Author: Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wylie drops opener to Grapevine despite gutsy effort from starter Gay

GRAHAM — Wylie senior pitcher Brady Gay did not want coach Grant Martin or athletic trainer Kathryn Gay, his aunt, to come out of the dugout in the bottom of the sixth inning after a hard-hit line drive hit his ankle and ricocheted into right field.

As soon as the play was ruled dead, Martin and Gay were quick to the mound to check on the senior who continued to wave them off and needed just one warm-up pitch to prove that he was still fit to stay on the mound in the Bulldogs Region I-5A Division II matchup with No. 1 Grapevine.

In a night in which he was hit hard, both literally and figuratively, Gay gave his squad everything he had in a 5-0 loss in which the Mustangs pounded out 13 hits and drew two walks while striking out just three times.

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SIGNING DAY: Twelve Cooper athletes make their futures official

Cooper football coach and campus athletic coordinator Aaron Roan had a hard time hiding his elation Wednesday at Cougar Gym, where 11 student-athletes from four sports (baseball, track, soccer and golf) and a cheerleader made their college decisions official.

The signees’ school choices ranged from Division I to junior college, but getting to continue their careers while pursuing further education is what really mattered.

While most are staying in state, Asharee Davis is heading to Tennessee Tech of the Ohio Valley Conference, where she will take part in the long jump and triple jump for the Golden Eagles.

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GAME STORY: Hermleigh rallies for pair of wins to oust Eula for fourth straight year

ABILENE — Hermleigh softball coach Sammy Winters said he only got about three hours of sleep on Friday night after his team lost 6-4 to Eula in the opener of its Region I-1A semifinal series at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field.

Winters left the school at 1 a.m. and was still wound up as he was replaying the game, studying GameChanger and poring over statistics before finally falling asleep a little after 3:30 a.m.

The extra time and effort paid off as the Lady Cardinals, who were down to their final strike in the seventh inning of Game 2, rallied to claim a 6-5 win in eight innings before finishing off the series with a 6-1 win in Game 3.

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GAME STORY: Birdville uses fast start to even series with Abilene High

North Richland Hills Birdville made an emphatic statement in the first inning on Friday night to ensure that the Abilene High softball team wouldn’t get any more Maiya Magic at Hogan Field.

A night after the sophomore stole third and scored to give AHS a walk-off win in the opener of a best-of-three Region I-5A Division I semifinal series, the Lady Hawks evened the series with an 11-1 victory.

Game 3 will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, and the winner will earn the right to face Aledo for a berth in the state semifinals.

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GAME STORY: Reichenau’s dominant performance on the mound leads Wall to win over Henrietta

EULA — Postseason flips in the area round have not been kind to Wall baseball coach Jeremy Gordon during his two years leading the Hawk program.

In both 2024 and 2025, Gordon lost the flip to decide if they would have a single-game playoff or a best-of-three series as well as the flip to decide who would be the home and visiting team.

After falling to Iowa Park last year, Gordon’s team ensured that their season wouldn’t end at the hands of another District 7 team, beating Henrietta 4-2 on Thursday night at Pirate Field behind the strong pitching of Gage Reichenau.

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SIGNING DAY: Abilene High pair makes Hardin-Simmons decision official

Abilene High seniors Bryson Perez and Dristian Payne were key parts of the Eagle football program over the past four years and the pair will both continue their playing careers on the north side of town after making their college commitments official to Hardin-Simmons University on Tuesday afternoon.

AHS coach Mike Fullen was effusive in his praise of what the pair brought to the Abilene High program over the past four seasons and said that he’s excited to watch them progress.

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GAME STORY: Wall softball takes thrilling 11-inning win before falling to Jacksboro in Game 3

ABILENE — The Wall Lady Hawks showed up to Wylie’s Bulldog Field on Saturday expecting to have a long day of softball after dropping the opening game of their best-of-three Region I-3A Division II area-round series with Jacksboro 17-6 on Friday night.

Nobody expected the Lady Hawks and Tigerettes to wind up playing 18 innings in one day.

Wall took a 6-5 win in 11 innings in Game 2 before Jacksboro rebounded with a 10-5 win to clinch the series and earn a date with Muleshoe next week.

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GAME STORY: Wylie polishes off sweep of Plainview in convincing fashion

With an 8-2 victory on Saturday, the Wylie baseball team picked up its eighth consecutive win over Plainview as WHS completed a two-game sweep in a Region I-5A Division II bi-district series.

The win sends Wylie into the area round of the playoffs, where it will face off against El Paso Del Valle next week.

Wylie coach Grant Martin said after the game that playing in front of a home crowd on Saturday helped the team earn the win.

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STATE TRACK ROUNDUP: Gordon sweeps team titles as numerous 1A state records are broken

Cover photo courtesy Mike Reed

AUSTIN — Class 1A athletes and teams from the Big Country Preps coverage area set five state records as the track and field season drew to a close at Mike A. Meyers Stadium on Saturday with the UIL state championships.

The Gordon boys (88 points) and girls (52 points) swept the team titles as area athletes put forth a dominant effort on the day, winning a total of 44 medals.

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STATE TRACK ROUNDUP: Big Country athletes persevere in 2A/5A meet despite weather delay

AUSTIN — It wouldn’t be the UIL state track and field meet if there wasn’t a weather delay, but this time the UIL was ahead of the game with bad weather forecast for the Central Texas region on Friday.

As the field events were ongoing for Classes 2A and 5A, the UIL made the decision around lunch on Friday to delay the track portion of the two classifications to Saturday morning in the interest of spectator and competitor safety.

When the meet resumed on Saturday morning, all the drama one could hope for, and more, was ready to unfold.

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GAME STORY: Miller, Hermleigh blank Baird to set up third-round showdown with Eula

CLYDE — After throwing a pair of no-hitters in a bi-district sweep of Ira, Hermleigh freshman Peyton Miller dominated in the circle again on Friday night as the Lady Cardinals shut out Baird 11-0 in a one-game Region I-1A area-round playoff at the Hanner Sports Complex.

Miller struck out eight and walked two in a complete-game effort.

After the performance, Hermleigh coach Sammy Winters said that Miller has the potential to be one of the next star pitchers to come out of the Big Country.

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STATE TRACK ROUNDUP: Brownwood girls claim team title; Wall boys narrowly miss out

Cover photo courtesy Brian Hodnett

AUSTIN — The 2025 UIL state track and field meet got underway on Thursday at the University of Texas’ Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium, and the Big Country is bringing home some hardware.

The Brownwood Lady Lions made the most of their trip to Austin, claiming the Class 4A girls team championship on the strength of their three relays.

The Wall boys came “painfully close” in the words of track coach Craig Slaughter to giving the Big Country Preps area a second team title as the Hawks’ 64 points left them just two points behind Holliday in the Class 3A boys team standings.

Even so, Slaughter said that Wall’s relay teams, both boys and girls, all set personal records in an “incredible day.”

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GAME STORY: Damron’s bat propels Eula to series-clinching win over Hamlin

Emma Damron finished a double shy of hitting for the cycle and had a walk-off three-run inside-the-park home run as Eula finished off a two-game sweep of Hamlin with a 15-4 win at ACU’s Poly Wells Field on Friday night.

Damron tripled in the first inning and had an RBI single in the fourth before ending the game in the fifth inning.

She also earned the praise of coach Jayton Thompson for the work she did behind the plate, catching Macy Flatt, who made her first career postseason start in Eula’s 22-3 win in the series opener.

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GAME STORY: Coahoma breaks state record in playoff tune-up win over Abilene High

The Coahoma softball team has been on a historic run since beating Bryan Rudder 5-0 on March 4, 2023.

Thursday night, the Bulldogettes etched their name in the history books with a 6-1 win over Abilene High at the AHS softball field — the 84th consecutive game they have gone without a loss.

Coahoma is 83-0-1 during the streak, with the lone tie coming earlier this year in a 2-2 decision in four innings in a tournament game against Lubbock High. With the record in hand, Coahoma coach Alex Orosco said that the team has been focused on doing things right daily and that allows for records to be broken.

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GAME STORY: Two diving catches help lead Wylie to comeback win over Cooper

Tuesday night’s Southtown Showdown at Bulldog Field saw Cooper jump out to an early lead before the Wylie offense erupted in the fourth inning for a 6-3 win in District 4-5A action.

Diving catches by Wylie’s Tye Briscoe (fourth inning) and Jace Tomlin (sixth inning) provided the two biggest momentum swings in Wylie’s favor to help sophomore Dylan Regala earn his second consecutive win in a crosstown matchup.

Regala scattered seven hits in five-plus innings while allowing three runs. He added three strikeouts and didn’t walk anyone, shutting down the Cooper offense after the Cougars scored two runs in the top of the first inning.

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GAME STORY: Jim Ned capitalizes on five errors, holds off late Clyde rally

TUSCOLA — The Jim Ned softball team only managed two earned runs off Clyde pitcher Kaycee Bingham on Friday, but five errors by the Lady Bulldogs led to seven unearned runs as the Lady Indians picked up a 9-7 win in District 6-3A action.

The win was the fifth in a row for the Lady Indians and pushed Jim Ned to 8-2 over its past 10 games.

It also put the Lady Indians in position to claim the top seed in the Class 3A Division I postseason as they have a 1½-game lead over Sweetwater in the standings with two games to play.

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BREAKING: Roscoe looks to North Texas, tabs Seymour’s Loyd to lead program

After spending 11 years at Seymour, including the last three seasons as the head football coach and athletic director, Dan Loyd has been chosen to take on the same roles at Roscoe, pending school board approval on Monday morning.

The Panthers made it to the postseason nine straight years during Loyd’s time with the program — a stint that included time as the quarterbacks coach and defensive coordinator before becoming head coach in 2022.

That’s right, he went from coaching the most important offensive position to leading the defense, a very unorthodox move for a unique personality.

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GAME STORY: Following early drama, Stamford gets win over Hawley in pitcher’s duel

HAWLEY — After a wild first inning that saw Stamford third baseman Brayden Jimenez and Hawley left fielder Aiden Romo ejected for aggressive moves while running the bases, the Bulldogs found a way to claim a 3-1 win in a critical District 8-2A matchup on Tuesday night at Bearcat Field.

While those plays were the story early, it was Stamford’s Alek Hernandez who stole the show on the mound in a dominant complete game.

Mixing a variety of pitches, including an effective slurve, Hernandez scattered six hits and allowed just one run while walking two and getting six strikeouts as the Bulldogs took control of the race for the district championship.

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GAME STORY: Wylie races out to early lead, earns crucial win over Abilene High

After getting rained out on Friday and Saturday, the Abilene High and Wylie baseball teams finally were able to meet on the diamond for their District 4-5A rubber match on Monday at Bulldog Field.

While the Eagles stayed with their original plan of starting Connel Colley on the mound, the Bulldogs decided to turn to Dylan Regala, a sophomore who hadn’t pitched in exactly one month.

It was Regala who pitched well enough to earn the win as the Bulldogs claimed the season series with a 6-3 decision in a game that saw the two squads combine for 16 walks and five hit batters over nearly three hours of action.

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GAME STORY: Reyes battles through illness to shut out Wylie, AHS scores late for win

After being down for the count with some sort of illness for the past two days, Abilene High pitcher Avah Reyes took to the circle for a massive District 4-5A softball showdown against Wylie on Friday night at Bulldog Field.

With coach Jenna Aguirre thinking she might have to lift her star junior, Reyes gutted it out and matched Wylie’s Avie Faries pitch-for-pitch, allowing the Lady Eagles to take a 1-0 win to finish off a perfect first half of district play.

Maiya Badon scored the lone run of the game on a seventh-inning throwing error by Wylie catcher Cameron Gregory when pinch runner Claudia Ceballos stole second base with one out.

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GAME STORY: After honoring Turner’s legacy, Clyde gets emotional win over Merkel

CLYDE — “Aiden might have only had one best friend, but there were 30 people that called him their best friend.”

On a night when Clyde honored junior Aiden Turner after he passed away early Saturday morning from injuries sustained in a car wreck, Turner’s mother Amber Courson had those words to say about her son.

Turner, a JV player for the Bulldogs, was a passenger in the wreck that occurred as Clyde’s 14-2 road win over Merkel was getting started on Friday night. The two District 6-3A foes made sure that Tuesday’s rematch honored Turner before the Bulldogs took a 6-0 win at the Hanner Sports Complex.

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GAME STORY: Reyes dominates in the circle as AHS holds on for thrilling win over Cooper

Abilene High junior Avah Reyes had 15 strikeouts and took a no-hitter into the seventh inning as the Lady Eagles claimed a 4-3 win over Cooper in District 4-5A play on Saturday afternoon.

Cooper rallied in the seventh inning behind two AHS errors and had the tying run in scoring position when Reyes struck out Sabrina Lopez-Calhoon swinging to end the game.

The showdown was the first time that AHS coach Jenna Aguirre faced off against Cooper coach Kaegan Jimenez. The two were best friends in high school, making the win bittersweet for the fourth-year AHS coach.

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GAME STORY: Henderson no-hits WF Legacy as Coogs roll to 20-0 victory

Brady Henderson had nine strikeouts while allowing just one walk in a no-hitter as Cooper beat Wichita Falls Legacy 20-0 on Saturday afternoon in blustery conditions at Cougar Field.

It marked the second time this week that the Leopards were no-hit, following Abilene High’s George Ferguson achieving the feat on Tuesday afternoon.

Cooper coach Brandon Stover was pleased with how Henderson attacked the zone with his 64 pitches — 44 of which went for strikes — as well as the Cougars’ defensive effort behind him.

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TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Abilene High, Cooper close AISD Invitational with wins

The annual AISD Invitational came to a cold, windy and wet end on Saturday as Cooper finished an undefeated tournament with a 9-2 win over Burleson, while Abilene High beat Copperas Cove 10-6.

Cooper finished the tournament at 5-0 while AHS went 4-1.

Meanwhile, a highly anticipated game between Brock and Wylie was canceled on account of the weather.

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TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Area squads have monster second day at AISD Invitational

Five teams from the Big Country Preps coverage area picked up a pair of wins on Friday on the second day of the AISD Invitational.

Abilene High, Cooper and Wylie all had relatively stress-free days, while Brownwood and Brock combined for four wins.

Wall, which struggled at times during its tournament action, closed out its play in the event with a big win over San Angelo Central.

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HIRING NEWS: Brownwood hires Katy OC Brixey as new head football coach

Jeryl Brixey calls Brownwood one of 10 cities in the state that when it’s mentioned, the immediate thought turns to high school football.

On Friday, Brixey was named the new head football coach of the Lions, calling it an honor to lead a program that Gordon Wood brought so much success to.

Brixey comes to Brownwood after serving as the offensive coordinator at Katy. During his first stints at the Houston-area powerhouse, Brixey coached current Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton.

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TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Local schools go 5-1 on opening day of AISD Invitational

Cooper and Wylie swept their opponents as the AISD Invitational got under way on Thursday at three different locations across town, while Abilene High split a pair of games with Brock and Wall.

The Cougars knocked off San Angelo Lake View and Brownwood, while the Bulldogs were able to dispatch Andrews and San Angelo Central in their two games. The Eagles fell to Brock in their tournament opener before rebounding with a resounding win over Wall.

Teams in the Big Country Preps coverage area went a combined 8-4 on Thursday with Brock joining the two Abilene schools with an undefeated day.

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GAME STORY: Water Valley stuns Munday with second-half rally

MERKEL — Facing a 16-2 deficit against Munday after the first quarter in the Region II-1A Division I semifinals, the Water Valley Wildcats did what coach Matthew Mims could only dream of in response at Merkel’s Badger Gymnasium.

They dug deep. They battled. They played intense defense. They played crisp on offense.

Most importantly, they staged a rally that will be remembered for a long time in the Tom Green county community as Water Valley took a 46-40 thriller to advance to the regional finals on Friday to face Garden City at the Junell Center on the campus of Angelo State University.

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HIRING NEWS: Forsan tabs special teams guru Thompson to lead the Buffaloes

Family photo courtesy of Casey Thompson

When he enrolled at Hardin-Simmons University as a student-athlete, Casey Thompson knew that if he wanted to find early playing time, he needed to find a niche.

What he found was a role on the Cowboys special teams unit that fostered what has turned into a love of what could be considered the most important part of the game.

After becoming one of the most respected special teams coordinators in the state, Thompson was named the 11th head football coach and athletic director at Forsan on Tuesday.

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