Here is a look at how area softball teams fared in the playoffs over the weekend:
Category: Bangs Dragons
PHOTO GALLERY: Forsan-Bangs softball region semifinal playoff (81 images)
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STATE TRACK ROUNDUP: Stamford girls claim share of Class 2A team title
AUSTIN — After a slow start in the field events on Friday saw the Big Country net just four medals, things heated up in the evening session when the track events got rolling.
Big Country athletes picked up 10 medals under the lights at Mike A. Meyers Stadium at the University of Texas, giving the area 14 for the day.
On top of that, the Stamford girls team finished in a three-way tie with Refugio and Panhandle with 32 points to claim a share of the state championship. Goldthwaite’s girls finished three points back in fourth.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wylie’s Farrar, Moore pitch way to shared honor
Coming off a bi-district sweep of Plainview in which Reese Farrar and Rylee Moore both pitched five-inning one-hitters, it was going to be difficult for Wylie’s co-aces to repeat that performance against El Paso Parkland in the area round.
And yet, they did.
Farrar pitched her second one-hitter of the playoffs while Moore tossed a five-inning no-hitter to fuel the Lady Bulldogs past the Lady Matadors 20-1 and 10-0 and into the Region I-4A quarterfinals, where WHS (30-6) will face off with 36-1 El Paso Hanks this week.
In the process, coach Heather Collier’s dynamic pitching duo claimed our penultimate Big Country Preps Player of the Year award of the 2022-23 school year.
PHOTO GALLERY: Hamlin-Bangs softball area-round playoff (64 images)
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GAME STORY: Lady Dragons sweep Hamlin to advance to regional quarterfinals
SAN ANGELO — The Bangs Lady Dragons demonstrated two distinct ways to win in Friday’s area round series with Hamlin — a come-from-behind 3-1 victory in Game 1, followed by a harrowing 10-9 escape in Game 2.
By night’s end, Bangs had clinched a spot in the Region I-2A quarterfinals where it will face Hawley next week at a site and time to be determined.
Abby Wolf earned two complete game wins in the circle and was a combined 3 for 8 with three RBIs to lead Bangs (26-4), which is now enjoying one of the most successful seasons in the program’s history.
PHOTO GALLERY: Bangs-Coleman baseball (60 images)
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REGION I-2A TRACK RECAP: Coleman’s Smith, C-City’s Raschke headline solid area effort
CANYON — Behind gold medal efforts by Coleman’s Braxton Smith and Colorado City’s Jordan Raschke, the Big Country locked up seven state berths over the weekend at the Region I-2A track meet at West Texas A&M University Track & Field Complex.
Smith won the boys long jump and Raschke the boys 110-meter hurdles to headline a list of 12 area entries to medal at the meet — six on the boys side and six on the girls side.
The Bluecats, who also got a silver medal from Clayton Lackey in the discus and a bronze in the 400 relay, had the top team finish of any Big Country squad, scoring 34 points to finish third behind champion Panhandle (77) and runner-up Plains (47).
GAME STORY: Coleman stops Bangs, 6-2, to remain in the hunt for No. 2 seed
COLEMAN — There was nothing fancy about it. Nothing overwhelming. But at the end of the day, Coleman’s 6-2 win over area rival Bangs on Tuesday, was solid enough to keep the Bluecats (13-9, 8-3 District 7-2A) in contention for a No. 2 seed in the playoffs.
Jorge Salas pitched well enough to overcome three errors committed behind him and Ryland Gentry was 2 for 4 with two RBIs to lead Coleman, which finished with a modest six base hits (all singles) to get the win.
Bangs (15-7-2, 7-4) was led by Kenny Cole, who was 1 for 3 with an RBI triple and Skylar Minshew, who was 1 for 4 with a double. Theirs were the only Bangs’ hits recorded as Salas earned the win in five solid innings of work.
FEATURE: Talented, aggressive Bangs softball squad focused on the now heading into postseason play
As the Bangs softball team was putting the finishing touches on an 11-0 blanking of Miles on Friday, coach Leslea Miller could have been tempted to move one eye, at least, to the spot on next week’s calendar that notes the beginning of the UIL playoffs.
She didn’t.
Never mind that the Lady Dragons (23-4 and 14-0) have already clinched a spot and have blitzed through district foes like a tornado, winning all but three games by the run rule. Curiously, Friday’s 11-run triumph didn’t qualify, as it took a five-run seventh inning for Bangs to put the Lady Bulldogs away.
Never mind, also, that Bangs has recorded nine district shutouts, while scoring 191 runs in the process.
And, finally, never mind that the Big Country Preps roster of weekly statistics leaders is a veritable Bangs tribute chronicle.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Phillips takes yet another Player of the Week award
Clyde’s Payton Phillips is no stranger to our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. She’s no stranger to gold medals either.
And for the third time since last year, the CHS senior has captured our weekly accolade — this time with an armful of hardware.
In her latest performance, Phillips won four separate district championships and took silver in a fifth at the District 6-3A track meet.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Bangs southpaw takes this week’s accolade
Bangs southpaw Abby Wolf has thrown so many no-hitters this year, that the subject barely raises an eyebrow. But in consecutive district wins over Coleman and Christoval last week, the sophomore managed to create a stir.
Missing a perfect game by one hit batsman in a 7-0 win over Coleman, she followed that with three perfect innings in a 15-0 route of Christoval.
In other words, Wolf tossed nine complete hitless innings last week, along the way walking none and fanning 13.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hamlin lefty takes this week’s award
Softball tournaments can distort the significance of pitching accomplishments due to inning caps or time limits, rendering perfect games or no-hitters into half-versions of their true selves.
However, there is no denying that tournaments are work, especially for pitchers, and our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, Hamlin southpaw Zoe Moore, earned the accolade with a 4-0 record in the Wichita Falls Sunrise Optimist Tournament last week.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wylie QB Long leads another thrilling comeback to claim award
With the Wylie football team’s season on the line, facing a 40-30 deficit with less than six minutes remaining, the Bulldogs needed an epic comeback to rally past Colleyville Heritage on Friday at Grapevine’s Mustang-Panther Stadium.
Fortunately for coach Clay Martin’s squad, their senior quarterback has made a habit of leading those this year.
After throwing just his sixth interception on a fourth-down play midway through the final quarter, KJ Long was given new life when his defense forced and recovered a quick fumble. He made the most of it by leading a pair of quick scoring drives — the last to put the Bulldogs 43-40 with three seconds left on the clock — to fuel his team to a wild 50-40 area-round win and earn this week’s Big Country Preps Player of the Week award.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche QB snags this week’s accolade
With standout running back Sawyer Wilkerson getting much of the media attention in 2022, the Comanche Indians have been receiving efficient, under-publicized play from the quarterback spot through much of a 10-1 record.
Last week was perhaps the best example of that, with junior signal caller Layden Welch torching Henrietta with an 11 of 16 passing performance for 248 yards and five TDs in a 69-27 win.
But that’s just the beginning.
Welch also rushed 11 times for 65 yards and two scores. He gathered five solo tackles, four assisted stops, forced a fumble and deflected a pass to help CHS advance to the area round.
CLASS 2A BI-DISTRICT REPORT: Cisco, Forsan, Hawley, Bangs, Coleman, Albany, Santo all advance to area round
REGION I-2A DIV. I
Cisco 55, Reagan County 0 — The Loboes dominated Reagan County, rolling up 555 yards in total offense, of which 378 were on the round.
Hunter Long and Trent Huston combined for 263 yards rushing and four touchdowns to lead Cisco (9-2), which led 42-0 at the break.
Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Position Rankings: Posts
After highlighting the Big Country’s top guards and forwards the past two nights, we now take a look at the area’s best big men.
For the final installment in our three-part boys basketball position rankings series, we rank the Big Country’s top 10 post players.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through our rankings, and make sure to check back for all our boys and girls basketball coverage this season.
Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Position Rankings: Forwards
After kicking off our boys basketball position rankings series on Tuesday with the guards, we now shift our attention to the forwards.
For the second installment in our three-part series, we rank the area’s top-10 players at that position for 2022-23.
We hope you enjoy our list.
Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Position Rankings: Guards
With boys basketball season beginning this week, it’s time to shine a spotlight on some of the players you’ll be reading about throughout the 2022-23 season.
For the first installment in a three-part series that will cover all positions on the area boys basketball scene, we’ll be taking a look at the Big Country’s top guards, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch this winter.
We hope you enjoy reading through our list.
DISTRICT 5-2A DIV. I WEEK 11 REPORT: Coleman, Hamilton and Tolar score shutout wins
Coleman 47, Bangs 0 — The Bluecats nailed down the No. 2 playoff seed out of this league, outgaining the Dragons 455-77 in a dominating win.
Fueled by a 337-yard rushing effort, Coleman (8-2, 5-1) cruised to a 27-0 halftime lead and increased that to 41-0 by the start of the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jadin Jackson led the way, rushing for 141 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries while going 6-of-8 passing for 118 yards and two more scores.
Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Posts
After focusing on the top guards and forwards the Big Country has to offer the past two nights, it’s time to shift our attention to the paint.
For the final installment in our three-part position rankings series, we list our top-10 post players for the 2022-23 season.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through these rankings, and make sure to come back next week when we’ll feature the top boys basketball players in the Big Country.
Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Forwards
After kicking off our girls basketball position rankings series with the guards on Tuesday, we now turn our attention to the forwards.
For the second installment in our three-part series, we rank the area’s top 10 players at that position with some others to watch for in 2022-23.
We hope you enjoy our list.
Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Guards
With the girls basketball season upon us, it’s time to take a look at the local and area players who will be making the biggest impact for their teams during the 2022-23 season.
For the first installment in a three-part series that will cover all positions, we’ll be focusing on the Big Country’s top guards, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch this season.
As with any such list, these rankings are subjective. We hope you enjoy reading through our selections.
DISTRICT 5-2A DIV. I WEEK 10 REPORT: Bangs bounces back with big win over Hamilton; Coleman routs De Leon
Bangs 34, Hamilton 27 — The Dragons picked up an important district win over the Bulldogs, scoring the final two touchdowns to rally from a 27-20 fourth-quarter deficit.
Bangs (6-3, 4-1) finished with 346 yards of total offense, getting 148 yards and three touchdowns rushing from Guy Powell and 119 yards and two scores passing from Kenny Cole. Powell was also the Dragons’ leading receiver, catching three passes for 71 yards and two more scores.
DISTRICT 5-2A DIV. I WEEK 9 REPORT: Tolar too much for Bangs; Hamilton, San Saba pick up key wins
Tolar 57, Bangs 0 — Playing BHS with sole possession of first place in the district standings on the line, the Rattlers ran away from the Dragons in shutout win.
Tolar (8-0, 4-0) held a potent Bangs offense to just 191 yards, using a 29-point second quarter to break open what was a scoreless game to that point. the Rattlers followed the big second quarter with 14 points in each of the next two to pull away even further in the second half.
DISTRICT 5-2A DIV. I WEEK 8 REPORT: Bangs tops Armadillos, Coleman rebounds, Tolar remains unbeaten
Bangs 42, San Saba 35 — Guy Powell rushed for 193 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries to lift Bangs to a crucial district win over the Armadillos.
San Saba managed 505 yards in total offense but hurt itself with nine penalties and a 10 percent success rate on third downs.
