Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 25.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Category: Comanche Indians
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche’s Glasgow claims this week’s accolade
She’s third in the Big Country in scoring (17.9 points per game). She’s tied for 10th in the area with more than 40 made 3s. She hits 74 percent of her foul shots (12th in the Big Country). She’s second in the area in steals at 5.8 per game and she’s second the Big Country in pass deflections at 6.0.
So is anyone really surprised that Comanche junior Kinsey Glasgow has put forward another effort worthy of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award?
Evan Ren’s 2023 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.
Welcome to Big Country Preps’ “True Grit” team — a collection of area players nominated by their head coaches and Big Country Preps staff, who exemplify the character traits football mentors want throughout their roster.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS RISING STARS TEAM: The top football under classmen in the Big Country for 2023
Here are our selections for the 2023 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: Cooper’s Sloan takes this week’s top spot
Nobody needed a pair of district wins more than the Cooper Lady Cougars last week, and with the help of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, J’Lee Sloan, they did just that.
After starting their district slate at 0-4, the Lady Coogs had to have a win over Lubbock, which they achieved, 60-53, behind 27 points and 17 boards from Sloan.
Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 11): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 11.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 11): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 11.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
PHOTO GALLERY: Brock-Comanche girls basketball (46 images)
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GAME STORY: Perennial power Brock slows red-hot Comanche with 47-32 defeat
COMANCHE — The road to winning a district championship in girls basketball often runs through Brock. And after an impressive 47-32 win by the Lady Eagles at Comanche on Tuesday, it does again.
Unranked by the Texas Girls Coaches Association (13th by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches) and suiting only seven players, Brock used lockdown defense and broke Comanche’s full-court press to rally for the win at the Comanche ISD Special Events Center.
Jacee Riddle scored a game-high 19 points, including six 3-pointers and Keira Mathews added 12 points to lead Brock (15-8, 4-0), which overcame a 17-13 first-quarter deficit by limiting Comanche to only 15 total points over the last three quarters.
PHOTO GALLERY: Eula Holiday Classic Day 3 (242 images)
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PHOTO GALLERY: Eula Holiday Classic Day 2 (164 images)
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TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Comanche, San Saba girls advance to Eula Holiday Classic title game; Jim Ned boys fall in semis
EULA — The Comanche and San Saba girls basketball teams, ranked No. 5 and 16 in Class 3A and 2A respectively, completed perfect runs through the Eula Holiday Classic semifinals on Friday to claim spots in the event’s championship game Saturday evening.
Comanche, which cruised through Roscoe (72-43) and Hermleigh (73-44) on the tournament’s opening day Thursday, survived a test from Class 1A No. 10 Whiteface on Friday, outlasting the Lady Lopes for a 45-38 victory in the semifinals. And San Saba followed Thursday’s 63-37 win over Ballinger with hard-fought victories over Canadian (59-45) and tournament host Eula (59-55) to earn its spot in the title game.
The Maidens and Lady Dillos will match up for the tournament championship at 5:20 p.m. on Saturday, while Eula will take on Whiteface for third place at 1:20. The Jim Ned boys will also compete for third place, taking on Tolar at noon after dropping a tough 50-48 game to Holiday in the semifinals Friday.
PHOTO GALLERY: Eula Holiday Classic Day 1 (125 images)
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PHOTO GALLERY: Evan Ren’s top 100 football photos for 2023
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FEATURE: Hard work, youthful talent, new venue has Maidens staring at a bright future
Photos courtesy of Santos Gomez
COMANCHE — For 10 years, coach Diana Salinas and her Comanche girls basketball program have had their share of ups and downs, with an overall record of 122-130 and five playoff appearances. A widely divergent mix of veteran and very youthful clubs were a factor in this, with the program rebuilding after each set of heavy graduation losses.
There are, however, several signs that Comanche’s search for consistency is on the verge of ending, not the least of which is its current 16-1 record and top-five rankings by both the Texas Girls Coaches Association and the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. Only this time around, the Maidens are playing at an elite level, despite being extremely young.
Rather than being in another rebuilding cycle, the Maidens are riding a 12-game winning streak with a roster consisting of two seniors, two juniors, four sophomores and a freshman. Perhaps most importantly, their three leading scorers are a junior (Kinsey Glasgow, 17.3) and two sophomores (J’Lee Salinas and Jade Morin) who average 13.2 and 11.8 points, respectively.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Gordon senior Caitlyn Parsons snags this week’s award
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a Class 1A girls team from the outer reaches of our coverage area land our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. But Gordon’s Caitlyn Parsons put an end to the drought with a huge performance in the Mesquite Pit Classic in Poolville.
Helping the Lady Longhorns to a 4-1 mark in the event, Parson tallied a combined 70 points, 50 boards, 16 steals, five assists, 11 blocks and one charge through five games to earn all-tournament honors and lead GHS to a third-place finish. She also had 10 points in a loss to San Saba earlier in the week.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Albany’s Hill takes this week’s award with big performance in regional title game
Big-time players come up with big-time performances in big games. And our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, Albany’s Adam Hill, is a big-time player.
Helping the Lions capture the Region II-2A DII title, Hill was a punisher out of the Lions’ backfield last Thursday in Iowa Park, rushing for 223 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries in a 52-14 rout of a very good Collinsville team.
The Texas Tech-bound senior also caught a pair of passes for 31 yards and an additional touchdown as Albany improved to 14-0 on the year.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stephenville’s Butchee takes the top spot
We freely admit that more offensive players take our Big Country Preps Player of the Week than do defenders.
But a great defensive performance can, indeed, take the top spot and that is the case with this week’s award winner: Stephenville sophomore linebacker, Hudson Butchee.
With the Yellow Jackets squaring off with perennial power Celina in the Region II-4A DI semifinals, Butchee played like a man possessed in a 7-3 Stephenville win.
EVAN REN’S THANKSGIVING WEEK PLAYOFF PICKS: Big Country takes 16 teams from 1A through 5A into Turkey Day weekend
LAST WEEK: 22-5, .814
SEASON TOTAL: 535-108, .832
Turkey Day has arrived and we’ve still got 16 Big Country football teams from 1A through 5A hitting the field this week.
That’s up from 13 a year ago, giving you some perspective on the overall quality of area football in 2023. And unless I miss my guess, we’ll have at least 10 area teams still slugging it out in December.
Not too shabby.
Of those, we have roughly seven or eight that have a shot at reaching Arlington and playing for a state championship, including four that I would consider favorites to win it all.
That said, let’s take a look at this week’s matchups, shall we?
Be safe going to your games!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: With Windthorst vanquished, Ivan “The Terrible” hath seized thy weekly accolade
It’s always nice to see numbers that match a nickname. And in the case of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, there’s no worries in that department.
Roscoe junior running back Ivan “The Terrible” McCann takes the accolade for the week ending Nov. 18 after helping the Plowboys to a stunning 50-22 win over Windthorst in the 2A DI area round.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYOFF FORECAST: BCP carries 33 teams into Week 13, but how many will move on?
LAST WEEK: 36-5, .878
SEASON TOTAL: 513-103, .832
As we enter Week 13, the Big Country Preps coverage area still has 33 teams from 1A through 5A with a playoff pulse, including a handful with decent shot at a state championship.
However, as we all know, things begin to get much tougher when you get to the area round and unless I miss my guess, we’ll see around 15-17 of our area teams eliminated by Saturday.
The good news is, we should have 16-18 clubs playing over the Thanksgiving holiday, which is a pretty solid number for what will be the 14th week of the season.
So without further ado, let’s dive in.
Here’s this week’s playoff forecast:
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hico’s Powell takes this week’s accolade
Big numbers are always great to have when we decide the winner of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. Solid numbers across multiple tasks are even better.
That was the case with this week’s spotlight player, Buck Powell, of Hico, who helped the Tigers to a 47-14 rout of Maud in the Class 2A DII bi-district round on Friday.
2023 BIG COUNTRY PREPS BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW: The area’s top teams in each class throughout the BCP coverage area
With a new season of boys high school basketball poised to begin, it’s time to take a look at what the Big Country will produce on the court.
Below you will find our top teams in each classification in the Big Country Preps coverage area, from Big Spring in the West, to Brock in the east and from Brady in the south to Munday in the north.
Our rankings of the top teams in each class are given, along with a season outlook, cataloguing our expectations for each club.
Here’s our preview. We’ll see you on the road.
GAME STORY: Comanche rallies to eliminate Henrietta, win bi-district title
SPRINGTOWN – Layden Welch wanted redemption.
The Comanche quarterback felt like he had let his squad down after his fumble led to Henrietta taking the lead late in the third quarter of a hotly contested Region II-3A Division II bi-district game.
With the Bearcats holding all the momentum, Welch made amends with an 89-yard touchdown pass to Kyler Beaty with 5:34 remaining that was the difference in the Indians’ 26-21 victory.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sweetwater’s Moore wins second award in less than a month
Korda Moore has been playing well all year for the Sweetwater Mustangs. But he picked the right moment for one of his best games last Friday, helping the Mustangs clinch a playoff spot with a 51-38 win over Snyder.
To begin with, Moore rushed 11 times for 106 yards and five scores. Along the way he added a pair of two-point conversion runs for a total of 34 points on the night.
Defensively he charted 12 tackles, three of which were behind the Snyder line of scrimmage and had a quarterback hurry as well.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Comanche routs Eastland; Merkel closes with upset win over Millsap
Comanche 46, Eastland 7 — The Indians ran for 295 yards, getting 100-yard games from Colt Schwertner and Sawyer Wilkerson to pull away from the Mavericks for a lopsided win.
Comanche (6-4, 3-2), which got 125 yards and two touchdowns from Schwertner and 109 yards from Wilkerson, led 25-0 by halftime and was never threatened after the break. Layden Welch also had a productive day for the Indians, passing for 89 yards and two TDs while rushing for 39 yards an another score.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Wylie, Cooper clash in burgeoning rivalry game
LAST WEEK: 47-5, .903
SEASON TOTAL: 438-91, .827
With the column hitting at more than 90 percent accuracy last week, we now close the regular season on the upswing and with something uncommon: A local Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
While our weekly picks column generally highlights the top area game outside of the Abilene city limits, this week seems to call for us to stay at home with rivals Wylie (6-3, 3-1) and Cooper (4-5, 3-1) fighting for sole possession of the No. 2 seed in District 2-5A Division II.
Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 31)
NOTE: This will be our final installment of Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders for the 2023 season
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m. roughout the regular season.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Comanche routs Merkel; Eastland too much for Dublin
Comanche 48, Merkel 0 — The Indians rushed for 330 of their 436 yards, getting big games from Sawyer Wilkerson and Colt Schwertner in a blowout win over the Badgers.
Wilkerson finished with 139 yards and two touchdowns while Schwertner added 102 yards and one TD to lead Comanche (5-4, 2-2), which built a 28-0 lead by halftime.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Bulldogs, Bearcats meet with district title in the balance
LAST WEEK: 44-7, .862
SEASON TOTAL: 391-86, .820
It really didn’t take long for people to start talking about the Hawley – Stamford matchup in 2023. In fact, this one was on our calendar as a possible Game of the Week before the season even started.
Who will win? That depends on who you speak with. Our Twitter poll is split virtually down the middle and even the computers see this one as a near tossup.
Stamford (7-0, 4-0 District 4-2A DII) enters this game scarcely challenged, rolling over the opposition by an average tally of 45-8. Hawley (6-2, 4-0), on the other hand, comes in with some battle scars after a brutal schedule featuring Jim Ned, Lubbock Roosevelt and Albany.
Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 24)
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m. roughout the regular season.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 9 REPORT: Comanche snaps streak against Dublin; Millsap rallies past Eastland
Comanche 60, Dublin 13 — Layden Welch ran for 98 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 154 yards and two more scores to help the Indians snap a four-game losing streak with a thorough victory over the Lions.
Sawyer Wilkerson added 98 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while Colt Schwertner (8-79), Kazdon Thedford (2-68) and Ezequiel Medrano (1-20) also rushed for touchdowns as Comanche improved to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in district play.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Stephenville hosts China Spring (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
LAST WEEK: 40-8, .833
SEASON TOTAL: 347-79, .814
As Week 9 of the 2023Texas High School football season gets underway, there are multiple high-profile games that would qualify as our Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
But we’re settling for a rare Thursday night matchup at Tarleton State University where seventh-ranked 4A DI Stephenville (5-2, 1-0) will play host to fourth-ranked China Spring (6-2, 2-0) in a game will give the victor sole possession of first place in District 5.
Picking who wins it may come down to throwing darts, but I do believe China Spring has one key advantage.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 8 REPORT: Eastland knocks off Merkel; Jacksboro rallies past Comanche
Eastland 23, Merkel 20 — The Mavericks raced out a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, stretched it to 23-6 by halftime and held on for dear life from there to knock off the Badgers in a district thriller.
Isaiah Hays passed for 166 yards and a touchdown for Eastland (2-5, 1-1), which got rushing touchdowns from Eddie Medina and Cayden Alford and strong receiving days from Jay Oznick (9-87) and Preston Rose (2-59, 1 TD).
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Hico hosts Dawson with high playoff seeds in the balance (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
LAST WEEK: 41-7, .854
SEASON TOTAL: 307-71, .812
Big Country Preps makes a point of sharing the love and we look for opportunities to take our Game of the Week to as many different places that make sense each year.
Yet since our inaugural season in 2018, a rebuilding Hico football team missed our spotlight game for five straight seasons.
That drought ends this week when BCP visits Hico for the first time as the Tigers (5-2, 2-1 District 10-2A DII) host Dawson (5-1, 2-0) in a crucial matchup with high seed implications.
Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 10)
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m. roughout the regular season.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 7 REPORT: Merkel thumps Dublin; Millsap takes down Comanche to open league play
Merkel 47, Dublin 21 — The Badgers kicked off district play with a comfortable win over the Lions, getting 145 yards and three touchdowns passing from Maddox O’Malley and 181 yards and a TD rushing from Connor Willyerd in the process.
Rayson Houston (1-59 receiving), Kaden Blubaugh (3-44) and Bryant Jones (2-37) all caught touchdown passes from O’Malley, who added 34 yards and another score rushing in the win. Merkel (5-1, 1-0) finished with 496 yards of total offense, rushing for 287 to go with 209 yards through the air.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Clyde heads to Vernon for district-opening battle of unbeatens
LAST WEEK: 37-3, .925
SEASON TOTAL: 266-64, .806
Contrast in styles games make for excellent entertainment and are usually high on our list of potential Big Country Preps Games of the Week.
Friday we have such a matchup when Clyde (5-0) travels to Vernon (5-0) in the District 3-3A DI opener for both clubs. Clyde and its power spread offense capable of running or throwing the ball well, against a run-based multiple attack used by Vernon that seems almost out of the 1950s.
Both clubs are good at what they do. Both are physical and both are fully aware of how important this league opener is. In fact, this may end up ranking as one of the more physical Games of the Week we’ll see in 2023.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Yellow Jackets head to Brownwood to face archrival
LAST WEEK: 46-12, .793
SEASON TOTAL: 229-61, .789
More often than not, Big Country Preps makes an appearance at the annual Stephenville-Brownwood matchup. Because more often than not, it produces a game worthy of one of Texas’ top rivalries.
This year is no exception as Stephenville travels to famous Gordon Wood Stadium for the Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Eastland knocks off Jim Ned; Merkel, Dublin score victories
Eastland 21, Jim Ned 19 — Isaiah Hays passed for 259 yards and a touchdown and Cayden Alford rushed for a pair of scores to lift the Mavericks to an upset win over the Indians.
Preston Rose had a huge day receiving, hauling in four passes for 127 yards and a TD for EHS (1-4), which outscored Jim Ned 14-12 in the final quarter to earn its first victory of the season.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Sweetwater plays host to Clyde in battle of unbeatens
LAST WEEK: 44-11, .800
SEASON TOTAL: 183-49, .788
Some weeks are just loaded with competitive area games and Week 5 of the 2023 season falls squarely into that category.
This week’s menu features six or seven games that under normal circumstances, would qualify for our Big Country Preps Game of the Week. This forces us to push some great matchups aside to select our spotlight game.
This week, we go with a battle of unbeatens — Class 3A Division I Clyde (4-0) at Class 4A Div. II Sweetwater (4-0) — at the famed Mustang Bowl at SHS.
PHOTO GALLERY: Tolar-Comanche football (39 images)
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DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 4 REPORT: Merkel runs over Bangs; Eastland, Dublin competitive in losses
Merkel 54, Bangs 37 — Connor Willyerd and Maddox O’Malley rushed for 171 and 164 yards, respectively, as the Badgers ran over and around the Dragons for a comfortable win.
Willyerd had one touchdown and O’Malley rushed for four as Merkel (3-1) finished with 389 yards on the ground as a team. Braxton Duden (4-60 rushing) also had a rushing TD for the Badgers, who got 98 yards passing and one score from O’Malley and 72 yards and two touchdowns receiving from Kaden Blubaugh.
BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Tolar spoils Comanche’s homecoming with one big play after another
COMANCHE — It was to be a special night for Comanche, with an overflow crowd and a game ball hand-delivered at the 50-yardline via helicopter to kick off the 2023 Homecoming celebration.
Unfortunately for Comanche, the Tolar Rattlers never received the memo and left Indian Stadium with a convincing 41-18 win to hand the seventh-ranked 3A DII Indians their first loss of the year.
Isaac Blessing threw for 125 yards, rushed for 148 and accounted for three scores to lead fifth-ranked 2A DI Tolar, which took a quick 14-0 lead and managed to hold off the Indians with a combination of big plays and defense.