Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Feb. 13.
This database will be 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.
National Signing Day is typically a busy one in the Big Country Preps’ coverage area and 2025 was no exception with several players inking and/or confirming their commitments to play at the next level.
At various signing ceremonies held throughout the area, athletes celebrated their final choices to pursue a degree while competing collegiately.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 30.
This database will be 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 Jan. 30.
This database will be 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.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 23.
This database will be 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 Jan. 23.
This database will be 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.
Back-to-back double-doubles in two dominating efforts were enough to give Gorman junior Delila Crain our Big Country Player of the Week for the week ending Saturday, Jan. 18.
Opening the week with an 83-7 rout of Bluff Dale, Crain posted 30 points and 10 boards to go with five assists, five deflections, six steals and four blocks.
She followed that with 21 points, 12 boards, five deflections, four assists and three steals in a 58-27 win over Huckabay.
We all know a football player who almost never misses any practice time and practically lives in the weight room. He’s always early to arrive and late to leave. He’s coachable, but seldom needs direction because he always pays attention.
You know who I’m talking about.
The guy who sets a good example for young players. The guy who never complains and, first and foremost, is tough mentally and physically. He may not be the best player on a team (though some of them are). But he’s definitely the guy who gets the most out of the talent he’s given.
Welcome to the 2024 “True Grit” team — the one place in the Big Country where guys who fall into this category are recognized for it.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2024 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 2024 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.
Reagan County 40, Forsan 6 — Jarrett Brown passed for 359 yards and four touchdowns, and three different players reached the century mark for receiving yards as the Owls cruised past the Buffaloes to wrap up a perfect run through district play.
Omrie Johnson (3-143, 2 TDs), Nicholas Franklin (6-100, 2 TDs) and Kason Brown (11-100) all eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark as Reagan County (9-1, 5-0) amassed 428 total yards as a team.
LAST WEEK: 45-8, .849
SEASON TOTAL: 464-122, .791
The regular season ends Friday night (if you can believe it) and there’s no better way to close things up than with No. 5 Class 2A DI Hawley (9-0, 4-0) at No. 1 Stamford (9-0, 4-0).
The winner will earn the District 4 championship and No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs, so much is at stake.
I’m leaning toward Stamford here for three reasons: First, the overall team speed of SHS is unmatched by anyone in the area.
Secondly, the Bulldogs have an intangible working here — specifically a last-second miracle touchdown scored by Hawley’s
Camden Ables from 45 yards out with 0:47 left in last year’s game.
Ozona 50, Forsan 28 — The Lions outscored the Buffaloes 36-8 over the middle two quarters to rally from an early deficit and pull away for a lopsided win.
Forsan gained 477 yards, getting 257 yards and two touchdowns passing Coy Evans and 221 yards and two TDs receiving from Hayden Bowlin, but it wasn’t enough in falling to 2-7 overall and 2-2 in district play. Huston Stockton also had a solid game for the Buffs, rushing for 93 yards and two scores in the loss.
Photos provided by Melissa Carroll and Kelly Moody
There’s a great deal of excitement brewing around the Tolar volleyball team heading into postseason play and with good reason. If the Lady Rattlers (28-9, 12-1 District 8-3A) manage to knock off Comanche on Tuesday, they will set a school record for wins in a season.
Secondly, senior setter Abbie Soileau is dishing assists like they were going out of style — including the 47 she tallied last week in wins over No. 25 Peaster and Early. That lifted her season total to a Tolar school record 1,032 assists on the year and more 1,700 for her career.
Forsan 36, Christoval 15 — Huston Stockton ran for 149 yard and three touchdowns, and Brayden Cervantes added 132 yards and one score on the ground to fuel the Buffaloes to a three-touchdown win over the Cougars.
Forsan, which led 22-15 at halftime before shutting Christoval out over the final two quarters, also got a solid game from quarterback Coy Evans (5-12-0—72, 1 TD passing; 3-23 rushing) in improving to 2-6 overall and 2-1 in district play.
LAST WEEK: 41-10 .803
SEASON TOTAL: 367-108, .772
Football season doesn’t feel complete without at least one visit to Chesley Field in Cisco. And Friday night, the Big Country Preps Game of the Week will stop by for a crucial District 4-2A DI matchup between the Loboes (5-2, 1-1) and Hawley (7-0, 2-0).
For Hawley, a win here will keep open the possibility of an unbeaten regular season. For Cisco, a victory would signal the beginning of a climb back into area prominence.
With the Albany Lions winning last week’s district game with Winters by a score of 60-0, there were ample opportunities for the Lions to produce a Player of the Week-worthy performance.
They found one in senior Branson Beal, who rushed 11 times for 144 yards and five scores. He also caught a 46-yard TD pass to chart six touchdowns on the night.
“He might have the quickest feet of any (player) I have coached,” Albany coach Denney Faith said. “Combine that with great vision it makes him fun to watch.”
Forsan 55, Colorado City 22 — The Buffaloes broke into the win column in dominant fashion, rushing for 509 yards as a team in a blowout win over the Wolves.
Huston Stockton had a monster game for Forsan (1-6, 1-1), finishing with 241 yards and three TDs rushing on just 13 carries. Coy Evans (5-6-0—42, 2 TDs passing; 8-89 rushing), Brayden Cervantes (6-86, 2 TDs rushing) and Yandell Melendez (14-66, 1 TD rushing) also had productive days for the Buffs, who led 42-22 by halftime before putting the game away in the third quarter.
Sonora 52, Forsan 0 — Aaron Segura passed for 433 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Broncos to a blowout win over the Buffaloes.
Kam Aguero (5-155, 3 TDs) and Jorge Leija (8-120, 1 TD) both had big nights catching the ball for Sonora (4-2, 1-0), which led 20-0 at halftime, before tacking on 16 points in each of the final two quarters.
LAST WEEK: 32-12, .809
SEASON TOTAL: 279-91, .757
Now it’s time to get down to business.
With most of the Big Country taking an open date last Friday as a prelude to district play, we now dive headfirst into the games that count the most.
District play opens tomorrow for most leagues in the area, the intensity of which is already tangible.
Can you feel it?
We’ll see you on the road.
Here’s this week’s area picks:
With the bulk of the area’s football teams taking the night off in a bye week prior to district, the question last Friday was if we could find an ample supply of top games and top performances to cover.
We actually found several — topped by a show-stopping effort by Coahoma’s Jaidyn Vineyard in an unforgettable 71-70 win over Littlefield in our Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
Overwhelming. If there were a one-word description for last week’s performance by six-foot Graham senior Lillian Noble, that would be it.
Noble, a four-year varsity player who has already committed to Oklahoma Baptist, was far and away the most dominant player in both a 3-1 win over Wichita Falls Memorial and a 3-1 loss to Glen Rose last week.
Her combined totals: 54 kills, 23 digs and 12 blocks — making her the most effective two-way player the area saw on both sides of the net last week.
“Lillian has become a true utility player for us this season,” coach Marci Faulk said. “It’s exciting to see her embrace this new role and have so much success doing so!”
Colorado City 37, Bangs 36 — The Wolves pulled out a back-and-forth affair, outlasting the Dragons in a thriller that featured six lead changes.
Neither team led or trailed by more than seven points in the matchup, which saw C-City (2-3) rally from a 30-29 deficit to go up 37-30 in the fourth quarter. Bangs answered with a late score to make it 37-36 and went for two and couldn’t convert, but even then the excitement wasn’t over.
Colorado City 34, San Angelo Grape Creek 28 — Jeremaih Green ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Wolves to a thrilling win over the Eagles.
Colorado City (1-3), which led 21-16 at halftime and held off Grape Creek in the second half, finished with 269 yards rushing, while Ryland Senter added 84 yards through the air.
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:
Stanton 37, Forsan 36 — FHS suffered its third consecutive one-score loss to open the season, dropping a heartbreaker to its Buffalo counterparts.
Forsan led 24-22 at halftime thanks to a 24-point second quarter. But SHS outscored FHS 15-6 in the third quarter to go up 37-30, and Forsan was unable to complete the conversion after its fourth-quarter touchdown, leaving it with a gut-wrenching one-point loss.
LAST WEEK: 46-28, .621
SEASON TOTAL: 94-48, .661
Abysmal.
That’s about the only adjective that comes to mind when trying to describe my Big Country football picks, which are off to the single worst start through two weeks that I’ve ever experienced in 18 years of covering area football.
A percentage of .621 after two weeks of play is beatable by throwing darts, flipping coins, or even consulting with your local horoscope page. Yet here I sit, trying to dig myself out of the hole I’ve created. But enough of that, Glen Rose at Brownwood is our Big Country Preps Game of the Week, in a week filled with interesting matchups.
Let’s have a look at them:
Post 32, Forsan 30 — The Buffaloes dropped a close one for the second straight week, following last week’s 34-28 loss to rival Coahoma with an even narrower defeat to the Antelopes.
Leading 10-6 after a quarter, Forsan was outscored 18-0 in the second period to go to halftime down 24-10. The teams then traded touchdowns in the third quarter, making it a 32-18 game heading into the fourth, when the Buffs scored twice but couldn’t complete the conversion on either TD.
Seymour 58, Colorado City 35 — The Wolves couldn’t keep up with the Panthers, opening the season with a shootout loss.
C-City trailed 6-2 after scoring a defensive two-point conversion following Seymour’s first touchdown and remained competitive through halftime, trailing just 34-23 in the second quarter. But Seymour extended its advantage to three scores in the second half to pull away for a comfortable win.
Wall 28, Mason 6 — Landon York threw for 148 yards, and two scores and Hagyn Barbee rushed for 37 yards and a TD to lead Wall to a win in Craig Slaughter’s coaching debut at WHS.
Briggs Jones was the top receiving target for the Hawks (1-0), hauling in three passes for 102 yards and two scores.
LAST WEEK: 0-0, .000
SEASON TOTAL: 00-00, .000
Week 1 is often loaded with difficult picks and 2024 is no exception.
Our first slate of games this year has a number of contests that could have qualified for the Big Country Preps Game of the Week. But we finally settled on Albany at Stamford for the spotlight.
The two-time defending state 2A DII state champions, minus several key players lost to graduation, facing a Stamford club bringing back most of its skill and a ton of speed.
It isn’t hard to find Liam Monpere on the football field during Colorado City Wolves games.
For one thing, he stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 250 pounds. For another, he runs REALLY fast for a guy that large. That’s “REALLY,” as in “4.9 seconds in the 40-yard dash” fast. After a while, fans just stop asking, “Who IS that big guy running all over the field?”
Colorado City coach Monty Leaf is convinced the Wolves have the athleticism this fall to compete for a playoff spot in District 3-2A Division I.
But, he says, that’s not likely to occur until his troops navigate the giant fork in the road facing Leaf and Co. as he begins his third year with the program.
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. 21. 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. 5, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2024 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.
We move to Class 2A Division I with the Colorado City Wolves. On Monday, we will take a look at the Forsan Buffaloes, followed by the Anson Tigers on Tuesday.
Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Colorado City Wolves … 36 days to two-a-days”
OTHER 2024 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS TEAMS
Our All-Big Country Preps Softball and Baseball Teams, released Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, are in place to honor those who achieved the most on-field success in 2024. 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 the Big Country had to offer during the 2024 season.
The players below are listed in no particular order.
Here are the recaps of the Big Country softball playoff results in the second round of the postseason: Continue reading “SOFTBALL PLAYOFF ROUNDUP: Despite weather, 12 area teams advance to third round with Bangs-Stamford outcome still pending”
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 25.
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.
There’s a test that probably everyone who has watched a baseball or softball game on television will ace. It has but one question, the answer to which will come without the need for research — or even much thought. It goes like this:
A batter hits the ball in the air to the outfield. The announcer says, “Going … Going …”
What is the next word he/she is most likely to utter?”
If you bellowed “GONE!,” pat yourself on the back. You just completed the phrase most often associated with a batter hitting a home run. And every time you hear those first two words — when your team is at the plate — you can’t wait to hear the third, because that means you’re about to be happy.
For those keeping score at home, Colorado City’s dynamic duo of Bryanna Munoz and AJ Goodney has made Wolves’ fans VERY happy this spring. VERY often.
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 18.
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.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 18.
With the end of the regular season, this will be our FINAL softball leaders posting for 2024.
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.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 11.
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.