Month: November 2025

SIGNING DAY: Wylie trio, Abilene High pair make their college decisions official at local ceremonies

Five local athletes put pen to paper at local Signing Day ceremonies on Wednesday, making their college decisions official in front of friends, family and the coaches who helped make their special day possible.

At Wylie, baseball players Colby Garrett and Hudson Tuley signed with Ranger College and McLennan Community College, respectively, while softball player Olivia Volz signed to continue her athletic and academic career at Cisco College.

And over at Abilene High, softball pitcher Avah Reyes gave her signature to Odessa College, while soccer player Rheauna De La Garza signed to play at Seminole State College in Seminole, Okla.

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Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Position Rankings: Guards

With boys basketball season set to begin later this week, it’s time to shine a spotlight on some of the players you’ll be reading about throughout the 2025-26 season.

For the first installment in a three-part series that will cover all positions on the area boys basketball scene, we’ll be taking a look at the Big Country’s top guards, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch this winter.

We hope you enjoy reading through our list.

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SIX-MAN REWIND: Final week of regular season delivers thrilling results in slate’s top, most important matchups

Week 11 is in the books and the regular season is officially over. But some of the season’s best six-man drama was saved for last, as we have a number of thrilling games to talk about.

Chief among those was our “Big Country Lookahead” Game of the Week, which saw Hermleigh edge Westbrook in District 7-1A Division I action. But that was one of several thrillers that took place in the area.

Without further ado, let’s dive into all of last week’s action in this week’s “Big Country Rewind” column. And make sure you check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page when you’ve finished reading for more information on your favorite team(s).

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BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wylie RB Laine takes honor with monster game in high school finale

Coming off a breakout junior season that ended prematurely due to a torn ACL late in district play, Wylie running back Julius wasn’t having the type of senior season he had hoped to going into Friday’s Senior Night game against Plainview.

Running behind a young and often banged-up offensive line, Laine entered that matchup with 668 yards on 135 carries on the year, including a combined 139 yards on the ground in three consecutive losses leading up to the Plainview game.

On Friday, though, the 6-foot-2, 235-pound bruiser finally broke loose and found some open field — a lot of open field — in closing out his high school career with a memorable night worthy of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week honor. By the game’s end, Laine had run for a career-high 300 yards and five touchdowns, including scoring runs of 35, 39 and 49 yards, to lead the Bulldogs to a wild 70-52 victory.

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DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 11 REPORT: Amarillo High sneaks into playoffs after forfeiting six wins; Monterey, LHS earn wins

Photo by Roy Wheeler, PressPassSports.com

Amarillo High 63, Amarillo Tascosa 21 — After having all but one of its wins wiped out for the use of an ineligible player, the Sandies entered Friday needing a win over the Rebels and some help after to earn a spot in the playoffs. Amarillo High got both, routing Tascosa and then winning a three-way coin toss over Amarillo Caprock and Lubbock High for the district’s fourth-playoff spot.

The Sandies (2-8, 2-4) put up 551 yards of offense in the win, getting 368 yards and seven touchdowns passing from Jett Lopez and a huge game running and catching the ball from Jude Dunavin (13-174, 2 TDs rushing; 5-119, 1 TD receiving). Austin Sluder (8-184, 5 TDs) also had a big game catching the ball for AHS.

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DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Wylie routs Plainview to close season, Palo Duro takes top spot over Cooper

Wylie 70, Plainview 52 — Julius Laine ran for 300 yards and five touchdowns as WHS scored on 10 of its 11 possessions in a shootout win over Plainview.

Coach Clay Martin’s Bulldogs (5-5, 3-3), who finished with 615 yards of total offense, forced three consecutive turnovers to start the second half to turn a 31-28 halftime deficit into a 56-31 lead by the start of the fourth quarter. In addition to Laine’s big game, Wylie got big games from quarterback Jadin Karleskint (11-15-0—139, 3 TDs passing; 9-99, 1 TD rushing) and receiver Dylan Regala (5-76, 2 TDs; 1 interception defensively).

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DISTRICT 10-2A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Goldthwaite, Bremond, Wortham and Chilton earn wins in final week of regular season

Goldthwaite 40, Mart 14 — Blake Howard threw for 287 yards and four scores in yet another easy win over Mart for the Eagles. 

Goldthwaite led 19-0 at the break before stretching its lead to 33-6 late in the third quarter. 

Goldthwaite improved to 7-3; Mart fell to 5-5.

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Justin-Hollingsworth

DISTRICT 8-2A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Santo can’t keep pace with Collinsville; Lindsay, Muenster roll

Collinsville 40, Santo 13 — Justin Hollingsworth scored a touchdown late in the first quarter to give the Wildcats an early lead, but the Pirates closed the first half with 34 unanswered points to take control on their way to a comfortable win.

Collinsville had four passing touchdowns and a fumble return score in the second quarter to go to halftime up 34-7 and tacked on another passing TD in the third quarter, before Santo closed out the scoring with another rushing score by Hollingsworth.

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DISTRICT 6-2A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Haskell cruises past Electra; Windthorst takes down Petrolia for title

Haskell 46, Electra 20 — Facing off with Electra with the district’s No. 3 playoff seed on the line, the Indians had little trouble with the Tigers, dominating from the start in a blowout win.

Haskell (6-4, 4-2) stretched an 8-6 first-quarter lead to 32-6 by halftime and coasted from there to the four-touchdown victory.

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Glen Rose 2025

DISTRICT 4-4A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Glen Rose, Godley, Benbrook close regular season with victories

Glen Rose 43, Fort Worth Dunbar 20 — Judd Connally threw  for 195 yards and four scores and rushed for 161 yards and two more TDs as Glen Rose rolled to a 23-point win over Dunbar. 

With the victory, Glen Rose evened its record at 5-5, bookending the regular season with an 0-5 start, a 5-0 finish and a district title. 

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DISTRICT 4-4A DIV. I WEEK 11 REPORT: Stephenville, Brownwood close regular season with wins; Lampasas takes a brief vacation

Stephenville 49, Burnet 0 — Trot Jordan threw for 222 yards and three scores and rushed for 53 yards and another TD as Stephenville improved to 10-0. 

Zyler McClendon was another key contributor, rushing for 120 yards and two scores. 

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DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 11 REPORT: Colorado City upsets Sonora for first win; Forsan blasts Reagan County

Colorado City 42, Sonora 12 — Ace Mejia threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 79 yards and two more scores to lead the Wolves to what may have been the upset of the year over the Broncos.

Gavin Harbour (11-57), Joel Hernandez (3-54, 1 TD) and Mikell Martinez (3-24, 1 TD) also contributed to a 212-yard rushing effort for Colorado City (1-9, 0-5), which got quality receiving days from Jadon Reyna (3-61, 1 TD), Aidan Casares (3-59) and Davin Lara (4-48, 1 TD).

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DISTRICT 5-2A DIV. I WEEK 11 REPORT: Hamilton steals one from De Leon; Bangs, Hico pick up wins

Hamilton 27, De Leon 26 — The Bearcats had the Bulldogs on the ropes in this district championship matchup, leading 26-21 with four minutes remaining and the ball inside the HHS 5-yard line. But a fumble at the 1 ended that threat, and the Bulldogs drove the length of the field to score the winning touchdown with 22 seconds remaining.

De Leon, which got four passing touchdowns from Heston Jobe and a pair of receiving scores from Jake Cooper, took a 12-7 lead into halftime and rallied from a 14-12 deficit to take a 26-14 lead with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. But the Bearcats couldn’t close Hamilton out in falling to 7-3 overall and 4-1 in league play.

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DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Clifton slips past Brady; Early, Tolar earn convincing wins

Clifton 7, Brady 6 — The Cubs finished with just 117 total yards and one touchdown, but it was enough claim a defensive win over the Bulldogs and the district’s No. 2 playoff seed.

Clifton (8-2, 4-1), which held Brady to 166 yards of offense, got a 43-yard touchdown pass from Carter Ritz to Judd New late in the first half and made that hold up thanks to some key defensive plays late in the game.

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DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. I WEEK 11 REPORT: Big Spring claims No. 3 seed with win at Pecos; Andrews edges Lake View

Big Spring 34, Pecos 21 — Marcos Rios threw a pair of touchdown passes, Xander Garza had a TD run and Jacobi Lozano returned a punt 49 yards for a score to lead the Steers to a two-touchdown victory over the Eagles for the district’s No. 3 playoff seed

Sebastian Torres Barrera also put his stamp on the win for Big Spring (5-4, 1-2), nailing a pair of field goals to keep his team playing from ahead for most of the game. After falling behind 7-0 early, the Steers went to halftime up 17-7 and increased that advantage to 24-7 early in the third quarter on a TD pass from Rios to Kaine Valenzuela.

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DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Graham holds off Eagle Mountain for No. 2 seed; Mineral Wells, Brock roll

Graham 20, Saginaw Eagle Mountain 18 — A 213-yard rushing and a big defensive play by Jordan Alexander were enough to fuel the Steers to a thrilling win over the Knights in a matchup for the district’s No. 2 playoff seed.

Jace Gill passed for 110 yards and ran for 108, while Colt Taylor (13-54) and Dylan Cox (7-30) had rushing touchdowns to lead Graham offensively. And Alexander had a pick-six on the other side of the football to help the Steers improve to 7-3 overall and 4-1 in league play.

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DISTRICT 7-2A Div. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Albany, Roscoe, Cross Plains score wins in Week 11


Albany 33, Hamlin 0
Clay Chapman threw for 172 yards, rushed for 72 and accounted for two TDs as Albany clinched the district title. Albany’s defense was nothing short of dominant, holding Hamlin to only 28 yards in total offense.
The Lions improved to 8-0 and 5-0 with the win.  Hamlin fell to 8-2 and 

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DISTRICT 1-4A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Greenwood routs Snyder to cap 10-0 regular season; Seminole cruises

Midland Greenwood 67, Snyder 35 — Lincoln Madrid passed for 166 yards and four touchdowns, and Jackson Audus ran for 105 yards and two scores to help the Rangers complete a perfect regular season with a comfortable win over the Tigers.

Dylan Payton (3-130, 3 TDs receiving; 85 yard kickoff return touchdown) and Nathaniel Romero (6-94, 1 TD rushing) also had big games for Greenwood (10-0, 4-0), which led 38-7 by the end of the first quarter and 48-14 by halftime.

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DISTRICT 4-2A DIV. I WEEK 11 REPORT: Cisco, Anson, Hawley all headed for the playoffs

Cisco 56, Olney 24 — Colby MciLroy threw for 143 yards and two TDs and Cody Gayle rushed for 96 yards and another score to help Cisco (9-1, 5-0) to a lopsided win over Olney.

Colbin Harrison was McilRoy’s top target, hauling in two catches for 89 yards and two scores.  

Cisco improved to 9-1 with its ninth straight win over Clyde in Week 1.

Olney fell to 3-7 and 1-4.

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DISTRICT 4-3A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Wall, Coahoma collect Week 11 wins; Grape Creek takes the night in

Wall 71, Stanton 7 — Landon York was perfect in Wall’s season finale, hitting 8 of 8 throws for 142 yards and five TDs. 

Hagyn Barbee led the way on the ground, with 59 yards on two carries.  The Hawks rushed for 238 yards and three scores as a team and finished 10-0 through the regular season. 

Stanton finished at 1-9.

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Comanche

DISTRICT 3-3A DIV. I WEEK 11 REPORT: Comanche, Jim Ned, Breckenridge close the regular season with wins.

Comanche 43, Clyde 42 — The Indians pulled off a stunning upset on Friday to finish at 5-5 overall and 2-3 in district play — narrowly missing the playoffs.

Comanche grabbed an early 21-7 lead, then fought off a huge Clyde rally to put an exclamation point on their season. 

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GAME STORY: Laine’s career night, opportunistic defense fuel Wylie to wild Senior Night win over Plainview

Entering their District 2-5A Division I finale needing a win over Plainview and some help from last-place Wichita Falls Legacy, the Wylie Bulldogs went into Friday knowing their odds of reaching the playoffs for a fourth straight year were slim.

But coach Clay Martin and his squad were determined to make sure they handled their half of the equation anyway.

Controlling the only the outcome they could control, the homestanding Bulldogs outlasted their visiting counterparts for a wild 70-52 Senior Night win, giving those in purple something to celebrate on a bittersweet night at Hugh Sandifer Stadium. And while it wasn’t enough to earn his team an 11th game due to Wichita Falls Memorial’s 63-20 win over Legacy, Martin said the effort was certainly one to be proud of.

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BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Hawley holds off Stamford in thriller to claim the No. 2 playoff seed

HAWLEY — The final play of Friday night’s showdown between Stamford and Hawley in the Big Country Preps Game of the Week couldn’t have been written into any script — Hollywood or otherwise.

It sure wasn’t in the playbook for either head coach.

Stamford forced a Hawley punt with nine seconds left and nearly pulled off a miracle, when — after numerous laterals on the punt return — C’nai Whitfield was finally pushed out of bounds at the HHS 25 to allow the Bearcats to hold on for a 36-28 win in the District 4-2A Division I finale at Forrest Field.

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FEATURE: Frazier making his mark as Brock’s first-year starting QB

Photos provided by Tommy Hays

Holt Frazier’s success as Brock’s starting quarterback isn’t a surprise to his head football coach.

After all, Billy Mathis watched the Eagles’ junior signal-caller have a great spring season of track. Which carried over into a strong summer that included 7-on-7 and never missing a workout.

But Mathis admits there was still a little bit of uneasiness until the action in August heats up. 

“Once you start the season with a new quarterback, you just never know until you get in a game situation how the guys are going to respond,” he said. “We put him into the fire pretty quickly in scrimmages with Springtown and Stephenville.

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GAME REPORT: Mistakes doom Cooper in 52-28 road loss to Amarillo Palo Duro

Photos by Joe Garcia, PressPassSports.com

AMARILLO — Visiting Dick Bivins Stadium on Thursday with a chance to lock up a share of the District 2-5A Division II championship and clinch the league’s top playoff spot, the Cooper football team saw five turnovers doom those hopes in a 52-28 loss to Amarillo Palo Duro.

The Cougars outgained the Dons 443-319, but a trio of lost of fumbles and a pair of interceptions proved too much to overcome against a Palo Duro squad that has won nine straight games since dropping its opener to Amarillo Tascosa.

Aided by Cooper’s miscues, the Dons built a 21-0 lead by the 10:32 mark of the second quarter. And after the Cougars rallied back to pull within seven at halftime and again in the third quarter, Palo Duro responded with 24 unanswered points to put the game away and lock up its first outright district title since 2001.

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SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Winner-take-all clash between Hermleigh, Westbrook headlines strong Week 11 slate

We’ve reached the final week of the regular season, and there are still district races and playoff spots to be decided.

That means we’ll see a number of games this week with postseason urgency, including our headlining matchup from District 7-1A Division I between Hermleigh and Westbrook.  

As we do this time every week, it’s time to take a peak at all of this week’s biggest and most meaningful matchups in our “Six-Man Lookahead” column. We hope you enjoy this preview of Week 11 action and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for more information on your favorite team(s).

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Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Posts

After focusing on the top guards and forwards the Big Country has to offer the past two nights, it’s time to shift our attention to the paint.

For the final installment in our three-part position rankings series, we list our top-10 post players for the 2025-26 season with some others to watch.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through these rankings, and make sure to come back next week when we’ll feature the top boys basketball players in the Big Country.

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FEATURE: Gordon football team, community excited for first home game since tornado

Photos courtesy of Mike Reed

When the 2025 Texas high school football season comes to a close next month, some 1,151 educational institutions will have played a homecoming game this fall.

None of the principals or fans of any of those schools will have celebrated theirs as vociferously — or gratefully — as will the Gordon Longhorns when they play host to Gorman at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Nearly six months after a devastating tornado descended on the tiny Big Country town, taking precise aim at the burgh’s only high school and all its sports facilities, the ‘Horns are finally — literally — coming home.

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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 evening.

Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.

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BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Stamford, Hawley clash with No. 2 seed at stake

LAST WEEK: 48-4, .923
SEASON TOTAL: 472-101, .823

STAMFORD (6-3, 3-1) AT HAWLEY (6-3, 3-1)

With the No. 2 seed in District 2-2A Division I, it’s only fitting that our Big Country Preps Game of the Week has multiple commonalities. 

 Both Stamford and Hawley enter this week with identical records. Both have won four of their last five games, both fell 21-7 to Albany in non-district play, and both fell in dramatic fashion to league champion Cisco.

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Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Forwards

After kicking off our girls basketball position rankings series with the guards on Tuesday, we now turn our attention to the forwards.

For the second installment in our three-part series, we rank the area’s top 10 players at that position with some others to watch for in 2025-26.

We hope you enjoy our list.

Continue reading “Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Forwards”

Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Guards

With the girls basketball season getting underway this week, it’s time to take a look at the local and area players who will be making the biggest impact for their teams over the next few months.

For the first installment in a three-part series that will cover all positions, we’ll be focusing on the Big Country’s top guards, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch for the 2025-26 season.

We hope you enjoy reading through our selections.

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SIX-MAN REWIND: Ira, Hermleigh deliver instant classic to headline exciting slate of games

Week 10 yielded some of the most competitive games of the year, including a thriller between Ira and Hermleigh in one of our two featured matchups.

That was one of many contests that helped add clarity to area district races as we approach the final week of the regular season.

Let’s dive in now and take a look at some of the other top results and performances that happened last week in our “Six-Man Rewind” column. We hope you enjoy this review of Week 10 action and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for updated standings, results and upcoming matchups.

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BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Goldthwaite’s Owen Campbell earns this week’s accolade

It’s been a good while since a Goldthwaite Eagle snagged our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award in any sport. But sophomore Owen Campbell obliterated that streak with a fabulous effort in a 61-0 rout of Meridian on Friday. 

His performance came on both sides of the ball, beginning with 12 carries for 144 yards and four touchdowns from his running back position. 

Defensively Campbell charted eleven tackles, including seven solos, four assists and an interception from the GHS secondary. 

“Owen had a tremendous game on Friday where he contributed to our win,” coach Andy Howard said. “He made a huge impact in all three phases of the game. He plays a huge role for us every week on defense, offense and on special teams.

“He continues to grow and improve as a player every week. I am proud of Owen but proud of everyone around him as well.” 

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DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 10 REPORT: Abilene High tops Monterey to claim outright title; Tascosa, Amarillo High roll

Abilene High 42, Lubbock Monterey 34 — Brayden Henry passed for 183 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 62 yards and two more scores and had a hand in a pair of two-point conversions to help the Eagles clinch the outright district title with a hard-fought win over the Plainsmen.

AHS also got strong production from M’Aujehl Aboso (5-76, 1 TD receiving; 4-38, 1 TD rushing) and Ethan Joyner (14-81 rushing, 2-13 receiving) in closing its regular season at 8-2 overall and 6-0 in league play.

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DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Lubbock Cooper tops Wylie; Palo Duro, Memorial cruise to wins

Photo by Riley Smith, HubCityPreps.com

Lubbock Cooper 42, Wylie 35 — Chamayne Johnson ran for 141 yards and a touchdown and received for 25 yards and another score, while Cade Gant received for 121 yards and two scores to lead the Pirates to a big win over the Bulldogs.

Cooper (6-4, 3-3), which locked up a playoff spot with the win, overcame second-half deficits of 9-14 and 25-20 to build a 35-25 fourth-quarter lead. And after Wylie tied the game with 10 unanswered points, the Pirates got a touchdown pass from Ryan Rodriguez to Reed Watters with just over six minutes remaining for what proved to be the winning points.

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DISTRICT 8-2A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Muenster tops Collinsville for district title; Era, Lindsay earn wins

Muenster 49, Collinsville 28 — The Hornets locked up the district championship with a comfortable win over the Pirates.

Muenster, which was led by quarterback Casen Carney, built a 28-7 lead by halftime and stretched that advantage to 42-14 by the start of the fourth quarter.

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