Here are the district standings for all 11-man football districts involving Big Country schools after Week 4 (with results and upcoming games):
Category: Clyde Bulldogs
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Improved Lions to pay visit to Brady (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
LAST WEEK: 36-16, .692
OVERALL: 163-46, .779
After four straight weeks of picking 80 percent or better, the USS Ren ran aground last Friday, bottoming out with a season-low .692 percentage and dropping my season tally to .779.
PHOTO GALLERY: Cooper-Clyde volleyball (56 images)
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GAME STORY: Clyde volleyball tops visiting Cooper in three sets
With district play approaching for both squads, the Cooper and Clyde volleyball teams met Tuesday at Bulldog Gym hoping to continue their progression and build some momentum heading into the matches that will decide their postseason fate.
At the end of Tuesday’s nondistrict clash, it was the Class 3A Lady Bulldogs celebrating a 25-17, 25-18, 25-16 sweep, having succeeded in putting their 5A counterparts on the defensive and taking the visiting Lady Cougars out of their game plan.
Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (through Sept. 14)
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
We will continually update the database throughout the regular season.
CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde’s Phillips takes this week’s top spot
Clyde junior Payton Phillips first hit the area radar screen last spring when she took double gold at the Region I-3A track meet in the both the long jump and 100 hurdles.
But our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week is also one of the area’s top volleyball setters as well, as last week’s effort in a three-set win over Graham and four-set loss to Stephenville illustrated.
District 3-3A Div. I Week 3 Report: Breck nearly pulls off upset at Cisco in OT
Cisco 28, Breckenridge 27 — The Loboes (3-0) needed overtime to put away Breckenridge in a thriller at Chesley Field.
Hunter Long scored on an 8-yard TD run in OT and followed it with a two-point conversion run to put the Loboes over the top.
Breckenridge played a turnover-free game while picking off two Cisco passes to nearly pull off one of the biggest upsets of the young season.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Brady cancels, Ren goes scrambling (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
LAST WEEK: 42-9, .823
SEASON TOTAL: 85-21, .801
I was very much looking forward to our Big Country Preps Game of the Week – Coleman (2-0) at Brady (2-0). Unfortunately, COVID intervened by midweek, forcing a cancellation of the contest.
On a positive note, there are several other quality games throughout the area for us to focus on, and (taking a bow) the column is already hitting over 80 percent on picks and we’re only in Week 3.
Numbers of that sort are generally reserved for Weeks 7-10, so I’m feeling pressure to keep the early momentum going.
In the absence of our Game of the Week, I’ll be heading to Cross Plains on Friday, where Haskell will be paying a visit to the Buffaloes (COVID allowing, of course).
Let’s dive in to this week’s picks:
District 3-3A Div. I Report: Week 2: Early remains unbeaten with win over Tolar
Early 33, Tolar 16 — Tre Beam rushed for 158 yards and two scores and Jaxyn Price threw for 187 yards and two more touchdowns to keep Early (2-0) unbeaten.
Price hit five different receivers on the night, but Jeremy Brown was hit favorite target, hitting six times for 61 yards and a score.
CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dublin’s Chris Teten snags our first award of the school year
Prior to the season, we listed Dublin’s Chris Teten among our Top 10 area quarterbacks to watch in 2021. And he wasted no time in demonstrating why.
Only a junior, Teten threw for 310 yards and five scores in a 43-14 win over area rival De Leon to capture our first Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week award for the 2020-21 school year.
Hitting 16 of 26 throws, Teten threw a 69-yard TD pass on the first play from scrimmage, setting the tone for the rest of the evening. With the game in hand, he played a little more than a half before being taken out.
District 3-3A Div. I Week 1 Report: Breck stuns heavily favored Jacksboro
Breckenridge 49, Jacksboro 28 — Jerry Lawson rushed for 59 yards and two scores and Chase Lehr rushed for 28 yards and another touchdown to lead Breckenridge to a big win as an underdog.
Leading 27-20 at the break, the Buckaroos broke the game open with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Stephenville play host to Sweetwater (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
LAST WEEK: 0-0, .000
SEASON TOTAL 0-0, .000
At last, here we are.
The 2021 football season has arrived, giving us a much-needed diversion every Friday night, in isolated spots all over Central Texas. As always, I will endeavor to pick the winner of all our area games, from Class 1A through Class 6A, with the top matchup serving as our Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
Our first spotlight game should come as no surprise, with long-time Hamlin coach Russell Lucas debuting as the head coach of the Sweetwater Mustangs — one of the most -storied programs in the Big Country.
Their opposition?
The Stephenville Yellow Jackets at Tarleton State’s Memorial Stadium.
With that, let’s dive into the picks, shall we?
BCP Football Preseason 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 10 quarterbacks with a list of others to watch in 2021.
We hope you enjoy this list and that you’ve enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kickoff a new season.
BCP Football Preseason 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 Monday, we move now to the area’s top backs, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch in 2021. Don’t forget to check in Wednesday night when we conclude our series with the top 10 area quarterbacks.
We hope you enjoy tonight’s list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.
BCP Football Preseason 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 pass-catchers.
After starting the offensive portion of our series Sunday with the linemen, we now shift our attention to the playmakers on the perimeter, ranking our top 10 wide receivers/tight ends with a list of others to watch in 2021.
We hope you enjoy our list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.
BCP Football Preseason 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 10 offensive linemen with a list of others to watch in 2021.
We hope you enjoy reading through our rankings.
BCP Football Preseason 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 2021 season.
BCP Football Preseason 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-10 defensive backs and others to look out for in 2021.
We hope you enjoy our list.
PHOTO GALLERY: Clyde-Eastland-Hawley football tri-scrimmage (44 images)
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BCP Football Preseason Position Rankings: Linebackers
After taking a look at the Big Country’s top defensive linemen on Wednesday, it’s now time to examine those who will backing them in 2021.
Continuing with Big Country Preps’ eight-part preseason position rankings series, here’s our top 10 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.
BCP Football Preseason 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 2021.
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 10 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.
2021 DISTRICT PREDICTIONS: Evan and Daniel make their picks
Without further ado it is time for us to make our Big Country predictions, district-by-district.
This is the culmination of several weeks of research and two solid months of summertime labor, so we’re more than ready to post it.
So 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.
EVAN REN: The top area games worth traveling to in 2021
Every year, one of the things I look forward to most, is mapping out the upcoming football season — charting the games I believe will have the greatest impact.
First and foremost, it’s a preseason menu for area fans who enjoy driving to some of the Big Country’s best football games on a weekly basis. Call it a football roadmap of sorts.
CLYDE FEATURE: First-year coach Dudgeon relying on past experience, winning culture in new role
Hired to replace Scott Campbell in April, new Clyde coach Danny Dudgeon has been hard at work since laying the foundation for his program.
Coming over from Cooper, where he had previously served as Aaron Roan’s offensive coordinator, the first-time head coach has made setting the culture priority one. 
For Dudgeon, who also worked under Keith Woolf, Steve Freeman and Todd Moebes, X’s and O’s and schemes are important. But nothing’s more vital to the success of a program than establishing a shared set of values and expectations that will guide it through good times and out of the bad.
For Bulldogs fans wondering what those values and expectations might look like, a quick peak to the west will provide a pretty good glimpse. After seeing firsthand the impact a positive culture built around a family atmosphere can have at Cooper, Dudgeon plans to bring those same aspects with him to Clyde.
2021 CLYDE FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Bulldogs look to lay firm foundation in Dudgeon’s first year
CLYDE — The 2021 season will be one of transition for the Clyde football team. With a new coach and just nine lettermen returning from
last year’s 4-7 squad, a young Bulldogs team will have to adjust to a number of new realities this fall.
With a new culture and new schemes under former Cooper offensive coordinator Danny Dudgeon, Clyde will operate differently both on and off the field. And with first-year starters occupying six spots on offense and four on defense, the Bulldogs will make those changes with a relatively inexperienced roster.
But despite the challenges that lie ahead for this CHS squad, Dudgeon is confident in his club’s willingness and ability to compete. And from what he’s seen so far, the first-time head coach can find no reason to lower the expectations for a program that has reached the postseason in eight of the past 10 seasons.
COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Clyde Bulldogs
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 Saturday, Aug. 14. 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. 2, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2021 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.
Today, we stay in Class 3A Division I with the Clyde Bulldogs. On Wednesday, we will take a look at the Early Longhorns, followed by the Jim Ned Indians on Thursday.
PHOTO GALLERY: Clyde-Brock baseball playoff (77 images)
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LINK … GAME STORY: Brock edges Clyde 3-2 to close series in two games
GAME STORY: Brock slips past Clyde 3-2 to close series in two games
Trailing 2-0 from the outset of Game 2 with Clyde, the Brock Eagles patiently waited for most of Saturday afternoon for their chance to end their series with the Bulldogs at Abilene Christian University.
That opportunity came in the final two innings in the wake of an injury to Clyde starter Evan Laughlin, who was struck in the left foot by a batted ball in the sixth inning and forced to leave the game. The Eagles subsequently rallied, taking a series-clinching 3-2 win at Crutcher Scott Field.
Peyton Shaffer was 2 for 4 with two runs scored and Ian Fuchs delivered 6.2 innings of shutout relief to lead the Eagles (23-8-1), who advance to face Wall in the Region I-3A quarterfinals at a site and time to be determined.
LIVE: State Track and Field Meet medalists and Big Country Placings (DAY 1)
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EVAN REN: Handicapping the boys state track meet.
Having already released our picks for the girls state track meet earlier this evening, we now present the boys event, using the same approach.
We’ll comb through each event involving a Big Country athlete (or athletes) and assess if they are favorites, dark horses or long shots to get on the medal stand.
Let’s not waste any time. Let’s dive in.
EVAN REN: Picking the favorites, dark horses and longshots at the girls state track meet
I don’t care who you are — even if you’re a non-fan when it comes to track and field.
The excitement of the state meet in Austin will capture your attention if you catch sight or sound of it. It’s inescapable.
And once per year, it is my pleasure to examine the multitude of Big Country athletes heading to Austin for the event and pick who we can expect to see on the medal stand from our area.
Let’s begin with the girls side, looking at each event in which a Big Country athlete has qualified for state.
PHOTO GALLERY: Coahoma-Clyde softball playoff (24 images)
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LINK … GAME STORY: Coahoma rallies to beat Clyde in rainy Game 1
