Month: December 2023

by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Comanche girls top San Saba for Eula Holiday Classic title; Jim Ned boys finish third

EULA — The Comanche girls basketball team rallied past San Saba for a 58-44 win Saturday in the the Eula Holiday Classic championship game, closing out a perfect run through the tournament with its third double-digit victory in four games.

The Maidens’ triumph, which saw them overcome a 41-34 third-quarter deficit to pull away from the Lady Dillos, capped a successful Classic for area squads, as the Jim Ned boys topped Tolar 51-36 to take third in the boys bracket, while the Eula Lady Pirates placed fourth in the girls with a hard-fought 34-33 loss to Whiteface.

In consolation action, Eastland took the girls title with a 55-35 win over Stamford, while the Eula boys almost did the same, falling 57-53 to Idalou in the boys title game.

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by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Comanche, San Saba girls advance to Eula Holiday Classic title game; Jim Ned boys fall in semis

EULA — The Comanche and San Saba girls basketball teams, ranked No. 5 and 16 in Class 3A and 2A respectively, completed perfect runs through the Eula Holiday Classic semifinals on Friday to claim spots in the event’s championship game Saturday evening.

Comanche, which cruised through Roscoe (72-43) and Hermleigh (73-44) on the tournament’s opening day Thursday, survived a test from Class 1A No. 10 Whiteface on Friday, outlasting the Lady Lopes for a 45-38 victory in the semifinals. And San Saba followed Thursday’s 63-37 win over Ballinger with hard-fought victories over Canadian (59-45) and tournament host Eula (59-55) to earn its spot in the title game.

The Maidens and Lady Dillos will match up for the tournament championship at 5:20 p.m. on Saturday, while Eula will take on Whiteface for third place at 1:20. The Jim Ned boys will also compete for third place, taking on Tolar at noon after dropping a tough 50-48 game to Holiday in the semifinals Friday.

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by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: Eula Holiday Classic draws big, talented field once again

Thirty-one basketball teams — 16 girls and 15 boys — will be in Eula this week for the annual Eula Holiday Classic, which will continue its tradition as one of the top small-school basketball tournaments in the state.

Included in the girls field will be 10 teams from the Big Country Preps coverage area as Comanche, Roscoe, Hermleigh, Stamford, Clyde, Colorado City, Eula, San Saba, Eastland and Ballinger are all set to compete.

Seven of the 15 boys teams hail from the area, meanwhile, as Clyde, Eastland, Jim Ned, Breckenridge, Comanche, Roscoe and Eula are all featured in the bracket.

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by Evan Ren

FEATURE: Hard work, youthful talent, new venue has Maidens staring at a bright future

 

Photos courtesy of Santos Gomez

COMANCHE — For 10 years, coach Diana Salinas and her Comanche girls basketball program have had their share of ups and downs, with an overall record of 122-130 and five playoff appearances. A widely divergent mix of veteran and very youthful clubs were a factor in this, with the program rebuilding after each set of heavy graduation losses.

There are, however, several signs that Comanche’s search for consistency is on the verge of ending, not the least of which is its current 16-1 record and top-five rankings by both the Texas Girls Coaches Association and the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. Only this time around, the Maidens are playing at an elite level, despite being extremely young. 

Rather than being in another rebuilding cycle, the Maidens are riding a 12-game winning streak with a roster consisting of two seniors, two juniors, four sophomores and a freshman.  Perhaps most importantly, their three leading scorers are a junior (Kinsey Glasgow, 17.3) and two sophomores (J’Lee Salinas and Jade Morin) who average 13.2 and 11.8 points, respectively. 

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by Evan Ren

2023 BIG COUNTRY PREPS MAX EFFORT TEAM: The hardest-working players in area volleyball!

Our All-Big Country Preps Volleyball team, released today, honors those who produced the top on-court performances through the 2023 season. It is off the court, however, where character, grit and work ethic are often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps Max Effort Team that we wish to honor those players who were the hardest-working, best teammates in the area this fall. 

This team isn’t about who the best volleyball players were.

The Max Effort team honors hustle, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches wish every player had.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper boys outlast rival Wylie in overtime classic to open District 4-5A play

The Cooper-Wylie boys basketball rivalry is alive and well.

That much was clear Tuesday night, when the Cougars and Bulldogs added an all-time classic to the series in the District 4-5A opener for both teams at Cougar Gym.

In a game that featured wild momentum swings, clutch buckets, physical defense and, at times, an overflow of emotion, Cooper outlasted Wylie in overtime for a dramatic and thrilling 56-52 win. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie girls overcome slow start to notch double-digit win over rival Cooper

The Wylie girls basketball team rebounded from a disastrous start Tuesday to rally past crosstown rival Cooper, outscoring the Lady Cougars 36-17 over the final three quarters of a 52-38 win at Cougar Gym.

The Lady Bulldogs found themselves down 13-0 less than two minutes into the game and were held scoreless for the first three minutes of the contest. But coach Duane Hopper’s team was able to narrow the deficit to 21-16 by the end of the first quarter, before using a 17-1 run through the second to take a double-digit lead into halftime that it would protect the rest of the way.

Joyah Maroney led Wylie with 18 points, while Kyla Kelley added 11 and Londyn Franklin pitched in eight to help the Lady Bulldogs improve to 12-6 on the year and 2-0 in District 4-5A play.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Darby, Jackson and Lee lead Merkel to sweep of Clyde

CLYDE — The Merkel boys basketball team has one of the most dynamic 1-2 scoring threats in the area with Kooper Darby and Aiden Jackson.

Tuesday night at Bulldog Gym, Darby had a game-high 32 points while Jackson added 24 more as the Badgers held off a furious rally by the Bulldogs over the final 90 seconds in taking a 68-65 win in the District 6-3A opener for both teams.

The boys showdown came on the heels of the Merkel girls knocking off Clyde 48-30 in the opening game of the doubleheader behind Jaedyn Lee’s 24 points.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Albany’s Hill, Waggoner share BCP’s final award for 2023

NOTE: This will be the final BCP Player of the Week for 2023.  It will return on Monday, Jan. 8. 

Very seldom will we go with co-players of the week here at Big Country Preps, but every now and then, the situation warrants it. 

So, our final BCP Player of the Week award for 2023 will be split between Albany teammates Adam Hill and Zane Waggoner, who were both instrumental in AHS winning its second straight Class 2A DII state football title last week in a 28-10 win over Mart in Arlington. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Eagles flex their offensive power, hammer Brownwood

When he returned to his alma mater and took the helm as the Abilene High boys basketball coach, Justin Reese wanted to turn back the clock on the program in several ways.

First, he wanted to get the AHS student body back to packing Eagle Gym, creating a raucous atmosphere for every home game. And his second goal was to get the program back to where it could run the floor and play an up-tempo style like it did when he played for the Eagles and legendary coach Gerald Coppedge.

Playing after the Lady Eagles beat Cooper 43-34 in front of a packed house, Reese’s squad treated a strong crowd to an offensive show as the Eagles dismantled Brownwood 95-40 in nondistrict play.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High girls hold off Cooper rally, score big district win over crosstown rival

Entering Friday’s Crosstown Showdown girls basketball matchup at Eagle Gym, both Abilene High and Cooper needed a win to avoid falling into an early 0-2 hole in the District 4-5A race. And for 32 minutes, both teams played with the urgency one might expect in such a situation.

But in the end, it was the homestanding Lady Eagles who came out on top, holding off a fourth-quarter rally by the Lady Cougars to pull out a gritty 43-34 victory over their rivals.

The win improved AHS to 11-7 overall while evening the Lady Eagles district record at 1-1 — a key development with No. 8 Lubbock Monterey set to visit on Tuesday.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIDEBAR: Albany defense closes historic campaign with fitting effort against Mart

ARLINGTON — Coming into Thursday’s Class 2A Division II state title game, the Mart football team was averaging 48.5 points per game, having been held below 30 points only once on its way to a 15-0 record.

But during that run to AT&T Stadium, the Panthers hadn’t faced a defense quite like Albany’s.

On Thursday, Mart learned that lesson the hard way, managing just 200 yards of total offense and a single touchdown in a 28-10 loss. In the process, the Panthers were forced to accept and acknowledge the same truth each of the Lions’ previous 15 opponents were: The 2023 Albany defense is every bit as good as advertised. 

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Albany claims second straight state title with 28-10 win over Mart

ARLINGTON — The Albany Lions had been dominating the opposition all season with an overwhelming defense and an efficient, balanced offense. And in Thursday’s Class 2A Division II state title game, the Lions stuck to the script in a workmanlike 28-10 win over the Mart Panthers. 

Adam Hill rushed for 132 yards and two scores and Chip Chambers threw for 91 yards and two more TDs to lead Albany (16-0), which claimed its second straight state title and fourth overall. The Lions finished with 249 yards in total offense (158 rush, 91 pass) while limiting a high-powered Mart club to 200. 

In the process, Hill captured Offensive MVP honors, Zane Waggoner took the Defensive MVP award and Albany, for the second time in its history, captured back-to-back state championships (the first two coming in 1960 and 1961). 

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by Daniel Youngblood

BEST OF BCP WEDNESDAY NIGHT PODCAST: Stephenville’s Jason Hodges visits w/ Evan & Dan (original airdate 1-25-23)

NOTE: With Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood in Arlington for Albany’s state title game against Mart, BCP’s Wednesday Night podcast was canceled. In the meantime we’ll repost one of our top podcasts. 

Stephenville girls coach Jason Hodges visits with Evan & Dan … original airdate 1-11-23

Continue reading “BEST OF BCP WEDNESDAY NIGHT PODCAST: Stephenville’s Jason Hodges visits w/ Evan & Dan (original airdate 1-25-23)” →

by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

SIDEBAR: Defense, special teams key in Benjamin’s title game win over Oglesby

ARLINGTON — Grayson Rigdon always gives Benjamin a chance to win every game the Mustangs play.  

Rigdon’s offensive heroics will deservedly generate the most headlines from Benjamin’s 82-34 victory over Oglesby Wednesday afternoon at AT&T Stadium.  

But a couple defensive and special teams sequences allowed the No. 1 Mustangs to get much-needed separation as they defended their Class A Division II title. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Rigdon sets career TD record as Benjamin leaves no doubt in title defense

ARLINGTON — The Benjamin Mustangs football team is staying on top of the mountain.

The Mustangs successfully defending their 2022 state championship with an 82-34 win over Oglesby on Wednesday afternoon at AT&T Stadium.

This marks Benjamin’s second consecutive state title and saw star athlete Grayson Rigdon earn Offensive MVP honors for the third consecutive year.

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

SIDEBAR: Matlock proud of Westbrook’s season despite falling short in bid for three-peat

ARLINGTON — Westbrook had title game experience on its side Wednesday in the Class 1A Division I championship against Gordon.  

However, the Wildcats didn’t have a speed advantage. And that’s a main reason their chance of three-peating ended with 3:45 left in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium as the Longhorns’ 1-2 punch of Stryker and Riley Reed paved the way for a 70-20 victory.  

Despite the program’s first playoff loss in 15 games, Westbrook coach Homer Matlock was pleased with how his team conducted itself all season long. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Gordon dominates Westbrook for Class 1A Division I state title

ARLINGTON — Heading into Wednesday’s Class 1A Division I state championship game at AT&T Stadium, the head coaches of Westbrook and Gordon were both looking to earn their third career championship ring.

In the end, the Longhorns helped Mike Reed add to his collection with a dominating defensive effort in a 70-20 win over the Wildcats as Reed won a title at his alma mater.

Reed previously won titles in 2011 and 2012 at Throckmorton after losing in the 2010 title game.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel vs. Twitter Polls (Week 17)

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.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie boys snap losing streak with impressive win over ranked Hirschi squad

Coming off a rough week that ended with an 0-4 run through their own tournament, the Wylie Bulldogs picked up a much-needed win Tuesday at Bulldog Gym, leading wire to wire in a 52-38 victory over Class 4A No. 21 Wichita Falls Hirschi.

Fueled by Martin Marshall, who hit three of his seven 3-pointers in the first quarter, the Bulldogs took a 16-5 lead after eight minutes and spent each of the next two quarters extending their advantage.

After a taking a game-high 20-point lead late in the third quarter, Wylie saw Hirschi pull within eight with 2:22 to play. But Isaiah Carrillo put the Bulldogs on his back in the waning minutes, scoring seven of his 12 points and adding a key assist during the fourth quarter to keep the Huskies at bay.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie pulls away from feisty Abilene High squad late to open district play with win

The Wylie girls basketball team opened District 4-5A play with a solid home win over crosstown foe Abilene High on Tuesday, closing the game on a 28-14 run to stretch a two-point third-quarter lead to 59-43 by the time the final buzzer sounded.

The Lady Bulldogs, who led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter, found themselves in a dogfight early in the second half. But coach Duane Hopper’s squad answered every Lady Eagles run with one of its own to pull away in the fourth quarter for a comfortable win.

The victory improved Wylie to 10-6 on the season and got the Lady Bulldogs off to a strong start in what is sure to be a grueling district race.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FORECAST: Albany clashes with Mart (w/ Evan Ren’s championship game picks)

LAST WEEK: 1-1, .500
SEASON TOTAL: 555-114, .830

Five minutes ago (or so it seems), Dan Youngblood and I were on our annual Big Country photo tour, prepping for the upcoming 2023 season. 

Now, here we are in Week 17, with four Big Country area teams playing for state championships at AT&T Stadium.

By Thursday afternoon the 2023 season will be in our rearview mirror and I don’t care what anyone says — these football seasons go by faster every year. 

A week ago, I missed the mark on one of two picks, with Albany advancing as expected and Brock falling to Malakoff. This week, I’ll take a stab at all of this week’s state title games, with a closer look at Albany vs. Mart in the Class 2A DII title game set for Thursday. Don’t forget, area six-man teams from Westbrook, Gordon and Benjamin will all by vying for titles as well. 

Let’s dive in. Here’s this week’s forecast. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Gordon senior Caitlyn Parsons snags this week’s award

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a Class 1A girls team from the outer reaches of our coverage area land our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award.  But Gordon’s Caitlyn Parsons put an end to the drought with a huge performance in the Mesquite Pit Classic in Poolville. 

Helping the Lady Longhorns to a 4-1 mark in the event, Parson tallied a combined 70 points, 50 boards, 16 steals, five assists, 11 blocks and one charge through five games to earn all-tournament honors and lead GHS to a third-place finish.  She also had 10 points in a loss to San Saba earlier in the week. 

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Westbrook hopes Gilbreath is adjusted enough in new role to allow for third straight state title

Westbrook will be looking to claim its third consecutive Class A Division I state title Wednesday against Gordon at AT&T Stadium.  

However, the Wildcats’ leading rusher will be making his first appearance as a player at AT&T Stadium. That’s because senior Keegan Gilbreath is finishing up his first six-man campaign after starting at quarterback for Class 2A Seymour the past three years.  

It’s been a season of unsureness and acclimatization for Gilbreath, but his adaptability and diligence has paid off. Gilbreath has rushed for 1,456 yards and 36 touchdowns as part of a 1-2 backfield punch with Grayson Jeffrey.  

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by Brandon McAuliffe

REALIGNMENT CENTRAL: UIL releases cutoffs for 2024-25 school years

In order to account for new schools opening and in keeping the different classifications as balanced and competitive as possible, the University Interscholastic League goes through a realignment every other year.

It’s one of the highlights of what’s typically a slow football offseason, but it got underway in October with Snapshot Day prior to taking the next step on Tuesday with the disclosure of enrollments for each of the state’s classifications from 1A through 6A.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Mistakes cost Brock in 38-31 state semifinal loss to Malakoff

FRISCO — The Brock Eagles did a lot of good things on both sides of the ball in their Class 3A Division I state semifinal matchup against unbeaten Malakoff on Thursday at Ford Center. But unfortunately for coach Billy Mathis’ squad, a handful of game-changing mistakes were enough to outweigh the positives in a heart-wrenching 38-31 loss to the Tigers.

BHS outgained Malakoff 315-216 and limited an explosive Tigers ground attack to just 3.7 yards per carry. But four turnovers and a blocked punt led to 24 points, including 14 points directly, as the Eagles saw their season come to a close at 11-4 — one win short of their third consecutive state championship game appearance.

In addition to two fumble return touchdowns, Malakoff had scoring drives of minus-3 and 16 yards, the latter of which ended with Mike Jones’ 1-yard scoring plunge for what proved to be the winning points with 19 seconds remaining in the game.

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