Here are recaps of the Big Country softball bi-district playoff series:
Category: Colorado City Wolves
Evan Ren’s 2026 Gym Rat Team: The hardest-working players in the Big Country!
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.
FINAL Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders for 2026: Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
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.
FINAL Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders for 2026 (Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks)
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.
THIS WEEK IN GIRLS BASKETBALL: A look at the top games for this week and last week
With the regular season concluding this week, we take a final look around the area, both the top games of last week and those coming up.
Keep an eye out for the postseason pairings for both girls and boys basketball on BigCountryPreps.com — both of which will be posted in the near future.
Lets dive in, shall we?
UIL REALIGNMENT: Area football landscape experiences major changes in biennial district reshuffling
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.
THIS WEEK IN GIRLS BASKETBALL: It’s nail-biting time in Big Country hoops with playoff spots on the line
With January’s schedule-jumbling weather behind us, we now look forward to multiple games with playoff implications around the Big Country Preps coverage area.
There were no shortage of big matchups last week and as usual, there are several more in the days ahead.
So let’s take a quick look at the menu for Feb. 2-6.
It should be fun, I’ll see you on the road.
THIS WEEK IN GIRLS BASKETBALL: Chilly weather, schedule changes can’t cool red-hot district races
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.
EVAN REN’S 2025 TRUE GRIT TEAM: The toughest, hardest-working players in the Big Country!
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.
2025 All-Big Country Preps Football Team: First-Team Roster
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.
2025 All-Big Country Preps Football Team: Second-Team Roster
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.
2025 All-Big Country Preps Football Team: Third-Team Roster (w/honorable mention)
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.
2025 BIG COUNTRY PREPS RISING STARS TEAM: The top underclassmen in the Big Country
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.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wylie RB Laine takes honor with monster game in high school finale
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.
DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 11 REPORT: Colorado City upsets Sonora for first win; Forsan blasts Reagan County
Colorado City 42, Sonora 12 — Ace Mejia threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 79 yards and two more scores to lead the Wolves to what may have been the upset of the year over the Broncos.
Gavin Harbour (11-57), Joel Hernandez (3-54, 1 TD) and Mikell Martinez (3-24, 1 TD) also contributed to a 212-yard rushing effort for Colorado City (1-9, 0-5), which got quality receiving days from Jadon Reyna (3-61, 1 TD), Aidan Casares (3-59) and Davin Lara (4-48, 1 TD).
DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 10 REPORT: Ozona holds off upset bid by Forsan; Reagan County, Sonora also win
Ozona 46, Forsan 40 — Hayden Bowlin ran for 192 yards and four touchdowns and added 90 more yards through the air, but it wasn’t quite enough to fuel the Buffaloes to an upset win over the Lions.
That’s because Christian Villarreal ran for 411 yards and five touchdowns for Ozona, which built a 30-20 halftime lead and held off a Forsan rally in the second half to improve to 9-0 overall and 4-0 in league play. The standout’s third 400-yard game gave him 3,269 yards and 47 touchdowns rushing for the year, putting him within 776 yards of Texas’ single-season rushing record of 4,045, set by Sugar Land’s Kenneth Hall in 1953.
DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 9 REPORT: Bowlin leads Forsan past Christoval, Ozona routs C-City
Forsan 21, Christoval 7 — Hayden Bowlin ran for 183 yards and all three FHS touchdowns to lead the Buffaloes to a two-score win over the Cougars.
Forsan (3-5, 2-1), which also got 56 yards passing and eight yards receiving from Bowlin, limited Christoval to just 150 total yards in stretching a 7-0 halftime lead to two touchdowns by the start of the final period.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Forsan’s Hayden Bowlin takes the top spot
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.
DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 8 REPORT: Bowlin leads Forsan past C-City; Ozona, Christoval also claim wins
Forsan 60, Colorado City 27 — Hayden Bowlin ran for 280 yards and five touchdowns and passed for 59 more yards to lift the Buffaloes to a comfortable win over the Wolves.
Ashton Ellis added 124 yards and two scores for Forsan, which ran for 425 yards as a team in improving to 2-5 overall and 1-1 in district play.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cooper’s Carillo takes this week’s award
Slowly but surely, the Cooper Cougars have emerged as one of the most explosive teams in the Big Country. And in its latest exploit, CHS rolled up 517 yards in total offense in a 66-16 win over Lubbock Cooper.
At the top of the stat sheet: Cooper quarterback Jaden Carrillo, who hit 18 of 27 throws for 263 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed 11 times for 80 yards and another score to help the Cougars improve to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in District 2-5A DII.
His six TD passes tied a school record held by Zac Allen and Clayton Nicholas.
DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 7 REPORT: Christoval grinds out win over C-City; Sonora, Ozona also earn wins
Christoval 15, Colorado City 6 — The Cougars only generated 174 yards of total offense, but that was enough thanks to a dominant defensive effort against the Wolves.
Trailing 6-0 after a quarter, Christoval (3-3, 1-0) got a touchdown pass from Ty Debusk in the second quarter to take a 7-6 lead into halftime, before getting another TD throw from the quarterback in the third quarter to put the game away.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Haskell’s Pinkerton takes the top spot
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.
DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 5 REPORT: Ropes too strong for Forsan; Ozona, Sonora continue strong starts
Ropesville Ropes 59, Forsan 0 — Ryland Keith ran for 274 yards and a touchdown while receiving for 59 more yards to help the Eagles rout the Buffaloes.
Ropes finished with 592 yards of total offense, getting 142 yards and two TDs passing from Kade Franklin, 86 yards and a TD rushing from Jaivyth Cruz and a pair of receiving scores from Kolter Dockery to increase a 22 halftime lead to 45-0 by the start of the fourth quarter.
GAME STORY: Bangs uses first quarter flurry to pound Colorado City
COLORADO CITY — After going 2-8 in his first year as a head coach, Bangs’ Colton Buzzard set the bar high for his second year leading the Dragons.
“Our expectations are to make the playoffs and win that first-round game,” he said. “We wanted to treat this trip like a playoff road trip because in the second round we are going to have to travel like this.”
Friday night, the Dragons ruined Colorado City’s homecoming with a 56-0 win at Wolf Stadium, using two turnovers and a special teams score in a span of 60 seconds to turn a scoreless game into a blowout.
DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 4 REPORT: Wink pulls away from Forsan; Grape Creek too much for C-City
Wink 48, Forsan 14 — Leading just 7-0 at halftime, the Wildcats put up 20 points in the third quarter and 21 in the fourth to turn a previously competitive game into a lopsided win over Buffaloes.
Wink’s big second half left Forsan with its third loss in four games after rallying for the first win of the Casey Thompson era last week at Stanton.
DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 3 REPORT: Forsan rallies for first win against Stanton
Forsan 34, Stanton 33 — Coy Evans passed for 285 yards and a pair of touchdowns, hitting Hayden Bowlin seven times for 183 yards and both scores, to lead FHS to its first win of the season in this battle of Buffaloes.
Stanton, which got big games from Isaiah DeLeon (18-26-1—289, 1 TD passing), Travis Palomo (30-103, 2 TDs rushing) and Vayden Pastrana (15-247, 1 TD receiving), raced out to a 33-14 halftime lead. But Forsan (1-2) scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to rally for the victory.
DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 2 REPORT: Colorado City, Forsan both fall; Ozona cruises to 2-0
McCamey 42, Colorado City 19 — The Badgers held the Wolves to just 137 yards of total offense, including 78 yards on the ground, to start fast and hold on for a comfortable win.
McCamey outscored C-City 28-0 in the opening quarter and was never threatened after, going to halftime with a 36-13 advantage.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche senior crosses 500-kill milestone while helping CHS to tourney win
Photo provided by Randy Day
Milestones catch our eye when selecting our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, as do great weekly performances. But when both occur at the same time, you can rest assured that player will be in the running for the top spot.
This week the spotlight goes to Comanche senior outside hitter J’Lee Salinas, who not only helped the Maidens to the Heart of Texas Tournament Championship in Brownwood, but she also hit the 500-kill milestone in process.
DISTRICT 3-2A DIV. I WEEK 1 REPORT: Colorado City comes up one play short against Seymour
Seymour 33, Colorado City 27 — Ace Mejia ran for 155 yards and three touchdowns and added another TD through the air, but it wasn’t quite enough to lift the Wolves to a come-from-behind win over the Panthers.
C-City fell behind 13-0 in the second quarter before rallying to tie the game at halftime. Seymour then responded with a safety and a pair of touchdowns to pull ahead 27-13, before the Wolves rallied again to knot the score at 27-all.
EVAN REN: Top games worth traveling for during the 2025 football season
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.
COLORADO CITY FEATURE: Coaching a calling beyond wins, losses for new mentor Mejia
Generally, the “bottom line” measuring the significance of a team’s season is the final record.
It features a number on one side of a hyphen, followed by another digit. When the figure on the left is numerically larger than that on the right, coaches, players and fans are likely to consider that bottom line favorably. A run of “big number-little number” seasons represents sustained success.
A trophy that accompanies the final big number is the pinnacle.
Generally, Colorado City’s new head football coach Daniel Mejia would agree with all of that. In fact, he has spent nearly three decades of coaching in pursuit of said trophy — and has been part of two teams that were a single win from vying for it.
But …
2025 C-CITY FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Youthful Wolves hoping size up front fuels turnaround
It has been seven years since the Colorado City football team last finished a season with double-digit wins. The 2024 record, 2-8, only served to punctuate the dire predicament in which the Wolves have found themselves recently, especially given that last year’s victory total represented a third of the school’s wins over the past 59 games.
New head coach Daniel Mejia readily acknowledges the No. 1 challenge facing him and his staff this fall: Teaching players who have never won how to win. How he goes about that might be the secret weapon Colorado City has lacked the past few seasons.
For starters, Mejia might be new to the head coaching job in C-City, but he’s anything but a novice when it comes to leading prep football teams. He has 28 years of experience, including stints at Memphis, Hedley, Bovina, Ozona, Sonora, San Angelo Lake View and Miles. He has twice been a part of teams that reached the state quarterfinals. A cherry on top of all that experience is his familiarity with his current squad. Mejia was the Wolves’ offensive coordinator last fall, so, despite the fact that he is technically “new” to his current position, he is quite familiar with the group he will lead.
Evan Ren’s 2025 Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (the hardest-working baseball and softball players in the area)
OTHER 2025 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS TEAMS
- ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS BASEBALL Superlative Awards (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc)
- ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS BASEBALL: First-Team Selections
- ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS BASEBALL: Second-Team Selections (plus honorable mention)
- ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS SOFTBALL: Superlative Awards (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc)
- ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS SOFTBALL: First-Team Selections
- ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS SOFTBALL: Second-Team Selections (plus honorable mention)
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.
COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Colorado City Wolves … 36 days to two-a-days.
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 Colorado City Wolves
2025 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: First-Team Roster
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.
2025 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: Second-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)
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.
2025 Big Country Preps Rising Stars Baseball Team
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.
2025 All-Big Country Preps Softball Team: First-team Roster
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.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps Second-Team Softball Selections (w/ honorable mention)
- All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team (the best freshman and sophomores in the area!)
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (To be released Monday night)
2025 All-Big Country Preps Softball Team: Second-team Roster (w/ honorable mention)
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.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps First-Team Softball Selections
- All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team (the best freshman and sophomores in the area!)
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (To be released Monday night)
2025 Big Country Preps Rising Stars Softball Team
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.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps First-Team Softball Selections
- All-Big Country Preps Second-Team Softball Selections
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (To be released Monday night)
PHOTO GALLERY: Anson-Colorado City softball area-round playoff (25 images)
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: Anson-Colorado City softball area-round playoff (25 images)”
GAME STORY: Colorado City advances with Game 2 extra-inning win over Anson
HERMLEIGH — One of the biggest challenges in any sport is to lose a big lead along with the momentum, only to recapture both and win the game.
The Colorado City softball team managed to pull this off on Friday to capture a Region I-2A DI area title with a 13-7 win over Anson in nine innings at Lady Cardinal Field.
Southpaw Mia Obenhaus went the distance in the circle and was 3-of-5 with two doubles and four RBIs to lead Colorado City (24-7), which advances to face sixth-ranked Floydada (29-6) in the regional semifinals next week.
Leading 6-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth, and 7-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Lady Wolves absorbed a seven-run Anson rally over the final three frames to send the contest into extra innings. There, Colorado City turned on a dime with a six-run outburst in the ninth to get the win and a 2-0 series sweep.