Category: Abilene High Eagles

by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Bruning’s pinch-hit double propels Wylie to big sixth inning, win over Abilene High

For the better part of six innings, Friday night’s District 4-5A showdown between Abilene High and Wylie was a fan’s dream: intense, thrilling, competitive and headed down to the wire.

Enter Collin Bruning.

With the Bulldogs trailing 4-3 and down to their final four outs, Bruning came off the bench and had a pinch hit double that landed just inches fair to jumpstart a seven-run rally that propelled Wylie to a 10-4 win at Bulldog Field.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

LOCAL ROUNDUP: AHS teams pick up wins; Wylie baseball knocks off Lubbock High

Despite it being the end of spring break, the local baseball and softball teams were busy on the diamonds on Saturday, both in town and in Lubbock.

The six teams from Abilene High, Cooper and Wylie combined to go 3-3 in action.

You can read Daniel Youngblood’s story on Lubbock Monterey’s 6-2 win over Cooper in District 4-5A baseball here.

Meanwhile, Abilene High’s baseball and softball teams, along with Wylie baseball, picked up key District 4-5A wins. Wylie softball dropped a heartbreaker at Lubbock Monterey and the Cooper softball squad dropped a nondistrict game against Wolfforth Frenship.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High starts fast, pitches well in 8-1 win over Cooper

The Abilene High softball team got a strong pitching performance from Avah Reyes and Diana Silva and took advantage of four Cooper errors Tuesday in an 8-1 win over the Lady Cougars at Cougar Diamond.

The Lady Eagles led 1-0 after an inning, before taking control of the game with a three-run top of the third. That was all the support needed by Reyes and Silva, who combined to limit their crosstown rivals to just one run on six hits in the victory.

The win improved AHS (17-3 overall) to 1-1 in District 4-5A play, while Cooper fell to the same record in league action. AHS had opened district with a 6-4 loss to Wylie last week, while the Lady Cougars opened 4-5A play with an 8-6 win over Lubbock Cooper.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Fincannon fires perfecto and no-hitter to take this week’s award

You know you’re on a roll when you throw a no-hitter and it’s your second-best performance of the week. 

That was the case for Hico junior pitcher Kiersten Fincannon, not only threw a no-hitter in a 24-0 win over Meridian, but also tossed a perfect game in a 22-0 rout of Itasca. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Six-run sixth lifts Cooper past Abilene High

First-year Abilene High baseball coach Brad Harman admitted that he didn’t sleep much on Friday night with the excitement of his initiation into the Crosstown Showdown looming.

He may not get much sleep on Saturday night either.

Cooper used a six-run sixth inning to take the lead and held off the Eagles 12-8 on Saturday afternoon at Cougar Field in a District 4-5A matchup that also served as the conclusion of the Abilene ISD Invitational baseball tournament.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

ABILENE ISD INVITATIONAL: Wylie gets big win over Cooper; AHS splits a pair of games

Not only did Thursday mark the opening game of the 2023 Abilene ISD Invitational, it also featured a District 4-5A matchup with the Southside Showdown between Cooper at Wylie at Bulldog Field.

Abilene High split a pair of games with schools from Wichita Falls ISD, while the Bulldogs picked up a 10-0 win over the Cougars to close out the day in a game played mainly in a heavy mist.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hamlin lefty takes this week’s award

Softball tournaments can distort the significance of pitching accomplishments due to inning caps or time limits, rendering perfect games or no-hitters into half-versions of their true selves. 

However, there is no denying that tournaments are work, especially for pitchers, and our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, Hamlin southpaw Zoe Moore, earned the accolade with a 4-0 record in the Wichita Falls Sunrise Optimist Tournament last week.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

SIGNING DAY: Hall’s signing shows McMurry working to develop local pipeline

There were numerous times over the past few months that Tristen Hall thought his football career ended when Abilene High was eliminated by Burleson Centennial in the third round of the Class 5A playoffs in November.

The senior defensive end was at peace with that, too, after a bumpy road on the recruiting trail that saw him earn an offer from NAIA Wayland Baptist in Plainview that he said just wasn’t the right fit.

On Wednesday afternoon, though, in front of his teammates and family, Hall signed with a program he knew was home.

Hall, who didn’t even play football until seventh grade, is staying home to play at McMurry.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Big Spring senior chalks up four victories and our weekly award

It’s always a good sign early in the season when you’re getting good pitching against quality competition. And in the case of the Big Spring Lady Steers, the numbers in the circle thus far are downright encouraging. 

Courtesy of senior Alexcia Munoz, the Lady Steers are off to a 5-1 start, including a 4-0 mark from Munoz in last week’s Abilene Icebreaker tournament.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hawley’s O’Shields takes this week’s award

While Hawley’s Kason O’Shields is better known for his prowess on a football field, the HHS senior is actually a remarkable all-around athlete who is capable of having an impact in a variety of different sports. 

This week is a prime example of that, as O’Shields takes our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award for the week ending February 18. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper tops Abilene High 52-36 on Senior Night, clinches No. 2 playoff seed

Abilene High traveled to Cougar Gym on Tuesday needing a win in its District 4-5A finale to keep its playoff hopes alive. Cooper needed a victory to clinch the league’s No. 2 playoff seed.

In the end, the Cougars were just too much for the Eagles in a 52-36 Senior Night victory.

CHS, which capped the regular season at 18-12 overall and 8-4 in district play, raced out to a 14-7 lead after a quarter and outscored AHS in each of the following three periods to close out the regular season with an impressive crosstown win.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Coleman’s Smith takes this week’s award

With our recent bad weather pushing an extra game into last week for the Coleman Bluecats, it gave senior guard Braxton Smith three chances to pile up big numbers. 

And he did exactly that. 

Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week opened with 19 points and nine steals in a win over Bangs last Monday. He followed that with 13 points, eight assists and 10 steals in a near-triple double in a win over Winters. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High outlasts Wylie for thrilling 48-44 win on Senior Night

In District 4-5A boys basketball, anything can happen — and it usually does.

That was was the case again Friday night, when an Abilene High squad that had lost five of its previous six games cooled off the red-hot Wylie Bulldogs with a 48-44 Senior Night win to reignite its dimming playoff hopes heading into its final game Tuesday.

That victory was part of an upset-filled night in 4-5A that saw Lubbock Cooper top Abilene Cooper 44-41 and Lubbock Coronado down district champion Lubbock Monterey 77-62 to create ties for second and fourth place in the league standings heading into the final day of games on Tuesday.

AHS (12-16 overall, 4-7 in district) remains outside of the playoff picture for now, but with Friday’s win, the sixth-place Eagles trail Wylie (13-18, 5-7) and Lubbock Cooper (17-14, 5-6) by just one game in the win column heading into their regular-season finale against archrival Abilene Cooper.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIGNING DAY: Five Abilene High football players headed to collegiate ranks

Because of the winter storm that hit the state earlier this week, National Signing Day came and went without fanfare this year. But with a clear weather forecast on Friday, five Abilene High football players were celebrated for the college decisions they made official with their Letters of Intent on Wednesday.

Three Eagles defensive backs — safety Noah Hatcher (Midwestern State) and cornerbacks Kwame Collins and Jayson Henley (both Angelo State) — all signed to play scholarship football at the Division II level, while linebacker Kenneth Johnson (McMurry) and receiver Tim Outlaw (Hardin-Simmons) committed to play Division III football locally.

That group was supported by family, friends, coaches and teammates during Signing Day ceremony at the AHS fieldhouse that served as an opportunity to show younger players in the Eagles football program what can happen with hard work and dedication.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Lubbock Coronado too much for Abilene High in doubleheader sweep

Playing Lubbock Coronado in a game delayed two days by inclement weather, the Abilene High boys basketball team saw a sluggish start doom its hopes of a District 4-5A upset Thursday in a 68-54 loss at Eagle Gym.

The Eagles trailed 9-2 less than three minutes into the game and never fully recovered in falling to 11-15 overall and 3-6 in league play.

After the Mustangs’ lead reached a game-high 21 points (37-16) late in the second quarter, AHS rallied to pull within 10 in the third. But that was as close as coach Justin Reese’s squad would get as Coronado pushed its lead back to 20 points by the 1:27 mark of the third and was never threatened again.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Lubbock Monterey cruises past Abilene High for doubleheader sweep

A slow start doomed the Abilene High boys basketball team Wednesday against District 4-5A leader Lubbock Monterey, which scored the first 12 points and 18 of the first 20 in a 64-39 win at Eagle Gym.

The Eagles, who fell to 10-14 overall and 2-5 in league play with the loss, didn’t get on the board until the final seconds of the first quarter, when Sawyer Moss’ layup cut the Plainsmen’s lead to 12-2. But that was as close as AHS would get the rest of the way as Monterey opened the second quarter on an 8-2 run and pushed its lead to 35-11 by the opening minute of the second half.

The lopsided affair closed a forgettable doubleheader for Abilene High, which saw its girls defeated 79-25 by the top-ranked Lady Plainsmen in the evening’s early game.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cisco’s Landenberger catches fire, takes this week’s award

 If you haven’t heard of Cisco’s Gavin Landenberger yet, that’s understandable. He and his talented brother, Aiden, were move-ins from Mississippi late last year and weren’t eligible to play varsity ball at CHS. 

Now freely able to play, the siblings are making up for lost time and Gavin is currently making enough noise to draw attention from the entire area. 

Named as our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, the senior guard absolutely went off last week, beginning with a 28-point night in a win over Albany. He followed that three days later with 32 points in a come-from-behind win at Stamford.  The latter saw him hit four straight-3-pointers in an 18-point third quarter. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper boys stay hot with win at Abilene High; Lady Eagles rally for first district victory

Riding a three-game winning streak into its first matchup with rival Abilene High, the Cooper boys basketball team stayed hot Friday night, closing out the first half of District 4-5A play with a 50-41 win in front of a packed house at Eagle Gym.

The victory, which improved the Cougars to 14-8 overall and 5-1 in league play, kept CHS just a game back of district leader Lubbock Monterey (18-8, 6-0) and completed an exciting night of basketball that saw Abilene High edge the Lady Coogs 51-50 in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader.

Leading just 32-31 at the end of three quarters, coach Bryan Conover’s squad pulled away in the fourth, outscoring the Eagles 18-10 over the final eight minutes to close out the win and set up a big home matchup with Wylie on Tuesday.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wylie records sweep of Abilene High in crosstown hoops

The Wylie boys basketball team knew that it needed the student body to be rowdy in Tuesday’s District 4-5A showdown against crosstown rival Abilene High.

After a relatively quiet first quarter, the students got loud and then made a world of difference in the second half as the Bulldogs took a 54-45 win at Bulldog Gym to close out their first half of district play.

Wylie coach Gregg Ruffin was effusive in his praise of the student body and the difference it made in the game.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cisco’s Landenberger captures this week’s award

A limited number of minutes, if the numbers compute correctly, can figure strongly in our selection of Player of the Week. 

That is the case with this week’s winner, Gavin Landenberger of Cisco, who opened the week with 29 points, five boards, three assists, and five steals in a win over Haskell last Tuesday.

However, what sealed the deal for the senior guard, was a 20-point, four-rebound, five-assist and five-steal game he charted in a win over Hamlin — numbers he posted in only 18 minutes of playing time.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Steady Abilene High senior Breckenridge a calming force for young Eagles

With a game that’s more substance than style, and a quiet, calm demeanor, Abilene High senior Jake Breckenridge has a way of fading into the background at times. 

If you’re not paying attention, it can be easy to miss the many contributions he makes to Eagles basketball on a daily basis.

But if you ask coach Justin Reese, few (if any) players are more important to AHS’ success than Breckenridge, whose steady leadership and production have helped a young team grow up quickly this season.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIGNING DAY: Abilene High volleyball standouts Hernandez, Dolton make college choices official

After helping lead the Abilene High volleyball team to its first playoff berth since 2015 and first region tournament appearance since 2007, two of the Lady Eagles’ top players are set to take their talents to the collegiate level.

Middle blocker Jadyn Hernandez and setter Alexis Dolton both made their college choices official during a signing day ceremony Wednesday at the AHS gym, with Hernandez committing to compete locally for Hardin-Simmons and Dolton pledging to play at Vernon College.

Those announcements, which came on the heels of a transformative season for the AHS volleyball team, mark well-earned opportunities for a pair of players who were instrumental in putting the Lady Eagles back on the map, coach Caroline Cleveland said.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High boys rally for key district win over Lubbock Cooper

Needing a home win over Lubbock Cooper to get back into the thick of the District 4-5A playoff race, the Abilene High boys basketball team didn’t get off the start it wanted to Tuesday at Eagle Gym.

But after going to halftime down 23-13, the Eagles used a 27-point third quarter to wrestle momentum away from the visiting Pirates and held Cooper off from there for a 55-50 victory.

The win pulled AHS (10-11 overall) back to .500 in league play at 2-2, moving coach Justin Reese’s team into the fourth spot in the district standings — a half-game back of crosstown rival Abilene Cooper for third. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Abilene High boys rout Lubbock High, AHS girls can’t rally from early hole

When you’re a young team, basketball can be intimidating if shots aren’t falling for you.

If they are falling? Then it’s contagious and can lead to an avalanche of scoring for a squad.

In a District 4-5A game on Tuesday night at Eagle Gym, the Abilene High boys team had shots falling like crazy, and it led to a 69-29 win over Lubbock High in which nine players scored for coach Justin Reese’s squad, led by Chris Motl’s game-high 14 points.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Munday’s Bowman takes our final accolade of the year

NOTE: This will be our final Player of the Week column for 2022. It will return on Monday, Jan. 9. 

It’s always a significant accomplishment to chart a double-double. But when one averages a double-double over the course of five straight games, you begin to put a blip on the area radar screen.

Munday senior Jaxon Bowman did precisely that last week, helping the Moguls to a 5-0 record and the tournament championship at Blackwell. Aside from averaging 11.2 points per game, the senior grabbed a whopping 13 boards per contest to along with a combined 12 steals as Munday improved to 12-2.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Abilene High closes Catclaw Classic at 1-2; Wylie, Cooper drop tight ones

The Catclaw Classic has seen the three local schools struggle with a combined six losses in seven games, but it hasn’t been as bleak as it sounds.

Cooper has continued its strong performance of late, starting off with a pair of losses by a combined three points to Midland Christian and Fort Worth Chisholm Trail, while host Wylie suffered a big loss on Thursday before falling by just three on Friday.

Abilene High has had the most success in the tournament so far with one win in its three games, a 41-36 victory over Midland Christian on Friday night. The Eagles lost games to Chisholm Trail and Canyon earlier in the event.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Amarillo High pulls away late to claim Cane’s Key City Classic title

After North Crowley’s Eric Moore hit a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the third quarter and tie Amarillo High in the Raising Cane’s Key City Classic championship game, it seemed as though the Panthers had all the momentum.

The game stayed close throughout the fourth quarter, but the Sandies pulled away over the final 1:23 to take a 59-48 win and claim the tournament title Saturday afternoon at Abilene High’s Eagle Gym.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Centennial rides big fourth quarter to 24-14 win over Abilene High, ends Eagles’ run in I-5A DI semis

ARLINGTON — The Abilene High football team saw its surprising playoff run come to an end Friday, falling 24-14 to Burleson Centennial in a wet Region I-5A Division I semifinal matchup at Choctaw Stadium.

Despite a tough offensive night on which they were limited to just 169 yards and five first downs, the Eagles found themselves tied with the Spartans 7-7 after three quarters of play. But Centennial scored 17 consecutive points to start the final period, taking advantage of a pair of AHS fumbles — one it returned for a touchdown — to finally put away coach Mike Fullen’s squad.

The flexbone-based Spartans (12-1), who overcame a red zone fumble on their final possession of the first half, finished with 235 yards of total offense, achieving their big fourth quarter despite a modest offensive output of just 64 yards in the second half.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Abilene High’s ‘surprising’ run to region semis a product of program’s process, tradition

Of all teams still playing in the Texas high school football playoffs, Abilene High would likely be considered one of the bigger surprises .

Closing the regular season at 4-6, as the No. 4 seed out of District 2-5A Division I, the Eagles weren’t a popular pick to make a deep playoff run. 

But after dominating good teams from El Paso Del Valle (42-14) and Red Oak (35-0) to earn a Region I-5A DI semifinals matchup with Burleson Centennial on Friday, coach Mike Fullen’s squad finds itself in the third round of the playoffs for the second time in three years.

Abilene High’s 2020 squad, like this one, entered the playoffs with a modest record and found its stride later in the year — following a path to postseason success that Fullen has embraced during his time as the Eagles head coach.

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