Author: Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Forsan’s Phillips, Anson’s McCombs pulling double duty as football/softball mentors

Both of this week’s Region 1-2A semifinal softball matchups will have a measure of, “Hey, wait a minute!” potential, especially if/when fans look into the third base coach’s boxes when the games’ announcers introduce the principal figures.

When Forsan and Anson take the field for their series against Haskell and Floydada, respectively, their head softball coaches will be leading a second team from their schools to the playoffs during the current school year. That’s what happens when the successful head softball coach is also the school’s successful head football coach.

And, even though Forsan’s Jason Phillips and Anson’s Cory McCombs took different paths to become two-sport mentors, they both are hoping for the same thing at the end of the week: a chance to face each other in next week’s region final series, the winner of which will be headed to the state tournament.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Hawley ace Balch readies for Albany series off performance for the ages

In the category of Big Country feats for the ages, we offer this big, bold headline-worthy accomplishment from Hawley ace Westyn Balch, who last week pitched a perfect game — almost literally.

For those keeping score at home, here is how nearly perfect Balch was:

In the Bearcats’ 7-0 victory over Forsan in the Region I-2A area round, the senior left-hander yielded not only no hits and no baserunners; he struck out each of the 21 Buffalo hitters he faced. Furthermore, he threw 67 of his 76 pitches for strikes and had 32 swings and misses. 

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Freshman Munoz, junior Goodney ready to power potent C-City squad into playoffs

There’s a test that probably everyone who has watched a baseball or softball game on television will ace. It has but one question, the answer to which will come without the need for research — or even much thought. It goes like this: 

A batter hits the ball in the air to the outfield. The announcer says, “Going … Going …” 

What is the next word he/she is most likely to utter?”

If you bellowed “GONE!,” pat yourself on the back. You just completed the phrase most often associated with a batter hitting a home run. And every time you hear those first two words — when your team is at the plate — you can’t wait to hear the third, because that means you’re about to be happy.

For those keeping score at home, Colorado City’s dynamic duo of Bryanna Munoz and AJ Goodney has made Wolves’ fans VERY happy this spring. VERY often.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Hico star Fincannon looking to close legendary senior season with deep playoff run

As the Hico softball team has been attempting to cap an unbeaten run in District 12-2A play this week, Lady Tigers pitcher Kiersten Fincannon has been laying the foundation on something even more remarkable: becoming a local legend.

Lest you doubt the veracity of that statement, consider how Fincannon’s 2024 season has gone so far. The last two words need to be added because Hico will begin postseason play next week as the top seed from the district, and the best may be yet to come.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Johnson’s banner season helping fuel veteran Bluecats to another successful campaign

At 4 p.m. on Friday, District 7-2A fans will be treated to the biggest game of the 2024 baseball season: the rematch between 8-2 Coleman and 8-2 Bangs on the Bluecats’ home field that will likely decide the league title.

The Colemen faithful are hoping — and probably expecting — that senior shortstop/pitcher Kaden Johnson will play a significant role in the outcome. That’s because Johnson might be having the best overall season of anyone in the region.

In this week’s Big Country Preps statistical leaders update, Johnson’s name was among the top five in each of the following categories: batting average (.583), on-base percentage (.643), doubles (12), triples (7), home runs (2), RBIs (27) and steals (19). 

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Jim Ned boys riding wave of momentum into area-round matchup with Brock

Generally speaking, playoff games are won by (A) teams that have played consistently well throughout the season, or (B) teams playing well at the right time. After a convincing 52-29 bi-district win over Blanco on Monday night, the Jim Ned boys basketball team can claim that the best answer in this case is (C) all of the above.

From the “marathon” perspective, the Indians have put together a 26-8 season, good by any standard. Though Jim Ned finished third in District 6-3A, it had the most victories overall of any team in the very competitive league, and the Indians knocked off co-district champ Wall late in the season.

As for the “stretch-run sprint” aspect of the Indians’ season, consider this: The thumping of Blanco represented the Indians’ sixth straight victory. There are few teams in the region that are hotter than Jim Ned.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Goldthwaite girls, Coach Hermesmeyer feel “sky is the limit” for playoff potential

If you’ve avidly followed the bouncing ball over the past several seasons, you might be aware that the Goldthwaite Lady Eagles have evolved into one of the region’s standard bearers on the hardwood.

Coach Angie Hermesmeyer has assembled a program that routinely challenges for district titles and generally looms as one of the area’s tougher outs once postseason play begins.

This year, the Lady Eagles are 30-3 overall after going a perfect 12-0 in District 29-2A play. And get this: Goldthwaite hasn’t lost a game in 2024.

So, Hermesmeyer was asked, what is a fair expectation of this incarnation of the Lady Eagles on the eve of her team’s area-round playoff game against Kenedy at 7 p.m. Friday at Ingram Moore High School?

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Surging Mustangs looking to put Sweetwater boys basketball program back on the map

In addition to raising eyebrows every Wednesday and Saturday as fans check the boys basketball scores from the previous night’s District 5-4A games, a group of players wearing red and white have embarked on an even more meaningful quest this winter.

“We would love to be able to put Sweetwater basketball back on the map,” first-year head coach Dillon Gainey said.

So far, so good for the Mustangs, who defeated San Angelo Lake View 73-66 on Friday to improve to 4-1 in district play. Halfway through league action, they are sitting in second place and hold a 15-10 overall record. Sweetwater’s only league loss was to state powerhouse Lubbock Estacado in a game that was close for most of three quarters before the Matadors pulled away.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Senior post Hurtado a force on both ends for No. 14 Cisco girls

After Tuesday’s 49-34 win over the Anson Lady Tigers, Cisco stands as “the team to beat” in District 10-2A. With a 9-0 mark in league play and a 24-5 record overall, the 14th-ranked Lady Loboes have already clinched a postseason berth. The only question is whether they’ll be the district’s No. 1 or 2 seed.

How deep they’ll go in the playoffs next month is a matter of conjecture. This isn’t: Brooklyn Hurtado is prepared to lead the way.

The 6-foot-3 senior is averaging 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game while providing stellar, “old school” center play for the Lady Loboes, who have registered double-digit wins in each district game so far.

That latter numeric notation would suggest, rightly, that Cisco is not a one-person team (more on that shortly). But Hurtado is definitely one person on the team that opponents have tried — and consistently failed — to contain.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Veteran Roscoe point guard Ornelas a small, but mighty force for Plowgirls

After graduating a pair of talented post players who helped Roscoe earn a collective 53 wins and back-to-back district championships, the Plowgirls’ quest for a three-peat appeared to be a tall order at this season’s outset … 

… Especially considering that coach Shella Arnwine didn’t have any tall players returning or moving up from junior varsity to fill the aforementioned void. That’s “not any” in the literal sense — Roscoe’s lineup this winter averages 5-foot-5 in height.

What Arnwine did have coming back, however, was Kaidy Ornelas. Consequently,  Coach knew her team had a chance to do big things, even if it couldn’t do tall things. Sure enough, some 25 games into the season, one of the smaller players in District 8-2A is having one of the larger impacts on her team’s fortunes.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Shooting guard Hallmark a key component for surging Wall basketball team

Photo courtesy of Travis Dawson

Wall High School senior Augden Hallmark has spent the past three school years gamely hitting the target, regardless of where it is placed, indoors or out.

During this time of the year, Hallmark takes aim at the basketball goal. The 6-foot-1 senior is averaging 15 points per game as Wall’s primary shooting guard, and it’s a rare postgame report that doesn’t include the words, “Wall senior Augden Hallmark scored in double figures once more to lead the Hawks …”

Nowhere is his keen knack for making baskets more noteworthy than in the District 6-3A standings, where the Hawks loom above everyone else with a 5-0 record after Friday’s 50-34 win over Merkel that bumped the season record to 16-7.  And, lest you wonder, Hallmark went for 17 points in that one.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Talented guard group leading turnaround for Coahoma girls

Following a disappointing season last year, the Coahoma girls basketball team has positioned itself for a likely playoff return this winter.

The biggest impetus for the notable “180” isn’t a guarded secret. In fact, it is the play of the team’s vast array of talented backcourt players that has an enthusiastic brood of Coahoma fans — and the team’s coach, Joe Mireles — eager to find out just how significant an exclamation point the Bulldogettes can put on the turnaround as the District 6-3A schedule approaches its midpoint.

Though the team fell to Wall 55-51 on the road Tuesday night, Coahoma is still in a prominent place in the prospective postseason picture with a 17-7 overall record and a 4-2 district mark. The pair of district defeats came against league favorite Jim Ned and Wall, another perennial power. The team’s strong effort against a good Lady Hawks squad only fortifies Mireles’ belief that his team could wind up playing some meaningful games in February.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Slack, stingy defense fuel Abilene High past Denton Ryan

CROWLEY — Dylan Slack passed for 227 yards and two touchdowns, and a ball-hawking Abilene High defense recovered two fumbles and intercepted a pass to lead the Eagles to a 31-21 win over Denton Ryan on Friday night. As a result, the District 2-5A Division I champions will advance to the third round of the playoffs to face Justin Northwest next Friday in Wichita Falls

The victory improved the Eagles’ record to 10-2. Denton Ryan, which earned second place in District 3-5A Division I, finished its season at 8-3. Additionally, the Raiders failed for the third time to earn a victory in the all-time series, having lost twice previously to Abilene High in regular season games in the early 2000s.

Slack was a big reason why, as the senior quarterback guided the Eagles’ ball-control passing game to help rally AHS from 7-0 and 14-10 first-half deficits. That was no small feat, considering that from the opening whistle to his final-play kneel to cap the win, Slack wasn’t only battling a talented Raiders defense, but a steady drizzle and occasional wind gusts.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Carr, stingy defense lead Clyde past Jim Ned in key 3-3A DI clash

CLYDE — In what was likely the main event in District 3-3A Division I play this year, Clyde quarterback Blake Carr delivered four huge haymakers to help lead the Bulldogs to a 29-14 win over rival Jim Ned before a capacity-plus crowd Friday night at Bulldog Stadium.

The dual-threat signal caller had scoring tosses of 40, 7 and 33 yards. And for good measure, his 33-yard scoring run with 21 seconds left sealed a big win for the hosts, who improved to 7-0 on the season and 2-0 in district play. The Indians fell to 5-2 and 1-1.

As big as Carr was for Clyde, he had to share hero honors on this night with a defense led by Braylon Gomez, Josh Hutton and Dai’Jon Booker. The Bulldogs held the Indians to 12 first downs, 234 yards for the game — and no points in the first half.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Blessing, Tolar too much for Coleman in district romp

TOLAR — Isaac Blessing rushed for 127 yards, passed for 146 more and accounted for five touchdowns to lead Tolar to a 43-0 trouncing of Coleman in a District 5-2A Division I battle that helped define the league’s playoff hierarchy in the early stages.

Both teams entered the contest with high hopes of contending for the district title, but the Rattlers took control of this fight early and landed telling blows throughout. Thus, Tolar improved to 5-1 on the year and 2-0 in district. The Bluecats fell to 5-2 and 2-1.

Blessing was the main reason why.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Twins Abby, Blake Carr fueling Clyde athletics’ successful fall

As fans of the Clyde Bulldogs revel in the school’s resounding success in both volleyball and football this fall, they don’t have to look long to find a common denominator in the collective achievement.

The volleyball team is 26-12 and 2-1 in District 6-3A and will play at Ballinger (4-6) at 7 p.m. Tuesday night. The overall record is a little deceiving in that all but a handful of the defeats came against Class 5A and 6A schools. Per usual, Clyde is a 3A contender.

The Bulldogs’ football team, meanwhile, is 5-0 heading into its District 3–3A Division I opener at Vernon (also 5-0) on Friday. The winner will emerge as the district leader, but few around the program believe Clyde won’t have a run to — and possibly through — mid November. 

And one last name appears on the rosters of both teams: Carr. 

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Brownwood kicker/punter Martinez a serious special teams weapon for Lions

As Brownwood attempts to go 5-0 to start the 2023 season while playing host to 3-1 Waco Connally at 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Gordon Wood Stadium, there’s a pretty good chance the most important Lion on the field won’t carry or catch the ball — or, even, make a single tackle.

If past is prologue, Junior Martinez looms as one of Brownwood’s premier weapons, and his presence Friday could help determine if the Lions’ next-to-last tune-up before District 2-4A Division I play begins goes the direction of its four predecessors. In wins over Wylie, Marble Falls, Burnet and Glen Rose, Brownwood has scored 168 points, 33 of which have come via PAT conversions or field goals by the celebrated senior kicker.

This year alone, Martinez has converted each of 21 point-after kicks and made four of five field goal tries, including a 52-yarder. His loan miss came from 44 yards out and was pushed just wide by a swirling wind.

But that’s not all Martinez has done to buoy Brownwood’s hopes for a long season this year. He also has averaged 40.3 yards per punt on 12 kicks, with a season-long boot of 52 yards and another punt that pinned the opponent inside the 5-yard line. And, even at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, he has the leg to routinely turn his kickoffs into touchbacks.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Coahoma sophomore Cox maturing into one of area’s top signal callers

During his first year as the starting quarterback at Coahoma in 2022, Boyd Cox passed for more than 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns — impressive numbers about which pretty much any high school signal caller would be justifiably proud.

But here’s the deal: 

When Cox took the wheel for the Bulldogs to start last season, he was still two years away from being old enough to take a driver’s test. And what the freshman signal caller accomplished was done largely on the fly as he was learning the toughest position on the field against a host of veteran varsity defenders whose primary goal was to introduce the ear hole in his helmet to the turf below his often-scrambling feet.

Fast forward to the early part of 2023, and you’ll discover, now that he’s more comfortable being a varsity quarterback, that Cox is evolving into one of the better passers in the area — and, maybe, in the state. He has completed 49 of 76 passes for 819 yards with a 10-to-1 touchdown-to-interception rate. 

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Comanche QB Welch leading Indians through consistency, toughness

There are all manner of metrics by which a transcendent quarterback is defined. A strong and accurate arm … A knack for knowing just what to do with your legs and when to use them … The ability to lead the team to victory under even the most challenging circumstances … 

Those certainly factor into the mix.

But while Comanche coach Joaquin Escobar puts checks in all those boxes when he assesses his signal caller, Jayden Welch, he notes that there’s something else about his special senior that resonates above the tangibles.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

ANSON FEATURE: Speedy Tigers hoping to run their way back into playoff discussion

As Anson prepares for the 2023 football season, the most pressing challenge facing the Tigers is how quickly they can get back to the playoffs.

The answer very well could be this year, especially considering that “fast” has been the buzzword around the Tiger camp throughout the workouts leading to the team’s Aug. 25 season opener against Seymour.

That’s “fast,” as in, “Those Anson kids look pretty fast this year.”

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

2023 ANSON FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Tigers look for big bounce-back season in Year 2 under McCombs

At this juncture a year ago, Anson was preparing to open the football season with a new coach and a new staff — and it was doing it with a mere eight returning lettermen and three previous starters from the 2021 campaign.

Not surprisingly, the Tigers didn’t get to do much roaring en route to a 2-8 record.

Fast forward to this fall, and you can take that “new” label off of the coach, Cory McCombs, who, prior to becoming the head coach at Anson, had accumulated a 12-8 coaching record. The bottom line: He has shown that he knows how to build a winning team.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

HAMLIN FEATURE: Botos excited to take reins as Pipers head football coach

In the high school football world — especially in Texas, where the parlance isn’t too much of a stretch — stories introducing a newcomer taking the lead position at a prep program are occasionally headlined by the words, “There’s a new sheriff in town.”

Well, Hamlin has a new coach this fall: Jason Botos.

But to be accurate, headlines announcing his arrival this fall probably need to be prefaced, “The deputy sheriff has been promoted.”

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

2023 HAMLIN FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Young Pied Pipers face stiff test in District 6-2A Division II

Coach Jason Botos readily acknowledges that his first year as head coach of the Hamlin Pied Pipers could present “a challenge,” given that a good portion of his principal players will be sophomores in 2023.

But, as Botos sees it, there’s plenty of glass-half-full promise for the squad, which is already showing in preseason workouts that it is willing to work hard, has decent depth and won’t back down from competition.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Argyle pulls away in sixth for 7-1 win over Wylie in Game 1

SOUTHLAKE — It seems counterintuitive to classify a 7-1 defeat as “one that got away,” but what transpired as Argyle took down Wylie on Thursday night in the first game of a best-of-three Region 1-5A semifinal baseball series was just that.

And that. And that. And that some more.

While the exclamation point on the Eagles’ victory was supplied by Argyle’s best-struck ball of the evening — a bases-clearing double in the sixth inning by second baseman Colton Roquemore — balls that weren’t struck at all did just as much to put the Bulldogs in an 0-1 hole in the series and needing a victory at 1 p.m. Friday at Abilene Christian University to keep their season alive.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: With slow start in rearview, battle-tested Yellow Jackets ready for postseason run

As the Stephenville baseball team prepares for this week’s playoff opener (more on that intriguing scenario in a moment), the Yellow Jackets will be prepared for pretty much anything that could come their way.

That’s so, because … well … pretty much everything has come their way to date.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Talented, aggressive Bangs softball squad focused on the now heading into postseason play

As the Bangs softball team was putting the finishing touches on an 11-0 blanking of Miles on Friday, coach Leslea Miller could have been tempted to move one eye, at least, to the spot on next week’s calendar that notes the beginning of the UIL playoffs.

She didn’t.

Never mind that the Lady Dragons (23-4 and 14-0) have already clinched a spot and have blitzed through district foes like a tornado, winning all but three games by the run rule. Curiously, Friday’s 11-run triumph didn’t qualify, as it took a five-run seventh inning for Bangs to put the Lady Bulldogs away.

Never mind, also, that Bangs has recorded nine district shutouts, while scoring 191 runs in the process.

And, finally, never mind that the Big Country Preps roster of weekly statistics leaders is a veritable Bangs tribute chronicle.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Multi-event star Phillips having super senior season for Clyde girls track team

She’s not faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Still …

Given the way the 2022-23 athletic season has transpired for Clyde’s Payton Phillips, it is fair to spice an analysis of her collective endeavors with pretty much any of your preferred “superlatives.”

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Top-ranked Graford pulls away from Huckabay in second half of III-1A title game

MANSFIELD — Huckabay boys basketball coach Dustin Hargrove knew coming into the Indians’ Region III-1A championship game with No. 1-ranked Graford on Saturday that his team would have a looming mountain to climb to get to the state tournament.

He was right.

And, just as had been the case the previous evening, when the Jackrabbits’ 6-foot-8 center Colin Roberts stood taller than anyone in the tournament semifinals — both literally and figuratively — the celebrated senior proved too much for yet another opponent to overcome.

Saturdays’ numbers told a compelling story of why Graford, the defending Class 1A state champion, is 35-3 and still playing and why Huckabay’s storybook 30-7 season came to an end on the court at Mansfield High School:

The Jackrabbits won the game, 43-34, and Roberts’ individual effort was, without question, the major reason why. He scored 24 points, grabbed nine rebounds and consistently plugged up the middle of the Graford zone defense, which rendered the game Indians’ offense frustrated possession after possession. 

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: No. 1 Graford too much for youthful Gordon in Region III-1A semifinals

MANSFIELD — Should the Graford Jackrabbits be fortunate enough to hang a second consecutive Class 1A state championship banner on the gymnasium wall this winter, they should probably assign the task to Colin Roberts. Friday night, he certainly stood tall enough to manage that feat and many others.

Despite missing a good stretch of the second half in foul trouble, the Jackrabbits’ 6-foot-8 talented center scored 20 points and collected 12 rebounds to lead Graford to a 61-37 win over upstart Gordon. As a result, the consensus “team to beat” heading into the Region III-1A semifinals, is likely the team to beat in Saturday’s final, when Graford meets Huckabay at 2 p.m. at Mansfield High School after the Indians defeated Dodd City 56-44 in overtime.

Gordon started four freshmen against the Jackrabbits, a collective David vs. the giant that is Roberts. And, while the Longhorns battled gamely for a quarter, Graford’s big man, along with ample assistance from teammate Brad Lemley (17 points and 12 rebounds, as well), proved too much for the region’s Cinderella. Graford outscored Gordon 49-25 over the final three periods to take another step at earning the big trophy that is awarded the state’s best team at the end of the season.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Huckabay rallies past Dodd City in OT, earns title game matchup with Graford

MANSFIELD — Payton Gill scored 18 points — 15 from outside the 3-point arc — and Huckabay shook off a slow start to outlast Dodd City 56-44 in overtime in the Region III-1A semifinals Friday night. 

The Indians outscored the Hornets 14-2 in the extra session to earn a spot in the regional finals at 2 p.m. Saturday against powerful Graford, which blitzed Gordon 61-37 in the other semifinal game at Mansfield High School.

The triumph wasn’t as one-sided as the final score might indicate, though.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: No. 2 Jim Ned girls hoping to ride near-sighted approach to long-term goals

As Jim Ned coach Hunter Cooley peers into the figurative rearview mirror at his team’s perfect 14-0 run through District 6-3A and looks ahead to a challenging collection of prospective Region 1-3A playoff opponents, there’s a completely different focal point he’s emphasizing with the Lady Indians.

It can be described in three words: the next opponent. 

No matter what Jim Ned has done before, and what the Lady Indians might be able to do in the future, Cooley has learned in two-decades-plus at the school that the only game that matters on the schedule is the upcoming one. And he has made that the team’s mantra as it prepares to open postseason play on Monday against Llano.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Hawley gym rat Knight a constant as Bearcat teammates round into form

As Hawley was plowing through 16 opponents en route to the Class 2A Division I state football championship this past fall, there was only one setback of note attached to the historic season: The Bearcats basketball team had to wait until late December to get its varsity roster intact.

Even then, Mitch Ables, who coaches both sports at the school, had to wait a little while longer for some of his major prospective hoops contributors to recover from injuries sustained on the road to AT&T Stadium, where Hawley crushed Refugio 54-28 in the title game to claim the title.

Luckily for Ables, he didn’t have to wait a second for Teaghan Knight to be ready.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Snyder boys finding their stride after challenging nondistrict stretch

Photos courtesy of Lee Scott

The Snyder boys basketball season, seemingly stuck in free-fall mode as recently as a month ago, now has the Tiger faithful thinking this could be a team that makes some noise in the playoffs.

Following a 10-point loss to Shallowater on Jan. 6, Coach Lee Scott’s squad had wrapped up the pre-district portion of the season with a 5-15 record. With District 5-4A play looming on the horizon, not even a good number of “moral victories” mixed among the defeats foretold what would happen next.

Snyder took down Big Spring by 11 points and Sweetwater by two. District favorite Lubbock Estacado slowed the momentum by beating the Tigers 51-42, but Snyder rebounded, both literally and figuratively, by winning its next two district games, 44-36 over San Angelo Lake View and 49-43 over Levelland.

A second win over Big Spring on Thursday (47-34) has the 5-1 Tigers in second place behind Estacado, and Scott has his team thinking that even the powerful Matadors aren’t invincible.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Cauthen sisters coming up big for young Eula Lady Pirates

With Eula storming through District 13-1A play with a 7-0 record (and a 21-9 mark overall), the 16th-ranked Lady Pirates are a living testament to the notion that, sometimes, Plan B can come in pretty handy.

Consider that when the year started, coach Josh Fostel was blessed with a nice mix of size and athleticism. The team had the potential to score inside and outside, and, because the coach’s name is Fostel, everyone who has followed Eula basketball knows that it was going to play solid defense.

Then the season started, and “size” suffered a knock-down blow. 

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Watkins’ big night fuels Brock past Malakoff, back to state title game

FRISCO — Running back Reid Watkins slashed and dashed for 136 yards and two touchdowns and made a late-game interception on defense to lead Brock to a 21-10 win over Malakoff in a Class 3A Division I state semifinal game Thursday night at the Ford Center.

En route, the game’s primary hero also led the Eagles back toward Arlington, where they will play for a state championship for the second year in a row next week, against defending state champion Franklin, which throttled Edna 41-13.

“Primary” is the key word in the preceding paragraph. Watkins’ stellar performance off the bench was one of many offensive highlights for Brock, which won for the 11th straight time after starting the season 0-4. The Eagles’ starter at running back, Brett Tutter, added 81 rushing yards, and steady quarterback Tyler Moody completed six of 11 passes for 55 yards and ran for the Eagles’ other touchdown.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Brock rallies past Whitesboro again, advances to Class 3A DI state semifinals

DENTON — Brock was down three to its fiercest District 4-3A Division I rival, Whitesboro, with just under seven minutes left in Thursday’s Region I-3A DI championship game. Prior to that point, the Eagles had mustered all of seven rushing yards in the first half, fumbled away a second-quarter, fourth-down try and winced agonizingly as an errant snap sailed 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage to thwart a promising first-half possession.

Meanwhile, Whitesboro had just taken the lead when receiver Jace Sanders sneaked his way to the sideline uncovered on a fourth and goal play — from the 22-yard line, no less — to seize momentum and threaten to avenge a 39-35 loss to the Eagles earlier this season.

In other words, Brock had the Bearcats right where it wanted them.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Second-quarter explosion fuels unbeaten Crawford to area-round win over Coleman

WEATHERFORD — Crawford converted an eight-minute, second-quarter stretch into four unanswered touchdowns en route to a 34-13 win over Coleman in the area round of the Class 2A Division I playoffs Friday night.

Holding a 7-6 lead after a first quarter that saw both teams score on their initial possession, the Pirates struck in a variety of ways — and generally quickly — to stake a 34-6 halftime advantage and, essentially, to end the Bluecats’ season. Coleman, which placed second in District 5-2A Division I, wound up the year at 9-3. Crawford kept its perfect streak going and is 12-0 heading into the Region II-2A DI semifinals.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Iglesias, Paradise too much for Breckenridge in chilly bi-district rout

PONDER — Old Man Winter made his first appearance in North Texas Friday night, but not even the bone-chilling 35-mph winds he brought with him could upstage Paradise quarterback Austin Iglesias. Fleet of foot and strong of arm, the junior rushed for 112 yards, passed for another 105 and accounted for 40 points as the Panthers routed Breckenridge 47-7 in a Region I-3A Division I bi-district game.

Though the matchup between a pair of 8-2 teams was much-anticipated — and though the Buckaroos were still competitive midway through the third quarter — Iglesias almost single-handedly turned this one into a rout. He scored on rushes of two, one, 12 and five yards, and passed for touchdowns good for 41 and 52 yards, while also adding a two-point conversion run and another two-point pass to register an otherworldly individual effort.

As a result the Panthers rolled up 418 yards of offense and put the game away for good with four unanswered second half scoring drives during which Iglesias either ran or passed for a touchdown.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Talented Lions playing ‘Brownwood football’ as stretch run approaches

As Texas high school football legacies go, there are few programs on a par with Brownwood. Under legendary coach Gordon Wood, the Lions made getting to and winning state titles almost commonplace. From 1960 to 1981, Wood led his team to seven championships and finished second another time.

However …

Given that the last raising of the trophy occurred more than four decades ago, it certainly could be argued that what was noted in the previous paragraph is old news.

The fact is: It isn’t.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Forsan’s success this fall a complete team effort

Forsan’s 40-7 steamrolling of Reagan County last Friday in the District 3-2A Division I opener isn’t exactly a newsflash. After going 10-2 last year, the Buffaloes are making a habit of being a regional threat.

But the way the Buffs took care of their offensive business against the Owls not only defied 2022 convention, it served notice to future opponents that this monster has multiple heads.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Cooper volleyball squad hitting its stride at just the right time

It’s not an overstatement to say that the Cooper volleyball team’s playoff prospects weren’t very promising three and a half weeks ago. After falling to Wylie on a Saturday on the road, the Lady Cougars were 0-3 and looking up at every other team in District 4-5A. 

Then they lost the next match — a midweek nondistrict matchup with Graham.

And that’s when the asterisk that marks just where Cooper’s season turned around was inserted.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Through unique experience, Merkel seniors are paving way for Lady Badgers volleyball program

You probably should make a point to remember the seven girls noted in the ensuing paragraph, because what they are accomplishing at Merkel High School this year is virtually unprecedented.

Sydnee Barnes, Jada O’Kelly, Kloe Pursley, Autumn Hammond, Avery Hollaway, Micah Hollaway and Avery Chacon are seniors on the Lady Badgers volleyball team, meaning the 2022 season represents their final time to play the sport in high school.

It is also their first.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Veteran quarterback Baronet taking game to next level for Brady

Whether you’re a coach, fan, Old School patron of the game or analytics nerd, you have to be impressed with what Hayden Baronet is doing on the field and to the record books at Brady this fall.

In his third year as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback — and only halfway through the regular season — Baronet has already amassed 1,436 yards in total offense and accounted for 18 touchdowns. Last week, in the Bulldogs’ 47-27 win over Christoval, he completed 18 of 29 passes for 231 yards and two TDs and rushed for 179 yards and an astonishing five touchdowns. 

And that’s just taking into consideration what he is doing on offense. In the game against the Cougars, the senior also had 10 tackles, an interception, a pass breakup and a tackle for loss from his free safety position on defense.

Add all of that up, and you get … well, if your name is Hayden Baronet, you get the state’s “Built Ford Tough” Player of the Week honor in Class 3A, a weekly award bestowed on the top performer from each classification.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Young Wylie squad working to build consistency as district play ramps up

Last year, the Wylie volleyball team finished the season perched on hallowed ground, setting/spiking/toughing its way to a 32-14 record en route to the Region I-5A quarterfinals. 

For those keeping score at home, that’s three rounds deep in the playoffs — marking the program’s deepest run since making the jump to Class 5A.

While coach Shay Cox appreciated the accomplishment of her very bulldog-ish Lady Bulldogs, she also knew every time she reviewed the list of the 2021 graduating players that replicating that kind of success and sustaining the momentum this season was going to be a tall order.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Evans, Hamlin finding surprising success out of ashes of 0-10 campaign

When you score all of 28 points during an entire season and win none of 10 games in the process, there’s a tendency for your fans to figure that whatever happens the next year is bound to be better than what happened last.

But even the most ardent among the Hamlin Pied Piper faithful have been pleasantly surprised by how the team’s 2022 campaign has begun.

Take last week, for instance. Hamlin blanked Crosbyton 33-0 to run its record to 2-1. Coupling that triumph with a 6-2 victory over Water Valley the week before, the Pied Pipers have now put together a win streak. Even more importantly, they’ve shown that coach Chris Evans, who can find a silver lining among even the darkest of clouds, might have something in that mantra of his.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Sophomore RB Wilkerson a budding star for resurgent Comanche Indians

Two games into the 2022 football season, the Comanche Indians have already doubled their win total from a year ago and mustered nearly 100 points. But that’s only part of one of the area’s better “feel good” stories as fall unfolds.

Comanche has also introduced a prime candidate to make fans do a double-take as they pore over the area’s weekly stat sheets moving forward.

Displaying a scintillating blend of thunder and lightning, sophomore running back Sawyer Wilkerson gained 103 yards on 12 carries in Comanche’s season-opening 49-7 victory over Brady. Then, last Friday during a 42-18 thumping of Bangs, Wilkerson upshifted to race for 273 more yards (on 18 carries). That means every time this year that a stadium announcer has uttered the words, “Wilkerson with the carry,” the back has carried the ball an average of 12½ yards.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Physical Santo defense off to dominating start

In an era when video-game offenses across the state routinely test the mettle of the ERCOT grid, the Santo Wildcats are quite content to go “Old School” in 2022.

(As a reminder, Old School has a sign outside the door that proclaims: “Offense Sells Tickets. Defense Wins Championships!”)

While it’s still a bit premature to raise trophies, it’s high time to exclaim what the Wildcats have accomplished on the defensive side of the ball so far this fall.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Wylie rallies but drops nine-inning thriller to Aledo in Game 1

CLEBURNE — In a Region I-5A semifinal series opener marked by upwards of a dozen potential tell-tale moments, two bouncing balls ultimately sealed the deal in Aledo’s nail-biting, 6-5, nine-inning win over Wylie on Thursday evening.

The first, which denied the Bulldogs a chance to gain the upper hand in the best-of-three series, came off the bat of Wylie catcher Landon Williams in the seventh inning. The game was tied 5-5, and Williams was hitting with two outs and teammate Riley Hood leading off from first base after being hit by a pitch.

The junior backstop blasted a line drive to deep left field, which would have easily scored Hood — save for fact that it bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double. That left Hood at third and Williams at second, and the Bulldogs couldn’t bring either home.

The second, and deciding hop, occurred two innings later. With two outs in the bottom half of the inning and a runner on first, Bearcat right fielder Zach Harrison hit a soft popup some 130 feet from home plate toward the first base line. Had it gone 131, Wylie right fielder Grayson Beardon might have been able to catch it. Instead, his dive came up just short, and the ball caromed off his glove away from second baseman JT Thompson, who was also in hot pursuit — just far enough for Aledo’s Parker Stegall to race around the bases and beat Thompson’s throw by a few feet.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Abilene High drops heartbreaker to Carroll in Reese’s final game

Photos by Seth LaRue, special to Big Country Preps

WEATHERFORD – In a Region I-6A quarterfinal softball game that offered practically everything a fan could ask for, the one thing lacking at the end Friday night was a happy ending to Abilene High coach Jim Reese’s storied career.

With one thunderous swing of the bat, Southlake Carroll’s Lillian Cooper saw to that. On a 3-2 pitch from AHS reliever Diana Silva, the Lady Dragon shortstop launched a three-run home run well beyond the center field wall. The blast capped a four-run eighth inning by the Lady Dragons, giving Carroll a thrilling — and controversial — 9-8 win over the scrappy Lady Eagles in a win-or-go-home game for Abilene High.

They went home, but not without a fight. After Cooper’s missile cleared the wall to make it 9-5 in the top half of the eighth inning, the Lady Eagles opened their half of the frame with four straight hits to cut the lead to the final margin. But Carroll pitcher Cameron Timmons induced four straight ground balls thereafter, three of which were converted to outs before AHS could scratch for the tying run.

As a result, Carroll, which beat the Lady Eagles 7-5 on Thursday in the first game of the best-of-three series, advances to the next round of the playoffs with a 21-13 record. Abilene High finished its season at 15-11 — and with a lot of questions that begin with the words “what if …?”

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: QB Cowgill, RB Texada fuel Grapevine past Wylie 34-24

GRAPEVINE — Wylie’s scrappiness and penchant for big plays served it admirably for three quarters of the Bulldogs’ Region I-5A Division II bi-district battle with Grapevine on Friday night. But in the end, the Mustangs’ balanced attack — led by running back Caleb Texada and quarterback Max Cowgill — proved more than the visitors could match in an exciting 34-24 loss that ended the Dogs’ up-and-down 2020 season.

Texada was the lone ball carrier for Grapevine, but he ran with distinction, amassing 190 yards on 29 totes, while adding two scoring runs. Meanwhile, Cowgill, a keenly accurate senior signal caller, completed 23 of 35 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. Those collaborative feats helped propel Grapevine to an 8-3 record and a chance to advance in the playoffs. Wylie finished at 4-4.

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