Here are the boys area track bests through April 2 (top 15 in each event):
Category: Abilene High Eagles
GAME STORY: Ferguson tosses another gem as Abilene High tops Wylie 6-0
Abilene High scored four early runs and Eagles ace George Ferguson handled the rest Tuesday, pitching 6.2 innings of shutout ball to fuel coach Brad Harman’s squad to a 6-0 win over Wylie at Blackburn Field.
The hard-throwing right-hander allowed just one hit, striking out eight Bulldogs hitters to pitch around what little base traffic he faced throughout the night, before leaving the game one out shy of a complete game due to pitch count rules.
The victory was a big one for AHS, which improved to 15-5-1 overall and 5-1 in District 4-5A play to stay alone atop the league standings. Wylie, meanwhile, fell to 12-4-1 on the year and 3-2 in district action with the loss.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall’s Briggs Jones takes the top spot
After nursing a sore back which prevented him from jumping for a few weeks, Wall senior Briggs Jones made a return to the stage in a big way last week.
Competing in Wall’s very own Cotton Patch Relays, Jones took five gold medals, winning the long jump, triple jump, 100 meters, 200 meters and yet another with the 800 relay team.
Evan Ren’s 2025 Gym Rat Team: The hardest-working players in the Big Country!
While scoring and rebounding garner much of the attention in basketball, there are other elements, crucial to success that seldom grab headlines.
Behind the scenes is where character, effort and sacrifice set the foundation for teams to reach their full potential. And it is with our Big Country Preps Gym Rat Team that we salute the individuals who bring these elements to the table.
This team isn’t about who the best players are — though some of the area’s top players are on this list.
The Gym Rat Team is about outworking, outhustling and outgiving everyone around you, both on the floor and off. Hard-working, honest, selfless, tough, coachable kids are what we seek for this roster.
A Gym Rat Team member can be your best player or the last player off the bench. But the one thing all of them bring is an uncompromisingly good attitude.
It is for that reason that our Gym Rat Team is selected entirely by area coaches. And Big Country Preps is truly honored to present these individuals to you — the best “team players” (boys and girls) that the area had to offer during the 2024-25 season.
Players are listed in no particular order.
Enjoy.
PHOTO GALLERY: AHS-Wylie softball (71 images)
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GAME STORY: Reyes battles through illness to shut out Wylie, AHS scores late for win
After being down for the count with some sort of illness for the past two days, Abilene High pitcher Avah Reyes took to the circle for a massive District 4-5A softball showdown against Wylie on Friday night at Bulldog Field.
With coach Jenna Aguirre thinking she might have to lift her star junior, Reyes gutted it out and matched Wylie’s Avie Faries pitch-for-pitch, allowing the Lady Eagles to take a 1-0 win to finish off a perfect first half of district play.
Maiya Badon scored the lone run of the game on a seventh-inning throwing error by Wylie catcher Cameron Gregory when pinch runner Claudia Ceballos stole second base with one out.
Area Softball Stat Leaders (through March 27)
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through March 27:
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his or her email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com.
Area Baseball Stat Leaders (through March 27)
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through March 27.
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com.
LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Abilene High routs Legacy 11-0; Cooper falls at home to Memorial
The Abilene High and Cooper baseball teams were on opposite ends of a shutout Tuesday, as the Eagles routed Wichita Falls Legacy 11-0 on the road and the Cougars suffered a 9-0 home loss to Wichita Falls Memorial.
Connel Colley pitched a five-inning one-hitter to lead AHS, which improved to 12-5-1 overall and 4-1 in league play to take a half-game lead over Wylie (12-3-1, 3-1) in the District 4-5A standings.
Cooper, meanwhile, saw Jeron Flores outdueled by Brady Pope in a battle of left-handed standouts to fall to 12-5 on the season and 2-3 in 4-5A action.
LOCAL SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: AHS, Cooper both win to maintain spots atop District 4-5A standings
The Abilene High and Cooper softball teams both picked up lopsided victories in District 4-5A action Tuesday, as the Lady Eagles cruised to an 8-0 home win over Wichita Falls Legacy and the Lady Cougars rolled to an 11-4 triumph at Wichita Falls Memorial.
Junior pitcher Avah Reyes tallied nine strikeouts in three perfect innings to eclipse the 300 career strikeout milestone for AHS, while Maddie Fry earned a complete-game win for Cooper. Both pitchers got plenty of run support, as the Lady Eagles outhit Legacy 10-2 and the Lady Coogs used a couple of big innings to post their second double-digit scoring output in three league games.
With Tuesday’s result, Abilene High (11-7) improved to 3-0 in 4-5A play, maintaining a one-game edge on Cooper (12-9, 2-1), which moved a half-game ahead of idle Wylie (13-6, 1-1) for second place.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde hurler takes this week’s award
Clyde softball has been overdue for landing a Big Country Preps Player of the Week award and senior pitcher Kaycee Bingham has just ended the drought.
The Lady Bulldogs have been posting big numbers on a weekly basis, falling just short of the top spot. But Bingham has landed the spotlight with a 26-0 mercy rule perfect game win over San Angelo Grape Creek last week. She followed that with a three-hit 11-0 shutout of Merkel.
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PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Cooper softball (76 images)
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GAME STORY: Reyes dominates in the circle as AHS holds on for thrilling win over Cooper
Abilene High junior Avah Reyes had 15 strikeouts and took a no-hitter into the seventh inning as the Lady Eagles claimed a 4-3 win over Cooper in District 4-5A play on Saturday afternoon.
Cooper rallied in the seventh inning behind two AHS errors and had the tying run in scoring position when Reyes struck out Sabrina Lopez-Calhoon swinging to end the game.
The showdown was the first time that AHS coach Jenna Aguirre faced off against Cooper coach Kaegan Jimenez. The two were best friends in high school, making the win bittersweet for the fourth-year AHS coach.
GAME STORY: Ferguson outduels Henderson in battle of aces, AHS grinds out 4-1 win over Cooper
With Abilene High’s George Ferguson and Cooper’s Brady Henderson both coming off no-hitters in their most recent trips to the mound, Tuesday’s Crosstown Showdown was expected to be a low-scoring pitcher’s duel with a limited margin for error.
As it turned out, Friday’s matchup between the Eagles and Cougars for a share of the District 4-5A lead was exactly that.
Ferguson outdueled Henderson in a 4-1 Eagles win at Blackburn Field that saw AHS score two unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth to break open a game that was shaping up to be a classic to that point. The victory narrowed a three-way tie atop the 4-5A standings to two teams, as Abilene High kept pace with Wylie following the Bulldogs’ 13-3 home win over Wichita Falls Legacy in Friday’s other league game.
Area Baseball Stat Leaders (through March 20)
20Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through March 20.
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com.
Area Softball Stat Leaders (through March 20)
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through March 20:
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his or her email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com.
LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Cooper outlasts Wylie in 3-2 thriller; Abilene High downs WF Memorial 4-2
Tuesday was a banner night for Abilene ISD baseball squads, as both Abilene High and Cooper picked up big District 4-5A wins to move into an early tie with crosstown rival Wylie for the league lead.
The Eagles rode a gritty start from Connel Colley and some timely offense to a 4-2 road win over Wichita Falls Memorial, while the Cougars rallied for two runs in the bottom of the fifth against Wylie to make a 3-2 winner out of left-hander Jeron Flores at home.
The night’s results created a three-team logjam atop the 4-5A standings, where AHS (10-4-1), Cooper (12-3) and Wylie (11-3-1) are all 2-1, while Memorial (9-6 overall) sits just a half-game behind at 2-2.
GAME REPORT: Abilene High softball opens district play with blowout win over WF Memorial
Coming off a 3-1 win over Class 6A No. 6 Midland High on Thursday to close out its nondistrict schedule, the Abilene High softball team kept the positive momentum going Tuesday, opening District 4-5A play with a resounding 13-0 home victory over Wichita Falls Memorial.
The Lady Eagles, who dropped five of six games from Feb. 25 to March 1, have now won three straight — a streak that started March 4 with a 12-0 run-rule win over San Angelo Central.
AHS’ latest win, which was never in doubt as the Lady Eagles scored at least two runs in every inning and got a one-hit shutout from Avah Reyes, improved coach Jenna Aguirre’s squad to 9-7 on the year and placed the Lady Eagles atop the 4-5A standings with crosstown rival Cooper, which downed Wylie 11-8 in its district opener.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Gordon’s Stryker Reed earns this week’s accolade
At the Class 1A level, where it is common for athletes to participate in multiple sports at the same time due to a lack of numbers, individuals who excel in different disciplines are invaluable.
At Gordon, junior multi-sport star Stryker Reed falls into this category, and our Big Country Preps Player of the Week is now demonstrating it on the heels of an amazing effort.
PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Wylie baseball (60 images)
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GAME STORY: Wylie rallies from early deficit, pulls away late to open district with 15-8 win over AHS
The Wylie baseball team rallied from a pair of early deficits to defeat Abilene High 15-8 on Thursday, using a seven-run bottom of the sixth to finally put the Eagles away in a three-hour affair at Bulldog Field.
Trailing 2-0 after one inning and 5-2 after three, the Bulldogs followed three-run outbursts in the fourth and fifth innings with the seven-run explosion in the sixth to open District 4-5A play with a comfortable win.
Wylie, which outhit AHS 11-8 on the afternoon, took advantage of 12 walks and turned three Eagle errors into seven unearned runs on the way to scoring 11 of its 15 runs with two outs.
PHOTO GALLERY: Wichita Falls Legacy-Abilene High baseball (20 images)
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GAME STORY: Ferguson’s five-inning no-hitter fuels AHS to district-opening rout of WF Legacy
George Ferguson was utterly dominant on the mound, and he got far more run support than needed Tuesday as the Abilene High baseball team opened District 4-5A play with a 10-0 run-rule victory at Blackburn Field.
Ferguson struck out 14 batters in a five-inning no-hitter, allowing just two base runners — one of those on an error — in an outing that was almost perfect.
And behind the hard-throwing sophomore, who struck out the side in four of his five innings, the Eagles put up four runs in the first inning and five more in the third to take control early in joining Wichita Falls Memorial atop the district standings after the Mavericks downed Cooper 8-1 in their league opener Tuesday.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Eula’s Hailie Cauthen earns this week’s spotlight
Fresh off a successful basketball season, Eula’s Hailie Cauthen has transitioned to softball as though she were in mid-season form.
In fact, the senior shortstop was good enough through five games last week to take our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award for the Week ending March 8.
PHOTO GALLERY: AISD Invitational (174 images)
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TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Abilene High, Cooper close AISD Invitational with wins
The annual AISD Invitational came to a cold, windy and wet end on Saturday as Cooper finished an undefeated tournament with a 9-2 win over Burleson, while Abilene High beat Copperas Cove 10-6.
Cooper finished the tournament at 5-0 while AHS went 4-1.
Meanwhile, a highly anticipated game between Brock and Wylie was canceled on account of the weather.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Area squads have monster second day at AISD Invitational
Five teams from the Big Country Preps coverage area picked up a pair of wins on Friday on the second day of the AISD Invitational.
Abilene High, Cooper and Wylie all had relatively stress-free days, while Brownwood and Brock combined for four wins.
Wall, which struggled at times during its tournament action, closed out its play in the event with a big win over San Angelo Central.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Local schools go 5-1 on opening day of AISD Invitational
Cooper and Wylie swept their opponents as the AISD Invitational got under way on Thursday at three different locations across town, while Abilene High split a pair of games with Brock and Wall.
The Cougars knocked off San Angelo Lake View and Brownwood, while the Bulldogs were able to dispatch Andrews and San Angelo Central in their two games. The Eagles fell to Brock in their tournament opener before rebounding with a resounding win over Wall.
Teams in the Big Country Preps coverage area went a combined 8-4 on Thursday with Brock joining the two Abilene schools with an undefeated day.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stephenville’s Gentry lands the top spot
While Stephenville’s Tristian Gentry is no stranger to this column, it’s usually via football that he lands in our Top 10 — especially after missing track last year due to injury.
Well, it’s track season again and it just so happens that the SHS senior is healthy this time around — returning as one of the area’s top guns in that sport. He’s already off to a great start, having captured four gold medals at a talent-loaded Brock meet last week.
Aside from first place leaps in the long jump (21-1) and triple jump (43-2), he also helped SHS’ 400 and 800 relay teams take gold with splits of 43.26 and 1:30.1, respectively.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Munday freshman captures this week’s top spot
Munday’s Caisen Lee isn’t the first freshman to whom we’ve given our Big Country Preps Player of the Week Award. But during the basketball playoffs, it is indeed a rare occurrence.
Nonetheless, Lee takes our top spot with a pair of top notch efforts in playoff wins over Aspermont (77-48) and Westbrook (48-36).
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stamford softballer takes the top spot
For two years, Stamford’s Emma Follis has been one of our area’s elite softball players, both as a pitcher and a hitter.
Last week, Follis picked up right where she left off a year ago, notching a 3-1 record in the circle with 35 strikeouts at the Slaton Tournament.
She was even better at the plate, hitting .714 with a triple, four homers and nine RBIs.
At this rate her numbers could be staggering by season’s end. And keep in mind, many of these games were shortened to accommodate the tournament schedule.
In several shortened games Emma came out hot in the circle and at the plate,” coach Sean Slavis said. “We are pumped to finally be playing again!”
PHOTO GALLERY: Wall-Abilene High baseball (51 images)
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Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Feb. 13): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Feb. 13.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Feb. 13): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Feb. 13.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Cooper boys basketball (25 images)
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GAME STORY: Abilene High boys pull away from Cooper for 62-23 win in District 4-5A finale
For a quarter and a half, the Cooper boys basketball team gave rival Abilene High a run for its money in the District 4-5A finale for both squads Tuesday at Cougar Gym.
But leading just 14-13 with 4:08 remaining in the second quarter, the Eagles closed the first half on a 9-2 run to ignite a spark that would never burn out in a dominating 62-23 win.
The lopsided victory, which saw Abilene High (20-12 overall) close league play at 5-3, spoiled Senior Day for the Cougars, who closed out a tough campaign at 8-18 overall and 0-8 in district.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche’s Alex Terrell takes this week’s spotlight
While it wasn’t a perfect two-game stretch for the Comanche boys basketball team, the Indians did clinch a postseason berth last week and one of their players earned the spotlight.
Comanche went 1-1 on the week, dropping a game against Tolar while securing a playoff spot Friday with a win over Breckenridge. In the meantime, senior guard Alex Terrell came up with two big efforts to capture our Big Country Preps Player of the Week.
Terrell put up solid numbers on both nights, beginning with 20 points, five rebounds and two steals in the Tolar loss. Three nights later, he finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and four steals in a tough 32-26 win at Breck to clinch a postseason berth.
PHOTO GALLERY: WF Memorial-Abilene High boys basketball (48 images)
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GAME STORY: Wyatt’s big first half helps Eagles close out home schedule with win over WF Memorial
The Abilene High boys basketball team entered Friday night’s game with Wichita Falls Memorial knowing that they were already locked into a bi-district game with No. 13 Amarillo High and, with nothing on the line, wanted to ensure that its four seniors got a win in their home finale.
Those seniors (Tyson Thompson, Eric Salazar, Carter Wyatt and Connel Colley) all started for the Eagles and played key roles as AHS snapped a two-game losing skid with a 39-37 win over the Mavericks at Eagle Gym.
Wyatt led the group with 10 points on Friday night, after having not scored more than three points in a contest this season.
SIGNING DAY: Abilene High OL Turner stays local with commitment to McMurry
For the past three years, Jerrod Turner has been casting an imposing shadow from his spot as one of the bookends of the Abilene High offensive line.
On Wednesday afternoon, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound left tackle made official his intentions to take that shadow a few miles south for the next few years.
Turner, a second-team all-District 2-5A Division I and honorable mention All-Big Country Preps pick as a senior, committed to McMurry University during a Signing Day ceremony at the Chuck Moser Fieldhouse, pledging to continue a football journey that saw him help pave the way for some of the Eagles’ most explosive offenses in recent memory the past two seasons.
SIGNING DAY 2025: Top area athletes sign on the dotted line
National Signing Day is typically a busy one in the Big Country Preps’ coverage area and 2025 was no exception with several players inking and/or confirming their commitments to play at the next level.
At various signing ceremonies held throughout the area, athletes celebrated their final choices to pursue a degree while competing collegiately.
PHOTO GALLERY: Wylie-Abilene High basketball doubleheader (72 images)
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GAME STORY: Wylie grinds out doubleheader sweep at Abilene High
The Wylie basketball teams both secured season sweeps of Abilene High on Friday, each rallying from a second-half deficit to down their crosstown rival in front of a capacity crowd at Eagle Gym.
The No. 13 Lady Bulldogs closed their game on a 25-7 run to defeat the Lady Eagles 56-40, clinching the outright District 4-5A championship in the process.
And the Bulldogs overcame a 27-21 halftime hole to claim a thrilling 52-49 victory over Abilene High and maintain control of their own destiny in the boys district title race.
Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 30): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 30.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 30): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 30.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Lady Eagles lone local school to post a win on Tuesday
With the regular season quickly drawing to a close, the Abilene High and Cooper basketball teams had critical District 4-5A games against Wichita Falls Legacy and Wichita Falls Memorial, respectively, on Tuesday night.
The Cougars were in desperate need of a win in both games for playoff purposes and came up short, with the Lady Cougars 46-31 loss officially eliminating them from playoff contention. The Cooper boys, meanwhile, found themselves leading at halftime against the Mavericks before falling 43-37. The loss leaves Cooper two games behind Memorial with three games to play.
In Wichita Falls, the Abilene High girls claimed a 39-28 win over Legacy, clinching second place in the district. The Abilene High boys, on the other hand, fell out of a three-way tie for first place with Wylie and Legacy with a 50-34 loss to the Leopards.
PHOTO GALLERY: Cooper-Abilene High basketball doubleheader (96 images)
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GAME STORY: Eagles fend off second-half rally from Cooper; AHS girls roll to win
The Abilene High boys and girls basketball teams rode hot-shooting first quarters to wins on Friday as they swept crosstown rival Cooper in District 4-5A basketball at Eagle Gym.
The Lady Eagles opened the night with a 64-39 win as they moved to 16-14 on the year and 4-2 in district. The win also clinched a playoff berth for Abilene in its first year under coach Alfonzo Franklin.
The boys team followed that up by holding off a second half rally from the Cougars to earn a 60-53 win on a night where they didn’t have their normal shooting touch from behind the arc. Friday’s win moved AHS to 18-10 on the season and 3-1 in district while the Cougars fell to 8-14 overall and 0-4 in district — putting Cooper in a must-win situation on Tuesday.