Tigers see tough season end with hard-fought loss to Ferris
CISCO — An embattled Snyder football team saw a difficult season come to an end Friday, but not without the same type of fight it has shown all year through adversity after adversity.
The Tigers, who have had more than 10 season-ending injuries this year, found themselves on top of a favored Ferris squad in the fourth quarter of their Region I-4A Division II bi-district matchup at Chesley Field. But ultimately, it wasn’t meant to be as the Yellowjackets scored a pair of touchdowns in the final period to rally for a 31-21 win.
The loss ended Snyder’s campaign at 4-7, but after the game, fourth-year Snyder coach Wes Wood had nothing but positive things to say about his team and the way it competed.
GAME STORY: Forsan survives wild finish to eliminate Stamford, 21-14
BROWNWOOD — Not until the game’s final minute did the Stamford Bulldogs have the lead in Friday’s 2A DI bi-district game with Forsan at Gordon Wood Stadium.
It lasted for a grand total of 16 seconds.
Trailing 14-13 with under a minute to play, Forsan got the last word with a 63-yard touchdown strike from Cade Wallis to Brooks Wright and a subsequent two-point conversion run by Kevin Kilgora with 0:37 showing on the clock. The Buffaloes (9-2) then held on for a 21-14 win, advancing to face New Deal next Thursday in the area round.
Continue reading “GAME STORY: Forsan survives wild finish to eliminate Stamford, 21-14”
GAME STORY: Santo holds off feisty Seymour in bi-district thriller
CLYDE — Santo coach Devon Mann challenged his squad to bully Seymour in its playoff opener Friday night at Clyde’s Bulldog Stadium, and the Wildcats answered him resoundingly.
Santo never trailed but needed an onside kick recovery with 15 seconds left to escape the Region II-2A Division II bi-district matchup with a 28-20 win in frigid conditions.
GAME STORY: Iglesias, Paradise too much for Breckenridge in chilly bi-district rout
PONDER — Old Man Winter made his first appearance in North Texas Friday night, but not even the bone-chilling 35-mph winds he brought with him could upstage Paradise quarterback Austin Iglesias. Fleet of foot and strong of arm, the junior rushed for 112 yards, passed for another 105 and accounted for 40 points as the Panthers routed Breckenridge 47-7 in a Region I-3A Division I bi-district game.
Though the matchup between a pair of 8-2 teams was much-anticipated — and though the Buckaroos were still competitive midway through the third quarter — Iglesias almost single-handedly turned this one into a rout. He scored on rushes of two, one, 12 and five yards, and passed for touchdowns good for 41 and 52 yards, while also adding a two-point conversion run and another two-point pass to register an otherworldly individual effort.
As a result the Panthers rolled up 418 yards of offense and put the game away for good with four unanswered second half scoring drives during which Iglesias either ran or passed for a touchdown.
GAME REPORT: Abilene High goes on road to dominate Del Valle in playoff opener
EL PASO — Facing off with an El Paso Del Valle squad that had outscored its opponents 455-119 on its way to a 9-1 regular-season record, the Abilene High football team flipped the script on the Conquistadors in Thursday’s Region I-5A Division I bi-district game at Conquest Stadium.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Eagles exploded for 21 points in each of the next two periods to take a 42-0 lead on their way to a dominating 42-14 victory.
Abilene High limited the Del Valle offense, which came in averaging more than 400 yards per game, to just 290 total yards — most of which came after the Eagles had already increased their lead to six touchdowns. AHS, meanwhile, put together its most explosive offensive performance of the season, piling up 421 yards in 54 plays with near perfect balance run to pass.
GAME REPORT: Warren, Cooper carve up El Paso Andress to advance to area round
EL PASO — The Cooper football team passed its first playoff test with flying colors, dominating El Paso Andress from start to finish in a 49-20 bi-district win at Allan Sepkowitz Stadium.
The Cougars outgained the Eagles 525-300, expanding a 21-6 lead to 35-13 by halftime and cruising from there to the lopsided win and into the Region I-5A Division II area round, where they will take on Grapevine (10-1) next week a time, date and location to be determined.
Quarterback Chris Warren had a big day throwing the ball for the Coogs, hitting 15 of 23 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns, including a 99-yard scoring strike to Daniel Bray, who finished with 204 total yards and three combined touchdowns in the victory.
GAME STORY: Wylie blasts El Paso High 54-14 to claim first playoff win as Class 5A program
Coach Clay Martin’s Wylie Bulldogs kicked off the playoffs in dominating fashion Thursday night, starting fast and never letting up in a 54-14 win over El Paso High.
Playing on its home field after earning the District 2-5A Division II title outright, WHS turned a Blake Borho interception on the first play from scrimmage into a 42-yard scoring drive, and it was off to the races from there as the Bulldogs claimed their first playoff win as a Class 5A program.
Wylie led 21-0 after one quarter and 41-7 at halftime, allowing Martin to play the bulk of his roster on the way to his first postseason victory as a head football coach.
GAME STORY: Wink eliminates Cross Plains 60-0 in Big Spring
BIG SPRING — The 2022 football season didn’t start or finish the way the Cross Plains Buffaloes had hoped it would.
A season filled with promise was struck by tragedy when standout running back Ryan Hopkins died in a preseason auto accident. In his absence, the Buffaloes gradually battled their way to a Class 2A Division II playoff spot in Big Spring, where Thursday they fell as a No. 4 seed in the bi-district round to a powerhouse Wink team, 60-0 at Memorial Stadium.
Cannon Gibson threw for 231 yards, rushed for 115 and accounted for five touchdowns to lift Wink (11-0), which will face either Santo or Seymour in the area round. The Wildcats led Cross Plains 54-0 at the break, after which both clubs agreed on playing the second half with a running clock.
GAME STORY: Hawley routs Christoval to open postseason
SAN ANGELO — The Hawley football team opened its playoff run by losing the coin toss to Christoval and seeing the Cougars elect to defer to the second half.
That’s the only thing that didn’t go the Bearcats way Thursday at San Angelo Stadium.
Chandlin Myers fielded the opening kickoff and raced 86 yards untouched through the middle of the field, and the Bearcats never looked back on their way to a 52-8 win in a Region I-2A Division I bi-district matchup.
Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Position Rankings: Posts
After highlighting the Big Country’s top guards and forwards the past two nights, we now take a look at the area’s best big men.
For the final installment in our three-part boys basketball position rankings series, we rank the Big Country’s top 10 post players.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through our rankings, and make sure to check back for all our boys and girls basketball coverage this season.
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel vs. Twitter Polls (Week 12)
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.
Disagree with our picks or the Twitter consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
2022 BIG COUNTRY PREPS BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW: The area’s top teams in each class throughout the BCP coverage area
With a new season of boys high school basketball poised to begin, it’s time to take a look at what the Big Country will produce on the court.
Below you will find our top teams in each classification in the Big Country Preps coverage area, from Big Spring in the West, to Brock in the east and from Brady in the south to Munday in the north.
Our rankings of the top teams in each class are given, along with a season outlook, cataloguing our expectations for each club.
Here’s our preview. We’ll see you on the road.
FEATURE: Confidence, competitive fire fuel breakout season for Wylie QB Long
Coming into the season, few knew what to expect out of Wylie quarterback KJ Long.
The senior signal caller had thrown just five career passes and recorded a single rush attempt at the varsity level before this year, making him a virtual unknown to all but those closest to the WHS program.
Even Bulldogs coach Clay Martin wasn’t entirely sure what he would get out of the 5-foot-8, 155 pound playmaker. So the fact that Long has undeniably been one of the top quarterbacks in all of the Big Country this fall has been a pleasant development, indeed.
FEATURE: Versatile Cooper receiver Herron a dynamic playmaker for Coogs
Cooper senior Cam Herron is a unique weapon.
While listed as a receiver on the Cougars roster, the 5-foot-7 speedster is utilized in a number of ways and positions by the CHS staff. In fact, he’s scored 11 touchdowns in four different ways this season — highlighting just how electric he can be the with ball in his hands.
With the regular season in the rearview, and a bi-district playoff matchup at El Paso Andress slated for 4 p.m. Thursday, Cooper will be trying to extend its season one more week when it takes the field at Allan Sepkowitz Stadium. And you can bet Herron will be a major part of the Coogs’ offensive game plan when they do.
Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Position Rankings: Forwards
After kicking off our boys basketball position rankings series on Tuesday with the guards, we now shift our attention to the forwards.
For the second installment in our three-part series, we rank the area’s top-10 players at that position for 2022-23.
We hope you enjoy our list.
BEST OF BCP’S WEDNESDAY NIGHT PODCASTS: Stephenville coach Justin Swenson talks SHS baseball (Originally aired in May of 2022)
BEST OF BCP’S WEDNESDAY NIGHT PODCASTS: Stephenville coach Justin Swenson talks SHS baseball (Originally aired in May of 2022)
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYOFF FORECAST: Top matchups (w/Evan Ren’s Big Country Playoff picks)
LAST WEEK: 42-4, .913
SEASON TOTAL: 463-109, .809
It has been my tradition since I arrived in the Big Country way back in 2006 to suspend the Game of the Week at the conclusion of the regular season. From this point forward, they’re all the Game of the Week and Big Country Preps will be scrambling to get to as many postseason games involving our teams as possible.
In the meantime, the column hit at more than 90-percent accuracy last week — the best week of picks I’ve had in 2022. So perhaps I’m peaking at the right time and can carry that momentum into postseason.
We shall see.
Here’s this week’s playoff forecast:
BREAKING: Stephenville voters narrowly pass bond election for new stadium
Cover photo courtesy of Kimberly McKinney
The Stephenville Yellow Jackets and Honeybees now know what the future holds for the program when they are no longer able to play at Tarleton State University’s Memorial Stadium.
Voters in Stephenville approved a $39,978,837 bond election for a new on-campus stadium by a slim margin of 147 votes on Tuesday — marking the first bond ever to be approved for Stephenville ISD athletics.
There were 3,878 votes cast in favor of the bond with 3,731 opposing it.
GAME REPORT: Abilene High volleyball downs El Paso High to reach Region I-5A tournament
MIDLAND — The Abilene High volleyball team extended its best season in more than a decade into the Region I-5A tournament Tuesday with a 25-20, 16-25, 25-17, 25-21 win over El Paso High in a region quarterfinal match at the McGraw Event Center.
The Lady Eagles, who are making their first playoff appearance since 2015, improved to 19-20 with the victory, which earned AHS its first region tournament trip since 2007.
Coach Caroline Cleveland’s team will now play North Richland Hills Birdville in the I-5A semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lubbock Coronado for a chance to play the winner between Lubbock Cooper and Colleyville Heritage in the region title match on Saturday.
Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Position Rankings: Guards
With boys basketball season beginning this week, it’s time to shine a spotlight on some of the players you’ll be reading about throughout the 2022-23 season.
For the first installment in a three-part series that will cover all positions on the area boys basketball scene, we’ll be taking a look at the Big Country’s top guards, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch this winter.
We hope you enjoy reading through our list.
FEATURE: Run to third round has reenergized Abilene High volleyball program back on the map
Sitting at 7-14 on Aug. 30 and in the midst of a five-match losing streak, the Abilene High volleyball team was likely an unpopular pick to be the last of Abilene’s three large high schools standing come playoff time.
But a lot can change in more than two month’s time, particularly when dealing with a hungry young squad.
All the Lady Eagles have done since then is win 11 of their last 17 matches, including playoff victories over Amarillo Tascosa (25-27, 25-15, 25-22, 25-23) and El Paso Hanks (25-22, 20-25, 25-15, 12-25, 15-6) to return to the region quarterfinals for the first time since 2007 — when current head coach Caroline Cleveland just so happened to be leading AHS on the court as a senior.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wylie safety Wright takes top honors with three fourth-quarter picks
If it’s true that big-time players make big-time plays in big moments, few had a stronger claim to that “big-time” title this past week than Wylie sophomore Hayden Wright.
The Bulldogs free safety not only came through with three interceptions in his team’s 20-10 District 2-5A Division I title-clinching win over crosstown rival Cooper, he recorded all three picks in the fourth quarter as Wylie was trying to hold off a late Cougar rally.
For that effort, which saw him snatch his fourth, fifth and sixth interceptions of the season, the young playmaker has been named the Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending Nov. 5.
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Wylie tops Cooper for outright title; Palo Duro claims fourth playoff spot
Wylie 20, Cooper 10 — The Bulldogs capped a perfect run through district play with their first-ever win over Cougars, locking up their first district championship as a Class 5A program with the victory.
Wylie (7-3, 5-0) outgained Cooper 372-310, racing out to a 14-3 halftime lead on their way to the win. Cooper (5-5, 3-2) trimmed the deficit to 14-10 with a touchdown in the third quarter, but a long touchdown pass from KJ Long to Derrick with 5:53 remaining in the fourth sealed the win for the Bulldogs.