Nobody played a tougher schedule over the holidays than the Wall boys. And nobody had a bigger impact on their successful run through a brutal five-game stretch than 6-foot-7 big man Paxton Brake who takes our first Big Country Preps Player of the Week for 2026.
Brake, a junior, scored a combined 70 points through the break, averaging 14 points, 9.2 boards and 3.2 assists to help the Hawks go 4-1 over the break with wins over Decatur, Lorena, Ponder and Sweetwater, along with a close loss to perennial power Brock.
Wall enters this week at 17-5 overall.
In helping the Jayton Jaybirds to a second-straight state title last week, senior running back Bode Ham not only produced the top game in our coverage area, but his performance will likely remain part of six-man lore forever. 
If you were told that the Big Country had a possible boys basketball star in the making, where would you guess he was from? 
It’s one thing to pour in points. 
Big-time performances are the norm this year for the 13-0 Brock Eagles, who earned a trip to the Region I-4A DII championship game with last week’s 66-3 win over Seminole. 
Not only is our Big Country Preps Player of the Week holding down the top spot with big numbers, but his performance in Graham’s 35-28 area round win over Lubbock Cooper Liberty was a virtual seminar on poise. 
Comanche 43, Clyde 42 — The Indians pulled off a stunning upset on Friday to finish at 5-5 overall and 2-3 in district play — narrowly missing the playoffs.
It’s been a good while since a Goldthwaite Eagle snagged our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award in any sport. But sophomore Owen Campbell obliterated that streak with a fabulous effort in a 61-0 rout of Meridian on Friday. 
Jim Ned 41, Clyde 34 — Cash Gwinn threw for 157 yards and two TDs and rushed for an additional 40 yards and a third score to lift Jim Ned to an important win over Clyde. 
What more can be said about the performance of Wall senior Landon York last week other than it was a model of efficiency?
Breckenridge 26, Comanche 22 — Breckenridge used a solid defensive effort to get past Comanche in a vitally important game for both clubs. 
Jim Ned 49, Breckenridge 7 — Cash Gwinn threw for 186 yards and three scores and Aiden Ellis rushed for 127 yards and another TD as Jim Ned earned its fourth straight win.
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. 
Jim Ned 56, Comanche 3 — Cash Gwinn threw for 283 yards and three scores and Aiden Ellis rushed for 90 yards and two more TDs as Jim Ned (5-1, 1-0) won the district opener for both schools. 
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. 
Clyde 54, Muleshoe 49 — The Bulldogs topped Muleshoe in what turned out to be the area’s most entertaining game of the week. 
Comanche 36, Tolar 33 — Ladainian Smith rushed for 141 yards and three scores and Zaden Tello rushed for 103 yards and another TD to help Comanche even its record at 2-2. 
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.
Comanche 42, Eastland 14 — Ladanian Smith rushed for 102 yards and two scores and Zaden Tello rushed or 72 yards and two more TDs as Comanche (1-2) earned its first win of the year. 
Clyde 52, Eastland 28 — The Bulldogs used a 20-0 first quarter to gain control of this contest and never looked back. 
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. 
Jim Ned 42, Lubbock Estacado 21 — Cash Gwinn was 8-of-15 through the air for 187 yards and three scores and Aiden Ellis rushed for 113 yards and another TD to lift Jim Ned to an impressive win over Lubbock Estacado. 
COMANCHE— After a three-year run that saw Comanche post a 25-11 overall record with three straight playoff berths, the Indians may have to take some time to rebuild in 2025. 
ABILENE — Both teams had dominated the Big Country and surrounding area for the entire track season, so few were stunned on Saturday when both Wall and Gordon captured the Region I-3A and II-1A boys championships at Abilene Christian University’s Elmer Gray Stadium.