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:
Versatility is a definite advantage for nominees in our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column. And for Anson senior quarterback Corey Layne it was enough to put him in this week’s top spot. 
Sometimes, the biggest stage creates the biggest performances. 
Jim Ned 42, Lubbock Trinity Christian 12 — Gray Beasley threw for 165 yards and three scores and rushed for 35 yards and another TD to lift the Indians (1-1). 
DE LEON — Entering this football it was expected that De Leon junior quarterback Heston Jobe would be among the top producers in the Big Country. 
Clyde 43, Cisco 42 — In one of the top games in the area on Friday, Clyde edge Cisco in a shootout, giving the Bulldogs (1-0) the only win of the night for District 3-3A DI. 
Week 1 is often loaded with difficult picks and 2024 is no exception. 
BRECKENRIDGE — If Breckenridge senior utility man Sawyer Wimberley finds time to catch his breath in 2024, he may consider himself fortunate. 
BRECKENRIDGE — However far the Breckenridge Buckaroos make it in 2024, a large group of juniors and sophomores will have a huge influence on the outcome. 
There is very little that Eula’s Halie Cauthen isn’t good at athletically. Already an Honorable Mention All-Big Country Preps basketball player, the EHS junior showed her full range of versatility last week with three big performances in three different sports.
BRECKENRIDGE — Chloe Whitmire isn’t your standard, cookie-cutter-mold high school softball pitcher. 
While we normally try to share the love in our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column, five district titles in one week isn’t easy to sidestep. 
BRECKENRIDGE — Using a combination of clutch hitting and power, the Breckenridge Lady Buckaroos took sole possession of first place in District 8 on Friday with a 9-5 win over Comanche to break a tie between the two clubs atop the league standings. 
While no-hitters are fairly common in high school baseball and softball, they generally put you at the top of the list where our Big Country Preps Player of the Week is concerned. 
Sometimes the mercy rule and cheat a player a bit, limiting their number of plate appearances or the number of innings they can pitch. 
Big moments attract big-time players and our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, certainly made the most of his opportunity over the weekend. 
As if the Big Country’s collection of softball catchers wasn’t already “scary-good,” the area can count a worrisome new addition to its ranks: Colorado City freshman Bryanna Munoz, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending March 2.
It may be a little too early to label Anson freshman softball pitcher Kayme Elrod as a star in the making. But our Big Country Preps Player of the Week is off to a pretty good start.
Merkel senior Kooper Darby picked the right time to post the best all-around game of his high school career. 
