Month: December 2025

by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Stout defensive effort propels Brock past Midland Greenwood, into state semifinals

After Brock beat Fort Worth Dunbar 49-0 to open the postseason, Brock coach Billy Mathis turned and gave the bi-district trophy to senior offensive lineman Tobyn Roger, who gave it a quick smooch.

Friday night at Abilene Christian University’s Wildcat Stadium, Roger got to kiss his fourth trophy of the 2025 season as the Eagles forced four turnovers and pulled away in the second half for a 35-14 win over Midland Greenwood in the Region I-4A Division II championship game.

It’s turned into a tradition that both enjoy.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Five area teams ready to play with trip to Arlington on the line

With one fewer round in the six-man playoffs than in its 11-man counterpart, the state semifinals are already upon us. And with five teams remaining from the Big Country Preps coverage area, there’s an extra layer of intrigue on what is already an outstanding slate of games.

Water Valley and Gordon remain in the Division I bracket and could clash for the state title in two weeks in Arlington, while Jayton and Klondike will battle for the right to take on the winner of Strawn and Richland Springs in Division II. 

If you like six-man football, these are the types of matchups you love, so let’s stop wasting time and dive into this week’s games. We hope you enjoy this preview of the state’s four semifinals games.

Continue reading “SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Five area teams ready to play with trip to Arlington on the line” →

by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Abilene High, Cooper kick off Key City Classic with victories

The Abilene High and Cooper boys basketball teams both scored impressive wins on the opening night of the Fyzical Therapy and Balance Centers Key City Classic on Thursday evening to earn their way into the championship bracket for the remainder of the three-day event.

AHS whipped El Paso Jefferson 73-33 at Eagle Gym in its opener, while Cooper downed Cleburne 49-42 at Cougar Gym.

For full results of the tournament’s first day and the schedule for Friday’s second-round action, click here.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 15)

Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games and select six-man games, in addition to the results of 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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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN’S PLAYOFF FORECAST: 10 area teams retain a pulse in December

LAST WEEK: 13-0, 1.000
SEASON TOTAL: 534-111, .828

As the calendar flips to December, we’re still plenty busy here at Big  Country Preps, with 10 of our teams still alive with shots at a state title. 

So with out further delay, let’s take a quick look at all of this week’s matchups. 

I’ll see you on the road. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

SIGNING DAY: Cooper’s Davis, Brock’s Matlock are poised to help turn around UTEP football program

For the second year in a row, the University of Texas-El Paso football coach Scotty Walden found a member of his recruiting class in Abilene as the Miners signed Cooper defensive lineman Dycin Davis to a Letter of Intent on Wednesday morning.

Davis’ addition came one year after the Miners signed former Abilene High wide receiver Ryland Bradford.

Along with Davis, UTEP’s class on the first day that high school seniors could sign also included Brock’s Colt Matlock, who the program advertised as a defensive signee. UTEP signed a total of 25 players on Wednesday with 23 Texas high school players being joined by two additions from the transfer portal.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Undefeated Gordon Lady Longhorns making waves, headlines with historic start to season

Photos courtesy of Matt Garnett

On Nov. 18, coach Matt Garnett and his Gordon High School girls basketball squad did the unthinkable: They — and not the principals of the 12-0 and two-time defending state champion football team — became the talk of the town.

With a stunning 49-42 overtime victory over Plano West, the Lady Longhorns instantly became the stuff of legends.

The win was the fifth of eight straight to open the season. It resulted because Gordon doubled up on the Lady Wolves 14-7 in the extra period. It represented the climax of a 230-mile round trip in a GISD school bus.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIX-MAN REWIND: Five area teams earn way into state semifinals, four see seasons end in region finals

With nine area teams involved in region finals last week, the Big Country Preps coverage area was guaranteed to have a strong contingent of teams in this week’s state semifinals.

And the five teams that survived — Water Valley and Gordon in Division I and Jayton, Strawn and Richland Springs in Division II — are now just one win away from earning a trip to Arlington.

Before we look ahead to the matchups that await those squads, it’s time to take a look at how they survived their third-round tests in this week’s “Six-Man Rewind” column. We hope you enjoy this look back at Week 14’s six-man action.

Continue reading “SIX-MAN REWIND: Five area teams earn way into state semifinals, four see seasons end in region finals” →

by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brock junior takes the top spot

Big-time performances are the norm this year for the 13-0 Brock Eagles, who earned a trip to the Region I-4A DII championship game with last week’s 66-3 win over Seminole. 

At the forefront of that: This week’s Big Country Preps Player of the Week, junior running back Bryer McDonald.  

And with good reason. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

WEEK 15 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man and six-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 15:

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