Author: Brandon McAuliffe

by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Bible’s big night propels Bangs to blowout win over Coleman

BANGS — While he didn’t set a career-high for rushing yards, Bangs senior running back Connor Bible still put together a memorable night as the Dragons rolled to a 53-10 win over Coleman in District 7-2A Division I play on Friday night.

Bible ran for 244 yards and five touchdowns and added a 32-yard reception for a score to lead the Dragons, who scored on their first seven possessions of the game — a week after punting seven times in a lopsided loss to Mason.

Bangs coach Colton Buzzard was proud of the way that his team bounced back from the 51-0 loss to the Punchers to start district play.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Pair of defensive scores help Abilene Cooper pull away from shorthanded Lubbock Cooper

For the better part of three quarters Friday, the Cooper Cougars were on the verge of falling victim to a trap game during District 2-5A Division II play against 0-5 Lubbock Cooper — which entered the night at Shotwell Stadium with four losses of at least 23 points this year.

Leading just 7-6 in the third quarter, it took a pair of second-half defensive touchdowns for the hosts to get some breathing room on their way to a 27-6 win. It was the closest game of the three contested between the two squads.

Despite the struggle, Cooper coach Scott Stewart was happy with what he saw on the defensive side of the ball as the Cougars held the Pirates to 129 yards of offense on 49 plays — an average of just 2.6 yards per play.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Talented youth on full display as Jim Ned outlasts Clyde in five-set thriller

CLYDE — There’s not been anything normal when the Jim Ned and Clyde volleyball teams have met on the court this season.

In their first meeting on Sept. 12, the match was held in Tuscola after a water main break in Clyde left the campus without water, resulting in a dominant sweep for the Lady Indians.

Tuesday’s rematch came less than a week after Clyde coach Courtney Freeman had an emergency surgery, and the veteran coach was still dealing with a lot of pain as she saw her squad push the 20th-ranked Lady Indians to the brink before Jim Ned pulled off a 25-19, 16-25, 25-17, 20-25, 15-12 win at Bulldog Gym.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Newcastle stuns Jayton with walk-off defensive touchdown

JAYTON — The Jayton football team entered Friday night’s game against Newcastle with a 34-game winning streak and having won 46 of its previous 47 games overall.

Facing a third-and-goal with 12 seconds to play in a tie game, the second-ranked Jaybirds were poised to extend their streak when Newcastle’s Keegen Voyles intercepted a pass by Lorenzo Vargas and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown to give the Bobcats a 58-52 walk-off victory at Jaybird Stadium.

It was a play that left the home crowd so quiet you could hear a pin drop while the visiting sideline and stands were exploding with jubilation.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Sweetwater dominates all three phases in rivalry win over Snyder

SWEETWATER — Ever since he took over as the head football coach at Snyder 2½ years ago, Anthony Gonzales has wanted to make sure that the Tigers renewed their rivalry game against Sweetwater.

It’s a game that even players have told him during end-of-season interviews that they wanted to play.

For 12 minutes on Friday night at the Mustang Bowl, it appeared as though the 72nd regular season meeting between the teams might be the type of competitive game that would be talked about for years to come.

But the 2026 meeting became more memorable for the Mustang faithful after Sweetwater used a 45-point second quarter to claim an 83-20 homecoming win in a game Snyder led by one after the first quarter.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Gordon ties Abilene High’s Big Country record with 49th consecutive win

GORDON — Heading into Thursday night’s home game against Stephenville Faith, the Gordon football team found itself with an opportunity to equal Abilene High’s 49-game winning streak from 1954-1957 as the longest in the storied history of the Big Country.

Following a 52-32 win over Stephenville Faith in a game that, unlike most games in the streak, went the distance, the Longhorns will have an opportunity to set the new area benchmark next week at Forestburg.

While the consecutive wins are a major milestone, Gordon coach Mike Reed talked about the legacy his players are set to leave behind.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Dominant rushing attack leads Cooper to homecoming win over Odessa High

Cooper football coach Scott Stewart had to wait until the fourth week of the season for his home coaching debut — but his squad made sure that he picked up the win in pretty dominating fashion on Friday night.

The Cougar offense held the ball for over 30 minutes of action and ran for 364 yards on 48 carries, getting rushing scores from four players as CHS picked up a 34-14 win to close out nondistrict play with a 2-2 record.

“An old coach once told me that you want to keep the offense sweaty and the defense dry,” Stewart said. “We had some sustained drives and tired their defense out, and ours was ready to go when they came out.”

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wilson, defense power Early to shutout win over Ballinger on homecoming

EARLY — Ballinger head coach Bryan Gayoso and Early head coach Marvin Wilson have been friends for as long as they can remember and have even spent time working on the same coaching staffs as each other.

Friday night at Longhorn Stadium, the two faced off against each other as head coaches for the first time.

By the time the dust settled on the Longhorns’ homecoming, Early had laid claim to a 34-0 win and improved to 3-0 for the first time in five years while the Bearcats fell to 2-1.

Both coaches relished the opportunity to match wits with one another.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: De Leon wins the ‘middle 8’ in dominant fashion to beat Stamford

STAMFORD — On paper, Friday night’s game between Stamford and De Leon looked like it would be an exciting matchup after both squads put up magnificent offensive performances to open the season.

Stamford sophomore quarterback Miles Follis was coming off a 363-yard passing effort (No. 3 in the Big Country Preps coverage area) and had favorite target Slayden Young (9-215 receiving) ready to build off a week that saw him finish with the second-most receiving yards and third-highest catch total in the area.

On the other sideline, the Bearcats had Lane Couch, who had 14 carries for 351 yards in De Leon’s season opener.

When the two squads took to the field at Bill Anderson Stadium, though, it was all Bearcats as De Leon steamrolled Stamford for a 57-7 win.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

FEATURE: Bluecats starting to settle in following tumultuous two months

SWEETWATER — When the calendar flipped from June to July this year, the Coleman Bluecats football team was preparing for its 13th season under John Elder, who had amassed 81 wins and eight playoff berths while leading the program since the 2014 season.

Not even two weeks later, on July 13, Elder announced that he was stepping away from the program in a move that sent shockwaves across the Big Country coaching community.

A week later, Coleman ISD named Elder’s offensive coordinator, Zach Edington, as his successor for at least the 2026 season.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Chapman’s big night helps Albany overcome Stofel, Hawley

ALBANY — One of the better rivalries that’s developed during the Big Country Preps era is a battle for Class 2A supremacy between Hawley and Albany.

The two teams met for the seventh time since the start of the 2018 season on Friday night at Faith Field at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium, and the 2026 matchup might go down as one of the more memorable ones in that span.

Albany used a fourth-down stop in the second quarter to overcome an early two-score deficit and shift the momentum, helping the Lions open Denney Faith’s 40th year as head coach with a 34-27 win over the Bearcats.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

2026 ABILENE TLCA FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Murphy injecting new life into program in first year

When he was in high school, Webb Murphy was part of the offensive line at Cooper that paved the way for Dominic Rhodes to run roughshod over opponents.

Leading a program for the second time, following a one-year stint in Munday in 2022, Murphy is excited about being a head coach again, and a key point of emphasis is making sure that the big bodies up front are taken care of in practice and games.

Murphy was not hired by Abilene TLCA until April, and he immediately went to work trying to get some depth in the program.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

2026 MUNDAY FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Moguls excited about future under first-time head coach Ward

Having had four coaches since 2020, the Munday Moguls have struggled to find consistency following a dominant run led by Patrick Corcoran that saw the Moguls claim two state championships.

Over the offseason, MHS turned to Mineral Wells offensive coordinator Jeff Ward to see if he could help return the program to the standard that was in place in most of the early 21st century.

Ward, who has 19 years of coaching experience, is excited about the opportunity that presents itself as he takes over a program for the first time in his career.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

2026 BIG SPRING PATHWAY PREVIEW: First-year varsity program looking to make waves

With only “two or three juniors” and an expected roster of 24 players, the Big Spring Pathway Academy Warriors are set to make their varsity debut this year, and coach Keegan Clark thinks the sky is the limit for his program.

Despite the lack of upperclassmen, Clark has been encouraged by what he’s seen as the team prepares for the season.

“We’ve been looking all right,” he said. “We are just trying to get everyone ready. We’ve got a bunch of young kids, but I think they’re going to be all right.”

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by Brandon McAuliffe

2026 SIX-MAN DIVISION I PREVIEW: Area set for dominating season with several title contenders

Gone from Class 1A Division I are names like Stryker Reed and Ry Reed, both of whom are now with different branches of the United States service academies, but a familiar name from Division II has replaced them at Gordon — Keegan Hayes.

The Longhorns, now led by the former Benjamin standout, are aiming to become just the 19th program to ever make it to four straight state championship games per the UIL archives.

Of those, only Fort Hancock (1988-91), Sealy, (1994-97), Celina (1998-2001), Southlake Carroll (2002-06) and Austin Lake Travis (2007-11) have ever won four titles in a row, with FHHS’ representing the only time it’s happened in the six-man ranks.

Here’s a preview of each of the Class 1A Division I districts in the Big Country Preps coverage area with our predictions for 2026.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

2026 SIX-MAN DIVISION II, TAPPS PREVIEW: New faces expected to contend in Division II while ACHS hopes Gorman can lead playoff push

With two-time defending state champion Jayton moving up to Division I this fall, the race for the Class 1A Division II crown is wide-open heading into the fall as the Big Country dominates the preseason state rankings.

In TAPPS, Abilene Christian saw a change atop the program as former Abilene High offensive coordinator Justin Gorman took over for Kirk Wade and the Panthers are primed to make a traditionally deep playoff run this fall.

Here’s a preview of each of the Class 1A Division II districts in the Big Country Preps coverage area, as well as TAPPS Division II District 1, with our predictions for 2025.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Hamlin set for Gordon rematch in state semifinals after sweeping O’Donnell

COLORADO CITY — The Hamlin baseball team takes great pride in its approach to hitting with two strikes and that approach paid off in droves on Saturday in Game 2 of the Pied Pipers’ Region I-1A series at AW Phillips Field against O’Donnell.

Nine different batters reached base safely on Saturday when facing a pitch with two strikes as the Pied Pipers beat the Eagles 6-0 to earn a state semifinal matchup with Gordon next week.

Hamlin coach Lynn Turner and Saturday’s starting pitcher Isaiah Hutchings both heaped praise on the offense, which chased O’Donnell starter Willie Luera in the fifth inning after he reached the 110-pitch count limit. Hamlin had six batters work a full count on Saturday with four of them reaching base via a walk.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wall capitalizes on late Jacksboro error to claim Region I-3A DII crown

ABILENE — As the last two teams standing in Region I-3A Division II, the Wall and Jacksboro baseball teams matched each other nearly play for play during their regional final series as they squared off at Abilene Christian University’s Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark.

The Hawks took the series opener 7-2 on Wednesday after scoring six times in the final two innings before using another sixth inning offensive rally to finish the series off with a 4-3 win on Thursday.

Kellan Oliver improved to 10-1 on the season — and 3-0 in the postseason — with a complete game three-hitter in which he allowed just one earned run on 101 pitches while walking four and striking out six in his 10th start of the year. Thursday marked Oliver’s eighth complete game this year and probably the one where he’s dealt with the most inconsistent strike zone.

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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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