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Month: August 2025
PHOTO GALLERY: May-Whiteface football (37 images)
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PHOTO GALLERY: Bryson-Garden City football (50 images)
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PHOTO GALLERY: Knox City-Cherokee football (55 images)
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DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 1 REPORT: Abilene High, Tascosa and Amarillo High triumphant in openers
Abilene High 42, San Angelo Central 14 — Brayden Henry ran for 176 yards and two touchdowns while also adding a punt return score for the Eagles in a season-opening blowout of the Bobcats.
Ethan Joyner also ran for 75 yards and a TD for AHS, which used a 65-yard fumble return score by Jayden Starks to erase an early 7-0 deficit before scoring 28 unanswered points over the middle two quarters.
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Wichita Falls school join Wylie, Cooper in win column
Wylie 25, Brownwood 0 — Julius Laine ran for 126 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, and the Bulldogs defense played 48 minutes of excellent football in a shutout win over the Lions.
Wylie held Brownwood to just 72 yards of total offense and forced a pair of turnovers to help the Bulldogs offense take an 11-0 lead into halftime and expand it after the break.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS NOTEBOOK: My five biggest surprises in Week 1
Surprises are an important part of football, and the intrigue they provide is the biggest source of interest the game has. Admit it, if you picked 100 percent every week and never got to use the word “upset,” how fun would it all be?
Well, true to form, the Big Country Preps coverage area supplied us with our share of head-turners in Week 1 — several, in fact, that point to an even more interesting season than some of us anticipated.
There were upsets, dazzling comebacks, stunning blowouts and an assortment of other unexpecteds.
Let’s take a quick look at the five Week 1 games that surprised me the most.
Continue reading “BIG COUNTRY PREPS NOTEBOOK: My five biggest surprises in Week 1”
JAYTON GRIDIRON CLASSIC: No. 4 May upsets No. 2 Whiteface for Brown’s first career win
JAYTON — The Jayton Gridiron Classic lived up to the hype this year with nine games over three days — including five on Saturday at Jaybird Stadium — as it culminated with a showdown between two of the top teams in the Class 1A Division I.
No. 2 Whiteface and fourth-ranked May, who could potentially meet in Arlington in December in a state championship game, closed it out with the Tigers posting a dominant 64-46 win over the Antelopes, the defending state runner-up, in Jacob Brown’s debut as a head coach.
Brown, a 2018 graduate of May, was quick to credit the 10 seniors on his roster for making his job easy.
DISTRICT 8-2A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Santo opens season with blowout win over Electra
Santo 30, Electra 6 — Led by Luke Sides, who recorded 10 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss, the Wildcats defense limited the Tigers to a single fourth-quarter touchdown in a blowout win.
The Santo offense, meanwhile, piled up 267 of its 283 total yards on the ground to extend a 17-0 halftime deficit to 24 points before Electra finally got on the board.
DISTRICT 6-2A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Haskell, Munday cruise to comfortable victories
Haskell 50, Cross Plains 13 — Haegen Pinkerton passed for 195 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 112 yards and another score to lead the Indians to a comfortable win over the Buffaloes.
Behind the dual-threat quarterback, Haskell built a 50-0 lead in the second half, before Cross Plains finally got on the board with a couple of late touchdowns.
DISCTRICT 14-2A DIV. I REPORT: Armadillos open with two-score win over Grape Creek
San Saba 27, Grape Creek 12 — Luke Tharp rushed for 142 yards and two scores and Jason Everett added 74 yards rushing and another touchdown to lead the Armadillos to a win in their season opener.
San Saba finished with 323 yards in total offense.
DISTRICT 10-2A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Junction topples Goldthwaite in opener
Junction 40, Goldthwaite 16 — Trailing 16-13 with five minutes left in the third quarter, Junction blew this game open with 27 unanswered points over the last 17 minutes of play.
Goldthwaite will play host to Center Point next Friday night. Junction will travel to San Saba (1-0) on the same evening.
DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 1 REPORT: Colorado City comes up one play short against Seymour
Seymour 33, Colorado City 27 — Ace Mejia ran for 155 yards and three touchdowns and added another TD through the air, but it wasn’t quite enough to lift the Wolves to a come-from-behind win over the Panthers.
C-City fell behind 13-0 in the second quarter before rallying to tie the game at halftime. Seymour then responded with a safety and a pair of touchdowns to pull ahead 27-13, before the Wolves rallied again to knot the score at 27-all.
DISTRICT 4-4A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Tigers fall to Grandview on the road
Grandview 28, Glen Rose14 — Though the Tigers were favored by two scores, this early season loss wasn’t entirely unexpected for a very young team on the road in its season opener.
With the score knotted at 14-14 at the break, Grandview took control of the game with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns and never looked back.
Glen Rose will face Gatesville at home next Friday.
DISTRICT 5-2A DIV. I WEEK 1 REPORT: Coleman, De Leon cruise to season-opening wins
Coleman 29, Eastland 0 — The Bluecats limited the Mavericks to just 136 yards of total offense (all rushing) in a season-opening shutout.
Coleman, meanwhile, piled up 353 yards, getting 188 yards and two touchdowns passing from Hunter Edington, 100 yards and two TDs receiving from Jayden Smith and rushing scores from Brayden Torres (8-57 rushing) and Braylon Stewart (2-62 rushing, 5-24 receiving).
DISTRICT 4-2A DIV. I REPORT: Tigers open with big win over Hamlin
Anson 49, Hamlin 6 — The Tigers rolled up 431 yards in total offense, including 377 yards through the air to hand Hamlin a lopsided loss.
Grayson Feagan was the top gun for Anson, throwing for 349 yards and five scores. Alexander Lozano and Malachi St. John were his top targets. Lozano finished with three catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns while St. John had nine catches for 99 yards and two more scores.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Early, Brady open season with wins
Early 35, Bangs 18 — Caden Wilson passed for 236 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 84 yards and two more TDs to lead the Longhorns to a three-score win over the Dragons.
Brandon Walker added 88 yards and a touchdown rushing and Andrew Reedy had 91 yards and a TD receiving for Early, which outscored Bangs 26-12 in the second half to pull away.
DISTRICT 4-3A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Merkel opens with surprising win at Ballinger
Merkel 38, Ballinger 26 — Sophomore standout Easton Malone threw for 319 yards and four scores as Merkel stunned Ballinger on the road to snap a 10-game losing streak.
Malone, who also rushed for 26 yards and another score, hit six different receivers, including six passes to Kaden Blubaugh for 190 yards and four scores.
Merkel’s last win came on Nov. 3 of 2023 in a season finale at home against Millsap (41-20).
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Brock, Graham, Mineral Wells all victorious in openers
Brock 52, Decatur 31 — Bryer McDonald and Dash Lindsey both topped 120 yards rushing and Holt Frazier passed for 194 yards and four scores to fuel BHS to a three-touchdown win over Decatur.
Colt Matlock was Frazier’s favorite target in the passing game, hauling in eight passes for 140 yards and three TDs, while Braeden Ray also had a receiving score.
DISTRICT 1-4A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Snyder drops overtime thriller to Pecos
Pecos 36, Snyder 28 (2OT) — Seth Cooper passed for 311 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Tigers, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Eagles in a double-overtime thriller.
Pecos, which did most of its damage on the ground, outrushed Snyder 346-9, getting 128 yards and a touchdown from Jaivien Martinez and 91 yards and a score from Omar Salgado Jr.
DISTRICT 3-3A DIV. I WEEK 1 REPORT: Jim Ned stuns Estacado by three scores
Jim Ned 42, Lubbock Estacado 21 — Cash Gwinn was 8-of-15 through the air for 187 yards and three scores and Aiden Ellis rushed for 113 yards and another TD to lift Jim Ned to an impressive win over Lubbock Estacado.
With the score knotted at 21-21 at the break, the Indians took command with three unanswered scores in the second half.
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. I WEEK 1 REPORT: Big Spring rallies but comes up short against Riverside
El Paso Riverside 24, Big Spring 20 — After having a bus issue on the way to El Paso and being forced to wait through a mid-game lightning delay once there, the Steers came up just short in a thrilling comeback bid against the Rangers.
Riverside scored the game’s first 24 points, getting a passing touchdown and a pair of rushing scores from quarterback Carlos Rojas before the midway point of the second quarter. But Big Spring shut the Rangers out for the final 29 minutes, 17 seconds, allowing the Steers offense to fight its way back into the game.
DISTRICT 7-2A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Lions top Stamford behind Billington
Albany 21, Stamford 7 — Breylon Billington rushed for 119 yards and two scores on 19 carries to lift Albany to a win over Stamford in a tough, defensive battle on Friday.
Lyle Wheeler led the Lions through the air with 101 yards passing and one score.
DISTRICT 4-4A DIV. I REPORT: Yellow Jackets dominate Heritage behind great defensive effort
Stephenville 28, Midlothian Heritage 7 — Trot Jordan threw for 212 yards and three scores and the Stephenville defense limited Heritage to 251 yards in total offense to lift the Yellow Jackets to a win in their season opener.
Zyler McClendon led SHS on the ground with 78 yards and one TD on 20 carries. Caden Monk was the most popular target for Jordan, hauling in four catches for 140 yards and another TD.
GAME REPORT: Cooper runs through, by Azle for 49-25 win in opener
AZLE — The Cooper football team got off to a running start Friday … literally.
The Cougars piled up 316 yards on the ground, averaging 6.7 yards per rush attempt, and never trailed in a thorough 49-25 win over Azle.
After opening the scoring with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter, CHS extended a 22-7 halftime lead to three scores by the 10:39 mark of the third and held on from there to secure its first season-opening win since 2020.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Wall crushes Mason in lightning-delayed season opener
WALL — While Mother Nature wasn’t cooperative for the Wall Hawks before their season-opener with Mason on Friday, a lightning delay of more than an hour didn’t appear to hurt WHS’ efficiency.
The Hawks rolled up 409 yards in total offense while limiting the Punchers to only 208 in a 48-7 rout at Hawk Stadium in the Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
Landon York threw for 168 yards and three scores while four different Hawk running backs found the end zone to highlight the Wall offensive effort.
“A great win,” Wall coach Craig Slaughter said. “We got out of it healthy, it’s a great start, the snowball is rolling and let’s get ready for next week against the Brownwood Lions.”
GAME STORY: Wylie defense dominant in season-opening shutout of Brownwood
The Wylie defense opened 2025 in midseason form Friday, limiting the Brownwood to just 72 yards of total offense in a resounding 25-0 victory at Hugh Sandifer Stadium.
Taking advantage of a Lions offense breaking in a new I-formation-based scheme under first-year coach Jeryl Brixey, the Bulldogs recorded five sacks and 10 tackles for loss while forcing a pair of turnovers in the shutout.
The Wylie offense, meanwhile, did just enough against a game BHS defense to keep the Lions at arm’s length throughout the night, scoring a touchdown in each of the final two quarters to put the game away after taking an 11-0 lead into halftime.
GAME STORY: Henry leaves his mark as AHS opens season with big win over San Angelo Central
After seeing his junior year end with a torn ACL last October, Abilene High quarterback Brayden Henry returned to the field on Friday night at Shotwell Stadium and led the No. 9-ranked Eagles to a 42-21 win over San Angelo Central in the season opener for both squads.
Henry ran for a pair of touchdowns and added the go-ahead score with a second quarter-punt return for a touchdown as he accounted for 283 total yards in the win.
The senior was excited to be back on the field and having the ability to play a pivotal role in the win.
SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: ACS-Jonesboro, May-Whiteface headline season-opening slate
It’s hard to believe, but the 2025 high school football season is officially upon us.
In fact, for a number of our area six-man programs — including defending state champs Gordon (Division I) and Jayton (Division II) — it has already begun.
But even after a hefty Thursday slate, the scores from which can be found on our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page, there’s plenty of six-man football still to look forward to this week.
As we did last year, we’re going to break down the biggest area matchups weekly in this column. So let’s go ahead and dive in with the biggest games of Week 1.
Continue reading “SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: ACS-Jonesboro, May-Whiteface headline season-opening slate”
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 evening.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Wall plays host to Mason in BCP Game of the Week
LAST WEEK: 0-0, .000
SEASON TOTAL: 0-0, .000
I can scarcely believe it, but it’s that time again — time to begin taking a weekly look at high school football games in our area, making my choice for BCP Game of the Week and doing my level best to pick the winners.
Last year (after a dreadful start), this column hit with more than an 80 percent accuracy for the season. But I’d rather not be forced to overcome the early handicap again.
Enough small talk.
Let’s dive into the 2025 season, shall we?
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 2025.
We hope you enjoy this list and that you’ve enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kick off a new season.
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 today, we move now to the area’s top backs, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch in 2025. 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 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 2025.
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 2025.
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 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 2025 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:
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 2025.
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 2025.
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.
PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Wylie football scrimmage (32 images)
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PHOTO GALLERY: Hawley-Winters football scrimmage (56 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Hawley-Winters football scrimmage (56 images)”
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 2025.
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.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Linemen”
2025 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!
EVAN REN: Top games worth traveling for during the 2025 football season
Got the truck started yet?
Ready to jump on one of those farm-to-market roads to watch high school football into the late hours on a Friday night?
You’re not alone.
And, as tradition would have it, I tip my cap to those of you who will be hitting the trails each week in search of pigskin. My method: a preseason menu of sorts.
Each week for the next 11 weeks, Big Country Preps will be searching for its Game of the Week, and we’re already looking ahead. We now present our preliminary list of Big Country Games worth traveling for, but keep in mind: the following list is subject to change as surprises and disappointments emerge.
And as we all know … surprises and disappointments always emerge.
So, without further delay, here is our list of Big Country games worth traveling for in 2025.
I’ll see you on the road.
ABILENE HIGH FEATURE: Undersized LB Shaw brings heart, playmaking ability to Eagles ‘D’
Over the years, it has not been uncommon for the Abilene High defensive staff to turn undersized players with big hearts and high motors into outstanding linebackers or safeties.
Few players in AHS history have fit that profile better than senior outside linebacker Trae Shaw.
Standing just 5-foot-8 and weighing in at 165 pounds, Shaw isn’t your prototypical linebacker by any stretch of the imagination. But he fits the overachieving Eagle prototype to a T, and coach Mike Fullen, who was a longtime defensive coordinator before taking over the program in 2019, has no problem whatsoever working with players like that.
2025 ABILENE HIGH FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Experienced Eagles poised for another successful season
Last year, Abilene High overcame the growing pains of a youthful defense to go 8-4 and claim a shared championship in District 2-5A Division I.
This season, with that defense mostly intact and many of the offensive weapons that helped them average 47.8 points per game a year ago, the Eagles are hoping to put an even stronger product on the field.
AHS coach Mike Fullen, who has led his team to the playoffs each of the past five years, including district title runs the last two, isn’t getting real specific in his projections for this team. But the team’s general goals and expectations are proof enough of the confidence the Eagles take into the year.
WYLIE FEATURE: RB Laine looking to pick up where he left off after season-ending knee injury
A year ago, Julius Laine was well on his way to his first 1,000-yard rushing season when a non-contact injury to his right knee ended his junior year prematurely.
It was a devastating blow for the 6-foot-1, 225-pound running back, marking his second ACL tear in a four-year span.
But if you were expecting the now-Wylie senior to be bitter about his poor injury luck — or to dwell on the negative all — you would be wrong. Laine’s focus is forward, not back, and with his knee fully healed, he has every intention of making his fourth varsity season his best to date.