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.
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.
Ballinger 27, Hico 26 — Cade Strube passed for 153 yards and two touchdowns, and Hunter Kresta received for 114 yards and two scores to help the Bearcats clinch a playoff spot with a thrilling win over the Tigers.
Strube also rushed for a team-high 94 yards and two TDs, allowing Ballinger (5-5, 2-3) to fend off a furious Hico rally after the Bearcats increased a 12-0 halftime lead to 20 points in the second half.
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.
Coleman 14, Ballinger 7 — Hunter Edington passed for one touchdown and ran for another, while Blaine Bouldin amassed 134 yards on the ground to lift the Bluecats to a defensive win over the Bearcats.
Coleman (2-7, 2-2), which also got 56 yards and a TD receiving from Kelan Sikes, outgained Ballinger 224-129, getting Edington’s TD run in the fourth quarter to increase an 8-7 halftime lead to seven points.
Coleman 14, Hico 6 — The Bluecats were outgained 317-238, but they only allowed one second-quarter touchdown to score their first win of the year in a hard-fought defensive game against the Tigers.
Blaine Bouldin rushed for 94 yards and Anthony Espitia ran for 64 yards and a TD, while Hunter Edington added 76 yards and a score through the air to help Coleman improve to 1-7 overall and 1-2 in district play.
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.
De Leon 55, Coleman 12 — Heston Jobe passed for 150 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 60 yards and another score, while Lane Couch ran for 110 yards and two TDs to lead the Bearcats to a lopsided win over the Bluecats.
Adan Salinas (8-60, 1 TD rushing) and Christian Gilder (3-24, 2 TDs) also found the end zone on the ground for De Leon (4-3, 2-0), which got receiving scores from Lane Cooper (4-51 receiving) and Brenner Wright (1-29).
De Leon 56, Hico 0 — Heston Jobe passed for 251 yards and five touchdowns and added 110 yards on the ground to fuel the Bearcats to a lopsided win over the Tigers in the district opener for both teams.
Lane Couch also had a big game for De Leon (3-3, 1-0), rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns and receiving for 54 yards, while Jake Cooper received for 52 yards and three scores.
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:
Florence 28, Hico 14 — The Tigers fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with a tough loss to the Buffaloes.
Hico ran for 289 yards and finished with 306 yards total, but the Tigers (4-1) found themselves down 28-0 in the final quarter before finally getting a pair of touchdown runs from Price Mullin.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Brady-Ballinger football (20 images)”
Hico 46, Itasca 28 — Three Tigers players topped the 100-yard rushing mark as HHS piled up 472 yards on the ground as a team in a thorough win over the Wampus Cats.
Buck Powell led all rushers with 176 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries, while Price Mullin added 109 yards and a score on 14 attempts and Kalder Halbrook had 101 yards and a TD on seven totes to go with five catches for 58 yards and a score.
BALLINGER — With Ballinger off to a 3-0 start and hoping to have turned a corner, the Brady Bulldogs came to town on Friday to hand the Bearcats a 20-0 loss.
Johnny Menefield rushed for 71 yards and one score and caught a 14-yard TD pass to lead Brady (3-1), which used a dominating defensive effort to get the win over its area rival.
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:
De Leon 52, Valley Mills 27 — Lane Couch rushed for 204 yards and two touchdowns, while Heston Jobe had a big game on the ground and through the air to lift the Bearcats to a comfortable win over the Eagles.
Jobe passed for 159 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 130 yards and two more scores to help De Leon (2-1) build a 40-14 lead by halftime. The junior quarterback had touchdown passes to Jake Cooper (5-51), Bryce Burkeen (1-40) and Max Jones (1-40) in the win.
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:
Ballinger 21, Christoval 0 — Cade Strube threw for 100 yards and two touchdowns and Aiden Pena piled up 183 yards on the ground to fuel the Bearcats to their second consecutive win to open the season.
Ballinger, which went 0-10 a year ago, scored one touchdown in each of the first three quarters and kept the Cougars off the board the entire game to continue their hot start to the 2024 campaign.
Ballinger 28, Merkel 10 — Kyson Weathers ran for one touchdown and threw for another to help the Bearcats snap a 10-game losing streak dating back to the start of the 2023 season.
Ballinger, which led 21-3 by halftime and stretched its lead to 28-3 before Merkel finally scored its only touchdown in the fourth quarter, also got rushing touchdowns from Aiden Pena and Jaylin Washington.
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.
BALLINGER — Jaylen Hernandez can feel the different mindset surrounding Ballinger’s team this year.
The strongside linebacker is one of several seniors leading the charge as the Bearcats get ready for life as a Class 2A program.
“I think we have a pretty big opportunity this year and have been working really hard,” Hernandez said. “We have a different mindset, and we have a chance to show people what we can really do.”
Times were tough for Ballinger on the football field last season.
A Murderer’s Row of non-district opponents kept the Bearcats from gaining much traction. It didn’t help that Ballinger was relatively young, either.
But throughout a winless season, coach Ty Lang saw bright spots.
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.
Today, we stay in Class 2A Division I with the Ballinger Bearcats.
Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Ballinger Bearcats … 29 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.
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.
ABILENE — The Brock boys track team claimed its fourth consecutive region title Monday, headlining a strong showing by area athletes at the rain-altered Region I-3A meet at Abilene Christian University’s Elmer Gray Stadium.
Led by Dylan Foster, who claimed gold medals in both hurdle events, earned bronze in the long jump and ran a leg on Brock’s gold medal-winning sprint relay team, the Eagles finished with 99 points, edging runner-up Holliday by 13 points and topping third-place Wall by 44 points.
The Brock boys scored in 10 events and claimed nine medals on their way to the team championship, capping a meet that saw athletes from the Big Country Preps coverage area combined to earn 32 medals and claim 23 automatic berths to the Class 3A state meet May 2 in Austin.
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 18.
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.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 18.
With the end of the regular season, this will be our FINAL softball leaders posting for 2024.
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.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 11.
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.
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 4.
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.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 4.
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.
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through March 28.
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.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through March 28.
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.
Scoring and rebounding is only part of the story when it comes to basketball. Behind the scenes and beyond the view of the public, is where character is often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps Gym Rat Team that we salute the individuals who exude the most of it.
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 effort, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches love above all else and upon which championship foundations are built.
It is for that reason that our Gym Rat team is selected entirely by area coaches, described in their own words. And Big Country Preps is absolutely honored to present these individuals to you — the best “team players” (boys and girls) that the area had to offer during the 2023-24 season.
Players are listed in no particular order.
Enjoy.
Here is our 2024 All-Big Country Preps boys basketball Rising Stars team, comprised of the top freshmen and sophomores in the area. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.
Here is our 2024 All-Big Country Preps girls basketball Rising Stars team, comprised of the top freshmen and sophomores in the area. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.