Author: Evan Ren

by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: No. 2 Gordon girls top No. 1 Eula in classic battle of unbeatens

EULA — Yes, it lived up to the hype. In fact, Tuesday’s showdown between the top-ranked Eula girls and No. 2 Gordon may have exceeded the expectations of some. 

Faith Garnett scored 17 points and sister Grace Garnett added 16 more to lead Gordon (22-0, 1-0 District 13-1A) to a thrilling 47-43 win in a battle of unbeatens at Mary Mosley Gymnasium.

In a game that featured 21 combined 3-pointers between the two clubs, seven lead changes and five ties, Gordon used a 7-3 spurt in the final 3:51 to walk away with the win. 

While suffering its first loss of the year, Eula (25-1, 1-1) was led by Kamryn Franklin with 12 and Emma Damron with 11. 

“With the respect we have for Eula and the job coach Fostel does with them, we knew coming in that it would be two teams that are well-prepared and that would land punches,” Gordon coach Matt Garnett said. “Our whole goal was to be able to take some of those punches and we felt like we could throw some. 

“But we know how good they are and I was just really proud.” 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sipe takes our weekly award with unbelievable shooting night

There are memorable shooting nights. Then there are shooting nights one is unlikely to ever forget.

Wylie senior guard Swade Sipe had one of the latter on Friday night, with a 33-point effort in a 74-62 win over Brock. 

During the course of this performance, Sipe was 11 of 11 from the field, 6 of 6 from 3-point range, 5 of 5 from two-point range and 5 of 6 from the foul line.

This explosive, nearly perfect effort against a very good 4A Brock team earns Sipe our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award, during a week when several players posted numbers good enough to claim the accolade.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Brownwood uses defense, two big runs to stop Lady Rams

BROWNWOOD — A sluggish start was nothing that a 14-1 run couldn’t fix. 

Trailing Mineral Wells 8-7 after one quarter, the sixth-ranked Brownwood girls combined a zone trap with solid halfcourt defense to take control of the game on the way to a 47-27 win in the District 6-4A opener for both clubs.  

Nylah Hall scored 12 points and Trinity Roberts added 11 more to lead Brownwood (21-3, 1-0), which turned the 8-7 deficit into a 21-9 lead by the 3:05 mark of the second quarter. 

Mineral Wells (14-11, 0-1) was led by Addyson Moore with 10 points. Jentry Jeter and Aniya Richardson added six apiece. 

“We’ve got to put it all together,” Brownwood coach Heather Hohertz said. “This is where it counts and we are thankful and grateful for this victory. But we’ve got to get better.” 

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Jim Ned sweeps varsity doubleheader with Sweetwater (+two boxscores)

TUSCOLA — While the two games took on a different character, both ends of Tuesday’s varsity doubleheader between Jim Ned and Sweetwater had one thing in common: both were frustrating for SHS. 

In Game 1, the Jim Ned girls used a 14-0 start and a 38-point night by Lily Bryant to hand Sweetwater a 56-39 loss at Bill Thornton Arena.  The nightcap saw the Indians down Sweetwater 49-47 in a physical, slow-tempo duel in which Jim Ned executed just well enough down the stretch to keep the Mustangs at bay.  

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall big man takes our first award of 2026

Nobody played a tougher schedule over the holidays than the Wall boys. And nobody had a bigger impact on their successful run through a brutal five-game stretch than 6-foot-7 big man Paxton Brake who takes our first Big Country Preps Player of the Week for 2026.

Brake, a junior, scored a combined 70 points through the break, averaging 14 points, 9.2 boards and 3.2 assists to help the Hawks go 4-1 over the break with wins over Decatur, Lorena, Ponder and Sweetwater, along with a close loss to perennial power Brock.

Wall enters this week at 17-5 overall.

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by Evan Ren

The Top 10 Big Country high school sports stories of 2025

In most years, the Big Country is too big and too deep in talent for it not to compete for state championships across the spectrum of sports. And the calendar year of 2025 was no different, with multiple state titles taken at various levels. 

So many, in fact, that most of our Top 10 area sports stories for 2025 involved an area team taking a state title.

Here, we take a look at those stories in descending order, counting down to No. 1. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jaybird takes our final award for 2025 with remarkable effort

In helping the Jayton Jaybirds to a second-straight state title last week, senior running back Bode Ham not only produced the top game in our coverage area, but his performance will likely remain part of six-man lore forever. 

With Jayton topping Richland Springs 99-54, Ham’s numbers were nothing short of shocking, with 430 yards rushing and a state championship record 10 TDs on 28 carries. 

For good measure, he was 3 of 4 through the air for 118 yards and an additional three scores, giving him 548 total yards and a direct hand in a state championship-record 13 touchdowns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Stephenville captures seventh state title with win over Kilgore

Stephenville hoists the 4A DI state championship trophy after defeating Kilgore 10-0 on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington

ARLINGTON — With many prognosticators expecting a low-scoring rock fight in Friday’s Class 4A Division I state title game between Stephenville and Kilgore, the game delivered precisely that. 

Trot Jordan rushed for a game-high 86 yards and threw for 78 and one touchdown to lead Stephenville (16-0) to a 10-0 win, closing the season with the seventh state title in program history. 

Limiting Kilgore to only 150 yards in total offense, the Yellow Jackets broke a scoreless tie at the 11:08 mark of the third quarter when Jordan hit Adan Jergins with a 40-yard TD pass. 

It proved to be the game-winner for the ‘Jackets, who took the title with just 251 yards in total offense, 173 of which were on the ground.

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN: Containment of Newton’s speed a key as Wall slips past Eagles for first football state title

Wall’s defense often loaded the box with eight to 10 players to attack Newton’s vaunted running game.

ARLINGTON — Whether or not you believe the old axiom that defense wins championships, the Wall Hawks put forward a strong argument for it in Thursday’s 3A Division II state championship game at AT&T Stadium. 

In a matchup that was widely considered to be pairing of Texas’ best 3A defense against the state’s top 3A offense, Wall combined several defensive stops with a handful of big plays to earn a thrilling 25-24 win.

“It hasn’t set in yet,” Slaughter said at the postgame news conference. “We really couldn’t breathe with (Newton’s) explosive offense, but I couldn’t be happier. 

“It was a special year from the jump. We knew we had a chance to play here tonight. Then we see a loaded Newton team (on tape) and we knew we’d have to play well. If you had told me that we’d hold them under 24 points, I probably (wouldn’t have believed it.) 

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by Evan Ren

2025 BIG COUNTRY PREPS MAX EFFORT TEAM: The hardest-working players in area volleyball!

While our All-Big Country Preps Volleyball team is in place to honor those who achieved the most on-court success, our “Max Effort” team is something much more uncommon. 

This is a special accolade, which has nothing to do with talent or stats.

It is here where character, grit and work ethic — traits that coaches wish every player had — are recognized. It is here where we honor the best teammates and best citizens that area volleyball has to offer.

It is for that reason that this team is selected by area coaches and described in their own words.

Big Country Preps is now honored to present these individuals to you — the hardest-working, toughest volleyball players in our coverage area.

Ladies and gentlemen: Our 2025 Big Country Preps Max Effort Team. 

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by Evan Ren

Evan Ren’s Playoff Forecast: Stephenville, Wall, Jayton, Gordon, Richland Springs head to Arlington

LAST WEEK: 3-0, 1.000
SEASON TOTAL: 543-113, .828

Jerry World, here we come. 
Five teams from the Big Country Preps coverage area — Stephenville, Wall, Gordon, Jayton and Richland Springs will take the field this week with state titles at stake. The latter three, beginning today at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. 
Let’s dive in, shall we? 

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Carter Toof
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cisco guard captures award with amazing week

If you were told that the Big Country had a possible boys basketball star in the making, where would you guess he was from? 
Jim Ned? Eula? San Saba? 

While those choices often make sense, there is a rising star on the block from an area that is seldom attached with basketball greatness. His name: Carter Toof, a junior from Cisco where pigskin has served as the athletic identity of the school for more than two decades. 

Named as our Big Country Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 13, Toof, a gifted guard, earned our accolade with a performance that bordered on scary. 

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Wall edges Gunter in state semifinal rematch

STEPHENVILLE — In the end, it came down to who made the final set of big plays. 

Wall’s thrilling 28-25 win over three-time defending state champion Gunter in a Class 3A Division II state semifinal rematch went beyond what many expected. The topsy-turvy matchup saw Wall build a 14-0 first-half lead, lose it in second half and recover it with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to earn their second trip to a state title game (the first coming in 2013).

Landon York threw for 182 yards and two scores while the Wall defense limited Gunter to 285 yards and forced two turnovers to key the win for the Hawks, who now advance to face powerhouse Newton (14-1) in the Class 3A DII state championship game on Thursday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. 

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. 

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN’S PLAYOFF FORECAST: Stephenville, Brock, Wall aiming for Jerry World

LAST WEEK: 6-2, .750
SEASON TOTAL: 540-113, .827

With six-man teams from Gordon, Richland Springs and Jayton having already qualified for next week’s state championship games in Arlington, there are three additional 11-man possibilities for the Big Country Preps coverage area in the state semifinals.

Stephenville will take on Celina in 4A DI; Brock will face Celina in 4A DII and Wall will square off with Gunter in 3A DII. All three of those games will take place on Friday, with the winners advancing to their respective title games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington next week. 

All three matchups are razor-thin when it comes to looking for reasons to pick one team or the other. But frankly, that’s what we want at this time of year, so here goes nothing.

Here’s this week’s playoff forecast. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wylie senior earns this week’s award

It’s one thing to pour in points. 

It’s quite another to do it against difficult competition in a big-school tournament.  Wylie senior Swade Sipe, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, did exactly that in last week’s Granbury tournament, helping the Bulldogs to a 2-2 mark in the challenging event. 

Sipe’s weekend began with a 22-point effort in a 54-48 win over Saginaw. It continued with 12 points in a 56-50 loss to Prosper Rock Hill, 20 points in a 59-51 win over Midland Christian and a 33-point night in a 46-43 loss to Arlington Lamar. 

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Wall 2025
by Evan Ren

GAME REPORT: Wall crushes Idalou, advances to state semifinals

Throughout their unbeaten run through the 2025 season, nobody gave the Wall Hawks more difficulty than Idalou in a 35-21 WHS win on Oct. 3.  

However, Friday’s rematch in the Region I-3A DII title game, followed a completely different script. 

Rather than a mistake-filled night on the part of Wall as in the first matchup, the Hawks forced four Idalou turnovers and ran away with the regional championship in a 48-7 rout at San Angelo Stadium. 

Landon York threw for 307 yards and four scores to lead Wall (14-0) which now advances to face Gunter in a rematch of last year’s 3A DII state semifinal on Friday at 6 at Art Briles Stadium in Stephenville. 

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by Evan Ren

GAME REPORT: Stephenville rallies to eliminate Canyon West Plains

Photos by James Abel, PressPassSports.com

A stunning reversal in momentum saw Stephenville advance to the Class 4A DI state semifinals on Friday when the Yellow Jackets overcame a 21-7 second-quarter deficit with 34 uananswered points in a 41-21 win over Canyon West Plains at Lubbock’s Lowrey Field. 

Trot Jordan threw for 212 yards and two scores and rushed for 72 yards and two additional TDs to lead Stephenville (14-0), which will face Celina (14-0) next week with a trip to the state championship game on the line. 

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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 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 Evan Ren

EVAN REN’S PLAYOFF FORECAST: 17 area teams still alive heading into Thanksgiving

LAST WEEK: 21-7, .750
SEASON TOTAL: 521-111, .824

JIM NED (11-1) VS. PARADISE (11-1)

Similar schedules with similar results, but Paradise does hold a slight edge both offensively and defensively and outperformed the Indians against common opponent Breckenridge. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Graham senior Jace Gill takes this week’s accolade

Not only is our Big Country Preps Player of the Week holding down the top spot with big numbers, but his performance in Graham’s 35-28 area round win over Lubbock Cooper Liberty was a virtual seminar on poise. 

Helping the Steers (9-3) to overcome three separate deficits, senior QB/kicker/punter Jace Gill was 15 of 28 for 239 yards and three TDs. He also rushed 12 times for 118 yards and another score. 

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Graham rallies to eliminate Lubbock-Cooper Liberty 35-28

ABILENE — While the Graham Steers may have won Friday’s Region I-4A DII area round matchup with Lubbock-Cooper Liberty, the 35-28 victory might be better described as a seminar on answering the bell. 

On three separate occasions, the Steers erased deficits and eventually overcame a major momentum shift in the final minutes to advance to the regional semis.   

Jace Gill threw for 239 yards and three scores and rushed for 118 yards and another TD to lift Graham (9-3), which now advances to face Midland Greenwood (12-0).

Gill’s final TD pass — an 8-yarder to Thomason Burkett with only 1:11 to play, proved to be the game-winner, after which the Steer defense closed the door on Liberty’s final possession. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PLAYOFF FORECAST: A quick thanks to those to who reached out

LAST WEEK: 28-3, .903
SEASON TOTAL: 500-104, .828

Before I get going this week, I’d like to thank those of you who have sent me all of the well-wishes over the past month, which has seen my wife and I suffering through two deaths in our families and me going through two separate stays in the hospital with a minor surgery thrown in for good measure. 

It’s been a bear, but it’s good to be back again and we appreciate all of your kindness. 

Here’s this week’s playoff forecast: 

TOP MATCHUPS

CISCO (10-1) VS. PANHANDLE (9-2)

I seldom pick upsets when the spread is more than 20 points, but the 23-point number in this game comes with a unique intangible. 

The Loboes are 4-0 in games decided by two scores or less while Panhandle, which has destroyed nearly everything in its path this year, is 0-2 in the only close games it has experienced (Dalhart and Stinnett West Texas). 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Abilene High’s Henry takes award after record-setting performance

You have to love a great all-around performance and in the case of Brayden Henry, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, his effort in last week’s 84-25 bi-district win over El Paso Bel Air was a record-setter.

Aside from going 6 of 7 through the air or 56 yards and one TD, he also rushed five times for 137 yards and three more scores.

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by Evan Ren

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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by Evan Ren

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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Glen Rose 2025
by Evan Ren

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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by Evan Ren

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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by Evan Ren

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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by Evan Ren

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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by Evan Ren

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
by Evan Ren

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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by Evan Ren

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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by Evan Ren

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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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 14-2A DIV. I WEEK 10 REPORT: San Saba, Thorndale, Mason all still in the title hunt

San Saba 34, Holland 0 — Luke Tharp rushed for 171 yards and three scores and Jason Everett rushed for 99 yards and one score on only 13 carries to lead San Saba to a rout of Holland. 

The Armadillos improved to 6-3 and 3-1 with the win. Holland dropped to 1-8 and 0-4. 

The win gives San Saba a chance to grab a piece of first place next week if it can defeat Mason on the road. 

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