Author: Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: QB Foster, late score fuel Lindsay past Miles in bi-district thriller

BROCK — Lane Foster ran for touchdowns of 66 and 46 yards and threw a 77-yard bomb for a third score to lead Lindsay to a thrilling 34-27 win over Miles in a Region II-2A Division II bi-district battle Thursday night at Eagle Stadium.

The Knights’ junior quarterback finished the evening with 132 yards rushing and added another 122 yards through the air — on just four completions.

Foster showed early on that he was primed to be a formidable force in this game when, on the second snap of the night, he faked a handoff right then reversed field and went the distance virtually untouched.

That noted, he capped the night with an even bigger play, given the circumstances.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Glen Rose races past previously unbeaten Benbrook for ninth consecutive district title

FORT WORTH — Canyon Evans completed his first 10 passes, threw for four touchdowns and accumulated 259 passing yards to lead Glen Rose to a resounding 52-14 win over previously unbeaten Benbrook on Friday night in a battle matching the District 4-4A Division II leaders at Herman Clark Stadium.

Evans struck early (on the game’s second play) and often, and the question of “who will win this touted matchup?” quickly transformed into “by how many points will the Tigers prevail?”

The answer, 38, represented an exclamation point, not only for the game, but for the district championship, as Glen Rose secured its eighth straight title and ran its record to 7-2 overall and 4-0 in district. With one game left, the Tigers can’t be supplanted as league champ and will represent 4-4A Division II as the top seed. Benbrook is now 8-1 and 3-1.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Fourth-quarter TD fuels Tolar past Comanche 14-7

TOLAR — It wasn’t always pretty — any game with eight turnovers will likely earn that assessment — but when the Big Country Preps Game of the Week between Tolar and Comanche was finally over Friday night, Rattlers coach Blake Mouser was happy to get out of the nondistrict battle with a 14-7 victory.

“We weren’t sharp against a good team. We’ve got to grow up,” Mouser said, while noting the relative youth of the Rattlers will likely have them playing a lot of games that can go either way until they learn to close the deal.

“You saw a lot of missed assignments and penalties. But at the same time, it’s always good to win. Comanche’s a really good team. I don’t want to belittle them at all. But we had some mistakes that we’re going to have to address, and we will.”

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Azle holds off Cooper 41-34 in season-opening shootout

Hagen Hughes ran for 202 yards and two touchdowns to lift the Azle Hornets to a thrilling 41-34 win over Cooper in the season opener for both teams Friday night at Shotwell Stadium.

Hughes scored twice on counter plays in the second half — once from 77 yards and a second time from 34 — and those sprints basically spelled the difference in a battle featuring very evenly matched teams lifted by big plays all evening long.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

ANSON FEATURE: Two-way star Layne primed to make biggest impact yet as senior

For each of the past three seasons, Anson fans have been treated to stellar play from a Tiger who is not just a special athlete — he’s “old school” extraordinary.

Corey Layne is his name, and by the time the senior wraps up the 2024 season, he could put his name in a prominent place among the school’s all-time gridiron greats. At the very least, he is primed to cap a career by guiding the Tigers to back-to-back playoff appearances — which is a notable achievement, given that the team won just two games two years ago.

But that’s “what could happen.” What “already has happened” for Layne is quite the story, in and of itself.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

2024 ANSON FOOTBALL PREVIEW: McCombs’ Tigers looking for continued progress this fall

As two-a-day football practices reached their climax earlier this month, and a searing sun reiterated to the citizens of the Big Country that the “dog days of summer” are aptly named, one local coach was soaking it all in and smiling. 

Seeing an oasis in the desert tends to buoy the spirits. And, make no mistake: Cory McCombs’ spirits are riding high as his team, Anson, heads into the 2024 season.

McCombs is beginning his third year as the Tigers’ head football coach. Years one and two were — it’s fair to say — challenging. Anson won a pair of games in 2022; last year the team more than doubled the win total by going 5-6. And the Tigers made a one-and-done trip to the playoffs. 

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

COLORADO CITY FEATURE: Monpere a big part of Wolves roster in more ways than one

It isn’t hard to find Liam Monpere on the football field during Colorado City Wolves games.

For one thing, he stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 250 pounds. For another, he runs REALLY fast for a guy that large. That’s “REALLY,” as in “4.9 seconds in the 40-yard dash” fast. After a while, fans just stop asking, “Who IS that big guy running all over the field?”

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

2024 C-CITY FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Wolves seek to continue upward climb in Leaf’s third year

Colorado City coach Monty Leaf is convinced the Wolves have the athleticism this fall to compete for a playoff spot in District 3-2A Division I.

But, he says, that’s not likely to occur until his troops navigate the giant fork in the road facing Leaf and Co. as he begins his third year with the program.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

WINTERS FEATURE: Blizzards to lean on strong O-line group to get Wing-T rolling

Winters coach Matt McCarty has big plans for his Blizzards during the upcoming football season. That’s “big,” as in the collective 1,000-plus pounds the team’s starting offensive line weighs this season.

If/when Winters begins turning the tide as a program after a 1-9 campaign last fall, the five guys charged with opening holes and protecting the quarterback will likely lead the way.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

2024 WINTERS FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Numbers-thin Blizzards looking forward to fresh start in DII

After a tough 1-9 season a year ago, the Winters Blizzards are eager to start 2024 with a clean slate. That, indeed, will be the case, both literally and figuratively.

After competing in District 4-2A Division I last fall, the Blizzards are moving to District 7-2A Division II. That means a slew of new opponents, as well as a chance to compete on a more level playing field against smaller schools with lesser numbers in their football programs.

Winters coach Matt McCarty said during preseason workouts that the Blizzards have 30 athletes playing football this fall, so those players will represent the varsity team. There will be no junior varsity squad this year.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

HAMLIN FEATURE: Talented, deep junior class ready to help lead Pipers in 2024

In a perfect high school football world, there’s ideal balance in the classification breakdown of the lineup. That is to say that, on 45-player varsity roster, you have roughly 15 seniors, 15 juniors and 15 sophomores, all of whom have played together with members of their class and with members of the other classes enough that the units on both sides of the ball work in concert Friday night in and Friday night out.

Of course, that world doesn’t exist — certainly not in the lower classes, where finding 45 players program-wide can be a monumental task.

Hamlin coach Jason Botos has come really close this year, though. He has 44 players out for football this season between his varsity and junior varsity teams. What he doesn’t quite have is classification balance. With eight seniors, 12 juniors and the remaining roster members underclassmen, Botos has a relatively young team trying to improve on the 5-5 record Hamlin registered last fall.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

2024 HAMLIN FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Seasoned Pied Pipers hoping for return to playoffs

With 18 starters returning for the 2024 season — nine on both sides of the ball — the Hamlin Pied Pipers look primed to take a big step forward after finishing 5-5 in Jason Botos’ inaugural season as head coach at the school.

But those aren’t even the numbers that excite Botos the most.

“We have 44 kids this summer,” Botos said as preseason workouts were winding down earlier this month. “It makes practice so much better when you have numbers.”

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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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