Wylie 29, Lubbock Monterey 28 — Bear Meng passed for 277 yards and two touchdowns while adding another score on the ground to fuel the Bulldogs to a season-opening win over the Plainsmen.
Wylie, which had its Week 1 game at Brownwood canceled by lightning, led 20-14 at halftime and 26-14 early in the third quarter, before Monterey (0-2) responded with back-to-back touchdowns to enter the fourth quarter with a 28-26 lead. The score stayed there until the 3:42 mark of the final period, when Noah Rehburg hit a 25-yard field goal for what proved to be the winning points.
Azle 41, Abilene Cooper 34 — Leading 20-19 at halftime, the Cougars couldn’t hold off the Hornets in the second half, being outscored 22-14 over the final two quarters to drop a thriller in the season opener for both teams.

Week 1 is often loaded with difficult picks and 2024 is no exception.
While we normally try to share the love in our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column, five district titles in one week isn’t easy to sidestep.
While no-hitters are fairly common in high school baseball and softball, they generally put you at the top of the list where our Big Country Preps Player of the Week is concerned.
Sometimes the mercy rule and cheat a player a bit, limiting their number of plate appearances or the number of innings they can pitch.
Big moments attract big-time players and our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, certainly made the most of his opportunity over the weekend.