Abilene TLCA 46, Baird 20 — First-year coach Webb Murphy’s Eagles snapped a 28-game losing streak that dated back to Sept. 8 of 2023 with a win over Baird.
BHS took a step up from the six-man ranks to challenge the Eagles but fell victim to QB Tyler Johnston, who hit 10 of 12 throws for 195 yards and three scores. He also rushed 15 times for 62 yards.
Senior Dashawn Polk had a big day as well, catching three passes for 44 yards and two scores and rushing for 124 yards and two TDs.
CLYDE — It may have been mistake-filled and a bit sloppy (as many season-openers are). But Friday’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week didn’t fail to entertain those in attendance, with Clyde overcoming Cisco 27-24 in a seesaw battle at Bulldog Stadium.
Devan Wright threw for 196 yards and rushed for 128 while accounting for three touchdowns to lead Clyde (1-0), which overcame a 24-21 deficit when Wright hit Jacob Hernandez with a 5-yard pass over the middle for a go-ahead TD with 5:20 to play. It proved to be the game-winner as the Bulldogs stopped Cisco on its final possession to secure the victory in what has become an intriguing rivalry.
“We always play close games with these guys,” Clyde coach Johnathon Haddock said. “Cisco is a really good football team and I think we have a really good football team too and I think you saw that tonight.
“We were lucky to make some plays in the fourth quarter to put us on top. But there were two very good teams on the field.”
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.
LAST WEEK: 0-0, .000
SEASON TOTAL: 0-0, .000
Summer is over (at least as far as the school calendars are concerned).
That means it’s time to lace up the cleats and begin the annual dance otherwise known as the high school football season that some Texans treat with an almost religious enthusiasm.
That also means it’s time for sportswriters across the state to take their weekly stabs at picking the winners of area games — a great source of entertainment for some readers and a great source of frustration for some of us who engage in it.
Nonetheless, it’s time to dive in.
So here we go. I’ll see you on the road.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”
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!
CISCO — When the Cisco Loboes lost talented juniors Garrett Offutt and Hudson Hernandez last year to collarbone injuries, it was actually worse than it appeared. Cisco wasn’t just losing two starters, it was actually losing four, since both players played both ways — Offutt doubling as an OL/DL and Hernandez doubling as a LB/FB.
Both injuries occurred at crucial times, with Hernandez suffering his injury against district rival Hawley on Oct. 24 and Offutt being injured four rounds deep in the playoffs in a season-ending loss to Stinnett West Texas.
The good news for Cisco is, both players are back, physically sound and eager to begin their senior seasons. And nobody is happier about it than CHS Coach Kevin Stinnett, whose team is expected to challenge for the Region II-2A DI title this year.
CISCO — In the eyes of many, the 2026 Cisco Loboes are a team with a legitimate shot at reaching the state championship game in Arlington.
They are seen by some as one of the top teams in Region II-2A DI and by many others as the favorite to win District 5-2A DI.
That assessment, however, is all based on what the Loboes are showing on paper. And on paper, as coach Kevin Stennett is quick to point out, isn’t where football games, district titles and trips to Jerry World are won.
The Loboes, as he sees it, have several things to figure out if they are to put a major dent in the postseason bracket.
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.
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.
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.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2026 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 2026 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 2026 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.
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: Cisco-Bosqueville softball state semifinal playoff (30 images)”
STEPHENVILLE — The single greatest season in Cisco softball history has officially come to a close.
Having reached the 2A DI state semifinals (its first-ever state semi) Cisco fell to in two straight games to Bosqueville on Wednesday, 4-3 and 10-2 at the Stephenville Softball Complex.
The losses brought the curtain down on a 26-9-2 campaign that saw the Lady Loboes finish 8-3 in postseason play with the deepest playoff run in its history.
“We’ve had an outstanding year,” Cisco coach Vanessa Longoria said. “At the very beginning we scheduled some tough teams to help get us here.
“Getting them this far was fantastic and a lot of fun.”
As is our tradition, with the UIL State Track and Field Championships now over, we conclude our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column for the 2025-26 school year. We’ll pick it up again on Monday, Aug. 31.
In the meantime, our final award of the school year belongs to Gordon senior Stryker Reed, and with good reason. At the state track meet, Reed won state titles in both the 110 and 300 hurdles, breaking his own state records in both events at 14.20 and 37.24. He took an additional gold with the 1600 relay team with a 47.8 split and bronze in the pole vault at 14-0. He nearly captured a fifth medal in Austin, taking fourth in the high jump at 6-2.
Oh, and did we mention he plays baseball?
Well, he does — well enough to help the Longhorns to a series sweep of Oglesby last week, going a combined 4 of 5 with a double, triple, two RBIs, three runs scored and two steals. He also pitched in Game 2, allowing one earned run in three innings of work with four strikeouts.
Nothing quite like starting off a playoff series with a masterpiece from your pitcher.
Wylie sophomore Gehrig Fletcher delivered this artwork last week in a 7-0 win in Game 1 of a bi-district series with Lubbock Coronado.
Not only did the 10th grader throw a seven-inning no-hitter, but he did it with an unusual twist: he only struck out three batters.
No-hitters are rare enough, but throwing one while pitching to contact is something one almost never sees in a game dominated by aluminum bats.
“Gehrig is a kid that puts in the work every day,” coach Grant Martin said. He is the epitome of hard work, determination, and resilience.
“He is the best teammate and exemplifies what a student athlete should be. What a performance in a big time setting. So proud of him!”
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: Forsan-Cisco area-round softball series (52 images)”
SPRINGTOWN — With Porcupine Stadium serving as the backdrop for the Region II-2A Track and Field Championships, a couple of teams from the Big Country Preps coverage area scored big in the event.
The Hico boys earned the team championship with 78 points, topping Tioga (66) and Bosqueville (62). In the meantime, the Cisco girls earned second in the team standings with 65 points behind Hamilton’s 93.
COAHOMA — One great game deserves another.
Only 24 hours after Cisco had edged Forsan 2-1 in Game 1 of their 2A DI area round series, the Lady Buffaloes evened things up by taking Game 2 in a 7-6 nailbiter in eight innings on Wednesday.
Madi Roach doubled home Elyssa Amaro with the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the eighth — the latter of whom was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored to lead Forsan (20-10). The decisive third game of the series is currently slated for 8 p.m. on Saturday in Clyde.
Forsan, which saw leads of 4-1 and 6-4 evaporate by the seventh inning, took the disappointments in stride — retaining a lighthearted demeanor that saw them dancing together as a team during warmups.
It eventually paid off.
“If they’re not doing some sort of dance routine before the game I know they’re nervous,” Forsan coach Jason Phillips said. “We want them relaxed, because believe it or not, they’re as dialed in as you could ever believe.”
ABILENE — Defense and pitching were at the forefront in Game 1 of a Region I-2A DI area round series between Cisco and Forsan on Tuesday at Cooper High School.
Cisco’s Aubrey Corpus outdueled Forsan’s Makayla Garza in a 2-1 win for Lady Loboes, who can close the series with a Game 2 victory on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Coahoma. If needed, Game 3 of the series will be on Saturday in Clyde at 8 p.m.
AJ Pevey was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and Corpus was 1-for-3 with the game-winning RBI to lead Cisco (20-8-2), which broke a 1-1 tie when Pevey singled and scored on a Corpus triple in the bottom of the sixth.
Forsan dropped to 19-10 with the loss.
“Both teams are coached well and both showed up to play today,” Cisco coach Vanessa Longoria said. “(The win) was very important. It gives us the momentum, but we can’t get too calm and take it easy tomorrow.”
In a week that featured at least a half dozen athletes who could have taken our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, we finally settled on a Stephenville senior for our weekly award.
Willis Jackson, one of the premiere speedsters in the Big Country, took four district titles in the District 6-4A meet last week
This included individual gold medals in the 100 meters (10.66), long jump (22-8.5) and Triple jump (43-8.5). He also collected gold with the 800 relay team (1:28.53), along with a silver with the 400 relay (42.45).
“Willis is headed to the area track meet in five events,” coach Kolt Kittley said. “He comes to workouts every day with a big smile and a great attitude.
“He was huge in helping us win the district track meet this year.”
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 that championship foundations are built upon.
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 2025-26 season.
Players are listed in no particular order.
Enjoy.
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: 2026 Eula Softball Tournament (126 images)”
SAGINAW — Pearson Hearne scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Cisco to a 54-45 win over Collinsville in the Region II-2A Division I championship game Friday night at Eagle Mountain High School.
The victory improved the Lady Loboes’ record to 35-2 and earned Cisco a trip to next week’s 2A DI state semifinal game against Panhandle at a neutral site. A victory there would propel the Lady Loboes into the state championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, with a chance to win the first state title in school history. Collinsville finished 34-4.
Hearne did most of the heavy lifting for the Lady Loboes in the first half, scoring nine points in the first quarter and seven more in the second. Her offense and a tenacious Cisco defense helped the team build a 34-25 lead at intermission.
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.
CISCO — With the playoffs being split into Division I and Division II, not all-late season basketball games have the high-stakes feel that they’ve had in the past.
That wasn’t the case on Tuesday night at Ray Saunders Gymnasium, where Stamford visited Cisco for a crucial District 10-2A matchup.
The hosts jumped out to a 14-point lead in the first half but couldn’t hold off a fourth-quarter rally as Stamford all but clinched the district runner-up spot with a 50-44 win.
Comanche senior J’Lee Salinas is no stranger to BCP accolades, having already won our Player of the Week award as well as being named to our All-Big Country Preps team.
Well, she’s done it again after helping Comanche sweep district mates Millsap and Peaster — taking our Player of the Week award for the week ending Feb. 7.
Salinas had a solid week with a double-double in a win against Millsap (83-27), finishing with 24 points,10 rebounds, four assists and six steals.
The boys basketball regular season is nearing its end, and district championship and playoff pictures across the area are coming into view.
Most leagues now have clear favorites in both their title and playoff races, but several remain unresolved with just two or three games left to play.
With just a couple of weeks of games remaining, let’s dive in and take a look at this week’s biggest games and last week’s most significant developments.
With weather postponements forcing Tolar to play three games last week, there was positive in an otherwise hectic week: It gave one of THS’ athletes the opportunity to showcase a remarkable run of consistency.
Tolar sophomore Atley Kolb takes our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award for the Week ending Jan. 31, after posting three straight double-doubles in as many days to help the Lady Rattlers in wins over Millsap (57-25), Eastland (59-25) and Breckenridge (74-19).
Kolb posted 10 points and 13 rebounds against Millsap; 21 points and 11 boards against Eastland and 12 points and 10 boards in the Breckenridge win.
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.
Last week’s winter storm made for a wild week of action, condensing a week’s worth of games into three day’s time. And the results were as unpredictable as you might expect given the circumstances.
We saw several district championship and playoff races shaken up by upsets and others take shape as the cream continued its rise to the top.
As we do here weekly, it’s time to take survey of the Big Country boys basketball landscape. We hope you enjoy this look at the biggest developments from last week and the biggest games this week’s slate has to offer.
Leading Cisco’s girls and boys basketball teams are hard-working coaches’ kids.
But it’s a unique situation in Eastland County for the Hearne and Kilpatrick families as both standouts play for the other’s father.
On a typical Tuesday night, boys coach Kevin Hearne can watch his senior daughter Pearson play for about three quarters before turning his full attention to the Loboes.