Mason 35, San Saba 0 — Mason locked up the district title with this win, finishing 9-1 and 5-0 for the regular season.
San Saba, which had a shot at the district title coming in, finished at 6-4 and 3-2 — tied for second place with Thorndale and Holland.
Glen Rose 61, Fort Worth Dunbar 7 — Canyon Evans threw for 441 yards and five scores, hitting 27 of 34 throws along the way to lead the Tigers to an easy win.
Glen Rose produced a dominating defensive effort as well, limiting Dunbar to only 141 yards in total offense (50 on the ground).
Coahoma 42, Merkel 14 — Jaidyn Vineyard rushed for 354 yards and five scores to help push Coahoma through to a district win over Merkel.
The Bulldogs (6-3, 2-2) finished with 449 yards in total offense. Merkel finished its season at 0-10 and 0-4.
Miles 29, Roscoe 13 — 
Liam Yancy threw for 275 yards and three scores as Miles defeated Roscoe on Friday. Cooper Ellison was on the receiving end of two of those TD strikes and finished with seven catches for 73 yards.
The Bulldogs improved to 8-2 and 4-1 with the win.
Roscoe fell to 4-5 and 3-2.
Jim Ned 45, Sweetwater 28 — Aiden Ellis rushed for 262 yards and three scores on 43 carries in a bulldozer-like effort for Jim Ned, which rushed for 400 yards as a team.
With the score tied at 21 at the break, the Indians took command with a 24-7 second half.
Cisco 48, Olney 6 — The Loboes (6-4, 2-3) locked up the No. 4 seed with a lopsided win over Olney.
Dillon Silva rushed for 183 yards and three scores and Parker Williams rushed for 121 yards and three more TDs to lead the Loboes, who carried a 21-0 lead into the break.
Brownwood 42, Marble Falls 14 — Levi Pearson rushed for 108 yards and two scores and Matt Rodriguez rushed for 132 yards and another TD to lead Brownwood over Marble Falls.
After a 14-14 first quarter, the Lions scored 28 answered points to take control of the game.
Goldthwaite 46, Mart 0 — Many people thought it was a misprint. Others thought the score had been accidentally reversed.
But once the truth began to leak out late last night, Big Country football fans were stunned to learn that Goldthwaite had not only defeated top-ranked Mart, but they had essentially taken the Panthers to the woodshed, handing the Panthers an eye-popping 46-0 loss.
STAMFORD — The District 4-2A DI title was decided on Friday, in soggy, slippery conditions at Bill Anderson Stadium. That didn’t prevent Stamford and Hawley from producing a physical, entertaining matchup in the Big Country Preps Game of the Week, with the Bulldogs walking away with a 38-22 win.
Kaston Vega rushed for 177 yards and two scores and Christian Duran rushed for 86 yards, threw for 123 and accounted for three more TDs to lead Stamford (10-0 overall, 5-0 district), which held onto the lead after a 20-0 start.
Hawley fell to 9-1 and 4-1, led by Keagan Ables, who threw for 346 yards and two scores.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hamlin 27, Cross Plains 24 — The Pied Pipers rushed for 220 yards as a team to overcome Cross Plains in a thriller.
Hudson Smith, Kyson McGee and Ian Gruben all found the end zone for the Pipers (6-3, 2-2), who clinched a postseason berth with the win.
Coahoma 57, Stanton 40 — Jaidyn Vineyard rushed for 347 yards and two TDs and Boyd Cox threw for 294 yards and five touchdowns to lead Coahoma in a thriller.
The Bulldogs closed with 644 yards in total offense while improving to 5-3 and 1-2.
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.
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.
Lampasas 61, Marble Falls 7 — After racing out to a 31-7 first-half lead, the Badgers had an easy time of it on Friday night.
Lampasas improved to an 8-2 overall record (3-1 in league play) in its final regular season game of the year.
Marble Falls dropped to 2-7 and 0-3.
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.
LAST WEEK: 52-6 .897
SEASON TOTAL: 419-114, .786
With two Friday nights left in the regular season, the Big Country Preps Game of the Week moves north for a game that was circled on our calendars back in August.
Unbeaten, second-ranked Brock will pay a visit to No. 5 Graham this Friday, with the winner locking down the District 4-4A DII championship.
Tonight, Big Country Preps publishes our final area volleyball statistical leaders for the 2024 regular season.
This database has been continually updated for our subscribers using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Photos provided by Melissa Carroll and Kelly Moody
There’s a great deal of excitement brewing around the Tolar volleyball team heading into postseason play and with good reason. If the Lady Rattlers (28-9, 12-1 District 8-3A) manage to knock off Comanche on Tuesday, they will set a school record for wins in a season.
Secondly, senior setter Abbie Soileau is dishing assists like they were going out of style — including the 47 she tallied last week in wins over No. 25 Peaster and Early. That lifted her season total to a Tolar school record 1,032 assists on the year and more 1,700 for her career.
Wortham 42, Goldthwaite 35 — 
Wortham tallied 240 yards passing and 117 yards rushing to hand Goldthwaite a loss.
The Eagles were led by Landry and Luke Sanderson, who rushed for 103 and 102 yards respectively while combining for five touchdowns.
Glen Rose 58, Venus 0 — 
The Tigers (6-2, 3-0) had little trouble putting away struggling Venus team (0-8, 0-3).
Christian Ballesteros was among the notables for Glen Rose, contributing eight tackles to the shutout.
Miles 41, Hamlin 0 — 
Liam Yancy threw for 243 yards and three scores and Tevin Meade rushed for 98 yards and another score to lead the Bulldogs over Hamlin.
Jaylen Torres led the defensive effort for MHS with nine tackles, two for loss, one pick and a blocked punt.
Wall 58, Grape Creek 6 — 
Landon York threw for 293 yards and four scores and Thomas Leanos rushed for 110 yards and another touchdown to lead Wall to an easy win over San Angelo Grape Creek.
The competitive phase of this game ended quite early, with Wall building a 28-0 first quarter lead and expanding it to 51-0 by the break.
Anson 45, Olney 0 — 
Cory Layne Jr. threw for 284 yards and four scores to lead the Tigers to a lopsided win over the Cubs.
Six different Anson players caught passes on Friday, including three players — Mario Barrera, Malachi St. John and Branson Rister — who caught five apiece.
Anson improved to 5-3 and 1-2 with the win; Olney fell to 2-6 and 1-2.
Comanche 34, Breckenridge 21 — 
The Indians rushed for 330 yards collectively to improve to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in district play.
Cayden Davis rushed for 121 yards and one score and Ladainian Smith rushed for 101 yards and another TD to lead Comanche.
Breckenridge fell to 0-8 and 0-3.
Brownwood 31, Burnet 30 — 
In perhaps the most exciting game produced in the Big Country on Friday, Brownwood held off Burnet in overtime.
Judson Coalson threw for 275 yards and three scores and rushed for 121 yards to lead the Lions.
CISCO — A dominating Hawley defensive effort, a sprinkling of Cisco mistakes and one key injury was enough to turn the Big Country Preps Game of the Week into a rout on Friday as the Bearcats handed CHS a 41-0 loss at Chesley Field.
Keagan Ables threw for 185 yards and Coeyn Lovelady rushed for 142 to lead Hawley (8-0, 3-0 District 4-2A DI), which took the lead on its opening possession and never looked back.
Cisco (5-3, 1-2), which was limited to just 215 yards in total offense, was led by Dillon Silva and Parker Williams, with 71 and 61 rushing yards respectively. Quarterback Julius Proffitt, who finished with 18 passing yards, was lost to a knee injury early in the second quarter with Cisco trailing 8-0. The Loboes didn’t complete a pass following his departure.
“We came out and executed our game plan,” Hawley coach Mitch Ables said. “The best thing for us was coming out of a physical game like this without having a bunch of injuries. That’s always a plus, but I’m super proud of our kids.”
LAST WEEK: 41-10 .803
SEASON TOTAL: 367-108, .772
Football season doesn’t feel complete without at least one visit to Chesley Field in Cisco. And Friday night, the Big Country Preps Game of the Week will stop by for a crucial District 4-2A DI matchup between the Loboes (5-2, 1-1) and Hawley (7-0, 2-0).
For Hawley, a win here will keep open the possibility of an unbeaten regular season. For Cisco, a victory would signal the beginning of a climb back into area prominence.
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m. roughout the regular season.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
With the Albany Lions winning last week’s district game with Winters by a score of 60-0, there were ample opportunities for the Lions to produce a Player of the Week-worthy performance.
They found one in senior Branson Beal, who rushed 11 times for 144 yards and five scores. He also caught a 46-yard TD pass to chart six touchdowns on the night.
“He might have the quickest feet of any (player) I have coached,” Albany coach Denney Faith said. “Combine that with great vision it makes him fun to watch.”
San Saba 36, Thorndale 28 — 
Luke Tharp rushed for 241 yards and two scores to help push San Saba past district rival Thordale.
The win puts the Armadillos (5-2) atop the district race and sets up a possible season-ending showdown with Mason for all the marbles.
Thorndale fell to 4-3 and 0-2.
Bremond 75, Goldthwaite 47 — A projected shootout between Bremond and Goldthwaite nearly delivered, but a Bremond running game that charted 420 rushing yards spoiied it.
Sam Kasowski threw for 263 yards and five TDs and Terrence rushed for 210 yards and 210 yards to lead the Bremond effort.
It was the third straight win for Bremond (5-2, 3-1) which ramained in title contention with the win.
Albany 68, Winters 0 — Chip Chambers threw for 234 yards and three scores and Branson Beal rushed for 144 yards and five more TDs to lift Albany over Winters.
The Lions improved to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in district play.
Winters fell to 2-5 and 0-2.
Sweetwater 27, Comanche 13 — Uriah Aguilar-Rivera rushed for 121 yards and two scores as Sweetwater captured a crucial win on the road.
The Mustangs (4-3, 2-0) are now tied with Clyde (4-3, 2-0) for the league lead. They will meet on Friday in Sweetwater.
Comanche (4-3, 1-1) was led by Cayden Davis who threw for 116 yards and one score and rushed for 160 yards and another TD.
Stephenville 63, Marble Falls 0 — The Yellow Jackets coasted to the win behind 546 yards in total offense.
Ryan Gafford topped the stat sheet for Stephenville with 222 yards passing and four scores.
The Yellow Jackets improved to 6-1 and 1-0 with the win; Marble Falls fell to 2-6 and 0-2.
Wall 48, Coahoma 6 — Landon York threw for 253 yards and three scores and Thomas Leanos rushed for 81 yards and two more TDs to lead Wall over Coahoma.
The Hawks improved to 7-1 and 2-0 with the win; Coahoma slipped to 4-3 and 0-2.
Stamford 43, Anson 0 — Christian Duran threw for 201 yards and two scores and Kason Vega rushed for 114 yards an another score to keep top-ranked Stamford (7-0, 2-0) unbeaten.
The Bulldogs led 21-0 at the break and 36-0 after three quarters.
Limited to only 127 total yards, Anson (4-3, 0-2) was led by Corey Lane with a combined 66 yards rushing and passing.
LAST WEEK: 47-7, .870
SEASON TOTAL: 326-98, .768
ROSCOE (2-3, 1-0) AT HAMLIN (5-1, 1-0)
It’s been a while since our Game of the Week has visited Hamlin, but it’s a good time for it.
The Pied Pipers have taken five straight games and will be in contention for a high playoff seed if they can win this crucial matchup.
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m. roughout the regular season.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
It isn’t often that a place-kicker nails down our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, but Comanche’s Alex Terrell has done exactly that with a pressure-packed performance in a 13-10 overtime win over Jim Ned in our Game of the Week last Friday.
Aside from hitting a game-tying 30-yard field goal to send the contest into overtime, Terrell connected on a 31-yard field goal in the extra period to give CHS the win.
The Armadillos (6-2, 3-0) retained a piece of the district lead with an important win over the Longhorns. 
Glen Rose 56, Hillsboro 6 — The Tigers have atoned for their brief two-game losing skid last month with two straight wins.