Here are the Big Country’s receiving leaders through Week 8:
Category: Bangs Dragons
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tolar QB’s record-setting performance takes the top spot
It’s one thing to put up school-record numbers. It’s an entirely different thing to do it in only one half.
With his team handing Eastland a 70-12 loss last week, Tolar quarterback Briton Rice put up a performance that the THS faithful may recollect years from now.
Aside from hitting 11 of 18 passes for 282 yards, he connected on a school-record six TD passes. He also rushed for 17 yards and a seventh score to help the Rattlers improve to 4-3 and 3-1.
“Briton connected on big plays for six passing touchdowns in the 1st half and a rushing TD on the first drive of the second half,” coach Blake Mouser said. He has 17 TDs to just two interceptions on the year while averaging over 200 yards passing a game.”
And get this: Rice’s entire performance was finished after the first drive of the second half. Beyond that, Mouser began playing his reserves.
DISTRICT 7-2A DI WEEK 8 REPORT: Mason rolls past San Saba; Bangs routs Coleman
Mason 47, San Saba 0 — The Punchers dominated the Armadillos from start to finish, building a 33-0 halftime lead on their way to a thorough victory.
Mason (2-0 in district) followed a 14-point first quarter with 19 points in the second to take control by the break on the way to its seventh straight win to open the season.
GAME STORY: Bible’s big night propels Bangs to blowout win over Coleman
BANGS — While he didn’t set a career-high for rushing yards, Bangs senior running back Connor Bible still put together a memorable night as the Dragons rolled to a 53-10 win over Coleman in District 7-2A Division I play on Friday night.
Bible ran for 244 yards and five touchdowns and added a 32-yard reception for a score to lead the Dragons, who scored on their first seven possessions of the game — a week after punting seven times in a lopsided loss to Mason.
Bangs coach Colton Buzzard was proud of the way that his team bounced back from the 51-0 loss to the Punchers to start district play.
DISTRICT 7-2A DI WEEK 7 REPORT: San Saba, Mason and Coleman open league play with victories
San Saba 22, Johnson City 14 — Jason Everett ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns and Graden Lebow added 94 yards and a score as the Armadillos ran for all 300 of their yards in a big district win over the Eagles.
San Saba (4-2, 1-0), which didn’t attempt a pass in the victory, raced out to a 13-0 first-quarter lead and carried it into halftime, before holding off a Johnson City rally in the second half.
DISTRICT 7-2A DI WEEK 6 REPORT: Brady can’t keep pace with Llano; rest of district has week off
Llano 45, Brady 13 — Luke Davis passed for 200 yards and three touchdowns while adding 33 yards rushing on five carries to fuel the Yellowjackets to a comfortable win over the Bulldogs.
Cole Landers ran for 92 yards and a touchdown and Cash Lynch received for 94 yards and a score as Llano increased a 24-13 halftime lead to 38-13 by the end of the third quarter.
DISTRICT 7-2A DI WEEK 5 REPORT: Coleman, Bangs, San Saba and Mason close nondistrict play with wins
Coleman 52, Eldorado 20 — Hunter Edington passed for 241 yards and three touchdowns, and Chantz Adams ran for 184 yards and four scores to lead the Bluecats to a blowout win over the Eagles.
Jayden Smith was Coleman’s leading receiver with 70 yards and a TD as the Bluecats () increased a 28-14 halftime lead to 40-20 by the start of the fourth quarter.
DISTRICT 7-2A DI WEEK 4 REPORT: Mason, San Saba, Ballinger pick up wins as league goes 4-2
Mason 62, Junction 8 — The Punchers stayed unbeaten with a blowout win over the Eagles, dominating a quality junction squad from start to finish.
Mason cruised to a 41-0 lead by halftime and coasted from there, tacking three more touchdowns before the clock hit zero.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde’s Wright takes this week’s award
It’s still too early to say, but 2026 could be the year of the quarterback in the Big Country. At least it has been that way through three weeks, with Clyde senior Devan Wright taking our latest Big Country Player of the Week award after another eye-popping performance from an area signal caller.
In the wake of Haskell’s Haegan Pinkerton winning our first two awards with two huge performances in Week 1 and Week 2, Wright followed those up with one of his own in a 57-21 win over Comanche on Friday.
Helping Clyde improve to 3-0, Wright connected on 12 of 18 throws for 194 yards and four scores. He also rushed nine times for 116 yards and three more TDs, giving him a direct hand in seven touchdowns.
DISTRICT 7-2A DI WEEK 3 REPORT: Bangs, Mason and Coleman victorious in 3-3 week for district
Bangs 51, Cross Plains 12 — Ryder Duncan passed for 195 yards and three touchdowns and added a fourth TD rushing to lead the Dragons to a blowout win over the Buffaloes.
Connor Bible just missed 100 yards rushing, finishing with 98 and a score on 15 carries, while Jayton Byler was Bangs’ leading receiver with two catches for 59 yards and a TD.
DISTRICT 7-2A DI WEEK 2 REPORT: San Saba, Coleman, Mason pick up wins as league goes 3-3
San Saba 34, Eastland 19 — Enrique Mendoza ran for 182 yards and two touchdowns to lead a 438-yard rushing effort for the Armadillos in a two-touchdown win.
Jason Everett added 167 yards and two TDs of his own to help San Saba, which finished with 460 total yards in the win.
DISTRICT 7-2A DI WEEK 1 REPORT: Coleman, Bangs, Mason open with wins; Brady, San Saba drop openers
Coleman 16, San Angelo Grape Creek 12 — Post-touchdown conversions were the difference in this matchup, which saw the Bluecats cash in two-point conversions after both of their touchdowns while the Eagles failed to convert after either of their two scores.
Grape Creek, which trailed 8-6 at halftime, led 12-8 in the third quarter after following a first-half defensive touchdown with a rushing score. But Coleman closed out the scoring with a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Hunter Edington to Jayden Smith for what proved to be the winning points.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Quarterbacks
After a week of highlighting area playmakers, we wrap up our eight-part preseason position rankings series with the Big Country’s best signal callers.
To complete our look at the area’s top players, we’ve ranked our top 15 quarterbacks with a list of others to watch in 2026.
We hope you enjoy this list and that you’ve enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kick off a new season.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Running Backs
As we wind down our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we arrive finally at the Big Country’s top ball-carriers.
After breaking down this year’s crop of receivers and tight ends earlier today, we move now to the area’s top backs, ranking our top 15 with a list of others to watch in 2026. Don’t forget to check in tomorrow when we conclude our series with the top 10 area quarterbacks.
We hope you enjoy this list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
We’re approaching the final stretch of our eight-part preseason position rankings series, and it’s time to look at the Big Country’s top receivers.
After starting the offensive portion of our series with the linemen, we now shift our attention to the playmakers on the perimeter, ranking our top 15 wideouts/tight ends with a list of others to watch in 2026.
We hope you enjoy our list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Offensive Linemen
With the defensive and special teams rankings behind us, it’s time to look at the area’s top offensive players. And we’ll start with the foundation of any productive offense: the offensive line.
For the fifth installment of our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we turn our attention to the trenches, ranking the Big Country’s top 15 offensive linemen with a list of others to watch in 2026.
We hope you enjoy reading through our rankings.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Kickers/Punters
After recognizing the top defensive players throughout the Big Country over the past three days, it’s time to honor the specialists.
We continue our eight-part preseason position rankings series by naming our top 10 kickers and top three punters to watch this fall.
We hope you enjoy this list and that you have enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kickoff the 2026 season.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Backs
After starting with the linemen and linebackers, we turn to the defensive backfield to complete our look at the top defenders in the Big Country.
For the third installment in our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we shift our focus to the secondary, giving our list of the area’s top 15 defensive backs and others to look out for in 2026.
We hope you enjoy our list.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Linebackers
After taking a look at the Big Country’s top defensive linemen last night, it’s now time to examine those who will backing them in 2026.
Continuing with Big Country Preps’ eight-part preseason position rankings series, here’s our top 15 linebackers to watch this fall, as well as a list of the others we’re expecting big things from.
We hope you enjoy our list.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Linemen
With the start of football season around the corner, it’s time to take a look at the players who will be making the biggest impact in 2026.
For the first installment in an eight-part series that will cover all position groups, we’ll be taking a look at the area’s top defensive linemen, ranking our top 15 with a list of others to watch this fall.
As with any such list, these rankings are subjective. We hope you enjoy reading through them.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Linemen”
2026 DISTRICT PREDICTIONS: Evan and Daniel make their picks
The time has arrived for us to make our Big Country predictions, district-by-district.
Several weeks of research and two solid months of summertime labor have gone into this, so we’re more than ready to post it.
With that please dive in and study our take on the upcoming season, along with the more than 80 preseason stories we posted earlier today. Enjoy! We’ll see you on the road!
BANGS FEATURE: Dragons’ Alqorum proves a quick study in football
Lead photo art contributed by Ryan Alqorum
Ryan Alqorum is a rarity in Texas. He never saw a high school 11-on-11 tackle football game until he was a sophomore. He never played tackle football until he was a junior.
But after making 54 tackles last season – including 20 for losses and 11 sacks – in his first season of organized tackle football as a junior at Bangs, Alqorum is proving to be quick study.
“I’ve learned a lot about football from scratch, but I know I’ve still got a lot more to learn,” Alqorum said as he prepares for his senior season at Bangs. “I really like football. It’s an amazing game.”
2026 BANGS FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Dragons to lean on line experience in 2026
High school football teams that finished 6-5 and lost 16 seniors from last year might not be optimistic about the upcoming season. But third-year Bangs head coach Colton Buzzard is optimistic because of what positions the returnees play.
“We have three interior linemen plus our tight end back on our offensive front,” Buzzard said. “And our defensive line should be pretty solid. With the line experience being our strength, it gives us a good foundation to build on.”
Bangs is picked to finish fifth in the new District 7-2A Division I behind No. 5-ranked Mason, San Saba, Johnson City and Brady. Coleman is also in the reshuffled district.
2026 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: First-Team Roster
Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps Second-Team Baseball Selections (w/ honorable mention)
- All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team (the best freshman and sophomores in the area!)
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (to be released Monday night)
2026 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: Second-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)
Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps First-Team Baseball Selections
- All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team (the best freshman and sophomores in the area!)
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (to be released Monday night)
2026 Big Country Preps Rising Stars Baseball Team: The top sophomores and freshmen in the area
Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball teams.
Here, you will find our Rising Stars Team honoring the top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country.
For the rest of this year’s baseball selections, please click the links below.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps First-Team Baseball Selections
- All-Big Country Preps Second-Team Baseball Selections (w/ honorable mention)
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (to be released Monday night)