Author: Daniel Youngblood

CLASS 4A REGIONAL TRACK ROUNDUP: Brownwood girls take team title, area athletes earn 23 medals at I-4A meet

LUBBOCK — The Brownwood girls won a team title and Stephenville finished second behind Canyon on the boys side over the weekend to headline a strong effort by programs and athletes from the Big Country Preps coverage area at the Region I-4A track meet.

The Lady Lions earned 113 points to run away from the competition at Lowrey Field, topping second-place Canyon by 38 points and third-place Canyon Randall by 53. The Stephenville boys, meanwhile, finished with 76 points to fall 15 shy of Canyon for the team championship.

Those efforts highlighted a successful meet that saw area athletes claim 23 total medals — 13 on the girls side and 10 on the boys.

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LOCAL TRACK ROUNDUP: Wylie’s Washington earns silver in boys triple jump to punch ticket to state meet

LUBBOCK — Wylie senior Andre Washington is headed to the state track meet after taking silver in the triple jump over the weekend at the Region I-5A meet at Lowrey Field.

Washington jumped 46 feet, 10½ inches to finish less than a foot behind event winner Taniela Ake O’Neal of Argyle (47-9½) and punch his ticket to Austin.

That effort, which accounted for eight of Wylie’s 12 team points, headlined all local performances at the meet, which also saw the Abilene High girls earn 11 points.

Continue reading “LOCAL TRACK ROUNDUP: Wylie’s Washington earns silver in boys triple jump to punch ticket to state meet”

REGION II-1A TRACK MEET: Big Country athletes dominate medal stand on Day 1

Area athletes cleaned up on the first day of the Region II-1A track meet Friday, claiming 28 combined medals, including golds in all but one of the 14 completed events at Abilene Christian University’s Elmer Gray Stadium.

Between the boys and girls divisions, competitors from the Big Country Preps coverage area locked up at least 19 berths to the state track meet on the meet’s opening day, which saw all field events and the 3,200 meters completed ahead of expected overnight thunderstorms.

In addition to the 13 gold medals, Big Country qualifiers accounted for six silvers and nine bronzes while setting themselves up for another big day Saturday with strong performances in the running prelims. The meet will conclude with the running finals, which are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. back at ACU.

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REGION I-3A TRACK MEET: Area athletes nab 12 field event medals on first day

ABILENE — Area athletes got off to a successful start at the Region I-3A track meet, combining to collect 13 medals and earn nine automatic berths to the state track meet during the event’s first day Friday at Abilene Christian University’s Elmer Gray Stadium.

With expected overnight storms pushing all field events to Friday, male competitors from the Big Country Preps coverage area tallied seven total medals — four golds, a silver and two bronzes — while area girls athletes claimed six medals, earning two of each shade.

The big winner Friday was the Wall boys, who accounted for five of those medals on their way to an early lead in the team race. The Hawks, who earned 42 points take a 22-point lead on second-place Idalou, will try to close out the team championship when the meet continues at 2 p.m. Saturday with the running finals.

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GAME STORY: Big first inning, strong start by Gay help Wylie to 5-1 win over Cooper

A three-run first inning provided Wylie’s Brady Gay all the run support he would need Thursday in a 5-1 win over crosstown rival Cooper at Cougar Field.

Taking the mound with a healthy early lead, the senior right-hander delivered a gem and took advantage of some excellent defense behind him to help the Bulldogs lock up at least a share of the District 4-5A championship with the victory.

Gay allowed one run over 5.1 strong innings, allowing four hits and striking out six in the win, which improved WHS (17-4-1 overall) to 8-2 in league play with two games remaining. The Bulldogs hold a two-game edge in the loss column on both Abilene High (17-8-1, 6-4) and Wichita Falls Memorial (16-10, 8-4), putting them in position to clinch the outright district title with a single win in their final home-and-home series against last-place Wichita Falls Legacy.

Continue reading “GAME STORY: Big first inning, strong start by Gay help Wylie to 5-1 win over Cooper”

GAME STORY: Cantu’s fifth-inning homer lifts Abilene High to 3-1 win over Wylie

With both the district championship and playoff seeding already locked up before the first pitch of Tuesday night’s softball matchup between the Abilene High and Wylie, neither team stood to gain or lose a whole lot from the game’s outcome.

But for those in attendance at the AHS softball field, it wasn’t hard to see how much the contest meant to both teams.

Less than three weeks after the Lady Eagles and Lady Bulldogs battled to a 1-0 AHS victory in the first of two matchups between the squads, the two teams put on another show Tuesday, with a two-run home run by Kinzley Cantu in the fifth inning serving as the difference in a 3-1 Abilene High win.

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LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Cooper, Wylie secure shutout wins in district; AHS edges Wall in nondistrict play

Abilene High, Cooper and Wylie all came away with victories Friday on a night of action that saw the Cougars and Bulldogs score district wins over Wichita Falls Legacy and Wichita Falls Memorial, respectively, and the Eagles go out of district to claim a 4-2 home win over Class 3A power Wall.

Both Cooper and Wylie rode pitching gems to shutout wins, as Brady Henderson pitched six dominant innings to fuel the Cougars to a 5-0 triumph over the Leopards and Brady Gay went the whole way for the Bulldogs in a 4-0 victory over the Mavericks.

Abilene High, meanwhile, used a four-run first inning and a strong mound effort of its own by sophomore Gavin Colley to edge the Hawks and complete a perfect day for Abilene’s three largest high schools.

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LOCAL SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Cooper rallies for Senior Night win, Abilene High locks up district title

The Abilene High and Cooper softball teams both came up with big wins Friday night, as the Lady Eagles clinched the outright District 4-5A championship with a 16-0 road rout of Wichita Falls Legacy and the Lady Cougars rallied at home for a 3-2 walk-off win over Wichita Falls Memorial on Senior Night.

AHS scored 10 first-inning runs in its victory, the Lady Eagles’ ninth in a row, while Cooper broke up a perfect game in the sixth before rallying from a run down in the home half of seventh to snap a two-game losing skid.

Friday’s results improved Abilene High to 15-7 overall and a perfect 7-0 in district play, while Cooper (14-12 on the year) moved to 4-3 in 4-5A action.

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GAME STORY: Ace Reyes, hot bats fuel Abilene High to run-rule victory over rival Cooper

Hosting rival Cooper with a chance to lock up at least a share of the District 4-5A championship, the Abilene High softball team took care of business Tuesday, using a five-run bottom of the third to break open the game on its way to a thorough 11-1 victory. 

Junior ace Avah Reyes limited the Lady Cougars to a single run on two hits and a pair of walks, and her teammates gave her ample support, following the third-inning outburst with another five spot in the fifth to end the game early.

The victory — AHS’ eighth in a row — improved the Lady Eagles to 6-0 in district play, giving coach Jenna Aguirre’s squad (14-7 overall) an opportunity to lock up the outright 4-5A title on Friday, when they hit the road north for a matchup with last-place Wichita Falls Legacy.

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GAME STORY: Fast start, strong outing from Faries lift Wylie to 7-2 win over Cooper

The Wylie softball team put up three runs in the top of the first inning, and starter Avie Faries made that hold up, limiting Cooper to a pair of fourth-inning runs in a 7-2 win for the Lady Bulldogs on Monday at Cougar Diamond.

In a game that was postponed from Friday due to inclement weather and soggy field conditions, WHS avenged an 11-8 home loss to the Lady Cougars on March 18, improving to 3-2 in the District 4-5A standings with the victory.

Faries, who couldn’t hold onto a 5-2 lead in that first matchup, had no such trouble Monday, taking the circle with a 3-0 edge and watching that advantage balloon to 7-0 before Cooper finally got on the board. The sophomore right-hander then overcame a two-run bottom of the fourth to finish the game, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out five.

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GAME STORY: Ferguson tosses another gem as Abilene High tops Wylie 6-0

Abilene High scored four early runs and Eagles ace George Ferguson handled the rest Tuesday, pitching 6.2 innings of shutout ball to fuel coach Brad Harman’s squad to a 6-0 win over Wylie at Blackburn Field.

The hard-throwing right-hander allowed just one hit, striking out eight Bulldogs hitters to pitch around what little base traffic he faced throughout the night, before leaving the game one out shy of a complete game due to pitch count rules.

The victory was a big one for AHS, which improved to 15-5-1 overall and 5-1 in District 4-5A play to stay alone atop the league standings. Wylie, meanwhile, fell to 12-4-1 on the year and 3-2 in district action with the loss.

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2025 All-Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Team: Second-Team Roster

Here are our second-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps boys basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.

  • Girls Superlative Award Winners
  • Girls First Team
  • Girls Second Team
  • Girls Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
  • Girls Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
  • Boys Superlative Award Winners
  • Boys First Team
  • Boys Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
  • Boys Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
  • Gym Rat Team: The toughest, hardest-working teammates in the Big Country! (Sunday)
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2025 All-Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Team: Third-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)

Here are our second-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps boys basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.

  • Girls Superlative Award Winners
  • Girls First Team
  • Girls Second Team
  • Girls Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
  • Girls Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
  • Boys Superlative Award Winners
  • Boys First Team
  • Boys Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
  • Boys Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
  • Gym Rat Team: The toughest, hardest-working teammates in the Big Country! (Sunday)
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2025 All-Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Team: First-Team Roster

Here are our first-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps boys basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.

  • Girls Superlative Award Winners
  • Girls First Team
  • Girls Second Team
  • Girls Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
  • Girls Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
  • Boys Superlative Award Winners
  • Boys Second Team
  • Boys Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
  • Boys Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
  • Gym Rat Team: The toughest, hardest-working teammates in the Big Country! (Sunday)
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2025 All-Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Team: First-Team Roster

Here are our first-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps girls basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.

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2025 All-Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Team: Second-Team Roster

Here are our second-team selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps girls basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.

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2025 All-Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Team: Third-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)

Here are our third-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps girls basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.

Continue reading “2025 All-Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Team: Third-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)”

LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Abilene High routs Legacy 11-0; Cooper falls at home to Memorial

The Abilene High and Cooper baseball teams were on opposite ends of a shutout Tuesday, as the Eagles routed Wichita Falls Legacy 11-0 on the road and the Cougars suffered a 9-0 home loss to Wichita Falls Memorial.

Connel Colley pitched a five-inning one-hitter to lead AHS, which improved to 12-5-1 overall and 4-1 in league play to take a half-game lead over Wylie (12-3-1, 3-1) in the District 4-5A standings.

Cooper, meanwhile, saw Jeron Flores outdueled by Brady Pope in a battle of left-handed standouts to fall to 12-5 on the season and 2-3 in 4-5A action.

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LOCAL SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: AHS, Cooper both win to maintain spots atop District 4-5A standings

The Abilene High and Cooper softball teams both picked up lopsided victories in District 4-5A action Tuesday, as the Lady Eagles cruised to an 8-0 home win over Wichita Falls Legacy and the Lady Cougars rolled to an 11-4 triumph at Wichita Falls Memorial.

Junior pitcher Avah Reyes tallied nine strikeouts in three perfect innings to eclipse the 300 career strikeout milestone for AHS, while Maddie Fry earned a complete-game win for Cooper. Both pitchers got plenty of run support, as the Lady Eagles outhit Legacy 10-2 and the Lady Coogs used a couple of big innings to post their second double-digit scoring output in three league games.

With Tuesday’s result, Abilene High (11-7) improved to 3-0 in 4-5A play, maintaining a one-game edge on Cooper (12-9, 2-1), which moved a half-game ahead of idle Wylie (13-6, 1-1) for second place.

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GAME STORY: Ferguson outduels Henderson in battle of aces, AHS grinds out 4-1 win over Cooper

With Abilene High’s George Ferguson and Cooper’s Brady Henderson both coming off no-hitters in their most recent trips to the mound, Tuesday’s Crosstown Showdown was expected to be a low-scoring pitcher’s duel with a limited margin for error.

As it turned out, Friday’s matchup between the Eagles and Cougars for a share of the District 4-5A lead was exactly that.

Ferguson outdueled Henderson in a 4-1 Eagles win at Blackburn Field that saw AHS score two unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth to break open a game that was shaping up to be a classic to that point. The victory narrowed a three-way tie atop the 4-5A standings to two teams, as Abilene High kept pace with Wylie following the Bulldogs’ 13-3 home win over Wichita Falls Legacy in Friday’s other league game.

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GAME STORY: Seven-run fifth inning lifts Cooper to district-opening win over Wylie

After watching her team complete a rigorous nondistrict schedule with a 10-8 record, first-year Cooper softball coach Kaegan Jimenez felt her Lady Cougars were ready for the start of District 4-5A play.

On Tuesday, they proved as much, using a seven-run fifth inning to turn a 5-2 deficit after four frames into an 11-8 road win over crosstown rival and regional stalwart Wylie.

With the victory, CHS — which posted a combined district record of 7-27 from 2022 to 2024 — is now tied atop the 4-5A standings with Abilene High, which routed Wichita Falls Memorial 13-0 in the league’s other opener Tuesday.

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LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Cooper outlasts Wylie in 3-2 thriller; Abilene High downs WF Memorial 4-2

Tuesday was a banner night for Abilene ISD baseball squads, as both Abilene High and Cooper picked up big District 4-5A wins to move into an early tie with crosstown rival Wylie for the league lead.

The Eagles rode a gritty start from Connel Colley and some timely offense to a 4-2 road win over Wichita Falls Memorial, while the Cougars rallied for two runs in the bottom of the fifth against Wylie to make a 3-2 winner out of left-hander Jeron Flores at home.

The night’s results created a three-team logjam atop the 4-5A standings, where AHS (10-4-1), Cooper (12-3) and Wylie (11-3-1) are all 2-1, while Memorial (9-6 overall) sits just a half-game behind at 2-2.

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GAME REPORT: Abilene High softball opens district play with blowout win over WF Memorial

Coming off a 3-1 win over Class 6A No. 6 Midland High on Thursday to close out its nondistrict schedule, the Abilene High softball team kept the positive momentum going Tuesday, opening District 4-5A play with a resounding 13-0 home victory over Wichita Falls Memorial.

The Lady Eagles, who dropped five of six games from Feb. 25 to March 1, have now won three straight — a streak that started March 4 with a 12-0 run-rule win over San Angelo Central. 

AHS’ latest win, which was never in doubt as the Lady Eagles scored at least two runs in every inning and got a one-hit shutout from Avah Reyes, improved coach Jenna Aguirre’s squad to 9-7 on the year and placed the Lady Eagles atop the 4-5A standings with crosstown rival Cooper, which downed Wylie 11-8 in its district opener.

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GAME STORY: Wylie rallies from early deficit, pulls away late to open district with 15-8 win over AHS

The Wylie baseball team rallied from a pair of early deficits to defeat Abilene High 15-8 on Thursday, using a seven-run bottom of the sixth to finally put the Eagles away in a three-hour affair at Bulldog Field.

Trailing 2-0 after one inning and 5-2 after three, the Bulldogs followed three-run outbursts in the fourth and fifth innings with the seven-run explosion in the sixth to open District 4-5A play with a comfortable win.

Wylie, which outhit AHS 11-8 on the afternoon, took advantage of 12 walks and turned three Eagle errors into seven unearned runs on the way to scoring 11 of its 15 runs with two outs.

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GAME STORY: Ferguson’s five-inning no-hitter fuels AHS to district-opening rout of WF Legacy

George Ferguson was utterly dominant on the mound, and he got far more run support than needed Tuesday as the Abilene High baseball team opened District 4-5A play with a 10-0 run-rule victory at Blackburn Field.

Ferguson struck out 14 batters in a five-inning no-hitter, allowing just two base runners — one of those on an error — in an outing that was almost perfect.

And behind the hard-throwing sophomore, who struck out the side in four of his five innings, the Eagles put up four runs in the first inning and five more in the third to take control early in joining Wichita Falls Memorial atop the district standings after the Mavericks downed Cooper 8-1 in their league opener Tuesday.

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CLASS 2A DII STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Martin’s Mill pulls away late to end Lipan’s three-peat bid

SAN ANTONIO — It took the better part of three years, but the Lipan Indians finally met their match Thursday at the Alamodome.

Taking on Martin’s Mill for the Class 2A Division II state championship and a chance at a rare three-peat, LHS was done in by some uncharacteristic struggles on the offensive end in a 55-43 loss to the Mustangs.

The Indians shot just 31.9 percent from the field, made only four of 18 3-point attempts and had a negative assist-to-turnover ratio in the loss, which snapped a streak of 19 consecutive playoff victories for coach Brent Gaylor and his LHS program. Despite this, Lipan still had its opportunities throughout the game, trailing by just three points at halftime (23-20) and five early in the fourth quarter (42-37) before Martin’s Mill closed the contest on a 13-6 run.

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CLASS 1A DI STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Perrin-Whitt speeds way to 65-46 win over larger Valley

SAN ANTONIO — Facing off with a much larger squad from Turkey Valley on Thursday, the Perrin-Whitt Pirates knew they’d need to speed up the Patriots and convert turnovers into transition points if they hoped to leave the Alamodome with the Class 1A Division I state championship trophy.

Fortunately for coach Todd McCormick and his team, that’s a game plan the Pirates are well accustomed to employing and have experienced unprecedented success with this season.

Utilizing a speed and quickness advantage on both ends of the court, Perrin-Whitt turned 15 takeaways into an 18-0 edge in fast-break points to pull away in the second half for a 65-46 victory, claiming the program’s first state title in its first state trip since earning a runner-up finish in 1946.

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Jayton

CLASS 1A DII STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Jayton dominates Bryson to claim second straight title

SAN ANTONIO — A near-perfect defensive effort by the Jayton Jaybirds ended the competitive phase of the Class 1A Division II state title game by halftime Thursday, as coach Ryan Bleiker’s squad held Bryson without a field goal in the first two quarters on its way to a dominating 70-36 win at the Alamodome.

The Jaybirds, who overcame a slow offensive start to build a 35-3 lead by the break, forced more than twice as many turnovers (25) as field goals allowed (12), making for a comfortable defense of last year’s state championship — the first in program history.

Now back-to-back champions with five state trips in the past seven seasons, Jayton further cemented its place as one of the premier programs in Texas small school basketball — a fact not lost on Bleiker, who led the Jaybirds to their first-ever state trip in 2019.

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GAME REPORT: Jayton rallies past Texline in second half of foul-heavy state semifinal matchup

LUBBOCK — The Jayton boys basketball team won a war of attrition Monday, outlasting former region rival Texline for a 56-43 win in a Class 1A Division II state semifinal matchup that featured 54 total fouls and saw six players foul out.

The Jaybirds trailed 21-17 at halftime, but coach Ryan Bleiker’s squad regrouped at the break to outscore the Tornadoes 15-8 in the third quarter and 24-14 in the fourth, taking advantage of 42 fee-throw attempts to outscore Texline 23-9 from the foul line.

The victory sends JHS back to San Antonio for the third straight year and fifth time since 2019, giving the Jaybirds an opportunity to defend their state championship against the winner of Tuesday’s game between Bryson and Kennard at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Alamodome.

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GAME STORY: Lipan runs away from New Home for 63-41 win in Class 2A DII state semifinals

ABILENE — After a competitive first quarter, the Lipan boys basketball team outscored New Home 52-31 over the final three periods Monday to cruise to a 63-41 win in a Class 2A Division II state semifinal clash at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum.

Facing off with the Leopards in the state semis for the third straight year, the two-time defending state champion Indians scored their most lopsided victory in the series, using a 16-8 run through the second quarter and a 15-6 run through the third to stretch a one-point lead after one period to 18 by the start of the final quarter.

New Home made one final surge, pulling with 12 points (45-33) with 6:37 to play. But Lipan followed a timeout with an 11-0 run to pull ahead by a game-high 23 points and coasted from there to earn its fifth consecutive trip to the Alamodome, where the Indians will play the winner of Tuesday’s matchup between Goldthwaite and Martin’s Mill for the championship at 1 p.m. on Thursday.

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