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.
Author: Evan Ren
Glen Rose 56, Hillsboro 6 — The Tigers have atoned for their brief two-game losing skid last month with two straight wins. 
DISTRICT 3-3A DIV. I WEEK 8 REPORT: Sweetwater, Jim Ned, Clyde all score wins
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.
DISTRICT 4-4A DIV. I WEEK 8 REPORT: Stephenville, Lampasas both notch Week 8 wins.
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.
DISTRICT 4-3A DIV. II WEEK 8 REPORT: Wall, Stanton earn wins; Merkel takes the night off
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.
DISTRICT 4-2A DIV. I WEEK 8 REPORT: Stamford, Hawley, Cisco tally wins in Week 8
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.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Pipers, Plowboys clash in important district matchup
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 Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 15)
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.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche’s Terrell takes this week’s award
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.
DISTRICT 14-2A DIV. I WEEK 7 REPORT: San Saba, Mason and Holland open district play victorious
San Saba 38, Johnson City 15 — Luke Tharp rushed for 241 yards and four touchdowns to lead San Saba to a big win at Johnson City.
Tharp also posted eight tackles, a pass breakup, a quarterback hurry and an interception.
San Saba improved to 4-2 and 1-0; Johnson City fell to 2-4 and 0-1.
DISTRICT 10-2A DIV. II WEEK 7 REPORT: Goldthwaite, Mart, Bremond and Chilton all notch wins
Goldthwaite 69, Frost 28 — The Eagles rolled up 671 yards in total offense, topped by 300 rushing yards and three TDs from Landry Sanderson.
Luke Sanderson came up big as well, charting 185 rushing yards and three TDs.
Goldthwaite improved to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in league play. Frost dropped to 2-4 and 1-2.
DISTRICT 4-4A DIV. II WEEK 7 REPORT: Glen Rose, Benbrook and Hillsboro open district play with wins
Glen Rose 45, Godley 35 — Canyon Evans threw for 309 yards and four scores and Josiah Groeneweg rushed for 94 yards and another score to lift Glen Rose (4-2, 1-0) to a win in its district opener.
Godley (3-3, 0-1) was led by Wyatt Burke, with 287 yards passing for three scores.
DISTRICT 4-3A DIV. II WEEK 7 REPORT: Grape Creek and Wall earn wins; Stanton takes the night off
Wall 48, Merkel 7 — Landon York threw for 309 yards and three scores on 20 of 22 passing to lead Wall over Merkel.
The Hawks rushed for 170 yards via committee with six different players carrying the football.
Wall improved to 6-1 overall and 1-0 in district play; Merkel fell to 0-7 and 0-1.
DISTRICT 4-2A DIV. I WEEK 7 REPORT: Stamford, Hawley, Olney open district play with wins
Stamford 41, Cisco 14 — Kaston Vega rushed for 83 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead Stamford to a win over Cisco in the district opener for both clubs.
Defensively, the Bulldogs limited Cisco to 215 yards in total offense. Julius Proffitt led Cisco with 140 yards passing and two scores.
Stamford improved to 6-0 and 1-0; Cisco fell to 4-2 and 0-1.
DISTRICT 7-2A DIV. II WEEK 7 REPORT: Albany, Hamlin and Roscoe open district play in the win column
Albany 47, Miles 15 — Branson Beal rushed for 115 yards and three scores and Chip Chambers threw for 127 yards and two more TDs to lift Albany to a win the district opener for both teams.
Facing a 27-8 deficit at the break, Miles (4-2, 0-1) could never muster enough offense to make a serious threat.
DISTRICT 3-3A DIV. I WEEK 7 REPORT: Sweetwater, Clyde, Comanche all notch wins in first week of district
Sweetwater 90, San Angelo TLCA 0 — A long night for TLCA got even worse when it was forced into seven turnovers. Six of those giveaways resulted in Sweetwater touchdowns via scoop-and-scores and pick returns.
The Mustangs were led offensively by Caiden Ortiz, who threw for 137 yards and two scores.
Sweetwater improved to 3-3 and 1-0 with the win; TLCA dropped to 0-6 and 0-1.
DISTRICT 4-4A DIV. I WEEK 7 REPORT: Lions fall to Lampasas; Burnet tops Marble Falls; Stephenville takes the night off
Lampasas 30, Brownwood 20 — Trailing 20-17 at the end of the third quarter, Lampasas closed the game with a 28-yard TD from Haegan Oncken at the 11:00 mark.
Two possessions later, Corbin Dotson scored with a 28-yard TD with three minutes left.
Brownwood was led by Judson Coalson with 116 yards passing and 54 yards and two TDs rushing. Trey Mosley added 58 yards and a score on the ground.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Comanche edges Jim Ned in overtime trench war
OMANCHE — A week after Coahoma and Littlefield put on an offensive show in a 71-70 CHS win in our Big Country Preps Game of the Week, Comanche and Jim Ned produced a polar opposite.
Jumping into the trenches and hitting each other in the mouth four three hours, this Indians vs. Indians matchup resulted in a physical defensive struggle — eventually won by Comanche, 13-10 in overtime.
Alex Terrell booted a game-tying 30-yard field goal as time expired in regulation and came back to hit a game-winning 31-yarder in overtime to help Comanche (4-2, 1-0) to a nail-biting win in the District 3-3A DI opener for both clubs.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Comanche plays host to Jim Ned (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
LAST WEEK: 32-12, .809
SEASON TOTAL: 279-91, .757
Now it’s time to get down to business.
With most of the Big Country taking an open date last Friday as a prelude to district play, we now dive headfirst into the games that count the most.
District play opens tomorrow for most leagues in the area, the intensity of which is already tangible.
Can you feel it?
We’ll see you on the road.
Here’s this week’s area picks:
Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 8)
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.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Coahoma has planted a Vineyard in its backfield
With the bulk of the area’s football teams taking the night off in a bye week prior to district, the question last Friday was if we could find an ample supply of top games and top performances to cover.
We actually found several — topped by a show-stopping effort by Coahoma’s Jaidyn Vineyard in an unforgettable 71-70 win over Littlefield in our Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
DISTRICT 4-2A DIV. I WEEK 6 REPORT: Olney falls as the rest of the district takes the night off
Crosbyton 22, Olney 8 — The Cubs’ struggles continued on Friday with their fourth loss in five starts.
They may have a chance to gain some momentum on Friday when they open district play with Abilene TLCA (0-5) at home.
Crosbyton improved to 2-3.
DISTRICT 10-2A DIV. II WEEK 6 REPORT: Goldthwaite, Bremond, Mart and Frost score wins
Goldthwaite 61, Hubbard 0 — Aidyn Lee and Hayes Greenway threw for a combined 139 yards and two scores and Goldthwaite (3-2, 2-0) rushed for 212 yards via committee in a blowout win over Hubbard.
The Eagles quickly put the game away, building a 55-0 lead by halftime.
Hubbard dropped to 1-4 and 0-2.
San Saba, idle — The Armadillos entered their bye week with a 3-2 overall record. They will open district play at Johnson City (2-3) on Oct. 11.
DISTRICT 4-3A DIV. II WEEK 6 REPORT: Hawks, Coahoma score big wins
Wall 33, Idalou 10 — Landon York hit 14 of 21 throws for 208 yards and two scores and Thomas Leanos rushed for 131 yards and one score to left Wall over Idalou.
The Hawks (5-1) piled up 456 yards in total offense, including 248 on the ground.
Idalou dropped to 4-2.
Albany, idle — The Lions entered their bye week with a 3-2 overall record. They will open district play against Miles (4-1) at home on Oct. 11.
San Angelo Grape Creek 74, San Angelo TLCA 0 — TLCA’s struggles continued on Friday with a loss to cross-town rival Grape Creek.
Glen Rose, idle — The Tigers entered their bye week with a 3-2 overall record. Glen Rose will open district play at Godley (3-2) on Oct. 11. 
DISTRICT 4-4A DIV. I WEEK 6 REPORT: Brownwood, Burnet, Lampasas all notch wins
Brownwood 55, Ingleside 7 — Judson Coalson threw for 257 yards and three TDs and Trey Mosley rushed for 136 yards and two more scores to help Brownwood to an easy win over Ingleside.
The Lions (3-2) quickly jumped out to a 27-0 first half lead and never looked back.
Limited to 226 yards in total offense, Ingleside fell to 4-2.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Coahoma outlasts Littlefield in non-district thriller
COAHOMA —The general consensus prior to Friday’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week was that Coahoma and Littlefield would put on an offensive show in a close game.
That turned out to be a gross understatement.
Through 141 combined points, 1,336 combined yards in total offense, four ties and four lead changes, Coahoma (4-1) finally outlasted their homecoming adversaries 71-70 in a classic Game of the Week that may never be forgotten.
Jaidyn Vineyard rushed for 373 yards, caught two passes for 76 yards and scored a combined seven touchdowns to lead Coahoma (4-1), which stopped Littlefield quarterback Chip Green’s attempted two-point conversion with 0:21 to play to preserve the win.
Green topped the Littlefield stat sheet, hitting 20 of 26 throws for 462 yards and six TD passes. The Wildcats fell to 4-2 with the loss.
“It felt like a Big 12 game back in the old days when you just play football on the offensive side and go try to score,” Coahoma coach Chris Joslin said.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Coahoma plays host to Littlefield in spotlight game (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
LAST WEEK: 51-12, .809
SEASON TOTAL: 247-79, .757
Week 6 generally sees slim pickings for possible Games of the Week, with the bulk of the area enjoying an open week prior to district.
Nonetheless, we have some quality Week 6 matchups this year, topped by a 4-1 Littlefield team paying a visit to Coahoma (3-1) in our spotlight game. That’s where I’ll be, but keep a close eye on some others. It’s a surprisingly good week, despite the low amount of activity.
Here’s this week’s picks:
Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 1)
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.
BIG COUNTRY PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Graham volleyballer takes Player of the Week with a Noble effort
Overwhelming. If there were a one-word description for last week’s performance by six-foot Graham senior Lillian Noble, that would be it.
Noble, a four-year varsity player who has already committed to Oklahoma Baptist, was far and away the most dominant player in both a 3-1 win over Wichita Falls Memorial and a 3-1 loss to Glen Rose last week.
Her combined totals: 54 kills, 23 digs and 12 blocks — making her the most effective two-way player the area saw on both sides of the net last week.
“Lillian has become a true utility player for us this season,” coach Marci Faulk said. “It’s exciting to see her embrace this new role and have so much success doing so!”
DISTRICT 10-2A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Goldthwaite, Mart, Wortham and Meridian open district play with wins
Goldthwaite 41, Chilton 0 — 
The Eagles (2-2, 1-0) pounded out 240 yards rushing, including 112 and two TDs from Landry Sanderson to beat Chilton (1-3, 0-1).
Luke Sanderson was another top contributor, with 90 yards rushing and two scores. Aidyn Lee threw for 62 yards and two more scores.
Chilton was limited to 97 yards in total offense.
DISTRICT 7-2A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Roscoe, Albany, Winters, Cross Plains, Hamlin all notch wins
Roscoe 26, New Home 6 — Ivan “The Terrible” McCann rushed for 154 yards and two scores and took a fumble back 23 yards to lead Roscoe (1-4) to its first win of the year.
New Home fell to 2-3 with the loss.
DISTRICT 4-3A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Coahoma falls in shootout to Wink; Stanton defeats Ballinger
Wink 51, Coahoma 40 — 
Kemyd Faciane rushed for 292 yards and one TD and Layne Lusby threw three TD passes to lead Wink over Coahoma in a shootout.
Boyd Cox led Coahoma (3-1) with 297 yards passing for four scores.
Wink improved to 4-1 with the win.
DISTRICT 4-4A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Glen Rose falls to high-powered Alvarado
Alvarado 71, Glen Rose 50 — 
With starting quarterback Canyon Evans nursing an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, the Tigers lacked the firepower to keep up with unbeaten Alvarado.
Cardea Collier rushed for 318 yards and threw for 268 to lead Alvarado (5-0) which might be fielding the best team it’s had in more than 10 years.
Glen Rose (3-2) was led by Josiah Groeneweg with 296 yards rushing and three scores on 32 carries.
DISTRICT 14-2A DIV. I WEEK 5 REPORT: Hamilton tops San Saba; Holland, Mason, Thorndale notch wins
Hamilton 40, San Saba 21
The Bulldogs improved to 5-0 by blowing open a 26-21 game with two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Luke Tharp led the Armadillos (3-2) with 110 yards rushing, 56 yards passing and two scores.
DISTRICT 4-2A DIV. I WEEK 5 REPORT: Cisco, Hawley, Stamford continue to collect wins
Stamford 55, Henrietta 14 — Christian Duran rushed for 77 yards and three scores and threw for 96 yards and another TD to keep Stamford (5-0) unbeaten at the season’s midpoint.
Other key contributors included Kaston Vega, who rushed for 194 yards and two scores and Cle Whitfield (94 yards rushing, two TDs) as SHS built a 41-7 halftime lead before putting things into cruise control.
Limited to only 197 total yards, Henrietta fell to 2-3.
DISTRICT 3-3A DIV. I WEEK 5 REPORT: Comanche, Jim Ned notch impressive wins
Comanche 54, Early 20 
— Cayden Davis rushed for 186 yards, threw for 104 and accounted for four touchdowns to lead Comanche to a win over Early.
The Indians rushed for 403 yards through seven different ball carriers, five of whom scored.
DISTRICT 4-4A DIV. I WEEK 5 REPORT: Stephenville tops La Vega, Brownwood rebounds
Stephenville 38, Waco La Vega 28 — 
The Yellow Jackets gradually built a 38-14 lead by the 11-minute mark of the fourth quarter, capped by a 46-yard TD run by Sawyer Wilkerson.
SHS then had to hold off a late La Vega rally attempt which saw the Pirates add a pair of late touchdowns, including a 1-yard scoring run by Bryson Roland to get La Vega within two scores with four minutes left.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Wall rallies to spoil Sweetwater’s homecoming
SWEETWATER — Friday’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week could have been called a tale of two halves.
A first half that saw Sweetwater utilize a big second quarter and a huge special teams break to take a 21-12 lead into the locker room at the break. And a second half that saw Wall grab the early momentum and complete a 30-0 tally after the half to win going away, 42-21, spoiling Sweetwater’s homecoming in the Mustang Bowl.
Reid Robertson had nine receptions for 152 yards and one score and Landon York threw for 312 yards to lift Wall (4-1) which overcame a 22-6 deficit with 36 unanswered points (including the last touchdown of the first half).
Sweetwater, which lost standout running back Korda Moore to a first-half injury, dropped to 2-3.
“It was just kids stepping up and doing a super job of competing,” first-year Wall coach Craig Slaughter said. “The score right before the half picked our energy back up and our defense was great. But Korda Moore is a special player and it’s a little different defending them when he’s not there.”
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Wall heads to the Mustang Bowl (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country picks)
LAST WEEK: 55-8, .873
SEASON TOTAL: 196-67, .745
How about those apples?
After a pathetic start that saw this column stagger out of the gate with a pick percentage in the low 600s after two weeks, it rebounded with two straight solid weeks, including a 55-8 record last week (.873) to bump its season tally up to .745 four weeks into the season.
Thank the maker. I was beginning to feel a little pressure.
We now move on to Week 5, with a Big Country Preps Game of the Week featuring the Wall Hawks (3-1) at Sweetwater (2-2) in SHS’ storied Mustang Bowl.
Let’s dive in shall we?
Here’s this week’s picks:
BIG COUNTRY PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ables takes the top spot after big win over De Leon
Hawley’s Keagan Ables is no stranger to the Big Country Preps Player of the Week column — appearing among our top performers multiple times over the last three years.
However, his latest effort to help HHS defeat De Leon 54-21 on Friday, may rank as one of his best.
The Hawley senior connected on 16 of 32 passes for 441 yards and six touchdowns to help Hawley improve to 4-0 on the year.