All of District 3-4A Division II was idle on Friday, with district play opening next week.
Here’s a quick look at the approaching matchups:
Author: Daniel Youngblood
DISTRICT 6-2A DIV. II WEEK 6 REPORT: Pinkerton leads Haskell past Seymour; Windthorst, Petrolia also victorious
Haskell 56, Seymour 42— Haegen Pinkerton passed for 221 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 182 yards and three more scores to lead the Indians to a three-touchdown win over the Panthers.
Brazos Bendle added 60 yards and two TDs on the ground and 37 yards and another score receiving for Haskell (1-1, 3-3), which also got receiving touchdowns from Zakeem Billington (2-62), Colton Gober (1-48).
DISTRICT 1-4A DIV. II WEEK 6 REPORT: Snyder can’t keep pace with Levellend; rest of district goes 3-1
Levelland 41, Snyder 14 — The Tigers trailed just 14-7 at halftime, but the Lobos came out the break with 20 unanswered points in the third quarter to pull away for a lopsided win.
Aedyn Claxton passed for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns and had a team-high 67 rushing yards for Snyder, which got receiving touchdowns from Kason Rinehart (5-85 receiving) and Andres Martinez.
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. I WEEK 6 REPORT: Fort Stockton pulls away Big Spring as league goes 1-3
Fort Stockton 42, Big Spring 21 — Gerry Diaz threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns, hitting Nikki Sotelo seven times for 146 yards, to help the Panthers pull away for a three-touchdown win over the Steers.
Nick Almendarez added 151 yards on the ground for Fort Stockton, which outgained Big Spring 515-428 and won the turnover battle 2-0.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Second-half shutout fuels Wylie past crosstown rival Cooper
A back-and-forth shootout in the first half gave way to a defensive struggle in the second, but at the end of four quarters, the Wylie Bulldogs were one touchdown better than Cooper in a thrilling 29-22 victory at Hugh Sandifer Stadium.
After allowing 232 yards rushing in the first half of Friday’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week, coach Clay Martin’s defense tightened things up to pitch a shutout in the second. That allowed Julius Laine’s second touchdown of the night to serve as the go-ahead and, eventually, game-winning points midway through the third quarter as Wylie took the Southtown Showdown for the fourth consecutive year.
The victory puts Wylie (4-2 overall) alone atop the District 2-5A Division II standings at 2-0, while dropping Cooper to 3-3 on the year and 1-1 in league play.
SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Cherokee-Benjamin headlines strong week of matchups in Week 6
We’ve hit Week 6, and district play is just around the corner for most teams in the Big Country Preps coverage area. But before we hit that milestone this season, we’ve got an excellent slate of nondistrict matchups to get through first.
Headlining this week’s schedule of games is a battle of unbeatens in Cherokee in Benjamin, which earns our Game of the Week designation, but that’s just one of several big-time six-man matchups throughout the area.
It’s time now to take a deeper look at all of those in this week’s Six-Man Lookahead column. We hope you enjoy this preview of Week 6 and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for more information on your favorite team(s).
Continue reading “SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Cherokee-Benjamin headlines strong week of matchups in Week 6”
FEATURE: Abilene High nose guard Starks a disruptive force in middle of Eagles defense
In Abilene High’s 3-4 defense, no player has a more important job than the nose guard.
Manning the interior of the defensive line, that player is responsible for occupying multiple blocks most snaps to route ball-carriers into gaps where waiting linebackers can make plays — ideally at or near the line of scrimmage.
More often than not, the fruit of that player’s (sometimes thankless) labor will show up more in others’ stats than his own. But without those efforts, the integrity of the entire defense falls apart.
This year, those monumental responsibilities have fallen once again on the sizeable shoulders of Jayden Starks. And if you’re searching for a reason to explain why the Eagles defense has been as successful — and disruptive — as it has, the 6-foot-1, 270-pound senior would be a pretty good place to start.
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 6)
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-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.
SIX-MAN REWIND: Cream continues to rise throughout Big Country Preps coverage area
We’re approaching the midpoint of the regular season and teams are preparing for the imminent start of district play. And while Week 5 didn’t yield many competitive games throughout the Big Country Preps coverage area, the teams atop our power rankings continued to separate themselves from the pack.
Whether it was Strawn routing Zephyr in the “Six-Man Lookahead” Game of the Week, Robert Lee taking care of Sands or Gordon and Jayton cruising to wins over quality opponents, the area’s cream continued its rise to the top.
As we have in the past on Mondays, it’s time to recap the week that was in our “Six-Man Rewind” column. We hope you enjoy this review, and encourage you to check out our check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for standings, results and upcoming matchups.
WEEK 6 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-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 6:
Continue reading “WEEK 6 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!”
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 5 REPORT: Abilene High, Amarillo High and Tascosa
Photo by Tori Bunch, PressPassSports.com
Abilene High 42, Amarillo Caprock 7 — Brayden Henry and Tristan Beal each threw for a pair of touchdowns, and John Rangel caught a TD pass from both to help the Eagles to a convincing win over the Longhorns in the district opener for both squads.
The Abilene High defense, meanwhile, pitched a shutout until late in the third quarter, allowing the Eagles () to stretch a 28-0 halftime lead to 42-0 before Caprock finally got on the board.
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Abilene Cooper, Wylie and Plainview open league play with victories
Abilene Cooper 42, Wichita Falls Memorial 27 — The Cougars pounded out 357 yards on the ground, getting 144 yards and a touchdown from Peyton Ewing and 127 yards and four scores from quarterback Jaden Carrillo, to score an upset win over the Mavericks in the district opener for both teams.
Markquel Sims also had 71 yards and a TD on the ground for Cooper (3-2, 1-0), which outscored Memorial 21-6 in the second half to break a 21-all tie at halftime.
DISTRICT 8-2A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Millsap ends Santo’s winning streak; rest of league goes 4-1
Millsap 49, Santo 27 — Braun Johnson ran for 205 yards and Madden Gilbert passed for 254 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs to a three-touchdown win over the Wildcats.
Gabriel Jones added 128 yards receiving for Millsap, which built a 42-7 halftime lead and remained in control from there in handing Santo (4-1) its first loss of the season.
DISTRICT 6-2A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Petrolia nips Haskell; Archer City rallies past Munday
Petrolia 30, Haskell 28 — The Pirates and Indians went to halftime tied at 14, but PHS finally created some separation in the second half, taking a 30-20 fourth-quarter lead and holding on from there for a thrilling win.
Haskell rallied back to pull within two late in the game, but that was as close as the Indians could get in falling to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in league play.
DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 5 REPORT: Ropes too strong for Forsan; Ozona, Sonora continue strong starts
Ropesville Ropes 59, Forsan 0 — Ryland Keith ran for 274 yards and a touchdown while receiving for 59 more yards to help the Eagles rout the Buffaloes.
Ropes finished with 592 yards of total offense, getting 142 yards and two TDs passing from Kade Franklin, 86 yards and a TD rushing from Jaivyth Cruz and a pair of receiving scores from Kolter Dockery to increase a 22 halftime lead to 45-0 by the start of the fourth quarter.
DISTRICT 5-2A DIV. I WEEK 5 REPORT: Ballinger sneaks past Stanton to join Hico, Bangs in win column
Ballinger 21, Stanton 17 — Coleman King passed for 196 yards and a touchdown, and Pierson Nord had 73 yards rushing and 76 yards receiving to help the Bearcats to a hard-fought win over the Buffaloes.
Ballinger (3-2), which also got 71 yards and a TD receiving from Hunter Kresta, outgained Stanton 413-337 for the game, taking a 13-10 lead into halftime before extending that advantage to 19-10 early in the fourth quarter.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Brady’s rally comes up short against Ingram Moore as league goes 1-5
Ingram Moore 37, Brady 33 — The Bulldogs outgained the Warriors 480-322, but an early hole proved too deep to climb out of in a hard-fought loss.
Brady (3-2) trailed 9-0 after a quarter and 23-7 at halftime, before mounting a rally in the second half. The Bulldogs, who converted just one of five fourth-down attempts in the game, narrowed the gap to 30-25 and 37-33 in the fourth quarter, but that was as close as they get to the lead.
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Taylor’s big game fuels Steers to win; Brock cruises to 5-0
Graham 35, Lake Worth 10 — Leading just 14-10 at halftime, the Steers shut the Bullfrogs out over the final two quarters to pull away for a convincing win.
Graham, which got 186 yards and three touchdowns rushing from Colt Taylor in the victory, scored a pair of third-quarter TDs to increase its lead to 28-10 by the start of the final period and was never threatened again after that.
DISTRICT 1-4A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Snyder falls to Big Spring; Seminole, Greenwood win big
Big Spring 51, Snyder 34 — Marcus Rios passed for 159 yards and three touchdowns and contributed a team-high 107 yards on the ground to lead the Steers to a comfortable win over the Tigers.
Xander Garza (16-70, 2 TDs rushing), Jacobi Lozano (3-84, 2 TDs receiving) and Kaine Valenzuela (4-75, 1 TD) also had productive games for Big Spring, which finished with 375 yards of total offense and won the turnover battle 3-2.
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. I WEEK 5 REPORT: Big Spring takes care of Snyder; Lake View suffers first loss
Big Spring 51, Snyder 34 — Marcus Rios passed for 159 yards and three touchdowns and contributed a team-high 107 yards on the ground to lead the Steers to a comfortable win over the Tigers.
Xander Garza (16-70, 2 TDs rushing), Jacobi Lozano (3-84, 2 TDs receiving) and Kaine Valenzuela (4-75, 1 TD) also had productive games for Big Spring (3-2), which finished with 375 yards of total offense and won the turnover battle 3-2.
GAME REPORT: Abilene High kicks off district play with blowout win over Amarillo Caprock
Photos by Tori Bunch, PressPassSports.com
AMARILLO — The Abilene High football took care of business in its District 2-5A Division I opener Friday, cruising to a 42-7 win over Amarillo Caprock at Dick Bivins Stadium.
The Eagles built a 21-0 lead by the end of the opening quarter and were never threatened after, doing all of their scoring before the Longhorns finally got on the board late in the third period.
Brayden Henry and Tristan Beal both threw two touchdown passes, while John Rangel caught a TD pass from each. Beal and Ethan Joyner each added rushing scores for AHS, which improved to 3-2 with the win.
GAME REPORT: Wylie pulls away late to open district play with 45-24 win over Wichita Falls Legacy
WICHITA FALLS — It took Wylie a while to get some separation Friday, but after struggling to put away Wichita Falls Legacy for three quarters, the Bulldogs slammed the door on the Leopards in the fourth to claim a 45-24 road win in the District 2-5A Division II opener for both squads.
Due in large part to three turnovers, WHS led just 13-10 at halftime and 23-17 after three quarters. But coach Clay Martin’s team opened the final period with three consecutive touchdowns put the game away.
The Bulldogs outgained Legacy 431-236 in the victory, rushing for 290 of those yards in improving to 3-2 on the season.
GAME STORY: Cooper ground game too much for Wichita Falls Memorial in 42-27 victory
The Cooper football team took every punch Wichita Falls Memorial had and counter-punched harder Friday, eventually landing the knockout blow in the second half of a 42-27 win at Shotwell Stadium.
The Cougars overcame a number of tough breaks throughout the game, using a punishing rushing attack and an opportunistic defensive effort to frustrate the favored Mavericks enough to pull away late in the District 2-5A Division II opener for both squads.
After going to halftime with the score tied at 21-all, Cooper outscored Memorial 21-6 over the final two quarters, finishing with 357 yards rushing and a 3-1 advantage in the turnover battle to improve to 3-2 on the season with its second consecutive victory.
SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Zephyr-Strawn matchup headlines solid area slate in Week 5
Week 5 is upon us, and we have another strong slate of six-man games in the Big Country Preps coverage area.
Topping that list this week is a high-profile Division II matchup between unbeaten Zephyr and perennial power Strawn, our “Six-Man Lookahead” Game of the Week, but there are a number of others worth diving into as well.
So let’s stop wasting time and do just that. We hope you enjoy this look at the Week 5 schedule and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for more information on your favorite team(s).
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 5)
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-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.
FEATURE: Senior Ewing carving out his place on long list of dynamic Cooper backs
Over the past five decades, the Cooper football program has become known for the quality of rushers that have called its backfield home.
From Terry Orr (2,485 yards from 1977-79) to Allen Gunter (2,933 yards from 1981-83) to Mike Rose (4,271 yards from 1991-93) to Dominic Rhodes (3,102 yards from 1994-96) to Brandon Diles (3,145 yards from 2000-02) to A’mon Pimpton (3,102 yards from 2006-08) to Devin Johnson (3,106 yards from 2014-16) to Tyrees Whitfield (3,916 yards from 2015-17) to Noah Garcia (5,389 yards from 2017-20) to Daniel Bray (2,079 yards from 2022-23), CHS has been a veritable factory when it comes to producing game-breaking running backs.
If things continue on their current path, that list should grow by one this season, as senior Peyton Ewing looks to etch his name in permanent ink in the annals of excellent Cooper backs. While he still has some work to do to build the credentials those before him did, the third-year varsity lettermen is playing at a similar level this fall for a Cougar offense that is reaping the benefits of his big-play ability.
GAME STORY: Wylie dominant in district-opening sweep of rival Cooper
The Wylie volleyball team opened District 4-5A play in dominating fashion Tuesday, traveling four miles north to hand crosstown rival Cooper a 25-7, 25-7, 25-17 loss at Cougar Gym.
It was the fifth consecutive win for the Lady Bulldogs, who notched victories over ranked squads from Bushland and Stephenville last week to ride a wave of positive momentum into league play.
Now 25-7 on the season, WHS will take a 1-0 district mark into road matches against Wichita Falls Legacy on Friday and Abilene High next Tuesday. Cooper, meanwhile, will look to regroup quickly before taking on Abilene High on Friday at Eagle Gym.
SIX-MAN REWIND: High-profile matchups deliver in wild Week 4
Week 4 yielded a number of eye-popping results and statement wins.
Whether it was May knocking off unbeaten Newcastle in our “Six-Man Lookahead” Game of the Week or Gordon going up a classification to thump Thorndale in a 11-man game, there was no shortage of intrigue for area six-man fans.
As has become custom the past two years around here, it’s time to recap the week that was in our “Six-Man Rewind” column. We hope you enjoy this look back at last week’s action and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for up-to-date standings, results and upcoming matchups.
Continue reading “SIX-MAN REWIND: High-profile matchups deliver in wild Week 4”
WEEK 5 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-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 5:
Continue reading “WEEK 5 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!”
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 4 REPORT: Legacy rallies past Abilene High; Monterey picks up league’s only win
Midland Legacy 42, Abilene High 28 — The Eagles took a 28-21 lead into halftime and had a chance to stretch that advantage to two scores in the second half, but an interception in the end zone ended that threat, and the Rebels closed with 21 unanswered points to rally for a two-score win.
JP Reyes passed for 469 yards and three touchdowns for Legacy, which got 135 yards rushing and three TDs from Hayes Hamm and 162 yards and a score receiving from Jermaine Laster.
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 4 REPORT: Abilene Cooper joins Lubbock Cooper, Palo Duro and Memorial in win column
Abilene Cooper 59, Lubbock Coronado 0 — Jaden Carrillo passed for 101 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 77 yards and another score, and Peyton Ewing had two TDs rushing and another receiving as the Cougars trounced the Mustangs.
Ewing finished with 126 yards rushing on just seven carries and 48 yards receiving on one catch, helping Cooper (2-2) build a 38-0 lead by halftime.
DISTRICT 8-2A DIV. II WEEK 4 REPORT: Santo stays unbeaten with win over Rio Vista
Santo 19, Rio Vista 14 — Rylan Griffith ran for 114 yards and Dillan Branham added 92 yards as the Wildcats amassed 346 yards rushing in a hard-fought win over the Eagles.
Santo also got 60 yards and a touchdown from Jackson McKinnerney and 33 yards and two scores from Justin Hollingsworth in improving to 4-0 on the year.
DISTRICT 6-2A DIV. II WEEK 4 REPORT: Anson takes down Haskell; Hamlin halts Munday’s momentum
Anson 26, Haskell 8 — Hunter Teichelman passed for 260 yards and two touchdowns, and Levi Diaz ran for 86 yards and two scores to lead the Tigers to a three-score win over the Indians.
Haskell held a brief 8-6 lead after rushing for its only touchdown in the first quarter, but Anson closed the first half with 14 unanswered points, before putting the game away with touchdown pass in the final period.
DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 4 REPORT: Wink pulls away from Forsan; Grape Creek too much for C-City
Wink 48, Forsan 14 — Leading just 7-0 at halftime, the Wildcats put up 20 points in the third quarter and 21 in the fourth to turn a previously competitive game into a lopsided win over Buffaloes.
Wink’s big second half left Forsan with its third loss in four games after rallying for the first win of the Casey Thompson era last week at Stanton.
DISTRICT 5-2A DIV. I WEEK 4 REPORT: Hico, Bangs stay hot with lopsided wins
Hico 55, Itasca 7 — The Tigers improved to 3-1 with a thorough win over the Wampus Cats.
Hico did all of its scoring before halftime, building a 55-0 lead at the break before allowing a its only points of the game after the outcome had long since been decided.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 4 REPORT: Brady bounces back with rivalry win over Ballinger; rest of league goes 0-5
Brady 36, Ballinger 19 — Sean Jacoby passed for 134 yards and four touchdowns and added 101 yards on the ground, while Ashton Taylor ran for 156 yards to lead the Bulldogs to a three-score win over the Bearcats.
As a team, Brady (3-1) ran for 351 yards on 39 carries, getting 61 yards and a TD from Johnny Roque in addition to what Jacoby and Taylor provided. Taylor also also had a 40-yard TD reception for the Bulldogs, who got two TD catches from Rylan Pedigo (2-39 receiving).