LAST WEEK: 24-2, .923
SEASON TOTAL: 578-139, .806
Big Country Preps carries 16 teams from its coverage area into Week 14 and it’s my guess that at least nine of them will survive Thanksgiving weekend.
And on that subject, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you from all of us at BCP.
Here are this week’s picks, we’ll see you on the road!
Sunray 49, Hawley 40 — Sunray (12-0) edged Hawley (10-2) for the right to face Post (12-0) in the regional semifinals.
Keagan Ables had a huge night in a losing effort for Hawley, hitting 23 of 40 passes for 444 yards and four TDs in his final game as a Bearcat.
His younger brother Camden was his top target, hauling in nine passes for 221 yards and one TD.
SNYDER — The Post Antelopes may have arrived at Grant Teaff Stadium with an 11-0 record before Thursday’s Region I-2A DI area round game with Anson. By night’s end, however, PHS was lucky to overcome four turnovers and escape with a 42-35 overtime win to keep its season alive.
Ian Vergara rushed for 196 yards and three scores, including a 4-yard game-winner in overtime to lead the Antelopes (12-0), who advance to face either Hawley (10-1) or Sunray (12-0) in next week’s regional semifinals.
For Anson the loss ended an 8-4 campaign that saw the Tigers eliminate Christoval in the bi-district round after earning a No. 3 seed from District 4. It was the best season in four years for Anson and the best thus far for third-year coach Cory McCombs.
Cory Layne led the Tigers with 272 yards rushing and 157 passing while accounting for five scores.
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.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Anson-Christoval bi-district football playoff (68 images)”
SWEETWATER — It was a start unlike anything Anson coach Cory McCombs could remember in his coaching career.
After receiving the opening kickoff, the Tigers had to burn a timeout because their starting center had lost his mouthpiece and the Fort Worth officials working the game made him go back to the sidelines to get a new one.
Despite that, the Tigers had no issues dispatching of Christoval 46-11 in a Region I-2A Division I bi-district matchup Friday night at the Mustang Bowl.
Cisco 48, Olney 6 — The Loboes (6-4, 2-3) locked up the No. 4 seed with a lopsided win over Olney.
Dillon Silva rushed for 183 yards and three scores and Parker Williams rushed for 121 yards and three more TDs to lead the Loboes, who carried a 21-0 lead into the break.
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.
Anson 59, Cisco 14 — 
Corey Layne threw for 249 yards and five scores and rushed for 86 yards and two more scores to lead Anson to a huge win over Cisco.
The Tigers (6-3, 2-2) raced out to a 38-0 lead by halftime and never looked back, outgaining Cisco 493-186 to lock up the No. 3 seed.
Anson 45, Olney 0 — 
Cory Layne Jr. threw for 284 yards and four scores to lead the Tigers to a lopsided win over the Cubs.
Six different Anson players caught passes on Friday, including three players — Mario Barrera, Malachi St. John and Branson Rister — who caught five apiece.
Anson improved to 5-3 and 1-2 with the win; Olney fell to 2-6 and 1-2.
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.
Stamford 43, Anson 0 — Christian Duran threw for 201 yards and two scores and Kason Vega rushed for 114 yards an another score to keep top-ranked Stamford (7-0, 2-0) unbeaten.
The Bulldogs led 21-0 at the break and 36-0 after three quarters.
Limited to only 127 total yards, Anson (4-3, 0-2) was led by Corey Lane with a combined 66 yards rushing and passing.
Stamford 41, Cisco 14 — Kaston Vega rushed for 83 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead Stamford to a win over Cisco in the district opener for both clubs.
Defensively, the Bulldogs limited Cisco to 215 yards in total offense. Julius Proffitt led Cisco with 140 yards passing and two scores.
Stamford improved to 6-0 and 1-0; Cisco fell to 4-2 and 0-1.
LAST WEEK: 32-12, .809
SEASON TOTAL: 279-91, .757
Now it’s time to get down to business.
With most of the Big Country taking an open date last Friday as a prelude to district play, we now dive headfirst into the games that count the most.
District play opens tomorrow for most leagues in the area, the intensity of which is already tangible.
Can you feel it?
We’ll see you on the road.
Here’s this week’s area picks:
Crosbyton 22, Olney 8 — The Cubs’ struggles continued on Friday with their fourth loss in five starts.
They may have a chance to gain some momentum on Friday when they open district play with Abilene TLCA (0-5) at home.
Crosbyton improved to 2-3.
Stamford 55, Henrietta 14 — Christian Duran rushed for 77 yards and three scores and threw for 96 yards and another TD to keep Stamford (5-0) unbeaten at the season’s midpoint.
Other key contributors included Kaston Vega, who rushed for 194 yards and two scores and Cle Whitfield (94 yards rushing, two TDs) as SHS built a 41-7 halftime lead before putting things into cruise control.
Limited to only 197 total yards, Henrietta fell to 2-3.
Anson 51, Haskell 13 — The Tigers used a dominating defensive effort to hand Haskell a loss.
Limited to only 238 yards in total offense, indians were down 31-7 by the break and never made a game of it.
Corey Layne topped the stat sheets for Anson with 228 yards passing and 160 yards rushing while accounting for five TDs.
LAST WEEK: 47-11, .810
SEASON TOTAL: 141-59, .705
After nosediving in Week 2 with one of the worst pick records I’ve ever had, the column rebounded in Week 3 with an .810 percentage to push my overall tally over .700 again.
As for this week’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week, Mr. Yale Youngblood will be on hand in Tolar to cover Comanche’s road game with the Rattlers in what should be a fun one.
I’ll be heading to Ballinger, where the Bearcats (3-0) will play host to Brady (2-1) in a battle of upstarts.
Let’s dive into this week’s picks:
Versatility is a definite advantage for nominees in our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column. And for Anson senior quarterback Corey Layne it was enough to put him in this week’s top spot.
Leading the Tigers (3-0) to a 49-28 over Dublin, Layne connected on 18 of 27 throws for 284 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed eight times for 65 more yards and two additional scores.
Layne was equally effective from his linebacker spot, collecting 10 tackles and one interception.
LAST WEEK: 46-28, .621
SEASON TOTAL: 94-48, .661
Abysmal.
That’s about the only adjective that comes to mind when trying to describe my Big Country football picks, which are off to the single worst start through two weeks that I’ve ever experienced in 18 years of covering area football.
A percentage of .621 after two weeks of play is beatable by throwing darts, flipping coins, or even consulting with your local horoscope page. Yet here I sit, trying to dig myself out of the hole I’ve created. But enough of that, Glen Rose at Brownwood is our Big Country Preps Game of the Week, in a week filled with interesting matchups.
Let’s have a look at them:
DE LEON — Entering this football it was expected that De Leon junior quarterback Heston Jobe would be among the top producers in the Big Country.
It took him all of one night to prove it in a 79-43 win over Dublin on Friday.
Jobe, who connected on 13 of 20 throws for 413 yards and four scores, also rushed for 176 yards and four more TDs.
By night’s end, the Bearcats were 1-0 and Jobe had accounted for 589 yards and five touchdowns.
Hawley 49, Roscoe 21 — Keagan Ables threw for 294 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 68 more and another TD to lift Hawley in its opener.
The Bearcats (1-0), who trailed finished with 460 yards in total offense, trailed 14-13 at the break, but took control of the contest with a 36-7 outburst in the second half.
LAST WEEK: 0-0, .000
SEASON TOTAL: 00-00, .000
Week 1 is often loaded with difficult picks and 2024 is no exception.
Our first slate of games this year has a number of contests that could have qualified for the Big Country Preps Game of the Week. But we finally settled on Albany at Stamford for the spotlight.
The two-time defending state 2A DII state champions, minus several key players lost to graduation, facing a Stamford club bringing back most of its skill and a ton of speed.
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.
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.
Football is just around the corner, and we at BigCountryPreps.com are committed to bringing you the information you need to prepare for your favorite team’s season.
We’ll be releasing our Big Country Preps Preseason Football Preview, the most comprehensive look at the upcoming Big Country football season anywhere, on Wednesday, Aug. 21. But you won’t have to wait until then to sate your gridiron appetite.
Leading up to the first day of fall football practice on Aug. 5, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2024 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.
We stay in Class 2A Division I with the Anson Tigers. On Wednesday, we will take a look at the Cisco Loboes, followed by the Hawley Bearcats on Thursday.
Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Anson Tigers … 33 days to two-a-days”
OTHER 2024 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS TEAMS
Our All-Big Country Preps Softball and Baseball Teams, released Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, are in place to honor those who achieved the most on-field success in 2024. It is off the field, however, where character, grit, and work ethic are often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team that we wish to honor those players, male and female, who were (simply put) the hardest-working, best teammates in the area this spring.
This team isn’t about who the best baseball and softball players were.
The All-Hustle team honors effort, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches wish they had in every player and upon which championships are built.
It is for that reason that this team is largely selected by area coaches and described in their own words.
Big Country Preps is now honored to present these individuals to you — the best team players (boys and girls) that the the Big Country had to offer during the 2024 season.
The players below are listed in no particular order.
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: 2024 State LineMAN Challenge (165 images)”
LAMESA — Facing a must-win situation in Game 2 of their Region I-2A championship series with Forsan, the Anson Lady Tigers showed up ready to play on Wednesday in Lamesa, with a raucous crowd behind them.
They even rallied from an early 2-0 deficit for a 3-2 lead in the third inning.
Forsan, however, had an answer in an overpowering offensive display that featured 11 hits and two homers in a 10-3 win that clinched the first state berth for the Lady Buffaloes in 14 years.
K’dynce Speck was 3 for 4 with a double, homer and four RBIs and Maddie Roach was 2 for 4 with a homer and a win in the pitching circle to lead Forsan (30-7-1) which opens play at the state tournament at Red and Charline McCombs Field on Tuesday.
This will be the first trip to state for Forsan since the Lady Buffs claimed back-to-back Class 1A state titles in 2009 and 2010. Anson closed its season at 21-13, just one step away from reaching the first state tournament in program history.
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.
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: Stamford-Anson regional quarterfinal softball series (51 images)”
ABILENE — With ace pitcher Emma Follis nursing a fractured thumb, the Stamford Lady Bulldogs weren’t just missing one player heading into Game 3 of a Region I-2A quarterfinal series with Anson.
In a realistic sense, they were actually missing two. Follis is not only SHS’ top pitcher, but is one of its top hitters as well. And her absence was simply too big of a handicap as Anson closed out the series with a lopsided 12-4 win on Saturday at Poly Wells Field.
ABILENE — One club left Abilene Christian University on cloud nine. The other left wondering how an apparent victory could so easily slip away at the last second.
Trailing Anson 1-0 with two on and two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Stamford Lady Bulldogs were able to score two runs courtesy of an Anson outfield error to top the Lady Tigers 2-1 in Game 1 of a Region I-2A quarterfinal series.
Emma Follis delivered seven solid innings in the circle and Cassidi Macias singled and eventually scored the winning run to lead Stamford (22-8), which can close the best-of-three series with a Game 2 victory at ACU on Friday at 3 p.m.
ANSON — A year ago, the Anson softball team had suddenly cratered.
The Lady Tigers had started 2023 with a respectable 12-7 record but collapsed with an 0-8 tally through district. This included blowout losses to powerhouse Stamford (19-7 and 36-2), to Haskell (7-3 and 16-0) and to Hamlin (20-2 and 22-3). Thoughts of postseason play were put on the backburner as the Lady Tigers closed at 12-15.
But what a difference a year and some effective pitching can make. An influx of young talent, including the addition of freshman pitcher Kayme Elrod, has resulted in a completely different outcome.
Not only have the Lady Tigers reached the playoffs in 2024, but they’re still alive — advancing to the Region I-2A quarterfinals. There, they will square off will area rival Stamford in a best-of-three series, set to begin at 3 p.m. Thursday at Abilene Christian University.
Here are the recaps of the Big Country softball playoff results in the second round of the postseason: Continue reading “SOFTBALL PLAYOFF ROUNDUP: Despite weather, 12 area teams advance to third round with Bangs-Stamford outcome still pending”
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 25.
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.
