As one would expect, the Jim Ned Relays had a quality field of competition last week, opening the door for one of its athletes to snag Big Country Preps Player of the Week honors.
So it’s not surprising that its top performer sits atop of our weekly list of highlighted competitors from around the area.
Wall senior Bryson McFarden takes our weekly accolade after medaling five times in Tuscola with four golds and a silver.
In the pitcher’s circle, there are varying degrees of perfection. And in the case of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, that statement was fully illustrated on Friday in a 6-0 Clyde win over Merkel.
Yes, CHS freshman Brynli Reynolds threw a perfect game. But this wasn’t your standard, every day, run-of-the-mill, garden variety perfecto.
In fact, it may have been the most dominating performance by a baseball or softball pitcher the Big Country has seen in the last two decades.
Aside from retiring 21 straight hitters from a very good Merkel team (19-2), Reynolds fanned the first 17 batters she faced and finished with 20 strikeouts. She also helped herself at the plate, going 1-for-2 with an RBI.
It was the second time this season that the Clyde freshman has taken our weekly accolade.
A week after Lipan’s Court Gaylor took our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award, yet another Lipan player has done the same thing.
And by sheer coincidence, her last name is Gaylor as well.
This time around it is freshman guard Sydni Gaylor, Court’s Younger sister, who has taken the accolade after leading the LHS girls to a Class 2A Division II state title in San Antonio on Thursday.
Helping the Lady Indians to a 42-35 over perennial power Martin’s Mill, Sydni finished with 23 points and was voted by attending media as the game’s MVP.
And the good news (at least for Lipan) is, this kid is only a freshman.
Entering the week at 35-1 and ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, the Lipan Indians have won 33 straight games since suffering their only loss of the year to Class 4A Dallas Roosevelt in mid-November.
At the heart of that success has been standout point guard Court Gaylor, who performed at a high enough level in LHS’ first two playoff games to claim our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award.
When Cisco junior guard Carter Toof is on his game, there is little one can do to stop him. He’s going to get his point, whether you like it or not.
That was the case last week when Toof helped Cisco to a win over Abilene TLCA with 43 points, 14 rebounds and three assists. He followed that with 20 points, seven boards, four assists and three steals in a playoff warmup loss to Benjamin.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Feb. 19. With the end of the regular season, this will be the FINAL boys basketball leaders we post this year.
This database has been 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 email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Feb. 12. This will be our FINAL girls stat leaders for 2026.
This database has been 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.
Surprised — and in some cases, stressed out — faces could be seen in abundance Monday morning at Abilene’s Region 14 Education Services Center, where coaches from throughout the area and beyond gathered to learn their new district homes as part of the University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment.
In what can best be described as a seismic shift in the Big Country football landscape, a majority of area schools were placed in unfamiliar environs — be that a new district with new foes or even a new region entirely.
The now venerated process by which the UIL releases the packet containing the new district alignments for football, basketball and volleyball is frequently compared by coaches to waking up on Christmas morning to find what presents await under the three. And on this day, in particular, few found the gifts they were expecting.
Most high school football teams have that one player acknowledged by the coaching staff as the prime example of what a teammate should be.
He’s the guy who seldom misses any practice time and is a regular in the weight room. He’s early to arrive. He’s late to leave and takes pride in being coachable, though he seldom needs direction.
He always sets the right example for younger players. He doesn’t complain and, above all else, he’s tough enough to make all the aforementioned traits consistently possible.
Know someone like that? Here is where they are honored.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2025 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 2025 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.
Coming off a breakout junior season that ended prematurely due to a torn ACL late in district play, Wylie running back Julius wasn’t having the type of senior season he had hoped to going into Friday’s Senior Night game against Plainview.
Running behind a young and often banged-up offensive line, Laine entered that matchup with 668 yards on 135 carries on the year, including a combined 139 yards on the ground in three consecutive losses leading up to the Plainview game.
On Friday, though, the 6-foot-2, 235-pound bruiser finally broke loose and found some open field — a lot of open field — in closing out his high school career with a memorable night worthy of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week honor. By the game’s end, Laine had run for a career-high 300 yards and five touchdowns, including scoring runs of 35, 39 and 49 yards, to lead the Bulldogs to a wild 70-52 victory.
Big Spring 34, Pecos 21 — Marcos Rios threw a pair of touchdown passes, Xander Garza had a TD run and Jacobi Lozano returned a punt 49 yards for a score to lead the Steers to a two-touchdown victory over the Eagles for the district’s No. 3 playoff seed
Sebastian Torres Barrera also put his stamp on the win for Big Spring (5-4, 1-2), nailing a pair of field goals to keep his team playing from ahead for most of the game. After falling behind 7-0 early, the Steers went to halftime up 17-7 and increased that advantage to 24-7 early in the third quarter on a TD pass from Rios to Kaine Valenzuela.
San Angelo Lake View 76, Big Spring 49 — Chris Alvizo passed for 293 yards and five touchdowns, and Izaiah Rios ran for 162 yards and two scores to help the Chiefs to an explosive win over the Steers.
Lake View (7-2, 2-0) also got a huge receiving day from Braylon White (6-122, 4 TDs) in piling up 526 yards of total offense (233 rushing, 293 passing) and setting a school record for points scored.
What more can be said about the performance of Wall senior Landon York last week other than it was a model of efficiency?
Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week shredded Grape Creek in a 48-0 district win to clinch the District 4-3A DII championship.
Along the way, York connected on 18 of 21 throws for 246 yards and get this: seven touchdowns. That means one out of every three throws resulted in points.
How good of a night did he have? How about a ridiculous quarterback rating of 294.1?
Andrews 28, Big Spring 20 — JaeSean DeBouse ran for two touchdowns, while Beau Hudson and Casey Mendoza added one apiece to lift the the Mustangs to a hard-fought win over the Steers in the district opener for both teams.
Fueled by that prolific rushing attack, Andrews (3-5, 1-0) an early 7-0 lead to 21-7 in the second and held off a Big Spring rally from there to snap a two-game losing streak.
Big Spring (4-2), idle — Like everyone else in this league, the Steers had the week off to prepare for the start of district play next week.
Big Spring, which has won four of its last five games, will open 3-4A DI play next week with a home game against Andrews.
Big Spring 49, Kermit 14 — The Steers bounced back from last week’s loss to Fort Stockton with a blowout win over the Yellow Jackets, dominating from start to finish to improve to 4-2 on the year.
Big Spring built a 35-0 lead by halftime and extended that advantage in the third quarter, before Kermit scored a pair of touchdowns late.
The season’s midpoint usually offers little in the way of big-time performances, with most of the area teams taking a bye week prior to the opening of district play.
This year was an exception.
Haskell junior quarterback Haegan Pinkerton delivered an astonishing effort in last week’s 56-42 win over Seymour, that could have taken our weekly accolade at any given point in the season.
Fort Stockton 42, Big Spring 21 — Gerry Diaz threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns, hitting Nikki Sotelo seven times for 146 yards, to help the Panthers pull away for a three-touchdown win over the Steers.
Nick Almendarez added 151 yards on the ground for Fort Stockton, which outgained Big Spring 515-428 and won the turnover battle 2-0.
Photos provided by Rosie Slate
BIG SPRING — For most of his football career, Big Spring senior Marcus Rios has patiently played the role of backup quarterback. This dates back to his middle school days which saw him play as the seventh grade “B” team QB, the eighth grade “B” team QB, the freshman team backup QB, the JV backup QB and the backup varsity QB last year.
Five full seasons as an understudy.
Now, at the age of 17, Rios has at long last, been given the reins of the Big Spring varsity offense and he’s making the most of the opportunity. At present, he stands as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the Big Country.
As it turned out, the best game in the Big Country last week was Clyde’s dramatic 54-49 win over Muleshoe in the top shootout the area has seen thus far in 2025.
At the heart of all that mayhem was our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, CHS junior quarterback Devan Wright.
Big Spring 51, Snyder 34 — Marcus Rios passed for 159 yards and three touchdowns and contributed a team-high 107 yards on the ground to lead the Steers to a comfortable win over the Tigers.
Xander Garza (16-70, 2 TDs rushing), Jacobi Lozano (3-84, 2 TDs receiving) and Kaine Valenzuela (4-75, 1 TD) also had productive games for Big Spring (3-2), which finished with 375 yards of total offense and won the turnover battle 3-2.
Big Spring at El Paso Bel Air (no contest) — Lightning cut a potentially thrilling game short here as both coaches mutually decided to call this one a no contest despite playing 2½ competitive quarters.
Big Spring trailed by seven when the game was stopped midway through the third period, but the Steers were on the Bel Air 4-yard line with a chance to tie.
Since losing their season opener to Peaster (34-0), the Tolar Rattlers (2-1) have not only managed to improve, but they’re rapidly gaining momentum to go with that progress.
Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, Briton Rice, is a part of that, having thrown for 197 yards and four scores in last week’s 42-18 win over Millsap. This, after missing a week with an injury.
Big Spring 34, Borger 12 — Xander Garza ran for 133 yards and four touchdowns, and the Steers defense put together a dominant performance to overcome a 5-1 turnover disadvantage in a three-touchdown win over the Bulldogs.
Big Spring (2-1) limited Borger to just 160 total yards, including 105 on the ground, to help the Steers build a 20-12 halftime lead, before closing out the win with a second-half shutout.
Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week is seldom an easy choice and this week was no exception. But Big Spring senior quarterback Marcus Rios had the numbers to snag the top spot in a brilliant performance against Lubbock High on Friday.
Rios hit 11 of 19 throws for 261 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-27 win. But that’s just the beginning.
Big Spring 41, Lubbock High 27 — Marcus Rios passed for 261 yards and four touchdowns while adding 127 yards and two more scores on the ground to lead the Steers to a two-touchdown win over the Westerners.
Xander Garcia also topped the 100-yard rushing mark for Big Spring, going for 124 yards on 21 carries, while Jacobi Lozano (5-143, 2 TDs) and Eithan Threats (3-91, 1 TD) both had big days catching the ball.
El Paso Riverside 24, Big Spring 20 — After having a bus issue on the way to El Paso and being forced to wait through a mid-game lightning delay once there, the Steers came up just short in a thrilling comeback bid against the Rangers.
Riverside scored the game’s first 24 points, getting a passing touchdown and a pair of rushing scores from quarterback Carlos Rojas before the midway point of the second quarter. But Big Spring shut the Rangers out for the final 29 minutes, 17 seconds, allowing the Steers offense to fight its way back into the game.
Got the truck started yet?
Ready to jump on one of those farm-to-market roads to watch high school football into the late hours on a Friday night?
You’re not alone.
And, as tradition would have it, I tip my cap to those of you who will be hitting the trails each week in search of pigskin. My method: a preseason menu of sorts.
Each week for the next 11 weeks, Big Country Preps will be searching for its Game of the Week, and we’re already looking ahead. We now present our preliminary list of Big Country Games worth traveling for, but keep in mind: the following list is subject to change as surprises and disappointments emerge.
And as we all know … surprises and disappointments always emerge.
So, without further delay, here is our list of Big Country games worth traveling for in 2025.
I’ll see you on the road.
Few players at the Class 4A Division I level are leaned on more heavily than Big Spring’s Jacobi Lozano.
Whether he’s lined up out wide at receiver or manning his spot in the Steers secondary, the do-it-all senior rarely leaves the football field.
If you ask coach Cannon McWilliams why that is, you’ll get a long, glowing response extolling the many skills, attributes and leadership qualities Lozano brings to the field. But there’s a short answer that cuts more directly to the point: The football field is where he belongs.
It’s been 35 years since Big Spring last won a district championship, but the Steers feel that could change this season if the chips fall the right way.
With a strong returning nucleus of 20 lettermen, including nine starters both ways, Coach Cannon McWilliams’ squad is expecting significant improvement on last year’s 5-6 campaign.
And competing in a four-team District 3-4A Division I with a retooling Andrews squad and building programs from Pecos and San Angelo Lake View, the Steers view this season as an opportunity to achieve a goal they’ve been striving for since McWilliams took over as Big Spring’s head coach in 2019.
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. 20. 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. 4, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2025 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.
Today, we take a look at the Big Spring Steers.
OTHER 2025 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS TEAMS
Our All-Big Country Preps Softball and Baseball Teams, released Saturday and Sunday, respectively, are in place to honor those who achieved the most on-field success in 2025. 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 Big Country had to offer during the 2025 season.
The players below are listed in no particular order.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2025 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.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2025 All-Big Country Preps Softball 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 softball selections, please click the links below.
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through May 1.
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.
If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com.
If one is to play the role of hero, there’s not a better time to do it than in postseason play in your senior year.
Brock’s Mylee Cedillo lived that experience — not once, but twice in last week’s uber-intense bi-district series with fifth-ranked Levelland that saw the Lady Eagles edge the Loboettes 2-1 and 7-6 in 13 innings.
It all began Friday night in Game 1, with Levelland pitcher Aubrey Rivas carrying a no-hitter and a 1-0 lead into the seventh inning. Cedillo responded to the pressure with an RBI double to drive home both Lily Springstead (who walked) and courtesy runner Emily Faddis (running for Ali Coleman who reached on an error) to give Brock a 2-1 win.
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: Stephenville-Big Spring softball bi-district playoff (30 images)”
