Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 23.
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.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 23.
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.
We all know a football player who almost never misses any practice time and practically lives in the weight room. He’s always early to arrive and late to leave. He’s coachable, but seldom needs direction because he always pays attention.
You know who I’m talking about.
The guy who sets a good example for young players. The guy who never complains and, first and foremost, is tough mentally and physically. He may not be the best player on a team (though some of them are). But he’s definitely the guy who gets the most out of the talent he’s given.
Welcome to the 2024 “True Grit” team — the one place in the Big Country where guys who fall into this category are recognized for it.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps football team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps football team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps Football Team (Third-Team roster). For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team — an honor reserved for the area’s top freshman and sophomore football players. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
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 basketball doubleheader (69 images)”
With a 14-point lead at the end of the third quarter in front of a standing room only crowd, the Wylie boys basketball team looked like it was going to cruise to a win over crosstown rival Abilene High on Tuesday night at Bulldog Gym.
The Bulldogs then had to hold off a spirited comeback attempt by the Eagles, with Connel Colley’s 3-point attempt with just seconds remaining missing the mark, allowing Wylie to survive 55-52 in District 4-5A play.
It was the type of contest both Gregg Ruffin (Wylie) and Justin Reese (Abilene High) said their teams can expect in the five-team district that will only play eight games — making each matchup a crucial one.
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
After having their District 4-5A doubleheader against Wichita Falls Legacy pushed back a day by the winter storm that blew through Abilene on Thursday, The Abilene High basketball teams split a pair of thrillers Saturday at Eagle Gym.
The Lady Eagles suffered their first district loss, falling 39-38 in gut-wrenching fashion, before the boys rallied from a 10-point second-quarter deficit to top the Leopards 57-53 in the district opener for both teams.
Those results set up another big doubleheader Tuesday at Wylie, where the girls will wrap the first half of district play and the Eagles will look to stay atop the league standings in the early stages of 4-5A action.
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-Cooper girls basketball (44 images)”
Coming off a wild 55-51 overtime win over Wichita Falls Memorial in their District 4-5A opener on Friday, the Abilene High Lady Eagles were given just a few days to recharge their emotional batteries before Tuesday’s Crosstown Showdown with rival Cooper.
But coach Alfonzo Franklin’s squad proved up to the task, riding a 15-5 first-quarter run to a 52-44 win at Cougar Gym to stay in lockstep with Wylie atop the league standings.
Samia Cooper led Abilene High with 13 points, while four other Lady Eagles had at least seven in a balanced scoring effort. Those contributions allowed AHS to stretch its lead to 18 early in the third quarter and a game-high 20 points early in the fourth, before Cooper made a late surge in the closing minutes.
Our All-Big Country Preps Volleyball team, released today, is in place to honor those who achieved the most on-court success in 2024. It is off the court, however, where character, grit
and work ethic are often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps Max Effort Team that we wish to honor those players who were the hardest-working, best teammates in the
area this fall.
This team isn’t about who the best volleyball players were.
The Max Effort team honors hustle, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches wish every player had.
After watching the girls basketball team have to hang on for a win over Stephenville in the first game of the night, the Abilene High boys made sure their game would lack the same drama.
The Eagles had 10 different players contribute on the offensive end as they rode a fast start to a 67-35 win over Wall on Tuesday night at Eagle Gym .
Abilene High jumped out to an 8-0 lead and never trailed on its way to pushing its season record to 12-5. The fast start was exactly what coach Justin Reese was looking for as the Hawks had several football players seeing their first basketball action of the season.
A deflected inbounds pass with just over two-tenths of a second left was all the Abilene High girls basketball team needed to end a season-long four-game losing streak as the Lady Eagles picked up a 44-42 win over Stephenville on Tuesday night at Eagle Gym.
Emily Jordan had a game-high 22 points for AHS to help the Lady Eagles even their record at 10-10 under first-year head coach Alfonzo Franklin.
After the game, Franklin said he was pleased with how his squad battled in a game that never saw either team lead by more than six points. Continue reading “GAME STORY: Abilene High girls hold off Stephenville in nailbiter”
Ira junior Hudson Luft had a week that was nothing short of eye-popping — eye-popping enough to earn him our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award for the week ending Dec. 7.
Luft takes it this time around with a performance that went as follows: 28 points, 10 boards vs. Spur, 18 points, eight steals vs. Eden, 46 points, four steals vs. Loraine, 21 points vs. Robert Lee, 30 points, six steals vs. Roscoe and 24 points vs Winters.
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 (184 images)”
The 2024 edition of the Raising Cane’s Key City Classic wrapped up with a flourish of great games on Saturday at both Abilene High and Cooper.
The day started with Mineral Wells rallying in the final minute of regulation before taking an overtime win against El Paso Jefferson, saw South San Antonio claim a 44-41 win over Cleburne in double overtime and culminated with North Crowley improving to 2-1 in the championship game of the tournament over the past three years.
For full tournament results, click here.
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 (97 images)”
On the second day of the 16-team Raising Cane’s Key City Classic, Brooks Reese hit an off-balance, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send the Abilene High boys basketball team to the championship game with a thrilling 44-42 win over Richardson Pearce that saw the fans storm the court Friday night at Eagle Gym.
Across town, Cooper fell to Lubbock Cooper 46-35 in the quarterfinals before dropping their nightcap 52-34 to Cleburne. Mineral Wells, meanwhile, dropped a pair of games against Midland Legacy (60-36) and Carrollton Creekview (62-47).
For a full listing of Day 2 results and a complete tournament schedule, click here.
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 1 (110 images)”
The Abilene High and Cooper boys basketball teams got off to winning starts on Day 1 of the Raising Cane’s Key City Classic, cruising to comfortable victories Thursday to kick off the annual tournament on a high note.
The Eagles downed Perryton 54-37 in there opener to earn a matchup with El Paso Coronado at noon on Friday, while the Cougars smothered El Paso Jefferson in a 34-20 win to advance to play Lubbock Cooper at 1:30 p.m. on Day 2.
Mineral Wells, the only other area team in the event’s 16-team field, dropped its first game 52-30 to Clebrune and will take on Midland Legacy at 9 a.m. Friday. For a full listing of Day 1 results and a complete tournament schedule, click here.
Here are the 2024 Raising Cane’s Key City Classic boys basketball tournament matchups and results: Continue reading “TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: 2024 Raising Cane’s Key City Classic schedule, results”
In an era where the transfer portal can make it difficult to garner Football Bowl Division scholarship offers, Abilene High coach Mike Fullen encourages his athletes to take advantage of opportunities that arise for them.
On Wednesday, AHS wide receiver Ryland Bradford finalized his decision and signed an offer with the University of Texas-El Paso — accepting a full ride to join coach Scotty Waldren’s squad.
When asked what led to choosing UTEP, Bradford was quick to touch on the relationships he built with the Miners coaching staff.
MANSFIELD — Aledo amassed five scoring plays of 36 yards or more and had 578 yards of total offense en route to a 59-14 victory over Abilene High in a Region 1-5A Division I area-round playoff Friday night at Vernon Newsom Stadium.
The Bearcats’ big plays, coupled with four costly turnovers by the Eagles, did most of the story telling in this one, as Aledo improved its record to 11-1 and earned a third-round playoff spot with the win. Abilene High finished its season at 8-4.
Though the Bearcats didn’t score first, they did score often, particularly in the first quarter, when they had touchdown runs of 36 and 76 yards by running back Raycine Guillory Jr., a 52-yard pick-six by defensive back Adrian Fuller and a 92-yard touchdown pass from Gavin Beard to Kaydon Finley. Those collective efforts translated into a 28-7 lead by quarter’s end, and the Bearcats got on the board five more times before the final whistle, tallying at least once in every quarter.
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-San Angelo Central basketball (46 images)”
Abilene High boys basketball coach Justin Reese said anytime the Eagles face off with San Angelo Central, strange things happen.
Those strange things happened at the end of the third quarter on Tuesday night as Payton Shawver’s slam dunk preceded a half-court buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Eric Salazar to end the third quarter.
The flurry, which tied the game at 47, wasn’t enough for the Eagles as AHS dropped its home opener 68-61 to the Bobcats at Eagle Gym.
It’s been a little while for Anson’s Corey Layne.
The AHS senior quarterback took our Big Country Preps Player of the Week way back on Sept. 16, but has missed the top spot for two months — until today.
Layne, who led Anson to a 45-11 bi-district rout of Christoval last week, took our Player of the Week with an effort that included 197 yards rushing and four scores on only 20 carries. He also hit 12 of 20 passes for 171 yards and three more TDs to give him a direct hand in seven scores.
But that’s just the half of it.
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
The Abilene High Eagles lit up the scoreboard while keeping El Paso Parkland off of it Thursday, cruising to an 84-0 win over the Matadors in their Region I-5A Division II playoff opener at Shotwell Stadium.
Just over a year after setting the statewide playoff record for points in a half with 70 in an 84-14 bi-district win over El Paso Hanks, AHS repeated the feat in Thursday’s romp, scoring five touchdowns in each of the first two quarters to a take 70-0 lead into halftime. That led to a running clock being used in the second half, as the Eagles put the finishing touches on a near perfect outing.
Abilene High outgained Parkland 524-116, holding the Matadors under the century mark for total yards until a 31-yard run on the game’s final play. And the Eagles defense picked off five passes, returning two of those for touchdowns to contribute to the record-tying first-half scoring frenzy.
Amarillo Tascosa 34, Amarillo High 29 — Coltyn Fulton ran for ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns while adding 186 yards and two more scores through the air to lead the Rebels past the Sandies in a battle for the league’s No. 3 playoff seed.
TJ Tillman also had a big game for Tascosa, hauling in four passes for 129 yards and two TDs as Tascosa improved to 5-5 overall and 4-2 in district play.
LAST WEEK: 45-8, .849
SEASON TOTAL: 464-122, .791
The regular season ends Friday night (if you can believe it) and there’s no better way to close things up than with No. 5 Class 2A DI Hawley (9-0, 4-0) at No. 1 Stamford (9-0, 4-0).
The winner will earn the District 4 championship and No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs, so much is at stake.
I’m leaning toward Stamford here for three reasons: First, the overall team speed of SHS is unmatched by anyone in the area.
Secondly, the Bulldogs have an intangible working here — specifically a last-second miracle touchdown scored by Hawley’s
Camden Ables from 45 yards out with 0:47 left in last year’s game.
It’s not a requirement for one to be on the winning team to become eligible for our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award.
It helps, but it’s not set in stone, by any means.
Case in point: San Saba quarterback Luke Tharp, who produced big-time numbers in a 44-41 loss to Holland last week.
Photo by Mark Rogers, HubCityPreps.com
Lubbock Monterey 31, Abilene High 17 — Luke Arrington passed for 203 yards and two touchdowns, and Kyree Baxter ran for 158 yards and two scores to fuel the Plainsmen to a big district win over the Eagles.
Cam Taylor added 86 yards and a TD receiving for Monterey (5-4, 4-1), which closed the game on a 24-7 scoring run to all but lock up the No. 1 playoff seed for this district.
Photos by Mark Rogers, HubCityPreps.com
LUBBOCK — The Abilene High football team couldn’t close out a perfect run through District 2-5A Division I on Thursday, capping its regular season with a 31-17 loss to Lubbock Monterey on Halloween night at Lowrey Field.
The Eagles, who came in averaging 50.9 points per game, were limited to just a single touchdown after halftime, allowing the surging Plainsmen to pull away for their fourth consecutive win.
Thursday’s outcome created a three-way tie in the loss column for the district lead between Abilene High (7-3, 5-1), Monterey (5-4, 4-1) and Amarillo High (4-3, 3-1) and will likely leave the district co-champion Eagles with the No. 2 seed when the playoffs start in two weeks.
Abilene High 31, Amarillo Tascosa 29 — Rylan Bradford returned a free kick following an intentional safety 70 yards for a touchdown with eight seconds remaining to lift the Eagles to a wild victory over the upset-minded Rebels and keep AHS alone atop the district standings.
Abilene High, which was outgained 358-303, led 16-7 at halftime and 23-14 early in the fourth quarter, but Tascosa went up 29-23 with back-to-back touchdowns. But following a safety that pulled the Eagles within 29-25, Bradford took the free kick back to the house for the win.
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 Tascosa-Abilene High football (72 images)”
Leading Abilene High 29-25 after taking an intentional safety with 24 seconds remaining, Amarillo Tascosa had the District 2-5A Division I-leading Eagles right where it wanted them Friday at Shotwell Stadium.
If the Rebels could hold off AHS for just a few more ticks, they’d score the upset of the year in 2-5A DI and force themselves back into the district title picture in the process.
Instead, they kicked the ball to Ryland Bradford — a mistake that proved fatal in a wild 31-29 win for coach Mike Fullen’s squad.
LAST WEEK: 41-10 .803
SEASON TOTAL: 367-108, .772
Football season doesn’t feel complete without at least one visit to Chesley Field in Cisco. And Friday night, the Big Country Preps Game of the Week will stop by for a crucial District 4-2A DI matchup between the Loboes (5-2, 1-1) and Hawley (7-0, 2-0).
For Hawley, a win here will keep open the possibility of an unbeaten regular season. For Cisco, a victory would signal the beginning of a climb back into area prominence.
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.
With the Albany Lions winning last week’s district game with Winters by a score of 60-0, there were ample opportunities for the Lions to produce a Player of the Week-worthy performance.
They found one in senior Branson Beal, who rushed 11 times for 144 yards and five scores. He also caught a 46-yard TD pass to chart six touchdowns on the night.
“He might have the quickest feet of any (player) I have coached,” Albany coach Denney Faith said. “Combine that with great vision it makes him fun to watch.”
Photos by Kaylee Wilkerson, HubCityPreps.com
Abilene High 69, Lubbock High 14 — Tristan Beal passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start to help the Eagles breeze to a 69-14 road win over the Westerners.
In addition to Beal’s production, Abilene High (6-2, 4-0) got big games from running back Ethan Joyner (18-137, 3 TDs rushing) and receivers Ryland Bradford (8-152, 2 TDs receiving; 2-9, 1 TD rushing) and Bryson Perez (3-80, 1 TD rushing; 5-57, 1 TD receiving) in expanding a 27-7 halftime lead to 62-7 by the start of the fourth quarter.
Photos by Kaylee Wilkerson, HubCityPreps.com
LUBBOCK — Making the first start of his high school career in the absence of injured standout Brayden Henry, sophomore quarterback Tristan Beal passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns — two of those during a 21-point first quarter — to help lead Abilene High to a 69-14 win over Lubbock High on Thursday at Lowrey Field.
The Eagles also got big offensive games from running back Ethan Joyner and receivers Ryland Bradford and Bryson Perez, while their defense limited the Westerners to a single touchdown until the final 10 seconds of the game.
The thorough victory improved AHS to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in District 2-5A Division I play, putting coach Mike Fullen’s squad alone atop the league’s standings heading into regular season-ending matchups with Amarillo Tascosa and Lubbock Monterey.
