Category: Area football

by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Top-ranked Brock holds off Iowa Park for thrilling 42-35 victory

IOWA PARK — After outscoring its first two opponents by a combined score of 121-14, the top-ranked Brock football team faced its first test of the season Friday at Iowa Park’s Hawk Stadium.

And though a late fumble in the red zone made things a little tenser than coach Chad Worrell would have probably preferred, the Eagles did what they needed to come away with a 42-35 victory over previously unbeaten IPHS.

Brock never trailed in the game, which saw five touchdowns scored in an 11-play span at one point in the first quarter. But the Eagles were tied on two occasions in the first half and had to make a late stop up by a single score to secure the hard-fought win.

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by Evan Ren

BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Huge second half lifts Jim Ned over Cisco

CISCO — When Cisco’s Hunter Long found Dawson Hearne in the back of the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown pass, everything seemed to be going in the Loboes’ favor in their non-district matchup with Jim Ned. 

Holding a 13-12 lead with 3:19 left in the third with all the momentum, the Loboes had rallied from a 12-0 deficit to gain the upper hand. 

Then it happened: A Jim Ned scoring avalanche of four straight touchdowns, turning the Big Country Preps Game of the Week on a dime in a 39-20 Jim Ned win. 

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by Evan Ren

District 4-3A DII Report: Week 4

Coahoma 34, Colorado City 0
Check on Saturday for a full report 

Idalou 35, Littlefield 6
Check on Saturday for a full report 

Lubbock Roosevelt 33, Dimmitt 0
Check on Saturday for a full report 

Reagan County 57, San Angelo TLCA 0
Check on Saturday for a full report 

Sundown 34, Stanton 26
With the score knotted at 26, Sundown’s Carson Holson found Brandon Kinley with a 41-yard TD strike with 1:17 showing on the clock. 
It proved to be the game-winner as Stanton slipped to 1-3 on the year. 
Sundown improved to 3-1.

 

 

by Evan Ren

District 4-2A DI Report: Week 4

Llano 35, San Saba 31
Check on Saturday for a full report 

Coleman 24, Grape Creek 8
Check on Saturday for a full report 

Hawley 29, Winters 13
Check on Saturday for a full report 

Goldthwaite 34, Florence 3 
Check on Saturday for a full report 

Cross Plains 14, De Leon 7
Check on Saturday for a full report 

Jim Ned 39, Cisco 20 — For a full report, please read Evan Ren’s game story. 

 

by Evan Ren

District 5-3A DII Report: Week 4

Brady 38, Dublin 24
Check on Saturday for a full report 

Early 31, Merkel 20
Check on Saturday for a full report 

Comanche 36, Tolar 6
Check on Saturday for a full report 

Jacksboro 28, WF City View 22
Check on Saturday for a full report 

Paradise 22, Millsap 21
Check on Saturday for a full report 

 

by Evan Ren

FEATURE: San Saba running back Stone Sears proving an effective fit at new position

NOTE: Action photos courtesy of San Saba’s Rita Boultinghouse

SAN SABA — In 2019, San Saba’s Stone Sears was an integral part of an Armadillo defense and a 13-1 season as a linebacker. 

A year later, in the wake of key graduation losses, he has been transformed into one of the area’s top running backs — something that even he hadn’t envisioned. 

The San Saba coaching staff, however, had this move in mind for some time — recognizing that the 6-foot-1 201-pounder had the athleticism and speed (4.6 seconds in the 40) to become a real problem for opposing defenses. 

With the graduation of standout quarterback/receiver Sean O’Keefe and running back Eli Salinas, coach Andreas Aguirre needed to make a move to find production and Sears was the pick. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 4)

Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games, in addition to the results of Evan Ren’s Twitter polls for each matchup.

For those interested in voting, polls go up on Monday night each week and close Thursday morning.

Disagree with our picks or the Twitter consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.

Continue reading “Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 4)” →

by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Elder, Coleman Bluecats seeing perseverance pay off

After leading Coleman to a 31-7 record over his first three seasons as a head coach, John Elder knew he was in for a prolonged rebuild.

With a series of classes coming up that were light on numbers — particularly on the boys side — he understood it was going to be a challenge to build and field competitive teams.

Faced with that reality, many coaches might have left for greener pastures. Elder didn’t view that as an option.

Instead, he stuck it out at Coleman, fighting through a trio of tough campaigns that saw the Bluecats go a combined 9-22. He did so, he said, for two reasons: First, because he believes adversity is a part of athletics and running from it would have set a bad example for his players. And second, because he knew his team would improve as it matured, and he wanted to be there to see that process through.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Jim Ned heads to Cisco for interclass showdown

LAST WEEK: 42-9, .824
SEASON TOTAL: 116-35, .740

Week 4 arrives and I’m finally hitting my stride on pick accuracy.

It’s been an odd year thus far, both in terms of results and overall feel. It’s been tough to gauge.

Nonetheless, we’re hitting the road once again this Friday, with the Big Country Preps Game of the Week landing at Chesley Field in Cisco, where the Loboes (2-1) will play host to a Jim Ned club that is two divisions larger than they are.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Clyde senior Roberts emerging as true go-to receiver

As one of just one 12 returning lettermen for a young Clyde squad, receiver Jacob Roberts knew he’d have to step up his game in his final high school season.

In fellow senior Dylan Neuman, the Bulldogs had an established quarterback, and Clyde returned several lineman to protect him. But coach Scott Campbell’s squad would need some playmakers to emerge around that core if it hoped to build on last season’s 7-4 finish, and Roberts was determined to be one of those.

So far, he’s done just that for CHS, dwarfing his modest numbers from last season by the end of Week 1. And after helping the Bulldogs (1-2) to their first win last Friday — a 52-14 dismantling of previously unbeaten Riesel in Dublin — he’s only hoping to further establish himself as one of the Big Country’s true go-to receivers.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Holsey takes the award in win over Lake View

We have said all along that the Sweetwater Mustangs would be among the most explosive teams in the Big Country in 2020, and Friday gave us a glimpse of it. 

Led by our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, Leo Holsey, SHS amassed nearly 700 yards in total offense in a 58-42 win over San Angelo Lake View. 

A junior in his third varsity season, Holsey hit 14 of 26 throws for 254 yards and four scores and rushed for 111 and three more TDs to help the Mustangs improve to 1-1. He finished the day with 365 total yards and a direct hand in seven scores.  

“He came out focused and prepared,” Sweetwater coach Ben McGehee said. “I thought he did a great job running the offense all night in the run and passing game.”

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN: How good is this Hamlin defense? Good enough to make one superstitious

HAMLIN — Sportswriters have an annoying habit of placing teams in Arlington three months in advance and I’m certainly among the guilty parties.

This drives coaches, who are generally a superstitious lot, absolutely nuts. And frankly, I don’t blame them. 

So … knowing full well that it’s too early for such assertions, I’m not going to put the Hamlin Pied Pipers in Jerry World in mid-September. I’m not going to say they’re a better team than the one that played for a Class 2A Division II state championship a year ago. I won’t even say they’re the regional favorite. 

I really don’t need to. Hamlin’s 3-0 record and No. 2 ranking in Class 2A DII speaks volumes anyway. 

But there is an aspect about this club that cannot be overstated and can no longer be ignored: The Pied Pipers are playing extraordinary defense. And they’re doing it without some of their top defenders from a year ago — most notably the unblockable Austin Lozano, who has since signed as a defensive lineman at Abilene Christian University. 

Is this what you expected? I didn’t. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Clyde breaks into win column with rout of Riesel

DUBLIN — The first two weeks of the season saw the Clyde Bulldogs get ambushed by Cisco and Idalou.

Saturday, the Bulldogs dished out a beating of their own as they hammered Riesel early and often and rolled to a 52-14 win over the Indians at Dublin’s Bob and Norma Cervetto Field.

Clyde coach Scott Campbell was quick to credit the play of his offensive line — one that features five seniors — which set the tone to allow his squad to run for 287 yards.

Austin Hastings was the biggest benefactor as he ran for 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just a dozen carries.

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by Staff Report

GAME STORY: Brownwood can’t find stride in 35-14 loss to China Spring

BROWNWOOD — The defense couldn’t save the Brownwood Lions this time.

The China Spring Cougars topped the Brownwood Lions 35-14 Friday night at Gordon Wood Stadium as running back Emmanuel Abdallah rushed for 213 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Major Bowden added 100 yards rushing, plus 82 yards and a touchdown passing as the undefeated Cougars (3-0) defended their No. 10 ranking in Class 4A Division II by texasfootball.com.

Brownwood (1-2) got 94 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Royshad Henderson. The Lions also put together a 19-play drive that expired 12:18 of the second half and was finished by Henderson’s 1-yard touchdown run. However, the 77-yard drive only pulled Brownwood within 35-14 with 7:13 left in the game.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Bluecats rally for homecoming win over Brady

COLEMAN — Missed point-after tries can force some tough coaching decisions, but that’s the position Brady’s Shay Easterwood found himself in on Friday night at Coleman’s Hufford Field.

And his decision to chase points would haunt him later as the Bluecats rallied for a 15-12 homecoming win over Easterwood’s Bulldogs.

JD Ibarra’s 63-yard fumble return for a touchdown had put Brady up 12-0 midway through the second quarter, and Easterwood made the call to go for a two-point conversion. The Bulldogs fumbled on that play, and Dylan Mickler took it the other way for a defensive two-point conversion cutting Brady’s lead to 12-2.

That wild swing of momentum and emotion proved to be a catalyst for John Elder’s Coleman squad.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Anson holds off Dublin rally to remain unbeaten

DUBLIN — The Anson Tigers fought off both fatigue and the loss of momentum midway through Friday’s game against Dublin to come away with an exhausting 44-28 win. 

Dylyn Pyle threw for 161 yards and rushed for 89 while accounting for two touchdowns to lead the Tigers (3-0), who held off a Dublin rally to remain unbeaten. 

Sophomore quarterback Chris Teten led Dublin (1-2), finishing with 355 yards passing and three TDs —all to Chris Ramirez, who finished with eight catches for 243 yards. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: No. 2 Hamlin overwhelms sixth-ranked Albany in road rout

ALBANY — Hyped as an early-season clash between state-ranked rivals, the Big Country Preps Game of the Week between Hamlin and Albany quickly turned into a showcase for the No. 2 Pied Pipers on Friday at Robert Nail Stadium.

Coach Russell Lucas’ squad built a 28-0 lead by halftime and cruised from there to a 42-6 win over the sixth-ranked Lions, improving to 3-0 on the year with its second straight rout of a ranked opponent.

Coming off an impressive 35-6 win over Hawley, which was ranked No. 6 in Class 2A Division I at the time, the Pipers outgained the Lions 262-9 over the first two quarters to establish control early and maintained it after the break in a thoroughly dominating effort.

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 2-4A Div. I Week 3 Report: Steers solid all around against Monahans

Big Spring 28, Monahans 6 — The Steers outgained the Loboes 311-223 on Friday, getting 216 passing yards from quarterback Gabriel Baeza to overcome four turnovers in their second consecutive win to open the season.

Big Spring, which was idle last week, held Monahans to 126 yards rushing and forced three turnovers of its own to remain unbeaten heading into next week’s game at Brownfield.

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 1-4A Div. II Week 3 Report: Snyder routs Lamesa for first win

Snyder 40, Lamesa 8 — After a couple of hard-fought losses to open the season, the Tigers broke into the win column Friday, routing former district mate Lamesa to move to 1-2 on the year.

Snyder led 20-0 by halftime and was never threatened after that, posting its highest scoring total in Wes Wood’s 14 games as head coach.

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 8-2A Div. II Week 3 Report: Santo rallies past Cumby to improve to 2-1

Santo 27, Cumby 12 — Playing the area’s only Thursday game, the Wildcats rallied for 21 fourth-quarter points to pull away from the Trojans in a neutral site matchup at Rio Vista.

Case Procter, who had a hand in each of Santo’s first three touchdowns, sparked the comeback, hitting Andrew Sanders from 32 yards out to give the Wildcats a 14-12 lead early in the fourth quarter before making it an eight-point game with his second rushing touchdown of the contest.

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by Evan Ren

District 2-3A Div. II Week 3 Report: Bearcats cruise past Wolves

Ballinger 34, Colorado City 2 — Carter Arrott threw for 102 yards and two scores and Weston Rollwitz rushed for 127 yards on only three carries with one TD to lead Ballinger (3-0).

The Bearcats were never threatened after building a 27-0 halftime lead.

Colorado City (0-3) was led by Jake Connell, who threw for 83 yards and rushed for 55. The Wolves’ lone score came with 0:16 to play on a safety.  

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by Evan Ren

District 4-3A Div. II Week 3 Report: Bulldogs rout Eldorado, stay unbeaten

Coahoma 59, Eldorado 34 — Brysen Kerby rushed for 254 yards and five scores as Coahoma improved to 3-0 in dominating fashion. 

CHS rushed for 408 yards as a team to stay unbeaten, but was efficient through the air as well. Kolt Redden was 9 of 15 through the air for 94 yards and one score.

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 4-3A Div. I Week 3 Report: Brock idle, Peaster stays unbeaten with win over Collinsville

Peaster 18, Collinsville 12 — Playing at home for the first time this season, the Greyhounds outlasted the Pirates to improve to 3-0 on the year.

Peaster, which got 263 yards passing and 61 yards rushing from quarterback Gunner McElroy, led 12-6 at halftime, before Collinsville tied things up with a touchdown midway through the third quarter. That score stood until the seven-minute mark of the fourth, when Tramar Gilbert scored his third touchdown of the game to account for the final margin. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 5-4A Div. I Week 3 Report: Salado rallies past Stephenville in second half

Salado 61, Stephenville 45 — Leading the Eagles 31-19 at halftime, the Yellow Jackets were outscored 42-14 over the final two quarters in suffering their second consecutive loss.

Stephenville (1-2) scored first out of half to go up by 19 points in the third quarter, but Salado erased that deficit by the end of the third quarter and dominated the final period to pull away.

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 5-2A Div. II Week 3 Report: Roscoe can’t get untracked in loss to Miles

Miles 29, Roscoe 7 — The Plowboys couldn’t get anything going offensively Friday, gaining just 111 total yards and turning the ball over three times in their third straight loss to open the season.

Antonio Aguayo passed for 107 yards and a touchdown for Roscoe, which fell behind 29-0 before the quarterback’s 16-yard scoring strike to Kolten Hope in the fourth quarter.

Miles (1-2) was led in the victory by Brayden Dunlap, who rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns to stake the Bulldogs to a 22-0 halftime lead.

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by Evan Ren

FEATURE: Motivated Coahoma moving the football via committee without standout Schneider

COAHOMA — After losing 18 lettermen to graduation, including seven offensive and six defensive starters from last year’s 9-3 team, the preseason prospects for Coahoma football weren’t exactly off the charts coming into 2020. 

It was, afterall, the Bulldogs’ best season in more than 15 years and the bulk of that club’s experienced players had just been handed their diplomas. 

Add the fact that one of the graduates was standout quarterback/linebacker Zack Schneider (1,598 yards rushing 20 TDs; 1,293 yards passing, 15 TDs, 63 tackles) and most prognosticators viewed Coahoma as a fringe playoff candidate that was likely to be rebuilding this year. 

Thus far, the Bulldogs are making the “experts” look rather silly — posting wins over archrival Forsan (15-13) and Miles (49-0) with a balanced offense, a physical defense and more players touching the football than one may have thought possible from CHS a year ago.  

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 3)

Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games, in addition to the results of Evan Ren’s Twitter polls for each matchup.

For those interested in voting, polls go up on Monday night each week and close Thursday morning.

Disagree with our picks or the Twitter consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.

Continue reading “Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 3)” →

by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: State ranking marks progress for Cross Plains program, Purvis

You don’t have to go back too far to find a time when Cross Plains’ lack of on-field competitiveness made it a common homecoming choice for opponents.

In fact, such was the case when 10th-year Buffaloes coach Daniel Purvis inherited the program in 2011.

But in just 100 games, Purvis has taken a program that won 14 contests from 2002 to 2010, including a trio of winless campaigns in the five seasons leading up to his hire, and built a consistent winner in Cross Plains, Texas.

In posting a 30-17 record over the past four seasons, Purvis’ Buffs are in the midst of the longest run of sustained success in school history. And with the No. 9 statewide ranking marking its progress heading into a nondistrict road clash with former district mate Haskell on Friday, Cross Plains has its sights set even higher for the future. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Pipers head to Albany (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country picks)

LAST WEEK: 40-11, .784
SEASON TOTAL: 74-26, .740

Between COVID-19, wet fields and disciplinary actions taken by coaches, finding the right game to go to on Friday nights these days is often a last-minute decision.

Nonetheless, we have settled on Hamlin (2-0) at Albany (2-0) as our Game of the Week, assuming field conditions hold up.

Be safe out there. Watch for slick road conditions and please obey social distancing requirements so that we can continue playing football.

I’ll see you on the road.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Reworked Comanche defense off to flying start

With eight starters back from a unit that limited its opposition to 21.3 points per game a year ago, Comanche coach Stephen Hermesmeyer expected to have a pretty salty defense in 2020.

But after seeing the transfer of standout linebacker RJ Pepper, last year’s All-Big Country Preps Defensive Newcomer of the Year, kick off a chain reaction of position changes that impacted all levels of his defense, he knew he’d need some guys to adapt well — and quickly — to new roles for that group to achieve its full potential.

Judging from the Indians’ first two games, through which they’ve allowed a combined seven points, it would appear they’ve adjusted just fine. And though Hermesmeyer won’t go so far as to say he’s been surprised by his defense’s early-season dominance, he’d be thrilled to see its current run of success extended.

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by Evan Ren

FEATURE: At only 15, Dublin’s Teten given very big shoes to fill

DUBLIN — Following in the footsteps of what some would argue is the top quarterback in Dublin history, would be a difficult task for any players who venture through DHS. 

But when you hand that duty over to a sophomore with no varsity experience, an eyebrow raise is a common first reaction. 

Chris Teten is the man tasked with the job of replacing the graduated Cy Wing, a player who helped Dublin to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2018-19 (a feat DHS has only achieved three times since the 1960s. 

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by Mike Lee, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Lions push through game without coach and radio crew, courtesy of COVID-19

BROWNWOOD — The replacements surrounding the tradition-rich Brownwood Lions’ football program all succeeded with winning colors Friday night.

COVID-19 sidelined Brownwood’s head coach and entire four-person radio crew, including legendary broadcaster Dallas Huston, for Friday’s high school game against the Midland Greenwood Rangers. On the field, defensive coordinator David Jones filled in for missing head coach Sammy Burnett, and the Lions never trailed in beating the Rangers 35-15.

“Coach Jones did a fine job,” said Burnett, who watched a livestream of Friday’s game. “He’s an experienced coach, and he knows what he’s doing. I had no concerns with Coach Jones because I trust him wholeheartedly. He’s very loyal.”

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