Author: Brandon McAuliffe

by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wall finishes sweep of Coahoma with dominant all-around effort

ABILENE — A day after a three-run top of the first inning propelled the Wall baseball team to a 13-1 win over Coahoma in Game 1 of the Region I-3A Division II semifinal at McMurry University’s Walt Driggers Field, the Bulldogs started Game 2 off with their own crooked number.

Coahoma, however, was unable to sustain the momentum of the fast start as the Hawks finished off a sweep of the best-of-three series with a 9-3 win on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs managed just four hits off Wall starting pitcher Gage Reichenau — and they were just fractions of an inch away from only getting one hit in his four innings of work.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

STATE TRACK ROUNDUP: Big Country dominates Class 1A meet as Gordon sweeps team titles

Cover photo courtesy of Gordon ISD

AUSTIN — The 2026 University Interscholastic League track and field state championships came to a conclusion on Saturday at the University of Texas’ Mike A. Meyers Stadium with the Class 1A and Class 6A meets.

Over the first two days of the meet, area athletes earned a total of 30 medals — taking a dozen during Thursday’s Class 3A/4A portion and 18 on Friday in the Class 2A/5A/Wheelchair meet.

Given their chance to shine along with Class 6A athletes, the best of the Big Country’s Class 1A participants didn’t disappoint.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Lefty Oliver, bullpen shine for Wall in Game 1 win over Coahoma

ABILENE — Wall baseball coach Jeremy Gordon knows that at this point in the season, bullpen depth becomes more and more important with each passing week.

That’s why, with Kellan Oliver in the middle of a one-hitter in Wall’s 13-1 win over Coahoma in Game 1 of their best-of-three regional semifinal series at McMurry University’s Walt Driggers Field on Friday, he turned to Wyatt Jost and Kalan Sanders for the final two innings.

After the game, Gordon was quick to note why getting Jost and Sanders on the mound was important.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

STATE TRACK ROUNDUP: Area 2A, wheelchair athletes earn 18 medals on second day of meet

AUSTIN — The second day of the 2026 University Interscholastic League track and field championships saw Classes 2A and 5A take the stage, along with the wheelchair division, at Mike A. Meyers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas.

Big Country athletes combined to win 10  events and staked their claim to several state records on an exciting day of action.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

STATE TRACK ROUNDUP: Wall boys narrowly miss out on team title; Stephenville boys finish fourth as area athletes have strong first day

AUSTIN — The 2026 University Interscholastic League state track and field championships got under way on Thursday with the Class 3A and Class 4A competitions at Mike A. Meyers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas, and it was a day of pride for a pair relay teams from Wall.

The quintet of Evan Boehle, Reid Robertson, Hagyn Barbee, Bryson McFarden and Levi King had a memorable day in both the 800 and 1,600 meter relays, running Class 3A record breaking times, but finding themselves in a gaggle of finishers in both races.

In the midst of a banner 12 months for Wall athletics, the Hawks boys team finished in second place overall in the team race.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

UPDATED: Abilene ISD promotes Roan to assistant athletic director

Abilene ISD has named Cooper football coach Aaron Roan as the district’s new assistant athletic director as he will replace the retiring Lou Mora as Jim Garfield’s right-hand man.

Roan has spent the past eight seasons leading the Cougars program, compiling a 52-40 record in making the playoffs each season. His deepest playoff run came in 2019, when he led the Cougars to the third round of the playoffs. Cooper won six playoff games under Roan.

Roan said he’s excited about the challenge that lays ahead and that a move to athletics administration has been something that he’s considered for some time.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Cross Plains’ historic season continues after rallying to sweep Hermleigh in Game 2

ABILENE — Cross Plains softball coach Chad Barron has gone to great lengths to make sure that his team doesn’t take anything for granted.

After winning the first district championship in school history, the Lady Buffs advanced to just their second regional final ever after completing a Region I-1A semifinal sweep of Hermleigh with a 12-6 win on Saturday afternoon at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field.

Barron had to fight back tears after the game talking about what Saturday’s win meant.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Clemmer drives in seven as Coahoma steamrolls Holliday in Game 3

CLYDE — The way that Region I played out in the Class 3A Division II softball playoffs in 2026 is one that likely won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

A week that was set to feature Coahoma versus Holliday and Jacksboro versus Canadian, following Jacksboro’s 3-2 win over Wall in Monday’s Game 3, started with the Tigerettes dropping out of the postseason on Wednesday due to use of an ineligible player during district play that would have kept Jacksboro out of the postseason entirely.

It then continued on Friday as the Bulldogettes and Lady Eagles engaged in a pair of heavyweight slugfests in their best-of-three regional semifinal as Coahoma took the opening game 22-18 before seeing Holliday take Game 2, 16-12, to set up a winner-take-all showdown on Saturday morning at the Hanner Sports Complex.

In Game 3, Coahoma’s offense showed up in full force, scoring double-digit runs in two different innings to fuel the Bulldogettes to a series-deciding 27-11 win.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Locked-in Gruben, opportunistic baserunning propels Hamlin past Hermleigh

ABILENE — Several times in his career, Hamlin senior Ian Gruben has flirted with a no-hitter — including taking a perfect game into the fifth inning earlier this year against Aspermont.

On Thursday night, Hamlin’s ace lost his chance at his first no-hitter on a seventh-inning single, but he did more than enough before that as the Pied Pipers took a 12-2 win over Hermleigh in a one-game Region I-1A area-round playoff at McMurry University’s Walt Driggers Field.

While the single by Braidyn Lynch was hard-hit and clean, Gruben said it was on him as he issued a leadoff walk in the frame that had Ian Hutchings holding a runner on base.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wall softball drops Game 3 to Jacksboro for second straight year

EULA — The Wall softball team saw its season come to an end at the hands of Jacksboro in Game 3 of a Region I-3A Division II area-round matchup for the second consecutive year when the Tigerettes put together a stunning seventh-inning rally on Monday for a 3-2 victory at Eula’s softball field.

Monday’s game was a total reverse of the way that Game 3 played out in 2025, but it still ended in a gut-wrenching loss for the Lady Hawks — potentially even worse this year.

Wall coach Allyson Seider was still proud of the way her team battled and competed in this year’s matchup.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Stephenville rallies for extra-innings win over Estacado to keep season alive

ABILENE — Trailing 2-1 and down to their final out in Game 3 of their Region I-4A Division I bi-district series with Lubbock Estacado at Abilene Christian University’s Crutcher Scott Field, the Stephenville baseball team had the guy they wanted coming to bat in junior Trot Jordan.

While he didn’t drive in the tying run, Jordan did enough to extend the inning as the Yellow Jackets rallied for a 5-2 win in nine innings.

Stephenville coach Alec Bryant said there was nobody else on the team that he wanted at the plate in that situation after Jordan set school records for stolen bases and home runs this season.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Mineral Wells holds off Frenship Memorial rally for bi-district sweep

ABILENE — An eventful week for the Mineral Wells baseball team came to a close as the Rams finished off a Region I-4A Division I bi-district series sweep of Frenship Memorial with a 6-4 win Saturday afternoon at Abilene Christian University’s Crutcher Scott Field.

The week started with the Rams dealing with a devastating EF-3 tornado that tore through town and ended with the baseball and softball teams extending their season with playoff sweeps.

Mineral Wells coach Jacob Clay was pleased with how his squad dealt with the events of the week — and the resiliency they showed in the aftermath.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Methodical offensive approach propels Brock to sweep of Levelland

EULA — Instead of letting a bases-loaded situation with no outs in the first inning that saw them score on two wild pitches and nothing else demoralize them, the Brock baseball team used it as a way to demonstrate that it will take what an opposing pitcher gives it and cruised to a 12-1 win over Levelland to close out a sweep of the Region I-4A Division II bi-district series.

The Eagles achieved the series win without having to use Arizona State University signee Evan O’Connor on the mound — though he was ready and available to start Game 3.

Instead, Brock coach Koby Page turned to Colton Ripple for Game 2 after Weston Pickard earned the win on the mound in the series opener on Thursday. Page said that pitching depth is a nice luxury to have.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Big Spring’s offense sputters in series-opening loss to Springtown

ABILENE — For just the second time this season, the Big Spring softball team was held to two hits as the Lady Steers lost the opening game of their Region I-4A Division I area-round series against Springtown 3-1 on Wednesday night at Cooper’s softball field.

The only other time Big Spring was held to two hits this year was a 3-0 tournament loss to Boyd in a game that ended in the sixth inning by virtue of a time limit. The only other time the Lady Steers were held to one run or less this year was in an 8-1 loss to Snyder on April 7.

Big Spring coach Chelsey Jordan was quick to credit Springtown pitcher Kylee Spray for shutting down the Lady Steers’ offense, but she said that the remainder of the series on Friday, starting at 5 p.m., would play out differently.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Clyde softball season comes to an end in stunning fashion

CLYDE — After spending a portion of the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the state, the Clyde softball team found itself with its back against the proverbial wall on Saturday at the Hanner Sports Complex in the Region I-3A Division I bi-district round against Ingram Moore.

With home field advantage in Game 1, the Lady Warriors took advantage of six Clyde errors in a 6-2 win, forcing the Lady Bulldogs into a situation of needing to take two games on their home field to keep their playoff run alive. The loss in the series opener was the Lady Bulldogs’ fifth in their previous six games.

Despite jumping on the Lady Warriors early, the Lady Bulldogs saw their season come to an end in a heartbreaking 4-3 loss. It was a season-ending conversation in the outfield that came too soon for Clyde coach Reagan Sewell as he completed his 30th year in coaching.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Prentice’s big night at the plate sends Mineral Wells to epic bi-district win

After singling in the first inning, Mineral Wells first baseman Kimber Prentice, a freshman, put together a career night as the Lady Rams claimed a 23-8 win over Frenship Memorial in a Region I-4A Division I bi-district game on Thursday night at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field.

Prentice tripled in her next three at-bats and drove in six runs in the game as the Lady Rams advanced to face either Decatur or Fort Worth Western Hills next week.

Entering the playoffs, Prentice was hitting .311 on the season with three triples. With a season-high five hits, she raised her batting average by 36 points to .347. The monster night came after she was forced to miss Mineral Wells’ regular-season finale after sustaining a concussion on April 14 against Stephenville.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wall outlasts Jim Ned for 2-1 win in thrilling end to regular season

TUSCOLA — The District 6-3A race saw a fierce battle between No. 4 Wall and No. 5 Jim Ned all season long and it came down to the final night of the regular season between the two heavy hitters on Wednesday night.

After being postponed by 24 hours due to the storms that came through the Big Country on Monday night, the Hawks won a 2-1 thriller in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Indian Field.

It was a much different outcome than Wall’s 10-5 win over the Indians on Friday — a game that gave Jim Ned its first loss of the season as it had entered that game ranked No. 1 in the state.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Hawley claims third district title since 2015 with win over Albany

HAWLEY — The Hawley baseball team ended its run in the current itineration of District 8-2A on Tuesday night the same way that it started it during the 2014-15 school year: as district champions.

The Bearcats claimed their third district championship in that span — matching the effort of the 2015 and 2019 squads — with an 11-4 win over Albany.

Having spent the past dozen years competing against the likes of Albany, Stamford and Anson, among others, the Bearcats will find themselves in a new look District 8-2A starting next year with Albany, Abilene TLCA, Bangs, Coleman and Cross Plains. After Tuesday’s game, Bearcats coach Jamie Seago took time to recognize the competition that the current version of the district has given his squad.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wichita Falls Memorial rallies past Abilene High on night former coach is honored

April 16 is slowly turning into Jim Reese Day on the campus of Abilene High.

Five years to the day after Reese was honored with a retirement ceremony as he neared the end of his career leading the AHS softball team, the Abilene High baseball team honored the man that led that program from 1995-1999 prior to their District 4-5A matchup with Wichita Falls Memorial at Blackburn Field on Thursday.

Under Reese’s leadership, the Eagles reached the third round of the playoffs in 1996, 1997 and 1998. The final two years were as the District 4-5A champion while the first run came after AHS finished in third place in district.

Coming off a 1-0 win in nine innings over the Mavericks on Tuesday, the Eagles saw several missed opportunities early in the game come back to cost them late as Memorial rallied for a 7-5 win to spoil the night’s festivities that saw former AHS coaches Derran Lackey and Ryan Lewis in attendance, along with a number players whose lives have been touched by Reese.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

DISTRICT 4-5A BASEBALL: Fletcher, McCarty combine for shutout as Wylie takes thriller over Cooper; Ferguson dominant in AHS win

While the Cooper and Wylie baseball teams will be headed to the postseason in different playoff brackets, there was still a lot on the line for both sides when they met at Cougar Field on Tuesday in a key District 4-5A matchup.

Cooper entered the Southtown Showdown trailing Abilene High by three games in the standings in the race for the top seed in the Division I bracket with four games to play — including a pair with the Eagles next week. The Cougars entered the game knowing that they would probably have to go 4-0 over the next two weeks against their crosstown foes to improve their playoff positioning.

Wylie, on the other hand, trailed Wichita Falls Memorial by one game for the top seed in the Division II bracket — with the Mavericks holding the head-to-head tiebreaker after taking two of three district contests from the Bulldogs. Wylie was in better shape, knowing that Memorial closes out its regular season this week against AHS and the Bulldogs would potentially be in control of their own seeding destiny with a win on Tuesday.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

DISTRICT 4-5A BASEBALL: Wylie falls to Wichita Falls Memorial, Cooper clinches postseason berth

All it took was a 90-second stretch for things to unravel for the Wylie baseball team at home against Wichita Falls Memorial in a crucial District 4-5A matchup on Friday night.

With Carter Hoffman facing a 2-2 count with two outs in the top of the seventh of a 4-4 game, the Memorial senior appeared to swing at an offering from Wylie pitcher Gehrig Fletcher — an effort that had Fletcher walking off the mound and Memorial coach Rob Johnson walking down the third base path towards his own dugout.

In a wild turn of events, Hoffman was ruled to have not offered at the pitch, with an appeal of the checked swing being unheralded to extend the frame. Two pitches later, Hoffman hit an inside-the-park home run when Wylie center fielder Blaze Ruffin appeared to lose his footing while trying to stop a hard charge at cutting the ball off, and the three-pitch sequence allowed the Mavericks to escape with a 5-4 win on Friday night.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Cooper strikes first, but Abilene High storms back for Crosstown Showdown win

Following last Thursday’s 11-4 come-from-behind victory over Wichita Falls Memorial, Abilene High softball coach Jenna Aguirre talked about how being in a routine helps her squad.

Tuesday’s Crosstown Showdown at the CHS softball field helped the Lady Eagles find that routine again as they completed a season sweep of Cooper with a 7-1 win.

It was the first time AHS had played a Tuesday game in two weeks, and the win moved Abilene High to 6-0 this year on Tuesday nights. The Lady Eagles also improved to 18-9-1 overall and 6-0 in District 4-5A play with two games left in the regular season.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Patient offensive approach leads Wylie to run-rule victory over Cooper

The end result might have been the same, but the journey to get there was anything but when the Wylie and Cooper softball teams started the second half of District 4-5A play Thursday night at Bulldog Field.

The Lady Cougars were without normal shortstop Abbey Alvarado and with six players playing different defensive positions than they did two weeks earlier against the Lady Bulldogs, they committed seven errors while Wylie’s offense pounded out 12 hits in a 13-2 win.

Thursday’s win gave the Lady Bulldogs a season sweep of the Southtown Showdown after taking the first game 5-2 at Cooper on St. Patrick’s Day.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME REPORT: Faries dominant as Wylie softball cruises to 10-0 win over Wichita Falls Memorial

The Wylie softball team closed out the first half of District 4-5A play with a 10-0 thrashing of Wichita Falls Memorial on Tuesday night behind a stellar effort in the circle from Avie Faries.

Faries retired all nine batters that she faced in the game, recording five strikeouts, while benefiting from an offense that had six doubles in the first three innings. Faries needed just 35 pitches, including 25 strikes, to complete her easy night.

Wylie (15-12 overall, 3-1 in district) wasted no time putting the Lady Mavericks (12-10-1, 1-3) on the ropes as Faries retired Memorial in order on just 11 pitches in the first inning before the Lady Bulldogs offense got rolling with a six-run first inning — doing most of that damage with two outs in the frame.

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