Month: September 2023

by Evan Ren

BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Tolar spoils Comanche’s homecoming with one big play after another

COMANCHE — It was to be a special night for Comanche, with an overflow crowd and a game ball hand-delivered at the 50-yardline via helicopter to kick off the 2023 Homecoming celebration. 

Unfortunately for Comanche, the Tolar Rattlers never received the memo and left Indian Stadium with a convincing 41-18 win to hand the seventh-ranked 3A DII Indians their first loss of the year. 

Isaac Blessing threw for 125 yards, rushed for 148 and accounted for three scores to lead fifth-ranked 2A DI Tolar, which took a quick 14-0 lead and managed to hold off the Indians with a combination of big plays and defense.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Valiant defensive effort not enough for Cooper in home loss to Coronado

A week after running for 366 yards and seven touchdowns, both school records, Cooper running back Daniel Bray was well on his way to backing that up with a 200-plus yard performance on Friday night against Lubbock Coronado.

A third-quarter injury stopped Bray’s progress as he finished with 138 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries and the Cougars fell 27-21 to the Mustangs for homecoming.

Bray’s injury put more pressure on the Cooper offensive line to protect quarterback Austin Cummins in a passing game that struggled all night. Cummins finished the game with 92 yards passing and one score, nearly all of which came in the fourth quarter.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Coahoma sophomore Cox maturing into one of area’s top signal callers

During his first year as the starting quarterback at Coahoma in 2022, Boyd Cox passed for more than 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns — impressive numbers about which pretty much any high school signal caller would be justifiably proud.

But here’s the deal: 

When Cox took the wheel for the Bulldogs to start last season, he was still two years away from being old enough to take a driver’s test. And what the freshman signal caller accomplished was done largely on the fly as he was learning the toughest position on the field against a host of veteran varsity defenders whose primary goal was to introduce the ear hole in his helmet to the turf below his often-scrambling feet.

Fast forward to the early part of 2023, and you’ll discover, now that he’s more comfortable being a varsity quarterback, that Cox is evolving into one of the better passers in the area — and, maybe, in the state. He has completed 49 of 76 passes for 819 yards with a 10-to-1 touchdown-to-interception rate. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel vs. Twitter Polls (Week 4)

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.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: 7th-ranked 3A Comanche hosts No.5 2A DI Tolar in clash of Central Texas powers

LAST WEEK: 44-16, .733
SEASON TOTAL: 139-38, .785

Tolar (2-1) at Comanche (3-0) — Our Big Country Preps Game of the Week has stood out like a sore thumb for weeks now. And despite fifth-ranked 2A DI Tolar suffering a setback at the hands of a powerful private school last week, its visit to No. 7 3A DII Comanche still shapes up as a top-flight interclass matchup.

There are a few extra factors to consider, not the least of which is the sore ankle of standout Comanche running back Sawyer Wilkerson, who as of now, will not play in this game. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Young Goldthwaite team beginning to live up to coach’s expectations

By Zach Duncan, special to Big Country Preps

Andy Howard knew Goldthwaite would be much improved this season. 

A second year in new schemes, tremendous mental growth and defensive progress were all reasons for the Eagles’ development. 

It didn’t take long for Howard’s beliefs to be verified. Playing highly ranked Crawford within 14 points in Week 1 didn’t snap Goldthwaite’s losing streak, but it proved to be the start of the turnaround. 

“Going into that Friday night, our motto was to believe,” Howard said. “I felt like we had a high-caliber team, but you’ve got to go out there and prove it. Our kids believed all week and kids executed at a high level. I’m not big on moral victories, but we wanted to continue to use that momentum and apply it for the last two weeks.” 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: AHS volleyball picks up big home win over Cooper to stop skid, even district record at 1-1

Entering Tuesday’s crosstown volleyball match off district-opening losses on Friday, both Abilene High and Cooper needed a win to avoid falling in an 0-2 hole to start to District 4-5A play. 

In the end, it was the Lady Eagles celebrating in front of their home crowd at Eagle Gym after sweeping the Lady Cougars 25-20, 25-23, 25-15 to snap a seven-match losing streak.

AHS, which fell in four games to Wylie last week in its league opener, started strong and never let up Tuesday, improving to 8-18 overall and 1-1 in district action with one of its most complete performances of the year.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Despite sweep, ACS learns a lot in energetic match with Graham

It’s not always about the final score.

Abilene Christian Schools volleyball coach Arnett McClure made sure that his team knew that after being swept 25-21, 25-19, 25-23 by Graham on Tuesday night at Panther Gym.

ACS entered the match riding a three-match winning streak against Bangs, Hawley and Merkel, but found the going extremely tough against the talented UIL Class 4A Lady Blues.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cooper’s Bray takes this week’s top spot

When it comes to individual performances, there are big games and there are big games.

And then there’s what Cooper junior Daniel Bray did against San Angelo Central last week in leading the Cougars to their first win of the season.

The explosive tailback, who had been limited some in the first two weeks by a nagging ankle injury and the growing pains of a young offensive line, broke out in a historic way in that 53-45 victory over the Bobcats. By the time the game was over, he had rushed for a school-record 366 yards and seven touchdowns on just 21 carries, making a case for our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award that was too compelling to pass over — even in a week with a number of other monster performances.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS NOTEBOOK: Quick looks at Colorado City, Brownwood, Hico and Clyde

While their program is battling through a difficult rebuilding phase, the Colorado City Wolves and second-year coach Monty Leaf are learning to recognize key points along the way.

It hasn’t been easy. 

After pushing through last year’s 1-9 campaign, C-City opened at 0-2 with losses to good teams from Roscoe and New Home before breaking through with a 15-12 win at Christoval on Friday. And in many respects, it really was a breakthrough. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 3 REPORT: Cooper, Wylie break into win column; Rider, Plainview stay perfect

Cooper 53, San Angelo Central 45 — Junior running back Daniel Bray had a record breaking night, rushing for 366 yards and seven touchdowns to fuel the Cougars to their first win of the season.

Bray did all that damage on just 21 carries, finishing with four touchdown runs of at least 50 yards, including three of 70 yards or more. Behind the standout back, Cooper held a narrow 27-24 lead at halftime, before facing a pair of third-quarter deficits. The Cougars scored the final touchdown of the third quarter and the first of the fourth to take the game’s only two-score lead at 47-38 and held on from there for the victory.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 3 REPORT: Caprock scores only win in tough week for league

Midland Legacy 48, Abilene High 17 — Trailing just 21-17 after opening the second half with a touchdown drive, the Eagles were outscored 27-0 the rest of the way in a lopsided home loss to the Rebels.

Abilene High (2-1) gained 453 yards of total offense, but they scored just three points in three trips to the red zone and turned the ball over three times on the Legacy side of the field. The Eagles were led in the loss by Dylan Slack, who passed for 302 yards and two touchdowns, and Ryland Bradford, who caught four passes for 123 yards and a score.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 8-2A DIV. II WEEK 3 REPORT: Slow start dooms Santo as Wildcats drop second straight

rioHamilton 20, Santo 14 — A 14-0 halftime cushion proved just enough for the Bulldogs, who held off a Wildcat rally in the second half for their second consecutive win.

Hamilton rode a balanced offensive effort to a slight 265-236 edge in total yardage, rushing for 131 of those yards and passing for 134. The Bulldogs also forced the game’s only turnover.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 3 REPORT: Forsan pulls away from Stanton in second half for comfortable win

Forsan 32, Stanton 14 — Nicholas Holloway passed for 148 yards and three scores, hitting Hayden Bowlin (3-66 receiving) with two of those TDs and Brycen Cervantes (3-76) for the other to lift the Buffaloes to their second consecutive win.

Forsan (2-1), which finished with 311 total yards, rushed for 92 of those, getting a team-high 48 yards from Kevin Kligora and rushing touchdowns from Holloway (4-3 rushing) and Grant Roman (4-29). 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 4-3A DIV. I WEEK 3 REPORT: Brock shows well but falls against Class 4A toughie Wimberley

Wimberley 35, Brock 27 — The Eagles gave the Class 4A Division II No. 5 Texans all they wanted Thursday night, but they weren’t able to come out with a win.

Brody Woods passed for 253 yards and three touchdowns to lead Brock, which trailed just 28-27 midway through the fourth quarter, before Wimberley added one final TD to close out the scoring.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 10-2A DIV. II WEEK 3 REPORT: Hico routs Cross Plains to remain unbeaten

Hico 31, Cross Plains 7 — The Tigers (3-0) remained unbeaten behind a solid effort from Carson Keller, who rushed for 129 yards and one score and threw for 91.

Cross Plains fell to 1-2, hampered by three turnovers. The Buffaloes were led by Dusty Wyatt, who rushed for 101 yards and one score.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 3 REPORT: Sweetwater stays perfect with win over Pecos, Snyder suffers first loss

Sweetwater 53, Pecos 40 — Korda Moore rushed for 128 yards and three scores and Caiden Ortiz passed for 224 yards and two touchdowns to lift the Mustangs to their third consecutive win to open the season.

Behind those two and Amare Arevalo, who caught eight passes for 114 yards and a TD, Sweetwater built a 31-26 halftime lead before outscoring the Eagles 22-14 in the second half.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-4A DIV. I WEEK 3 REPORT: Stacks leads Brownwood past Burnet to keep Lions undefeated

Brownwood 24, Burnet 10 — A shoulder injury to standout quarterback Ike Hall wasn’t enough to slow down the No. 7 Lions, who got a strong performance from backup Braeden Stacks in a two-touchdown win over the Bulldogs.

Entering the game in the second series, Stacks hit 12 of 15 passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns, helping Brownwood (3-0) rally from a 10-7 halftime deficit with 17 unanswered points in the second half.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 5-2A DIV. I WEEK 3 REPORT: Coleman, Goldthwaite stay hot with Week 3 wins

Coleman 30, Brady 14 — Brent Bouldin rushed for 154 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bluecats to their second consecutive win.

Brayden Torres added 73 rushing yards and a TD and passed for 44 yards for Coleman (2-1), which outscored Brady 16-8 in the second half to pull away for the 16-point win. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 4-3A DIV. II WEEK 3 REPORT: Coahoma routs Kermit; Littlefield and Roosevelt both notch wins

Coahoma 57, Kermit 31 — The Bulldogs raced out to a 34-6 halftime lead then held off the Yellow Jackets for the rest of the evening. 

Jaidyn Vineyard rushed for 149 yards and one score and Boyd Cox threw for 249 yards and four TDs to lead Coahoma (2-1). 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 3 REPORT: Welch, Schwertner fuel Comanche to blowout win over Early

Comanche 57, Early 0 — Layden Welch passed for 266 yards and four touchdowns and Colt Schwertner rushed for 264 yards and a score to fuel the Indians to a blowout win on a day standout running back Sawyer Wilkerson was limited to three carries by an ankle injury. 

Welch, who hit Kyler Beaty six times for 136 yards and two TDs, also ran for 28 yards and two scores as Comanche improved to 3-0.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 4-2A DIV. I WEEK 3 REPORT: Stamford improves to 3-0; C-City, Anson earn first wins

Stamford 27, Ballinger 0 — Christian Duran threw for 205 yards and two TDs and rushed for 71 yards and another score as Stamford improved to 3-0.

Ballinger (0-3) got most of its yardage through the air, with Cade Stube and Kyson Weathers combining on a 14 of 27 effort for 198 yards. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 5-4A DIV. I WEEK 3 REPORT: ‘Jackets outlast Decatur in shootout, Alvarado, China Spring both win

Stephenville 56, Decatur 55 — Stephenville got more than 550 yards in total offense to outlast Decatur in a wild one.

The Yellow Jackets improved to 2-1 behind 412 yards passing and six TD strikes from Ryan Gafford.  Tate Maruska added 145 yards rushing and two more scores.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Bray’s seven-touchdown night fuels Cooper to thrilling road win over Central

SAN ANGELO — Junior running back Daniel Bray had himself a night Friday, rushing for school record 366 yards and seven touchdowns to fuel Cooper to a 53-45 win over San Angelo Central.

Bray, who broke Amon Pimpton’s single-game record of 306 rushing yards, had five TD runs of 18 or more yards, including four of at least 50 yards to help the Cougars spoil the Bobcats’ homecoming festivities and get CHS in the win column for the first time this season.

Behind the running back’s heroics, Cooper finished with more than 500 yards as a team, rallying from a pair of third-quarter deficits to outlast Central for the thrilling victory. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Opportunistic Wylie Bulldogs outlast Lubbock Cooper for first win

Photos by Aaron Baxter, HubCityPreps.com

WOODROW — On most nights, being outgained 225-16 for a half would all but guarantee a blowout loss. But Wylie’s matchup Friday night with Lubbock Cooper was anything but a typical ballgame.

Fueled by three defensive touchdowns — two pick-sixes and a scoop-and-score — the Bulldogs stayed within one TD in the first half before finally finding their offense in the second to eek out a 35-34 win over the Pirates in a thriller of a nondistrict tilt.

It was the first win of the season for coach Clay Martin’s team, which piled up 234 yards in the second half to outscore Cooper 15-6 and complete the comeback victory. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Shootout between Clyde’s Carr, Merkel’s O’Malley goes to the Bulldogs

MERKEL — One thing is for certain: Merkel’s new scoreboard and videoboard at Badger Stadium are fully functional.

With the Badgers showing off their new improvements in their home opener, it was Clyde that landed the most body blows in a thrilling 69-57 win on Friday night in nondistrict action.

The game featured an astonishing six touchdowns in a span of 6:51 in the third quarter — a stretch that saw five touchdowns scored in a stretch of 13 snaps.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Missed opportunities cost Abilene High in 48-17 loss to Midland Legacy

Coming into Friday’s game against Midland Legacy, Abilene High coach Mike Fullen knew his team would need to capitalize on its scoring chances if it hoped to keep up with the Rebels.

In the end, it was the Eagles’ inability to do so that played the biggest role in a 48-17 loss at Shotwell Stadium.

AHS put up 453 yards of total offense and had numerous opportunities throughout the first 2½ quarters to put some serious pressure on the visitors. But the Eagles got just three points out of three trips to the red zone and had three turnovers on the Legacy side of the field, allowing the Rebels to close the contest with 27 unanswered points and turn a one-score game into a blowout.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Indians hang on to top Wall in classic Game of the Week

TUSCOLA — What had the early look of a Jim Ned rout got turned on its head by the visiting Wall Hawks on Friday night. And by evening’s end, the Indians needed some late heroics to escape with a 17-14 overtime win in a classic Big Country Preps Game of the Week.

Brayden Shipman rushed for 145 yards and two scores and Jackson Crane provided a game-clinching interception to lift Jim Ned (3-0), which overcame 11 drive-stalling penalties to remain unbeaten.

Following a go-ahead 36-yard field goal by Eric Welch in its overtime possession, Jim Ned gained the game-winning stop on Wall’s first play of the extra period when Crane jumped a comeback route and stepped in front of a Gunner Dillard pass to seal the win with a pick.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Sweetwater newcomer not a distraction for Mustang football … even though she’s a girl

Photos contributed by Michael Harbour

CJ Cox had always wanted to try playing football, but she’d never really had an opportunity. 

That changed last spring when Cox was finishing up her sophomore year at Sweetwater. That’s when she surprised head football coach Russell Lucas by asking if she could kick for the Mustangs. 

“I’ve never had a girl on our football team, but I laid out the expectations. Show up all the time and work really hard,” Lucas said. “If you do those things, you’ll have the same chance as everybody. I’m not going to give preferential treatment or discriminate against you because you’re a female.” 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel vs. Twitter Polls (Week 3)

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.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Wall, Jim Ned clash in battle of unbeatens (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country picks)

LAST WEEK: 47-14, .770
SEASON TOTAL: 95-22, .812

As we move into Week 3 and things begin to take shape, the 2023 season is now presenting the key teams to keep an eye on. 

Question mark games have now become measuring sticks and within three weeks, we’ll pretty well know who’s who. 

This week’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week, will give us a good look at two of our top Class 3A teams — Division II Wall and Division I Jim Ned — in Tuscola. 

At present, both appear to be regional title threats, with Wall possessing one of the area’s top defenses and Jim Ned pushing people around with one of its best offensive lines ever. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us