Munday 57, Abilene TLCA 6 — The Moguls snapped a 14-game losing streak dating back to Oct. 7 of 2022 with a win over the Eagles in their season opener.
Munday led 22-0 by the end of the first quarter and extended its lead to 41-0 by halftime.
Month: August 2024
DISTRICT 7-2A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Miles opens with big win at Sonora; Winters takes home Ice Bowl title
Miles 32, Sonora 14 —Tevin Meade rushed for 145 yards and four TDs to lead Miles to an impressive road win over Sonora.
Cooper Ellison was the top receiver for MHS, reeling in four catches for 96 yards and another score.
DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 1 REPORT: Colorado City falls to Seymour in shootout
Seymour 58, Colorado City 35 — The Wolves couldn’t keep up with the Panthers, opening the season with a shootout loss.
C-City trailed 6-2 after scoring a defensive two-point conversion following Seymour’s first touchdown and remained competitive through halftime, trailing just 34-23 in the second quarter. But Seymour extended its advantage to three scores in the second half to pull away for a comfortable win.
DISTRICT 4-2A DIV. I WEEK 1 REPORT: Hawley defeats Roscoe behind big night from Ables
Hawley 49, Roscoe 21 — Keagan Ables threw for 294 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 68 more and another TD to lift Hawley in its opener.
The Bearcats (1-0), who trailed finished with 460 yards in total offense, trailed 14-13 at the break, but took control of the contest with a 36-7 outburst in the second half.
DISTRICT 4-3A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Wall impressive in Slaughter’s debut
Wall 28, Mason 6 — Landon York threw for 148 yards, and two scores and Hagyn Barbee rushed for 37 yards and a TD to lead Wall to a win in Craig Slaughter’s coaching debut at WHS.
Briggs Jones was the top receiving target for the Hawks (1-0), hauling in three passes for 102 yards and two scores.
DISTRICT 1-4A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Pecos runs away from Snyder after competitive start
Pecos 41, Snyder 7 — A 43-yard touchdown pass from Seth Cooper to Jacob James gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter, but the Eagles responded with 41 unanswered points to pull away for a lopsided win.
Pecos took a 28-7 lead into halftime, taking advantage of a pair of Snyder turnovers and three touchdown hookups between quarterback Colt Salgado and receiver Jesus Navarro.
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. I WEEK 1 REPORT: Riverside pulls away from Big Spring in lightning-postponed opener
El Paso Riverside 49, Big Spring 21 — After a competitive first quarter, the Steers couldn’t keep pace with the Rangers in a game that was postponed to Saturday due to weather, allowing 35 unanswered points in a four-touchdown loss.
Behind a touchdown run by Isiac Martinez and a 45-yard touchdown pass from AJ Yanez to Eithan Threats, Big Spring went into the second quarter with the game tied at 14. But Riverside outscored the Steers 21-0 in the second quarter and 14-0 in the third to pull away.
DISTRICT 5-2A DIV. I WEEK 1 REPORT: Ballinger, De Leon and Hico race out to winning starts
Ballinger 28, Merkel 10 — Kyson Weathers ran for one touchdown and threw for another to help the Bearcats snap a 10-game losing streak dating back to the start of the 2023 season.
Ballinger, which led 21-3 by halftime and stretched its lead to 28-3 before Merkel finally scored its only touchdown in the fourth quarter, also got rushing touchdowns from Aiden Pena and Jaylin Washington.
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Brock, Graham and Mineral Wells earn comfortable wins
Brock 27, Decatur 7 — Brody Woods passed for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns and rushed for 65 more yards to fuel BHS to a lightning-delayed win over Decatur.
Colt Matlock caught both of Woods’ touchdown passes, finishing with six catches for 139 yards, while Coty Farmer (10-90 rushing) and Jackson Farhatt (3-17) each had scoring runs for Brock.
DISTRICT 3-3A DIV. I WEEK 1 REPORT: Clyde opens with win at Cisco in Big Country thriller
Clyde 43, Cisco 42 — In one of the top games in the area on Friday, Clyde edge Cisco in a shootout, giving the Bulldogs (1-0) the only win of the night for District 3-3A DI.
The Bulldogs overcame a 28-20 deficit heading into the fourth quarter to earn the win.
Clyde will play host to Eastland (1-0) in its home opener next Friday; Cisco will travel to San Angelo TLCA on the same evening.
DISTRICT 4-4A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Tigers open with easy win over Grandview
Glen Rose 49, Grandview 14 — Canyon Evans threw for 329 yards and five scores to lead Glen Rose to a rout of Grandview at home.
Braylon Reid led the Tigers in rushing with 62 yards and one score on 10 carries.
Glen Rose (1-0) will take on Gatesville (1-0) next Friday on the road.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Brady, Eastland and Early impressive in season-opening wins
Brady 27, San Antonio YMLA 0 — Ashton Taylor and Johnny Menefield led a dominant rushing performance for the Bulldogs, who pounded out 319 yards on the ground in a shutout win over the Lions.
Taylor finished with 146 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, while Menefield added 101 yards and a TD on 18 attempts as Brady scored 24 points after halftime to pull away following a defensive first half.
DISTRICT 4-4A DIV. I WEEK 1 REPORT: Stephenville opens with stunning rout of Heritage; Brownwood game cancelled
Stephenville 38, Midlothian Heritage 3 — Ryan Gafford threw for 242 yards and two scores as the Yellow Jackets dominated Class 5A Heritage.
Tristian Gentry was Gafford’s favorite target, resulting in four receptions for 109 yards and a score. Comanche Transfer Sawyer Wilkerson led the ‘Jackets in rushing with 48 yards on eight carries and one TD.
GAME REPORT: Explosive Abilene High Eagles pull away for 60-36 win over San Angelo Central
SAN ANGELO — The Abilene High offense scored early and often, and the Eagles got enough from their young defense to pull away late for a 60-36 win over San Angelo Central in the season opener for both teams Friday at San Angelo Stadium.
AHS used a fast start to build an early lead and a strong fourth quarter to finally put away the Bobcats in a game that was tight through the first three periods.
The Eagles never trailed, but they led by just six (28-22) at halftime and seven (43-36) heading into the fourth quarter, before outscoring Central 17-0 in the decisive final quarter to open their season on a winning note.
GAME STORY: Speedy Stamford dominates youthful Albany, 50-6
STAMFORD — The warning signs turned out to be correct.
Throughout the offseason, whenever the subject of the Stamford Bulldog football team came up, overall team speed stood out like a tsunami warning. The Bulldogs were going to have speed all over the field with multiple big-play threats.
The forecast proved accurate on Friday night with an impressive 50-6 win over two-time defending 2A DII state champion Albany in the Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
Christian Duran rushed for 110 yards and three scores and threw for 221 yards and two more scores to lead Stamford, which coasted to a season-opening win after carrying a 36-6 lead into the break.
GAME STORY: Azle holds off Cooper 41-34 in season-opening shootout
Hagen Hughes ran for 202 yards and two touchdowns to lift the Azle Hornets to a thrilling 41-34 win over Cooper in the season opener for both teams Friday night at Shotwell Stadium.
Hughes scored twice on counter plays in the second half — once from 77 yards and a second time from 34 — and those sprints basically spelled the difference in a battle featuring very evenly matched teams lifted by big plays all evening long.
GAME STORY: Big plays, clutch defense fuel Coahoma to win over rival Forsan in Howard County Bowl
BIG SPRING — The Coahoma Bulldogs turned three Forsan turnovers and a defensive two-point conversion into 22 points — and ultimately a win — on Thursday at Memorial Stadium, kicking off the 2024 season with a thrilling 34-28 victory in the annual Howard County Bowl.
Coach Chris Joslin’s defense scored nine points directly and set up two of the offense’s four touchdowns with takeaways, using a bend-but-don’t-break style to help the Bulldogs leave Big Spring with their second straight victory in the rivalry series and sixth in the last eight years.
Forsan ran 24 more offensive plays than Coahoma and outgained the Bulldogs 389-281, but a 3-0 gap in the turnover margin and a couple of explosive offensive plays by CHS were enough to turn the tied in a game Joslin’s squad led from the 6:04 mark of the first quarter on.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Albany travels to Stamford in Game of the Week
LAST WEEK: 0-0, .000
SEASON TOTAL: 00-00, .000
Week 1 is often loaded with difficult picks and 2024 is no exception.
Our first slate of games this year has a number of contests that could have qualified for the Big Country Preps Game of the Week. But we finally settled on Albany at Stamford for the spotlight.
The two-time defending state 2A DII state champions, minus several key players lost to graduation, facing a Stamford club bringing back most of its skill and a ton of speed.
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 1)
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 our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Sunday night each week and close Thursday morning.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 1)”
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Quarterbacks
After a week of highlighting area playmakers, we wrap up our eight-part preseason position rankings series with the Big Country’s best signal callers.
To complete our look at the area’s top players, we’ve ranked our top 10 quarterbacks with a list of others to watch in 2024.
We hope you enjoy this list and that you’ve enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kick off a new season.
SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Season gets underway with intriguing area slate
This football season, we’re beefing up our Class 1A coverage to keep fans as up to date as possible on the six-man game and the now more than 50 teams we cover that play it.
A big part of that coverage will be our new Six-Man/Class 1A Central page, which will feature a weekly schedule, scores and updated standings for each of the 14 districts that contain Big Country Preps schools. But fans can also look forward to pair of weekly columns — a “Six-Man Lookahead” to preview each week’s slate of games on Thursdays and a “Six-Man Rewind” to recap the weekend’s biggest developments each Monday.
With a full weekend of interesting games to talk about, it’s time to preview Week 1. Let’s jump in, shall we?
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Running Backs
As we wind down our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we arrive finally at the Big Country’s top ball-carriers.
After breaking down this year’s crop of receivers and tight ends earlier tonight, we move now to the area’s top backs, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch in 2024. Don’t forget to check in Thursday when we conclude our series with the top 10 area quarterbacks.
We hope you enjoy tonight’s list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
We’re approaching the final stretch of our eight-part preseason position rankings series, and it’s time to look at the Big Country’s top receivers.
After starting the offensive portion of our series Tuesday with the linemen, we now shift our attention to the playmakers on the perimeter, ranking our top 10 wideouts/tight ends with a list of others to watch in 2024.
We hope you enjoy our list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Offensive Linemen
With the defensive and special teams rankings behind us, it’s time to look at the area’s top offensive players. And we’ll start with the foundation of any productive offense: the offensive line.
For the fifth installment of our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we turn our attention to the trenches, ranking the Big Country’s top 10 offensive linemen with a list of others to watch in 2024.
We hope you enjoy reading through our rankings.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Kickers/Punters
After recognizing the top defensive players throughout the Big Country over the past three days, it’s time to honor the specialists.
We continue our eight-part preseason position rankings series by naming our top 10 kickers and top three punters to watch this fall.
We hope you enjoy this list and that you have enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kickoff the 2024 season.
WEEK 1 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we offer fans the chance to pick the winners of all games involving our local and area football teams. The results of these weekly polls, which will close at 5 p.m. each Thursday, will be included in our weekly Pick ‘Em Panel.
Here are the games for Week 1:
Continue reading “WEEK 1 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!”
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Backs
After starting with the linemen and linebackers, we turn to the defensive backfield to complete our look at the top defenders in the Big Country.
For the third installment in our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we shift our focus to the secondary, giving our list of the area’s top-10 defensive backs and others to look out for in 2024.
We hope you enjoy our list.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Linebackers
After taking a look at the Big Country’s top defensive linemen last night, it’s now time to examine those who will backing them in 2024.
Continuing with Big Country Preps’ eight-part preseason position rankings series, here’s our top 10 linebackers to watch this fall, as well as a list of the others we’re expecting big things from.
We hope you enjoy our list.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Linemen
With the start of football season around the corner, it’s time to take a look at the players who will be making the biggest impact in 2024.
For the first installment in an eight-part series that will cover all position groups, we’ll be taking a look at the area’s top defensive linemen, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch this fall.
As with any such list, these rankings are subjective. We hope you enjoy reading through them.
EVAN REN: Top area games worth traveling for in 2024
Ready to take the truck out on one of those farm-to-market roads to watch high school football into the late hours on a Friday night?
You’re not the only one.
And, as always, we’ve come up with a preseason menu of sorts for those of you who will be hitting the trails each week in search of pigskin.
Every week for the next 11 weeks, Big Country Preps will be searching for its Game of the Week, and we’re already looking ahead. The list below represents that work and acts as a framework for the rest of the season. We now share it with you … our preliminary list of Big Country Games worth traveling for in 2024. But keep in mind: the following list is subject to change as surprises and disappointments emerge.
And as we all know, surprises and disappointments will always emerge.
2024 DISTRICT PREDICTIONS: Evan and Daniel make their picks
The time has arrived for us to make our Big Country predictions, district-by-district.
Several weeks of research and two solid months of summertime labor have gone into this, so we’re more than ready to post it.
With that please dive in and study our take on the upcoming season, along with the more than 80 preseason stories we posted earlier today. Enjoy! We’ll see you on the road!
ABILENE HIGH FEATURE: Experienced offensive line ready to pave way for successful season
Ask any football coach and they’ll tell you that the best place to start when trying to build a successful offense is at the line of scrimmage. When you can open holes in the run game and protect the quarterback in the passing game, everything gets easier for your skill position talent — and, in turn, your play-caller.
So if you’re wondering why Abilene High coach Mike Fullen is so excited about this year’s offense, you need look no further than the big boys he’ll have blocking for his fast guys this fall.
That line group, which returns four starters from last year’s 11-3 squad, including a trio of three-year lettermen, will be one of the most experienced in the region this season. And if all goes according to plan, it should also be one of the best.
2024 ABILENE HIGH FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Eagles expect to contend again despite heavy graduation losses
After leading Abilene High to its best season in more than a decade last fall to mark the Eagles’ third run to the third round of the playoffs or deeper since 2020, sixth-year AHS head coach Mike Fullen feels like he has his program in a healthy place.
And following an 11-3 campaign that saw the Eagles claim their first district championship since 2016, who could blame him for holding that opinion?
But when it comes to rebuilding Abilene High’s tradition of gridiron excellence, Fullen is admittedly greedy. And both he and his AHS players are ready to make seasons like last year’s a more common occurrence in North Abilene.
WYLIE FEATURE: Talented safety Wright hoping to have his best season yet as senior
As a sophomore in 2022, Hayden Wright was a breakout star, intercepting nine passes in his first year as a starter to help Wylie to a 10-4 campaign.
Challenged by coach Clay Martin and his defensive staff to become more of a complete safety last season, his coverage stats took a bit of a dip, but he still played a pivotal role in the Bulldogs’ run to the area round.
Now entering his final high school season, Wright is hoping for his best year yet. And Martin would be surprised, frankly, if he doesn’t accomplish that goal.
2024 WYLIE FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Bulldogs looking to sustain, build on recent success
After posting a combined 18-8 record over the past two years, the Wylie Bulldogs are entering a campaign off consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2016-17.
The goal — and expectation — now for coach Clay Martin’s squad is to make winning seasons and playoff berths the norm at WHS again.
In the pursuit of sustained year-over-year success, Martin will have another good group to work with in 2024. The Bulldogs have five starters back on both sides of the ball among 39 returning lettermen.
While the fifth-year Wylie mentor, who has coached four of the Bulldogs’ six seasons at the Class 5A level, will have some questions to answer and holes to fill, he likes his chances of putting another winning product on the field this fall.
COOPER FEATURE: Two-way standout Alexander poised for big senior year
After having his junior season cut short by a broken collarbone, Cooper senior Zavian Alexander can’t wait to get back on the field and make plays again for coach Aaron Roan and his teammates.
The good news for the talented athlete is he’ll have ample opportunity to do so in 2024.
Alexander, a rare two-way player at the Class 5A level, will see time at both receiver and defensive back for the the Cougars again this fall. And after watching the end of last season from the sidelines, he’ll be looking to maximize his impact on both sides of the football in his last go-round at CHS.
2024 COOPER FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Talented returning group fuels optimistic outlook for Cougars
In his seven years as Cooper’s head coach, Aaron Roan has never finished a season outside of the playoffs. With a good group back from a team that reached the area round last year, a return to the postseason is the baseline expectation for the Cougars this fall.
In losing 27 of its 51 lettermen from last year, Roan and the CHS staff will have to develop some depth this season. That’s especially true with a smaller than normal roster of just 44 players.
But among that group, the Coogs return eight offensive and nine defensive starters, giving their coach a strong nucleus to build around and a lot of optimism for the season ahead.
STEPHENVILLE FEATURE: Butchee family’s decision to stay in Stephenville was an easy one
STEPHENVILLE — Just a few months after Stephenville’s Class 3A DI state football championship in 2012, a young coach, Jeremiah Butchee, brought his family to town looking for work.
He found it as an assistant coach under former SHS coach Joe Gillespie. Twelve years later he has remained on staff through the tenures of Greg Windor and now, Sterling Doty with no plans of ever leaving.
After considerable prayer, Jeremiah and his wife, Julie, wanted the decision to come to SHS be an easy one and they wanted the decision to stay to be just as simple.
Both prayers were answered.
The couple has since raised their three sons, Mason, Jack and Hudson in Stephenville, all three have been standout football players and all three have made considerable contributions to a highly successful 12-year run for the SHS program.
2024 STEPHENVILLE FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Top-ranked Yellow Jackets fully loaded, despite loss of more than 30 lettermen
STEPHENVILLE — For your average Class 4A football program, the loss of 32 lettermen to graduation is enough to inspire whispers of “rebuilding year.”
Stephenville, however, isn’t your average Class 4A football program.
In fact, even after the loss of 32 experienced players, the Yellow Jackets still enter the 2024 football season ranked No. 1 in Class 4A DI by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine. To put that into perspective, the remainder of District 4-4A DI (Brownwood, Lampasas, Burnet and Marble Falls) must replace an average of 16 lettermen this year — only half of that lost by the Yellow Jackets.
EVAN REN: Lions knocking on the door of something special. But can BHS make it happen?
BROWNWOOD — Defining a special football accomplishment can depend on what sideline your standing on. By that I mean all things are relative when it comes to stirring the blood of a Texas high school football fan.
A .500 season at La Mesa, for example, will win you the key to the city at a place that hasn’t seen a record like that in 23 years. But good luck winning any popularity contests if you follow Denney Faith at Albany with a 5-5.
That’s the problem with weighing accomplishments when speaking of programs with a storied past. Programs such as Brownwood, which has reached the state championship pinnacle seven times has a different viewpoint on what’s “special.”
2024 BROWNWOOD FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Young Lions could be surprisingly good
BROWNWOOD — With the loss of talented quarterback Ike Hall (Tarleton State), all-Big Country Preps kicker Junior Martinez and offensive lineman Quinton McCarty (Navarro College) among 21 graduated lettermen, one may be expecting a rebuilding phase in Brownwood.
Not just yet.
The Lions, you see, still have 19 lettermen returning from last year’s 12-2 team and several promotees up from a 10-0 JV team. So the mindset at Brownwood is more to reload, rather than rebuild.
“It speaks well of our coaching staff,” coach Sammy Burnett said. “They’re high school coaches, but they coach all levels. … So our kids no how to work hard, they expect to be successful and they’re just thirsting for the opportunity to play on Friday night.
“It’s a big deal in Brownwood, Texas and we’ve got a lot of kids ready to do that.”
BIG SPRING FEATURE: Young Steers defense will lean on talented junior Gomez in 2024
Marked by youth on both sides of the football, the Big Spring Steers won’t return much production in 2024. Junior linebacker RJ Gomez is the exception.
Seeing time at both inside linebacker to defensive end a year ago, Gomez broke out as a sophomore, emerging as a true playmaker for the Big Spring defense.
Now making the move back to middle linebacker in the Steers’ new 3-3 stack alignment, the junior will need to be a leader on and off the field if coach Cannon McWilliams’ young squad hopes to accomplish its goals this fall.
2024 BIG SPRING FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Young Steers taking a positive approach despite lack of experience
On paper, it might appear that the Big Spring football team is in for a rebuilding year in 2024. The Steers return just four starters on both sides of the football and must replace almost all of their offensive production from last year’s 2-9 team.
But despite those factors and the challenges they would seem to present, coach Cannon McWilliams enters his sixth season as the BSHS head coach excited about the season ahead.
What the Steers lack in experience, he said, they make up for with a desire to compete and grow. And with so many spots up for grabs and players eager to seize them, McWilliams is choosing to view this as a season of opportunity for a still-building program.
GLEN ROSE FEATURE: Glen Rose quarterback hopes to emerge further ahead then where he left off in 2023
Action photos provided by Jay Hinton Photography
GLEN ROSE — In 2023, Glen Rose quarterback Canyon Evans pieced together an eye-popping season, hitting 305 of 485 passes for 4,577 yards and 49 touchdowns.
In the process, he helped the Tigers to a 10-5 record (after a 1-4 start), a District 4-4A DII championship, a Region I-4A DII title and a trip to the state semifinals.
He did, however, have a few things to work on — namely a season interception count of 21 and a notable lack of footspeed that limited the Tigers’ options.
None of this was lost on Evans, a 17-year-old senior who has spent a considerable amount of offseason time working on both issues. And in the view of the Glen Rose staff, he’s nearly got both of them conquered.
“I’m a pocket passer at heart and that’s what I love to do,” Evans said. “But if I can run — and I worked on it during the offseason — maybe we can incorporate that into the game.”
2024 GLEN ROSE FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Tigers loaded in 2024
GLEN ROSE — After pushing all the way to the Class 4A DII state semifinals for two straight years, the Glen Rose Tigers and coach Cliff Watkins have set a high standard for themselves.
The good news for the Tigers is that they may have the weapons to meet, or even surpass their recent efforts, which has seen their seasons ended by eventual state champions (Carthage and Gilmer) in back-to-back state semis.
Can they get there in 2024? The numbers would suggest a solid opportunity, with nine offensive and six defensive starters back among 27 lettermen.
MINERAL WELLS FEATURE: Senior QB Gadd a willing leader for Mineral Wells
As a first-year varsity starter in a brand new offense last season, Mineral Wells quarterback Owen Gadd experienced a learning curve and went through some growing pains. But he showed enough as a junior to emerge as the undisputed leader of the Rams offense.
Now a grizzled vet with a full year of starts and a successful 7-on-7 season under his belt, the senior signal caller is ready to lead MWHS back to the playoffs in 2024.
Gadd, one of just four returning starters for the Mineral Wells offense, will have to guide a young group along if he hopes to achieve that. But second year Rams coach Chad Worrell said no player is more suited for that task.
2024 MINERAL WELLS FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Rams aim to take step forward in Worrell’s second year
In 2023, a late arrival to Mineral Wells had coach Cody Worrell and the new members of his staff scrambling to get a group of players they weren’t particularly familiar with moving in the same direction.
The result was a promising but ultimately losing campaign that saw the Rams finish 4-6 and miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
This year, with a full offseason under their belt and a better understanding of both the schemes and expectations within the program, the Mineral Wells coaches and players are hoping for a more successful run in Worrell’s second season.
GRAHAM FEATURE: QB Thompson, RB Monsey ready to lead explosive Steers offense
When you look across the state, few schools can boast the experience the Graham Steers will return in 2024. That’s especially true in the backfield, where quarterback Ty Thompson and running back Rylan Monsey have been frustrating defenses for years.
Thompson, in his fourth year as the Steers’ starting signal caller, and Monsey, a three-year starter at tailback, have been stalwarts for a Graham program that will feature 26 seniors this fall.
And coming off a 10-2 season in which they averaged almost 47 points per game, the Steers will be leaning on that duo to achieve some pretty lofty goals this season.
2024 GRAHAM FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Senior-loaded Steers have ‘sky-high’ expectations
Longtime Graham defensive coordinator Clay McChristian couldn’t have asked for a better time to take over as the Steers’ head football coach.
His first year in that role, which came open when Kenny Davidson retired over the offseason as the winningest coach in Graham history, will see him lead one of Class 4A’s most experienced teams off a 10-win campaign in 2023.
With 26 seniors on his 39-player roster and call-ups from a 10-0 junior varsity team providing depth around them, the Steers are positioned as well as anyone in the Big Country Preps coverage area to make a deep playoff run this fall. And McChristian, who has been part of the GHS program since 2009, isn’t shying away from the expectations that accompany that reality.
BROCK FEATURE: Eagles excited about jump to Class 4A
BROCK — Since beginning their football program in 2012, the Brock Eagles have posted a 138-24 overall record. This includes a 41-9 mark in the playoffs, a Class 3A DI state title in 2015, and 3A DI state title game appearances in 2017, 2021 and 2022.
The numbers don’t end there.
The Eagles are currently on a 10-year streak of double-digit wins, during which time they’ve taken eight district championships. Their lowest season victory total in that span: 11.
So needless to say, when word came down on Snapshot Day back in October that Brock had turned in an enrollment figure of 629 to push the Eagles up to Class 4A DII, nobody in 3A shed a tear. On the contrary, those in 3A DI who had been on the receiving end of one loss to Brock after another, were about to get some welcomed relief.