Month: November 2024

by Daniel Youngblood

SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Teams set to make final playoff push as regular season nears its end

As hard as it is to believe, given that it seems like we were just previewing the 2024 campaign a couple of weeks ago, we’ve reached the final week of the regular season. 

And while some district races have been settled, there’s still much to be decided with the start of the playoffs looming.

With that being the case, it’s time to take a look at some of the area’s top six-man matchups for Week 11. We hope you enjoy this look at the Big Country slate, and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for standings, schedules and results.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 11)

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 11)” →

by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Stamford, Hawley clash in rematch of last season’s thriller

LAST WEEK: 45-8, .849
SEASON TOTAL: 464-122, .791

The regular season ends Friday night (if you can believe it) and there’s no better way to close things up than with No. 5 Class 2A DI Hawley (9-0, 4-0) at No. 1 Stamford (9-0, 4-0). 

The winner will earn the District 4 championship and No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs, so much is at stake.

I’m leaning toward Stamford here for three reasons: First, the overall team speed of SHS is unmatched by anyone in the area.

Secondly, the Bulldogs have an intangible working here — specifically a last-second miracle touchdown scored by Hawley’s

Camden Ables from 45 yards out with 0:47 left in last year’s game.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Hawley tested by Bangs before prevailing in five sets

TUSCOLA — It wasn’t easy or pretty for the Hawley volleyball team on Tuesday night at Bill Thornton Arena in the Lady Bearcats’ Region I-2A Division I matchup with Bangs in the bi-district round of the postseason.

The Lady Cats took the first two sets (25-17, 25-15) before Bangs stormed back, taking the next two (25-21, 25-23) to set up a winner-take-all race to 15.

Hawley jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the final set before closing out the match with a 15-8 win to advance to the area round to face the winner of the Nocona-Seymour match.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Stephenville Honeybees handle Big Spring to open volleyball playoffs

TUSCOLA — The Stephenville Honeybees rolled to a 25-7, 25-6, 25-15 win over Big Spring to open the Region I-4A Division I volleyball playoffs on Tuesday night at Bill Thornton Arena.

Stephenville barely broke a sweat in a match that lasted less than an hour while setting the stage for an area-round matchup on Thursday night with Springtown.

Honeybee coach Shay Douglas was excited about how her team played on Tuesday.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIX-MAN REWIND: Week 10 heavy on intrigue as upsets shake up several district races

Week 10 proved to be every bit as enlightening — and thrilling — as expected as several of the most high profile games weren’t decided until the final minutes. And a couple of key upsets shook up some district races that looked settled previously.

If you’re a fan of Big Country six-man football, last week likely served as a reminder why that’s the case. 

As we do every Monday night, it’s time to take a look back at the week that was. We hope you enjoy this “rewind” and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for standings, schedules and results.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: San Saba’s Tharp takes this week’s accolade

It’s not a requirement for one to be on the winning team to become eligible for our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. 

It helps, but it’s not set in stone, by any means. 

Case in point: San Saba quarterback Luke Tharp, who produced big-time numbers in a 44-41 loss to Holland last week. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 10 REPORT: Monterey knocks off Abilene High; Tascosa, Amarillo High cruise

Photo by Mark Rogers, HubCityPreps.com

Lubbock Monterey 31, Abilene High 17 — Luke Arrington passed for 203 yards and two touchdowns, and Kyree Baxter ran for 158 yards and two scores to fuel the Plainsmen to a big district win over the Eagles.

Cam Taylor added 86 yards and a TD receiving for Monterey (5-4, 4-1), which closed the game on a 24-7 scoring run to all but lock up the No. 1 playoff seed for this district.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Wylie clinches title with win over LCP; Palo Duro keeps playoff hopes alive

Wylie 22, Lubbock Cooper 6 — Thanks to a stellar defensive performance, the Bulldogs never trailed on Senior Night, holding the Pirates offense to 276 yards of total offense and a pair of first-half field goals in a workmanlike win.

Julius Laine ran for a game-high 54 yards and a touchdown before being injured early in the third quarter, and Bear Meng passed for 124 yards and a TD pass to Gage Heighten (3-30 receiving) to lift the Bulldogs to the victory. Jaegan Smith also had a scoring run as Wylie (7-1, 5-0) clinched the district title.

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by Daniel Youngblood

WEEK 11 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 11:

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 8-2A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Foster fuels Lindsay past Santo; Muenster outlasts Collinsville

rioLindsay 49, Santo 14 — Lane Foster ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more to lead the Knights to a lopsided in over the Wildcats in a key game for SHS’ playoff hopes.

In addition to Foster’s contributions, Lindsay (6-3, 2-2) got two touchdown runs from Mason Myers and two TD receptions from Joe Manhart in outgaining Santo 496-174.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 6-2A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Seymour ends Munday’s season with loss; Windthorst, Archer City earn wins

Seymour 38, Munday 20 — Brayden Loyd passed for 438 yards and two touchdowns to lead a 639-yard effort for the Panthers in a comfortable win over the Moguls.

Jaxon Carrington (17-101, 1 TD) and Colton McGough (5-67, 2 TDs) both had productive rushing games, while Brason Zeissel (6-133, 1 TD), McGough (4-103, 1 TD), Layton McAdams (5-89) and Avery Parrish (3-87) all had big days receiving the ball for Seymour, which improved to 3-6 overall and 2-3 in league action with the win.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 10 REPORT: Ozona too much for Forsan; Reagan County rolls past C-City

Ozona 50, Forsan 28 — The Lions outscored the Buffaloes 36-8 over the middle two quarters to rally from an early deficit and pull away for a lopsided win.

Forsan gained 477 yards, getting 257 yards and two touchdowns passing Coy Evans and 221 yards and two TDs receiving from Hayden Bowlin, but it wasn’t enough in falling to 2-7 overall and 2-2 in district play. Huston Stockton also had a solid game for the Buffs, rushing for 93 yards and two scores in the loss.

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 14-2A DIV. I WEEK 10 REPORT: Playoff picture still unclear

Holland 44, San Saba 41 — Holland (7-2, 3-1) earned the tiebreaker with San Saba (6-3, 3-1) for the second seed with this important win. 

The Hornets can clinch the No. 2 seed with a win at Thorndale next week, if San Saba falls to Mason.

The Armadillos, who had a three-game winning streak snapped, will face the league-leading Punchers next week. 

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 10-2A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Goldthwaite, Mart, Bremond, Wortham all victorious

Goldthwaite 49, Meridian 0 — The Eagles buried Meridian (1-8, 1-5) to remain in contention for the No. 3 seed. 

Luke Sanderson rushed for 136 yards and two scores and caught five passes for 89 yards and two more TDs to lead the Eagles. 

A win over district-leading Mart (8-1, 6-0) would clinch the third seed next week. 

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 4-4A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Godley, Dunbar and Glen Rose notch victories

Godley 65, Venus 0 — The Wildcats rushed for 241 yards as a team to beat Venus. 

Shawn Kazouh led the way with 109 yards and two scores on six carries. Christian Escobedo added 97 yards on eight carries and another score. 

Godley improved to 5-4 overall and 2-2 in league play. 

Venus fell to 0-9 and 0-4.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Tolar too strong for Brady; Eastland outlasts early in four OTs

Tolar 42, Brady 21 — Peyton Brown ran for 228 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries to lift the Rattlers to a comfortable win over the Bulldogs in a battle of the final two unbeaten teams in this league.

Tolar (8-1, 4-0), which also got 112 yards and three TDs passing from Briton Rice and two TD receptions from Noah Yanish, scored 21 points in the first quarter and 14 in the second to take a 35-14 lead into halftime.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Mineral Wells takes care of Eagle Mountain; Burkburnett downs Bridgeport

Mineral Wells 26, Saginaw Eagle Mountain 13 — Owen Gadd passed for 101 yards and a touchdown, and Kayden Montalvo ran for 102 yards and a score to lead the Rams to a two-touchdown win over the Knights.

Mineral Wells (6-3, 2-2), which also got 70 yards receiving and a touchdown from Preztynn Harrison, outgained Eagle Mountain 369-147, taking a 23-7 lead by halftime.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 5-2A DIV. I WEEK 10 REPORT: Coleman takes down Ballinger; De Leon, Hamilton stay perfect

Coleman 14, Ballinger 7 — Hunter Edington passed for one touchdown and ran for another, while Blaine Bouldin amassed 134 yards on the ground to lift the Bluecats to a defensive win over the Bearcats.

Coleman (2-7, 2-2), which also got 56 yards and a TD receiving from Kelan Sikes, outgained Ballinger 224-129, getting Edington’s TD run in the fourth quarter to increase an 8-7 halftime lead to seven points.

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 3-3A DIV. I WEEK 10 REPORT: Jim Ned, Sweetwater, Comanche win in Week 10

Jim Ned 45, Clyde 6 — Aiden Ellis rushed for 159 yards and three scores and Gray Beasley threw for 123 yards and two more TDs to lead the Indians to an important district win. 

Jim Ned (6-3, 3-1) remains in district title contention with the win and could potentially win the crown with a win at Sweetwater next week, depending on the results of the Clyde-Comanche game.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 1-4A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Greenwood rallies past Seminole to clinch league title

Midland Greenwood 28, Seminole 24 — Lincoln Madrid ran for 234 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 123 yards and another score to help the Rangers rally from a 17-6 halftime deficit to edge the Indians and claim the top spot in the district standings.

Behind Madrid, Greenwood (8-1, 3-0) ran for 310 yards as a team, taking a 21-17 lead into the fourth quarter and answering a Seminole touchdown in that period with the game-winning score with 8:09 to play.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. I WEEK 10 REPORT: Big Spring tops Lake View; Andrews runs over Pecos

Big Spring 28, San Angelo Lake View 21 — AJ Yanez passed for two touchdowns and ran for another, and Xander Garcia added 141 yards and a score on the ground to lead the Steers to a hard-fought win over the Chiefs.

Big Spring (4-5, 1-1), which rallied from an early 7-0 hole to take a 14-7 lead into a halftime and a 28-14 lead into the fourth quarter, ran for 258 of its 304 yards, while limiting Lake View to just 255 yards of total offense.

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 4-2A DIV. I WEEK 10 REPORT: Anson, Stamford, Hawley all dominate

Anson 59, Cisco 14 — Corey Layne threw for 249 yards and five scores and rushed for 86 yards and two more scores to lead Anson to a huge win over Cisco. 

The Tigers (6-3, 2-2) raced out to a 38-0 lead by halftime and never looked back, outgaining Cisco 493-186 to lock up the No. 3 seed.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie shuts down Lubbock Cooper, clinches district title with 22-6 win

Two weeks ago, the Wylie football team put itself in position to a win the District 2-5A Division II championship with a shootout win at Wichita Falls Memorial.

On Friday, the Bulldogs turned to their defense to finish the job against Lubbock Cooper.

Hosting a Pirates squad that came in averaging just over 40 points per game, Wylie held the visitors to 276 yards and a pair of first-half field goals on its way to a 22-6 win that served as a near perfect backdrop for the Bulldogs’ Senior Night celebration at Hugh Sandifer Stadium.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

SIDEBAR: Coaches and others look back on the end of an era for Stephenville

As the 2024 version of the Stephenville football team finished off its home slate with a 44-0 win over longtime rival Brownwood on Friday night, it also marked the end of an era.

It was the last time that the Yellow Jackets will play a home game at Tarleton State University’s Memorial Stadium.

The fact that it was a game against their bitter rival closing out the run was not lost on many.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Albany captures district title with big win at Roscoe

ROSCOE — Great defense, big plays and a handful of Roscoe mistakes were the story line in a 38-7 Albany win over the Plowboys on Friday.

Branson Beal rushed for 130 yards, had 118 yards receiving and accounted for four touchdowns to lead the Lions (7-2, 4-0), who clinched their fifth straight district championship with the win. 

Following a highly competitive first quarter that saw the score deadlocked at 7-7, the Lions reeled off 31 unanswered points to turn the District 7-2A DII title game into a rout. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Stephenville claims Highway 377 supremacy with shutout of Brownwood

STEPHENVILLE — In the first half of Friday’s District 4-4A Division I matchup, Brownwood held rival Stephenville to just 96 yards of total offense even though the Yellow Jackets held a 13-0 lead at the break.

The good feelings on the Brownwood sideline didn’t last very long after that.

No. 4 Stephenville ended its run at Tarleton State’s Memorial Stadium with a 44-0 win to clinch at least a share of the district championship, earning a bi-district playoff matchup with San Angelo Lake View in the process.

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Graham routs Brock in our weekly spotlight game

GRAHAM — Graham was dominant in the Big Country Preps Game of the Week from beginning to end.

From the time they drove the field on their first possession until Ozzy Trejo drilled a 50-yard field goal in the waning minutes, the fifth-ranked Steers left no doubt who the better team was in a 38-0 dismantling of No. 2 Brock.

The rout clinched the district title for Graham, which extended its scoreless streak to 22 quarters. Meanwhile, it was the Eagles’ worst loss in their brief 13-year history.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Glen Rose races past previously unbeaten Benbrook for ninth consecutive district title

FORT WORTH — Canyon Evans completed his first 10 passes, threw for four touchdowns and accumulated 259 passing yards to lead Glen Rose to a resounding 52-14 win over previously unbeaten Benbrook on Friday night in a battle matching the District 4-4A Division II leaders at Herman Clark Stadium.

Evans struck early (on the game’s second play) and often, and the question of “who will win this touted matchup?” quickly transformed into “by how many points will the Tigers prevail?”

The answer, 38, represented an exclamation point, not only for the game, but for the district championship, as Glen Rose secured its eighth straight title and ran its record to 7-2 overall and 4-0 in district. With one game left, the Tigers can’t be supplanted as league champ and will represent 4-4A Division II as the top seed. Benbrook is now 8-1 and 3-1.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Abilene High drops regular-season finale at Lubbock Monterey

Photos by Mark Rogers, HubCityPreps.com

LUBBOCK — The Abilene High football team couldn’t close out a perfect run through District 2-5A Division I on Thursday, capping its regular season with a 31-17 loss to Lubbock Monterey on Halloween night at Lowrey Field.

The Eagles, who came in averaging 50.9 points per game, were limited to just a single touchdown after halftime, allowing the surging Plainsmen to pull away for their fourth consecutive win.

Thursday’s outcome created a three-way tie in the loss column for the district lead between Abilene High (7-3, 5-1), Monterey (5-4, 4-1) and Amarillo High (4-3, 3-1) and will likely leave the district co-champion Eagles with the No. 2 seed when the playoffs start in two weeks.

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