Category: De Leon Bearcats

by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 5-2A DIV. I WEEK 2 REPORT: Coleman blasts Ballinger, San Saba shuts down Junction

Coleman 48, Ballinger 0 — The Bluecats dominated the Bearcats, outgaining BHS 413-30 in a shutout victory.

Coleman, which led 30-0 by halftime, got a strong all-around game from quarterback Jadin Jackson (6-10-0—133, 2 TDs passing; 10-47, 1 TD rushing), while Ryland Gentry (13-102, 2 TDs) topped 100 yards rushing.

Brent Bouldin (9-66 rushing) and Dayden Hunter (7-62) both added rushing touchdowns, while Braxton Smith (2-77 receiving) and Hagen Cavanaugh (2-50) each caught touchdown passes as the Bluecats improved to 2-0.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

District 5-2A Div. I Week 1 Report: No. 9 Coleman edges Mason in slugfest

Coleman 7, Mason 6 — Leading by a point with just over a minute left, the Bluecats thwarted the Punchers’ two-point conversion attempt to escape this slugfest with a win Friday.

Coleman scored quickly to take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter — an advantage it held until Mason answered with its only score with 1:03 remaining in the game. That set up the dramatic finish, which saw the Bluecats improve to 1-0.

CHS got its touchdown on a deep ball from quarterback Jadin Jackson to Braxton Smith, while Mason scored on a late bomb from Ivan Wofford to Hunter Goodwin.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Quarterbacks

After a week of highlighting area playmakers, we wrap up our eight-part preseason position rankings series with the Big Country’s best signal callers.

To complete our look at the area’s top players, we’ve ranked our top 10 quarterbacks with a list of others to watch in 2022.

We hope you enjoy this list and that you’ve enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kick off a new season.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Running Backs

As we wind down our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we arrive finally at the Big Country’s top ball-carriers.

After breaking down this year’s crop of receivers and tight ends earlier today, we move now to the area’s top backs, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch in 2022. Don’t forget to check in Thursday when we conclude our series with the top 10 area quarterbacks.

We hope you enjoy tonight’s list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

We’re approaching the final stretch of our eight-part preseason position rankings series, and it’s time to look at the Big Country’s top receivers.

After starting the offensive portion of our series Tuesday with the linemen, we now shift our attention to the playmakers on the perimeter, ranking our top 10 wideouts/tight ends with a list of others to watch in 2022.

We hope you enjoy our list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.   

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Offensive Linemen

With the defensive and special teams rankings behind us, it’s time to look at the area’s top offensive players. And we’ll start with the foundation of any productive offense: the offensive line.

For the fifth installment of our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we turn our attention to the trenches, ranking the Big Country’s top 10 offensive linemen with a list of others to watch in 2022.

We hope you enjoy reading through our rankings.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Kickers/Punters

After recognizing the top defensive players throughout the Big Country over the past three days, it’s time to honor the specialists.

We continue our eight-part preseason position rankings series by naming our top eight kickers and top eight punters to watch this fall.

We hope you enjoy this list and that you have enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kickoff the 2022 season.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Backs

After starting with the linemen and linebackers, we turn to the defensive backfield to complete our look at the top defenders in the Big Country.

For the third installment in our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we shift our focus to the secondary, giving our list of the area’s top-10 defensive backs and others to look out for in 2022.

We hope you enjoy our list.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Linebackers

After taking a look at the Big Country’s top defensive linemen on Saturday, it’s now time to examine those who will backing them in 2022.

Continuing with Big Country Preps’ eight-part preseason position rankings series, here’s our top 10 linebackers to watch this fall, as well as a list of the others we’re expecting big things from.

We hope you enjoy our list.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Linemen

With the start of football season around the corner, it’s time to take a look at the players who will be making the biggest impact in 2022.

For the first installment in an eight-part series that will cover all position groups, we’ll be taking a look at the area’s top defensive linemen, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch this fall.

As with any such list, these rankings are subjective. We hope you enjoy reading through them.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

2022 DISTRICT PREDICTIONS: Evan and Daniel make their picks

Without further ado, it is time for us to make our Big Country predictions, district-by-district.

This is the culmination of several weeks of research and two solid months of summertime labor, so we’re more than ready to post it. 

So dive in and study our take on the upcoming season, along with the more than 80 preseason stories we posted earlier today. Enjoy! We’ll see you on the road. 
You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

DE LEON FEATURE: Lessons learned from an 0-10 campaign push Bearcats into the weight room

DE LEON — Nothing motivates a football team more than the nagging fatigue of losing. And in the case of the De Leon Bearcats, they got more than their fair share of it with an 0-10 mark last year.

De Leon was young. It’s numbers were low and it was in the midst of learning a new system under first-year coach Jacob Marwitz. It couldn’t have been a more challenging scenario and the Bearcats’ record reflected it. 

There is, however, reason for optimism in the DHS camp, spurred on by a new devotion to weight training that has heard the Bearcats clanging and banging metal in the fieldhouse since their last game.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

2022 DE LEON FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Bearcats feeling positive heading into ’22 season

 

DE LEON — For 15 straight games, the De Leon football team has been on the losing side of the equation. 

Not since a 20-19 win over Seymour on Sept. 25 of 2020 have the Bearcats tasted victory. And even then, it was DHS’ only win in a 1-9 season. Dating back three full years, De Leon is 5-27 overall and hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record since the 2019 playoffs. 

There are, however, reasons to believe that the Bearcats are about to turn a corner and become competitive again. One look at the increase in participation at DHS and it’s easy to see how that is possible.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: De Leon Bearcats

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. 17. 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. 1, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2022 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

We stay in Class 2A Division I with the De Leon Bearcats. On Saturday we will take a look at the Goldthwaite Eagles, followed by the San Saba Armadillos on Sunday.

Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: De Leon Bearcats” →

by Evan Ren

Evan Ren’s 2022 BCP Baseball/Softball All-Hustle Team: The hardest-working players in the area!

OTHER 2022 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS TEAMS

Character, grit and work ethic aren’t seen in a box score. And it is with our Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team that we wish to honor those players (male and female) who exemplify those qualities. 

The All-Hustle team isn’t about who the best baseball and softball players were. It honors the best teammates. 

It is here where effort, discipline and coachability — traits that coaches wish they had in every player and upon which championships are built — are honored.

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 2022 baseball and softball seasons.

The players below are listed in no particular order. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: C-City pitcher Kaci Rivera takes the top spot

It’s difficult to top back-to-back shutouts when searching for a Player of the Week, especially when one of the vanquished is a solid team from a higher classification.

That was the case last week for Colorado City softball pitcher Kaci Rivera, who held both Big Spring (7-0) and Borden County (6-0) to a goose egg, with 23 strikeouts in 14 innings of work. 

Our Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week allowed only five total hits in the two games, to go with two walks. 

“Kaci has really started to show her dominance on the mound,” coach Krysten Marr said. “She is a fierce competitor on both sides of the ball and we are excited to see how she does going into district play.”

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Feb. 3)

Each Thursday night, Big Country Preps will publish area boys and girls basketball statistical leaders.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Teams that do not submit their statistics in a given week will not be listed when our stats are posted, but will be added to the lists below as they are received in the coming days. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

UIL REALIGNMENT: Big Country football landscape will change dramatically

While icy road conditions may have changed the UIL’s method of delivering the news, the results of its biennial realignment still offered the usual mix of surprises on Thursday. 

Held via live feed over the internet, area coaches learned their fate on the web. 

Topping the list of stunners for area teams would be the shift of Brownwood from its centralized home in District 5-4A DI to the far west in District 2.  There, the Lions will join Big Spring, Lubbock Estacado, San Angelo Lake View and Andrews — the last of which will produce a 480-mile round trip.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

SIGNING DAY: Eakin, Jones among several high-profile area signees

What appeared to be a slow year for the Big Country on the signing front quickly blossomed into something memorable in 2022. 

With National Signing Day taking place on Wednesday, the Big Country Preps coverage area finished with multiple Division I signees, including several on the gridiron. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 20)

Each Thursday night, Big Country Preps will publish area boys and girls basketball statistical leaders.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Teams that do not submit their statistics in a given week will not be listed when our stats are posted, but will be added to the lists below as they are received in the coming days. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 20)

Each Thursday night, Big Country Preps will publish area boys and girls basketball statistical leaders.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Teams that do not submit their statistics in a given week will not be listed when our stats are posted, but will be added to the lists below as they are received in the coming days. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

EVAN REN’S 2021 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, takes pride in being coachable but seldom needs direction. 

He always sets the right example for younger players. He doesn’t gripe and, above all else, he’s tough enough to make all the aforementioned traits 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, who exemplify the character traits football mentors want throughout their roster. 

Not all of them are great players. In fact, many of them will never play a down of college football. But every single one of them is making the most of their high school football experience and has helped those around them do the same.

We are absolutely honored to present these young men to you — the toughest, hardest-working football players the Big Country had to offer in 2021. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

2021 BIG COUNTRY PREPS MAX EFFORT TEAM: The hardest-working players in area volleyball!

While our All-Big Country Preps Volleyball team is in place to honor those who achieved the most on-court success, our “Max Effort” team is something much more uncommon. 

This is a special accolade, which has nothing to do with talent or stats.

It is here where character, grit and work ethic — traits that coaches wish every player had — are recognized. It is here where we honor the best teammates and best citizens that area volleyball has to offer.

It is for that reason that this team is selected by area coaches and described in their own words.

Big Country Preps is now honored to present these individuals to you — the hardest-working, toughest volleyball players in the Big Country. Ladies and gentlemen: Our 2021 Big Country Preps Max Effort Team. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Boys Basketball Position Rankings: Guards

With boys basketball season beginning this week, it’s time to shine a spotlight on some of the players you’ll be reading about throughout the 2021-22 season.

For the first installment in a three-part series that will cover all positions on the area boys basketball scene, we’ll be taking a look at the Big Country’s top guards, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch this winter.

We hope you enjoy reading through our list.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Roscoe’s Watts claims this week’s award

Nobody ever truly obtains perfection on the football field. And even if you believe you’ve achieved it, any competent coach can quickly scan the game film and point out when and where you could have been better along the way. 

Roscoe sophomore Jax Watts, however, came about as close as one can come to that lofty goal in Friday’s 61-0 win over Hamlin. 

To begin with, our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week hit 17 of 18 passes for 436 yards and six touchdowns as the Plowboys (9-1) closed the season with a nine-game winning streak and district title. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

District 4-2A Div. I Week 11 Report: Huston has big night to lead Cisco in win over San Saba

Cisco 46, San Saba 7 — Trent Huston rushed for 181 yards on only eight carries and scored four touchdowns to lead Cisco in a win over San Saba.

With the score knotted at 7 near the end of the first quarter, Cisco took the game over with 39 unanswered points, including three straight TDs to close the first half. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Posts

After focusing on the top guards and forwards the Big Country has to offer the past two nights, it’s time to shift our attention to the paint.

For the final installment in our three-part position rankings series, we list our top-10 post players for the 2021-22 season.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through these rankings, and make sure to come back next week when we’ll feature the top boys basketball players in the Big Country.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us