Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Cooper-Abilene High girls basketball (78 images)”
Category: Abilene High Eagles
GAME STORY: Eagles flex their offensive power, hammer Brownwood
When he returned to his alma mater and took the helm as the Abilene High boys basketball coach, Justin Reese wanted to turn back the clock on the program in several ways.
First, he wanted to get the AHS student body back to packing Eagle Gym, creating a raucous atmosphere for every home game. And his second goal was to get the program back to where it could run the floor and play an up-tempo style like it did when he played for the Eagles and legendary coach Gerald Coppedge.
Playing after the Lady Eagles beat Cooper 43-34 in front of a packed house, Reese’s squad treated a strong crowd to an offensive show as the Eagles dismantled Brownwood 95-40 in nondistrict play.
GAME STORY: Abilene High girls hold off Cooper rally, score big district win over crosstown rival
Entering Friday’s Crosstown Showdown girls basketball matchup at Eagle Gym, both Abilene High and Cooper needed a win to avoid falling into an early 0-2 hole in the District 4-5A race. And for 32 minutes, both teams played with the urgency one might expect in such a situation.
But in the end, it was the homestanding Lady Eagles who came out on top, holding off a fourth-quarter rally by the Lady Cougars to pull out a gritty 43-34 victory over their rivals.
The win improved AHS to 11-7 overall while evening the Lady Eagles district record at 1-1 — a key development with No. 8 Lubbock Monterey set to visit on Tuesday.
PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Wylie girls basketball (54 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Wylie girls basketball (54 images)”
GAME STORY: Wylie pulls away from feisty Abilene High squad late to open district play with win
The Wylie girls basketball team opened District 4-5A play with a solid home win over crosstown foe Abilene High on Tuesday, closing the game on a 28-14 run to stretch a two-point third-quarter lead to 59-43 by the time the final buzzer sounded.
The Lady Bulldogs, who led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter, found themselves in a dogfight early in the second half. But coach Duane Hopper’s squad answered every Lady Eagles run with one of its own to pull away in the fourth quarter for a comfortable win.
The victory improved Wylie to 10-6 on the season and got the Lady Bulldogs off to a strong start in what is sure to be a grueling district race.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Gordon senior Caitlyn Parsons snags this week’s award
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a Class 1A girls team from the outer reaches of our coverage area land our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. But Gordon’s Caitlyn Parsons put an end to the drought with a huge performance in the Mesquite Pit Classic in Poolville.
Helping the Lady Longhorns to a 4-1 mark in the event, Parson tallied a combined 70 points, 50 boards, 16 steals, five assists, 11 blocks and one charge through five games to earn all-tournament honors and lead GHS to a third-place finish. She also had 10 points in a loss to San Saba earlier in the week.
PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Merkel girls basketball (46 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Merkel girls basketball (46 images)”
GAME STORY: Class 5A Lady Eagles use size, depth to rally for win at 3A Merkel
MERKEL — What had the early look of a rout, became a case study in the advantages large schools can have over smaller ones in Tuesday’s 56-45 win for the Abilene girls at Merkel.
Samia Cooper scored 20 points and Taryn Moore added 10 to lead Abilene (9-6), which rallied from an early 13-point deficit with a combination of size and depth to hand the Lady Badgers (10-4) a loss on their home floor.
Merkel, which led 11-0 by the 5:14 mark of the first quarter and 18-5 with 0:59 left in the period, was led by Brooklynn Fulfer with 18 points and Jaedyn Lee with 12.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Albany’s Hill takes this week’s award with big performance in regional title game
Big-time players come up with big-time performances in big games. And our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, Albany’s Adam Hill, is a big-time player.
Helping the Lions capture the Region II-2A DII title, Hill was a punisher out of the Lions’ backfield last Thursday in Iowa Park, rushing for 223 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries in a 52-14 rout of a very good Collinsville team.
The Texas Tech-bound senior also caught a pair of passes for 31 yards and an additional touchdown as Albany improved to 14-0 on the year.
PHOTO GALLERY: Cane’s Key City Classic Day 3 (80 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Cane’s Key City Classic Day 3 (80 images)”
PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Aledo football playoff (68 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Aledo football playoff (68 images)”
PHOTO GALLERY: Cane’s Key City Classic Day 2 (52 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Cane’s Key City Classic Day 2 (52 images)”
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: AHS earns third-place finish at Cane’s Key City Classic; North Crowley claims title
Both Abilene High and Wylie left the Raising Cane’s Key City Classic with some hardware Saturday, as the Eagles defeated Canutillo 48-40 in the championship bracket third-place game and Wylie routed El Paso Coronado 65-33 for the consolation title.
That completed 3-1 runs through the tournament for both teams, while Cooper saw its tournament end at 1-3 with a 53-46 loss to Aledo in the consolation third-place game.
North Crowley took the championship, defeating Midland Christian 64-36 to complete a perfect run through the Classic.
GAME STORY: Abilene High can’t overcome slow start in region finals loss to Aledo
STEPHENVILLE — Abilene High’s most successful football season in more than a decade came to an end Friday with a 56-21 loss to top-ranked Aledo in the Region I-5A Division I final.
A disastrous start saw the Eagles fall behind 28-0 after a quarter. And following a successful second period, during which coach Mike Fullen’s squad was able to narrow the deficit to 28-14 by halftime, Abilene High ran out of gas against a Bearcats squad in search of second consecutive state title and 12th in program history.
The loss forced Abilene High, which was outgained 527-210 and limited to just a single yard on the ground, to end its season at 11-3. But the run to the fourth round of the playoffs marked the Eagles’ deepest since 2011 and the 11 wins tied the program’s most since 2012.
FEATURE: Blue-collar Abilene High program comfortable, content in underdog role
When Abilene High takes the field for its Region I-5A Division I final against Aledo on Friday at Tarleton Memorial Stadium, the Eagles will do so as the clear underdog.
Unbeaten at 13-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state in their classification, the Bearcats are the favorite to return to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, where they won their most recent of 11 state championships last fall.
But if you think the Eagles will be uncomfortable in a challenger role or intimidated playing a state power, you don’t know enough about the AHS program. During a 25-year run that has seen Abilene High reach the playoffs 21 times, achieve double digit wins on 11 occasions and claim a state title of its own in 2009, the Eagles have built a well-earned reputation as a giant killer.
And they’re all too happy to put their own tradition on the line this week in Stephenville.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Abilene High rolls on opening day of Key City Classic; Cooper, Wylie fall
Abilene High was the lone local team to survive the first day of the Raising Cane’s Key City Classic unscathed Thursday, opening the annual tournament with a dominant 76-17 victory over El Paso Austin.
Around the Eagles’ win, which earned coach Justin Reese’s squad a 1:30 p.m. Friday matchup against Richardson Pearce, Wylie fell 72-48 to Lewisville The Colony and Cooper saw a furious second-half rally come up just short in a 51-48 loss to Canutillo.
Play in the 16-team tournament will continue through Saturday, culminating with the championship game at 1:30 p.m. at Abilene High and the consolation final at 1:30 p.m. at Cooper. See full first-day results and the complete tournament schedule here.
Big Country Preps playoff forecast: 11 area teams still alive with December approaching
LAST WEEK: 11-2, .846
SEASON TOTAL: 546-110, .832
Week 15, if you can believe it, has arrived, with regional championship games dotting the landscape in the 11-man ranks and state semifinals deciding which six-man teams will go to Arlington.
As one may expect, there are tossups all over the board, so picking these things has become all the more difficult.
Why waste time?
Let’s dive in.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stephenville’s Butchee takes the top spot
We freely admit that more offensive players take our Big Country Preps Player of the Week than do defenders.
But a great defensive performance can, indeed, take the top spot and that is the case with this week’s award winner: Stephenville sophomore linebacker, Hudson Butchee.
With the Yellow Jackets squaring off with perennial power Celina in the Region II-4A DI semifinals, Butchee played like a man possessed in a 7-3 Stephenville win.
PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Justin Northwest football playoff (86 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Justin Northwest football playoff (86 images)”
GAME STORY: Fast start, clutch defense fuel Abilene High past Justin Northwest, into fourth round
WICHITA FALLS — A fast start offensively and a clutch defensive performance throughout were all Abilene High needed Friday to down Justin Northwest 27-16 and advance to the fourth round of the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
AHS raced out to a 14-0 lead after a quarter, took a 20-7 advantage into halftime and never trailed the rest of the way despite frequent challenges by the Texans offense in the second half.
The Eagles, who turned Northwest away in the red zone twice in the third quarter, allowed just one second-half touchdown despite spending most of the final two periods on their own end of the field. That allowed the offense, which finished four of their five first-half possessions with points, to put the game away with their only scoring drive of the second half late in the fourth quarter.
EVAN REN’S THANKSGIVING WEEK PLAYOFF PICKS: Big Country takes 16 teams from 1A through 5A into Turkey Day weekend
LAST WEEK: 22-5, .814
SEASON TOTAL: 535-108, .832
Turkey Day has arrived and we’ve still got 16 Big Country football teams from 1A through 5A hitting the field this week.
That’s up from 13 a year ago, giving you some perspective on the overall quality of area football in 2023. And unless I miss my guess, we’ll have at least 10 area teams still slugging it out in December.
Not too shabby.
Of those, we have roughly seven or eight that have a shot at reaching Arlington and playing for a state championship, including four that I would consider favorites to win it all.
That said, let’s take a look at this week’s matchups, shall we?
Be safe going to your games!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: With Windthorst vanquished, Ivan “The Terrible” hath seized thy weekly accolade
It’s always nice to see numbers that match a nickname. And in the case of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, there’s no worries in that department.
Roscoe junior running back Ivan “The Terrible” McCann takes the accolade for the week ending Nov. 18 after helping the Plowboys to a stunning 50-22 win over Windthorst in the 2A DI area round.
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.
FEATURE: Senior linebacker Bryce Neves a ball-seeking missile for Abilene High defense
When Abilene High linebacker Bryce Neves looks back at his junior film, he’s struck by how slow he appears to play. But before one accepts that critique at face value, they should probably be aware of who it’s coming from.
Neves, who was a playmaker for an excellent Eagles defense last season, was playing at a perfectly acceptable speed and level. In fact, it was good enough to earn him a second-team all-district nod out of a strong Class 5A Division I league.
It just didn’t match the bullet train pace at which he’s reading, reacting and playing this year as a senior for the 9-2 Eagles.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Big Country teams notch five wins on opening day of Pug Parris Classic
The 2023 edition of the Pug Parris Classic kicked off with a full slate of games on Thursday at McMurry University’s Kimbrell Arena and featured Big Country teams from Class 2A to Class 5A nearly all day long.
In addition to the six teams from the Big Country, this year’s three-day tournament features teams from as far away as Clint and El Paso.
Area teams posted a total of five wins as the Jim Ned Lady Indians swept their pool with a pair of wins, while Wylie, Cooper and Cisco added to the total.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYOFF FORECAST: BCP carries 33 teams into Week 13, but how many will move on?
LAST WEEK: 36-5, .878
SEASON TOTAL: 513-103, .832
As we enter Week 13, the Big Country Preps coverage area still has 33 teams from 1A through 5A with a playoff pulse, including a handful with decent shot at a state championship.
However, as we all know, things begin to get much tougher when you get to the area round and unless I miss my guess, we’ll see around 15-17 of our area teams eliminated by Saturday.
The good news is, we should have 16-18 clubs playing over the Thanksgiving holiday, which is a pretty solid number for what will be the 14th week of the season.
So without further ado, let’s dive in.
Here’s this week’s playoff forecast:
PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Midland High boys basketball (33 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Midland High boys basketball (33 images)”
GAME STORY: Eagles go up a classification, knock off Midland High in home opener
Coming off a season-opening five-point win over Class 6A Del Rio on Saturday, the Abilene High boys basketball team looked to knock off former district rival Midland High in their home opener Tuesday night at Eagle Gym.
Despite missing a couple of starters and reserves (three due to football, one due to a season-ending injury), the Eagles were able to dictate the terms of the game against the Bulldogs, winning 56-38 on the heels of a strong fourth quarter.
With the shorthanded roster against a taller, faster and more athletic MHS, AHS coach Justin Reese was happy with what he saw from his team — especially in the fourth quarter.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hico’s Powell takes this week’s accolade
Big numbers are always great to have when we decide the winner of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. Solid numbers across multiple tasks are even better.
That was the case with this week’s spotlight player, Buck Powell, of Hico, who helped the Tigers to a 47-14 rout of Maud in the Class 2A DII bi-district round on Friday.
2023 BIG COUNTRY PREPS BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW: The area’s top teams in each class throughout the BCP coverage area
With a new season of boys high school basketball poised to begin, it’s time to take a look at what the Big Country will produce on the court.
Below you will find our top teams in each classification in the Big Country Preps coverage area, from Big Spring in the West, to Brock in the east and from Brady in the south to Munday in the north.
Our rankings of the top teams in each class are given, along with a season outlook, cataloguing our expectations for each club.
Here’s our preview. We’ll see you on the road.
PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-El Paso Hanks football playoff (62 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-El Paso Hanks football playoff (62 images)”
GAME STORY: Abilene High opens postseason with historic win over Hanks
After a week to rest and get ready for the playoffs, the Abilene High football team set a school record for points in a half as the Eagles rolled to an 84-14 win over El Paso Hanks on Thursday night at Shotwell Stadium.
AHS put up 70 points in the first half, 21 of which came in the span of 37 seconds after Bryce Neves had two fumble recoveries and an interception to open the second quarter.
It was a first half unlike anything Abilene High coach Mike Fullen has seen in his coaching career.
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 11 REPORT: Amarillo High, Tascosa lock down playoff spots while Abilene High rests
Amarillo High 61, Lubbock Monterey 28 — Will Flaming passed for 171 yards and two touchdowns and Pius Vokes rushed for 158 yards and a TD to fuel the Sandies to a blowout win over the Plainsmen and secure the No. 3 playoff seed for AHS.
Amarillo High (5-5, 4-2) ran for 301 of its 472 yards in the win, getting additional rushing touchdowns from Flaming (6-67), Eddy Mpela (6-27), Jett Lopez (3-10) and Rylan Leathers (2-9). The Sandies, who got receiving scores from Bryson Brown (1-61) and Leathers (4-37), led 38-7 by halftime and increased that lead to 55-14 in the third quarter.
Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 31)
NOTE: This will be our final installment of Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders for the 2023 season
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m. roughout the regular season.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 10 REPORT: Abilene High locks up title; Monterey rallies past Coronado
Abilene High 24, Amarillo High 14 — The Eagles wrapped up their outright district title, outscoring the Sandies 10-0 over the final two quarters to break a halftime tie.
Chad Lara rushed for Brayden Henry rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown and Brayden Henry ran for 91 yards and two scores for Abilene High (8-2, 6-0), which outgained Amarillo High 415-283. Dylan Slack added 227 yards passing, hitting Jackson Howle seven times for 100 yards and Ryland Bradford eight times for 82 yards.
PHOTO GALLERY: Amarillo High-Abilene High football (68 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Amarillo High-Abilene High football (68 images)”
GAME STORY: Abilene High locks up outright district title with hard-fought win over Amarillo High
It took the Abilene High football team a little while to get going Friday at Shotwell Stadium, but by the end of the night, the Eagles were celebrating a 24-14 win over Amarillo High and a perfect run through District 2-5A Division I play.
The victory, which was needed to lock up the outright district title for Abilene High, was anything but easy. But thanks to a gutsy performance by the defense in the early going and a strong offensive effort from the second quarter on, the Eagles never trailed in improving to 8-2 on the season and 6-0 in district action.
After holding leads of 7-0 and 14-7 in the second quarter, coach Mike Fullen’s squad went to halftime with the score tied at 14. That set the stage for an exciting second half that saw the Eagles outscore the Sandies 10-0 to put the game away.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Bulldogs, Bearcats meet with district title in the balance
LAST WEEK: 44-7, .862
SEASON TOTAL: 391-86, .820
It really didn’t take long for people to start talking about the Hawley – Stamford matchup in 2023. In fact, this one was on our calendar as a possible Game of the Week before the season even started.
Who will win? That depends on who you speak with. Our Twitter poll is split virtually down the middle and even the computers see this one as a near tossup.
Stamford (7-0, 4-0 District 4-2A DII) enters this game scarcely challenged, rolling over the opposition by an average tally of 45-8. Hawley (6-2, 4-0), on the other hand, comes in with some battle scars after a brutal schedule featuring Jim Ned, Lubbock Roosevelt and Albany.
Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 24)
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m. roughout the regular season.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Big Spring’s Kavien Ford lands the top spot
Every now and then, the biggest performances come at precisely the right time. And in the case of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, that couldn’t be more true than it is now.
With his team laboring through a five-game losing streak and in danger of losing a playoff spot, Big Spring’s Kavien Ford came up with one of the best performances we’ve seen this year when he rushed for 374 yards and seven scores on 39 carries in a 63-43 win over San Angelo Lake View.
The win put Big Spring (2-6, 1-1) in a three-way tie for second place with one game remaining in the regular season. It also kept Lake View in sole possession of last place.