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.
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.
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.
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.
The winter storm that blew across most of the state over the weekend wreaked havoc on the area basketball schedule, forcing most of last Friday’s games to be pushed up a day and the bulk of this week’s early games to postponed all the way to Thursday.
But icy weather — and the bevy of schedule changes that came with it — have done little to cool the area’s rapidly heating district races.
We still had a number of thrilling and significant results last week and have a bunch of intriguing games to look forward to over the next few days. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the biggest of those in our weekly look at the Big Country girls basketball scene.
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.
Hamilton 27, De Leon 26 — The Bearcats had the Bulldogs on the ropes in this district championship matchup, leading 26-21 with four minutes remaining and the ball inside the HHS 5-yard line. But a fumble at the 1 ended that threat, and the Bulldogs drove the length of the field to score the winning touchdown with 22 seconds remaining.
De Leon, which got four passing touchdowns from Heston Jobe and a pair of receiving scores from Jake Cooper, took a 12-7 lead into halftime and rallied from a 14-12 deficit to take a 26-14 lead with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. But the Bearcats couldn’t close Hamilton out in falling to 7-3 overall and 4-1 in league play.
De Leon 60, Bangs 20 — Heston Jobe passed for 230 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 109 yards and another score to fuel the Bearcats to a convincing win over the Dragons.
Lane Couch (10-86, 1 TD) and Colt Schwertner (5-50, 2 TDs) also found the end zone on the ground for De Leon (7-2, 4-0), which was led in receiving by Bryce Burkeen (4-106, 2 TDs).
Hico 28, Coleman 27 — Cole Heutzenroeder ran for 226 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a thrilling win over the Bluecats in a key game in the 5-2A DI playoff race.
The senior running back helped Hico (5-3, 1-2) rally from 21-7 halftime deficit that remained two scores (27-14) into the fourth quarter.
Forsan senior Hayden Bowlin had a career night last Friday and picked up our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award in the process.
To begin with, the FHS QB rushed for 280 yards and five scores in last week’s 60-27 win over Colorado City. Aside from that, he threw for 59 yards, he returned a punt 75 yards for a sixth TD and had a 34-yard kickoff return to give him 389 all-purpose yards and 36 of FHS’ points.
De Leon 58, Coleman 0 — Heston Jobe passed for 240 yards and four touchdowns while adding a fifth touchdown on the ground to fuel the Bearcats to a lopsided win over the Bluecats.
Adan Salinas added 67 yards and two TDs rushing, and Bryce Burkeen (4-85, 1 TD) and Jake Cooper (5-69, 2 TDs) had productive days receiving the ball as De Leon (5-2, 2-0) built a 46-0 lead by halftime.
Bangs 48, Ballinger 0 — Cason Tidwell ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns, and the BHS defense pitched a shutout to fuel the Dragons to a statement win over the Bearcats.
Bangs, which ran for 309 yards as a team, built a 28-0 lead by halftime in improving to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in district with its fourth consecutive victory.
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.
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.
Ballinger 21, Stanton 17 — Coleman King passed for 196 yards and a touchdown, and Pierson Nord had 73 yards rushing and 76 yards receiving to help the Bearcats to a hard-fought win over the Buffaloes.
Ballinger (3-2), which also got 71 yards and a TD receiving from Hunter Kresta, outgained Stanton 413-337 for the game, taking a 13-10 lead into halftime before extending that advantage to 19-10 early in the fourth quarter.
Wylie junior Haddie Mock was at her very best against difficult competition last week, helping the Lady Bulldogs to wins over seventh-ranked 3A Bushland (25-8) and 21st-ranked 4A Stephenville last week.
Mock finished a whopping combined total of 19 blocks in the two matches to help the Lady Bulldogs improve to 24-7. She also had 16 combined kills.
Hico 55, Itasca 7 — The Tigers improved to 3-1 with a thorough win over the Wampus Cats.
Hico did all of its scoring before halftime, building a 55-0 lead at the break before allowing a its only points of the game after the outcome had long since been decided.
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.
Bangs 31, San Angelo Grape Creek 26 — Cason Tidwell ran for 133 yards and three touchdowns, while Hunter Withers found the end zone twice on the ground to lead the Dragons past the Eagles for their first in of the year.
Bangs (1-2) only had 212 yards of total offense, but that was enough, as the Dragons outscored Grape Creek 20-6 over the final 12 minutes to rally for the victory.
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.
Hico 38, Moody 6 — Tyler Jackson passed for 151 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 141 yards and another score to lead the Tigers to a lopsided victory over the Bearcats.
Cole Heutzenroeder (9-101, 1 TD) also reached the 100-yard rushing mark for Hico, which got receiving touchdowns from Tyler Rainwater and Heath McLean.
Coleman 29, Eastland 0 — The Bluecats limited the Mavericks to just 136 yards of total offense (all rushing) in a season-opening shutout.
Coleman, meanwhile, piled up 353 yards, getting 188 yards and two touchdowns passing from Hunter Edington, 100 yards and two TDs receiving from Jayden Smith and rushing scores from Brayden Torres (8-57 rushing) and Braylon Stewart (2-62 rushing, 5-24 receiving).
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.
During his time at Hico, Todd Swearengin accomplished his goal of raising the Tigers’ competitive profile, taking a program that had won just six games in the three years before he arrived to the playoffs three times in a four-year span.
Now Britt Hart, who spent the last two years on Swearengin’s staff, will try to build on the foundation laid by his predecessor.
Hart, who previously served as a head coach at High Island, Falls City, Merkel and Stamford, compiling a combined 76-33 record across those stops, was tabbed to take over the Hico program after Swearengin retired in January. And with a solid group of returners and a couple of key newcomers set to lead and bolster his 2025 roster, the Tigers’ new head man is hoping to continue raising the standard at HHS.
As a sophomore in 2023, Brayden Torres saw an injury to senior standout Jadin Jackson open the door for his first varsity action behind center. He was so effective in relief duty that he would hold onto the quarterback job the rest of the season, pushing Jackson into a utility role in which he thrived.
This fall as a senior, after watching a similar set of circumstances play out late last season, it’s Torres’ turn to take on a do-it-all role on offense.
Like his former teammate, Torres will be asked to run, pass and catch the ball for the Bluecats this year. And like his former teammate, he’s embracing the opportunity to impact games and help his team in as many ways as possible.
By win-loss record, the 2024 season might seem like a forgettable campaign for the Coleman Bluecats. Coach John Elder’s squad won just four games last year, marking its lowest win total since 2019.
But lost in such a cursory examination of that season is the fact that the Bluecats rebounded from an 0-7 start to win four of their final five games, including a playoff upset of Wolfe City in the bi-district round.
With a solid group of returners from that team, including six offensive and five defensive starters, Coleman will be looking to build on that momentum this fall. And Elder is expecting the experience and confidence gained in 2024 to pay dividends a year later.
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 Coleman Bluecats.
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 superlative award winners for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
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.
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: Coleman-Stamford baseball bi-district playoff (48 images)”
EULA — Stamford answered a one-run top of the first by Coleman with three runs in the bottom of the frame, and Alek Hernandez took care of the rest, settling in to shut out the Bluecats after that in an 8-1 win Thursday in the opener of a best-of-three Region I-2A Division II bi-district series at the Eula baseball field.
Coleman outhit Stamford 5-4, but the Bulldogs took advantage of nine walks and a hit batter to follow its big first inning with another three-run outburst in the fifth, before tacking on two more runs in the sixth. That was more than enough offense for Hernandez, who pitched around five hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts in the complete-game gem.
With the playoff-opening victory in their pocket, the Bulldogs (19-3) will now try to go for the sweep when the series resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday at the same site.
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.
