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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Hamlin-Eula girls basketball area-round playoff (57 images)”
ANSON — The third-ranked Eula girls basketball team had no problems continuing its postseason run with a 58-28 win over Hamlin on Friday in a Region II-1A Division I area-round game at Tiger Gymnasium.
All 12 players on Josh Fostel’s roster saw plenty of playing time in the win, including four call-ups from the junior varsity, while the Lady Pipers played most of the game without a bench after junior Najely Hernandez aggravated a knee injury that was suffered in Hamlin’s playoff opener in the first quarter.
The depth advantage allowed the Lady Pirates to pull away starting in the second quarter as Eula’s defensive pressure left Hamlin’s five remaining players visibly struggling.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Brock-Levelland girls basketball (65 images)”
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Wylie-Wichita Falls Legacy boys basketball (63 images)”
As the final seconds ticked off the clock in Tuesday night’s District 4-5A boys basketball regular-season finale between Wylie and Wichita Falls Legacy, a chant broke out among the Wylie student body reminiscent of one from the movie “Rudy.”
Only this time, it was “Mon-te! Mon-te! Mon-te!”
The chants were for Wylie senior Noah Montelongo, who rarely gets into games but is one of the biggest supporters of his teammates. One of three fourth-year players being honored on Senior Night, he had the ball in his hands to dribble out the clock in the Bulldogs’ 57-35 win.
BAIRD — The third-ranked Brock girls basketball team scored the first seven points of the game and never looked back to open the postseason with a 64-35 win over Levelland in a Region I-4A Division II bi-district game Monday night at Baird High School.
Led by Laney Hudson with a game-high 17 points, the Lady Eagles saw 10 players score in the game and hit nine 3-pointers to advance to play Krum (20-16) at 6 p.m. Thursday at Saginaw High School.
Brock coach Alex Stephenson was happy with what he saw in what he called a “total team effort” as the Lady Eagles picked up their 12th straight victory and 15th win this season by at least 23 points.
MERKEL — Sweetwater boys basketball coach Dillon Gainey said he and his staff were sitting in the coaches office on Friday morning trying to draw up a way to steal points off the opening tip for their District 6-3A road game at Merkel.
It’s safe to say that the play they came up with worked better than anyone could have imagined.
Sweetwater’s Amare Arevalo didn’t even make an attempt to win the opening tip, letting Rayson Houston go uncontested for it, but Houston’s tap went directly to a Mustang and turned into a layup just three seconds into the game as the Mustangs led wire-to-wire in a 57-34 decision over the Badgers.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Wall-Clyde basketball doubleheader (68 images)”
CISCO — With the playoffs being split into Division I and Division II, not all-late season basketball games have the high-stakes feel that they’ve had in the past.
That wasn’t the case on Tuesday night at Ray Saunders Gymnasium, where Stamford visited Cisco for a crucial District 10-2A matchup.
The hosts jumped out to a 14-point lead in the first half but couldn’t hold off a fourth-quarter rally as Stamford all but clinched the district runner-up spot with a 50-44 win.
CLYDE — Friday night marked the first step in a return to normalcy for the Clyde athletic program, which is still reeling from Sunday’s tragedy that took the lives of junior Kyler Dailey and his older sister Brileigh, a 2025 graduate, as the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs hosted Wall for a District 6-3A doubleheader at Bulldog Gym.
On a night where emotions were high and the two schools saw both of their teams come together in prayer in a silent gym between games, it was Wall that headed back south with a pair of district championships.
The Lady Hawks quickly showed why they are the top-ranked team in the state in Class 3A with a 65-17 win to finish an undefeated run through district play, while the Wall boys squad held off a valiant second-half rally by Clyde in a 59-44 win — a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.
A busy week across the Big Country that began Monday with the University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment continued Wednesday with National Signing Day ceremonies at all three local high schools.
Abilene High and Cooper each had three football players put pen to paper, joining a fourth at each school who had already made his commitment official. And Wylie, meanwhile, had a pair of athletes sign to compete collegiately — one in football and another in soccer.
In all, eight local boys signed at their respective Signing Day ceremonies, earning celebration from family, friends and their high school coaches.
While football programs see most of the attention for the University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment focused on them, the big event also has ramifications for volleyball and basketball teams at the same time.
Monday morning, those coaches also learned their fates for the next two years and had a wide range of reactions — from relief to shock to seeing their expectations met.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Cooper girls basketball (38 images)”
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The District 4-5A showdown between Abilene High and Cooper had the look and feel of a playoff matchup Saturday afternoon at Cougar Gym.
Neither team created any separation until Cooper senior Amiya Mayes’ free throw with 5.55 seconds to play put the Lady Cougars up five as CHS held off an Abilene High squad that was looking for its first district win, 33-28, to all but lock up a playoff spot. It was Cooper’s first home win over Abilene High since a 60-36 victory on Dec. 16, 2022.
To officially clinch a playoff berth, the Lady Cougars will need to win one of their final two games (at Wichita Falls Memorial, versus Wichita Falls Legacy) or see Abilene High lose one of its final two games against Legacy or Wylie. It would be Cooper’s first playoff berth since the 2019-20 season.
After being cooped up for several days due to Winter Storm Fern, the Abilene High basketball teams were finally able to return to the court on Thursday for a District 4-5A doubleheader against Wichita Falls Memorial.
The matchup was postponed on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the cancellation of school for Abilene ISD and then was in jeopardy on Thursday after Wichita Falls ISD canceled classes.
Memorial was given permission from WFISD superintendent Dr. Donny Lee to travel to Abilene and headed home with a split of the two games. The Lady Mavericks overcame a halftime deficit to beat AHS 49-37, while the Abilene High boys led wire to wire and used an electric fourth quarter to claim a 53-39 win.
The Albany basketball teams pulled off a clean sweep of Hawley on Tuesday night in District 10-2A action at Lion Gymnasium as the girls squad won 37-27 before the Lions claimed a 60-42 win in the nightcap.
It marked the 16th win in a row for the Albany boys, who entered the state rankings at No. 25 this week, while the Lady Lions took advantage of other upsets in the district to move into a tie for fourth place and find themselves squarely in the hunt for a playoff berth.
Both teams will face Stamford in their next action with the Bearcats and Bulldogs set for a Friday matchup (weather permitting) before Albany heads to Stamford on Tuesday.
Nine players on the Wylie girls basketball team were in the program two years ago when the Lady Bulldogs were facing Lubbock Monterey and the nation’s top recruit, Aaliyah Chavez.
That experience paid off on Friday night at Bulldog Gymnasium as Wylie claimed a 65-49 non-district win over San Antonio Cornerstone Christian, a squad that features Grand Canyon University signee Yasmeen Schmidt and a pair of juniors in Regina Mendoza and Makenzie Bailey that are being looked at by Division I programs.
Despite seeing Schmidt score 33 points, Wylie coach Duane Hopper said that his team learned a lot that can be beneficial once the playoffs start.
ANSON — Tuesday night featured a pair of thrilling finishes at Tiger Gymnasium as the Hawley girls claimed a 50-47 win in overtime while the Anson boys held on for a 47-46 win in District 10-2A play.
It wasn’t just the scores that were nearly identical as both games featured a frenetic end to regulation.
The girls game featured a Hawley turnover in the offensive end with 7.69 seconds to play before Anson was called for a travel with four seconds left on the clock. The Hawley boys missed a layup with 11 seconds to play before the Tigers were called for an over-and-back violation with four seconds left.
ARLINGTON — Jayton senior running back Bode Ham admitted that he was cramping up in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s Class 1A Division II state championship game at AT&T Stadium.
When he found out that he was on the precipice of history, however, he fought through the cramps and made sure that he would be back on the field for the final time in a storied high school career.
The gutsy effort saw him run for 430 yards on 28 carries, throw for 118 yards and account for a UIL record 13 total touchdowns — including a record-breaking 10 rushing — as the Jaybirds took a 99-54 win over Richland Springs to cap off a perfect 15-0 year.
ARLINGTON — Richland Springs coach Harley Ethridge opened his postgame press conference by simply stating: “Jayton is good, and I think I underestimated them. I hate to admit that.”
Behind a record-breaking performance from senior Bode Ham, Jayton was able to repeat as Class 1A Division II state champions with a resounding 99-54 win over the Coyotes on Wednesday at AT&T Stadium.
Ham set UIL records for rushing touchdowns (10) and total touchdowns (13) in a state championship game. The Jayton senior also narrowly missed setting a record for most rushing yards in the title game after finishing with 430 yards on just 28 carries.
Jayton’s star added 118 yards and three touchdowns passing while earning Offensive and Defensive MVP honors in the game. He had eight tackles, including three for a loss, and one pass breakup.
ARLINGTON — The Gordon Longhorns cemented their place in the conversation for the greatest six-man dynasty of all time with a 69-22 win over Rankin in the Class 1A Division I state championship game on Wednesday morning at AT&T Stadium.
The Longhorns held the ball for just 3:56 and scored nine touchdowns on just 16 plays in securing their third straight state championship.
After the game, Gordon coach Mike Reed didn’t shy away from that conversation.
STEPHENVILLE — The Wall football team had circled a state semifinal rematch with Gunter and was zeroed in on getting revenge for the past 364 days after a 42-32 loss in 2024.
A sign in the Hawks locker room even read: “Hey Gunter — we have been looking for you!”
But what started out as a revenge game turned into a heavyweight prize fight as the Hawks held on for a 28-25 win at Art Briles Stadium to earn a berth in the Class 3A Division II state championship game at 7 p.m. Thursday night against Newton, which beat East Bernard 74-20 on Thursday night.
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After Brock beat Fort Worth Dunbar 49-0 to open the postseason, Brock coach Billy Mathis turned and gave the bi-district trophy to senior offensive lineman Tobyn Roger, who gave it a quick smooch.
Friday night at Abilene Christian University’s Wildcat Stadium, Roger got to kiss his fourth trophy of the 2025 season as the Eagles forced four turnovers and pulled away in the second half for a 35-14 win over Midland Greenwood in the Region I-4A Division II championship game.
It’s turned into a tradition that both enjoy.
For the second year in a row, the University of Texas-El Paso football coach Scotty Walden found a member of his recruiting class in Abilene as the Miners signed Cooper defensive lineman Dycin Davis to a Letter of Intent on Wednesday morning.
Davis’ addition came one year after the Miners signed former Abilene High wide receiver Ryland Bradford.
Along with Davis, UTEP’s class on the first day that high school seniors could sign also included Brock’s Colt Matlock, who the program advertised as a defensive signee. UTEP signed a total of 25 players on Wednesday with 23 Texas high school players being joined by two additions from the transfer portal.
Here are the 2025 Fyzical Therapy and Balance Centers Key City Classic boys basketball tournament matchups and results: Continue reading “TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: 2025 Fyzical Therapy and Balance Centers Key City Classic schedule, results”
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Brock-Seminole regional semifinal football playoff (106 images)”
SAN ANGELO — Branson Lacy ran for 184 yards and three touchdowns and Boston Weise ran for a pair of scores as Water Valley took a 50-28 win over Robert Lee in the Region II-1A Division I final on Friday night at San Angelo Stadium.
It was the Wildcats’ second win over the Longhorns this year — backing up a 67-30 win in district play on Oct. 24.
Water Valley coach Trey Sisco was proud of what he saw out of his squad in a game that the Wildcats knew would be tough.
SAN ANGELO — The Brock football team is just three wins away from a state championship after a thorough dismantling of Seminole, 66-3, in a Region I-4A Division II semifinal on Friday afternoon at San Angelo Stadium.
Having beaten Fort Worth Dunbar (49-0), Lubbock Estacado (65-18) and the Indians in the first half of the postseason, the road to Arlington now gets considerably tougher for coach Billy Mathis’ 13-0 squad with games looming against Midland Greenwood next week, potentially Carthage in the semifinals and whoever comes out of the opposite side of the bracket (where the average margin of victory in the first two rounds was 26.6 points) at 3 p.m. on December 19th at AT&T Stadium.
Even with the path that lies ahead, you won’t find the Eagles looking ahead.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Denton Ryan area-round football playoff (115 images)”
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Merkel-Slaton area round football playoffs (80 images)”
FORT WORTH — Friday night’s Region I-5A Division I area round showdown between No. 10 Abilene High and No. 4 Denton Ryan at Crowley ISD Multi-Purpose Stadium started badly for the Eagles and quickly went downhill from there as the Raiders rolled to a 59-0 win.
Quin Henigan threw for 319 yards and six touchdowns as Ryan put up 453 yards of offense, avenging a 31-21 loss in the same round of the 2023 playoffs.
Abilene High coach Mike Fullen fully shouldered the blame for the loss as AHS had just 246 yards of offense and turned the ball over four times.
SWEETWATER — The Merkel offense dug deep into its bag of tricks for Thursday’s Region I-3A Division II area-round matchup with Slaton at the Mustang Bowl.
Three different players threw touchdown passes to three different players, but it wasn’t enough as the Badgers dropped a 43-36 heartbreaker to the Tigers.
Slaton scored the game-winning touchdown on a 28-yard screen pass from Jacob Lopez to Trae Harris with nine seconds to play and held on for the win when Eli Delgado was tackled at the Slaton 44 on the ensuing kickoff as the horn sounded after a 34-yard return — keeping the Badgers from winning multiple playoff games in a season for the first time since the 2017.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Early-Holliday bi-district football (54 images)”
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Hawley-Forsan bi-district football (74 images)”
CLYDE — First-year Early head coach Marvin Wilson learned a lot about football in college at Hardin-Simmons University under the legendary Jimmie Keeling and spent this season instilling one of those lessons in his Longhorns squad.
“We are too ignorant to ever think we are out of a game,” he said. “Coach Keeling said it all the time: ‘Go play hard no matter what the circumstances are.’ We’ve tried to play hard and know that we are never out of games.”
The Longhorns came up short at Bulldog Stadium in their Region II-3A Division II bi-district matchup with Holliday, falling 50-36, but the Longhorns battled the entire night and that left Wilson emotional as Early saw its fifth playoff appearance in the past six years end after just one game.
It was a playoff appearance hardly anyone expected when the season began just over three months ago.
SWEETWATER — Hawley junior running back Brycen Stofel has had a quiet 2025 season for the most part, but when the Hawley football team needed him to step up, he did so in a big way.
Stofel ran for 181 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries Thursday as Hawley claimed a 42-14 win over Forsan in a Region I-2A Division I bi-district matchup at the Mustang Bowl.
It was an effort Hawley coach Mitch Ables said he told Stofel that he hoped to see more of.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Stamford-Hawley football (65 images)”
Here are the Big Country football playoff pairings and results (through Dec. 17):
HAWLEY — The final play of Friday night’s showdown between Stamford and Hawley in the Big Country Preps Game of the Week couldn’t have been written into any script — Hollywood or otherwise.
It sure wasn’t in the playbook for either head coach.
Stamford forced a Hawley punt with nine seconds left and nearly pulled off a miracle, when — after numerous laterals on the punt return — C’nai Whitfield was finally pushed out of bounds at the HHS 25 to allow the Bearcats to hold on for a 36-28 win in the District 4-2A Division I finale at Forrest Field.