Here are the Big Country’s receiving leaders through Week 8:
Category: Dublin Lions
MIKE LEE’S WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Former Big Country stars helped McMurry’s record 13-touchdown performance
Note: If you know of a former Big Country Prep athlete now performing in college or professional sports, contact Mike Lee at michaellee7@att.net.
McMurry set a school record by scoring 13 touchdowns during Saturday’s 93-20 win over Westgate Christian, and many of the War Hawks’ contributors on both sides of the football are from the Big Country.
McMurry reserve quarterback Chris Teten, a junior from Dublin, completed 5 of 7 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 26 yards and a TD on three carries. Teten hadn’t attempted a pass this season prior to Saturday’s game, and in 2025, he passed for 95 yards in six games for the War Hawks.
Brayden Loyd, a freshman from Seymour, was the fifth McMurry quarterback to appear in Saturday’s game, and he finished 5-of-7 passing for 113 yards and one score. Loyd’s dad, Dan, is the head football coach at Roscoe.
DISTRICT 5-3A DII WEEK 8 REPORT: Comanche, Dublin and Hamilton all pick up convincing wins
Comanche 40, Dublin 0 — Zaden Tello ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns, and Nicholas Anaya ran for 139 yards and a score to lead the Indians to a lopsided win over the Lions.
LaDainian Smith added 70 yards and two scores on the ground for Comanche (3-4, 2-2), which ran for 441 yards while getting 82 yards and a TD passing from Cooper Welch.
DISTRICT 5-3A DII WEEK 7 REPORT: Tolar, Hamilton score comfortable wins; Dublin, Comanche and Eastland all fall
Tolar 49, Rio Vista 13 — Briton Rice had a big day throwing the football, and Kelvin Murray continued his outstanding season on the ground to lead the Rattlers to a convincing win over the Eagles.
With his team leading 20-7 at halftime, Murray ran for a pair of third-quarter TDs to push Tolar’s lead to 35-7 by the start of the fourth quarter. And Rice capped a productive night with a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to make it a 42-13 game, before Tanner Emery capped the scoring with a rushing TD.
DISTRICT 5-3A DII WEEK 5 REPORT: Tolar, Hamilton pick up victories as district race remains wide open
Tolar 42, Comanche 24 — Trailing 17-7 midway through the second quarter, the Rattlers rallied to take a 28-24 lead into halftime before dominating the second half to pull away from the Indians for a three-score win.
The victory, which improved Tolar (2-3 overall) to 1-1 in district play, saw the Rattlers limit Comanche to 338 total yards in pitching a second-half shutout.
DISTRICT 5-3A DII WEEK 4 REPORT: Comanche, Eastland open league play with victories; Hamilton, Tolar fall
Comanche 21, Clifton 14 — Zaden Tello ran for 108 yards and all three of the Indians touchdowns to lead Comanche (2-2, 1-0) to a big district-opening win over the Cubs.
Tello also had a team-high 44 yards receiving as the Indians stretched a 7-0 halftime lead to 14-0 by the end of the third quarter and held off a Clifton rally in the fourth.
DISTRICT 5-3A DII WEEK 3 REPORT: Hamilton, Tolar, Dublin and Eastland all pick up first wins
Hamilton 34, Brady 17 — A 21-point second quarter turned the tide for HHS in a 17-point win over the Brady in this battle of Bulldogs.
Trailing 3-0 after a quarter, Hamilton (1-2) rallied to take a 21-10 lead into halftime. Brady then scored the only touchdown of the third quarter to pull within four points, before HHS closed things out with 13 unanswered points in the fourth.
DISTRICT 5-3A DII WEEK 2 REPORT: Area teams go 0-5 as district drops all but two games
Cisco 38, Comanche 6 — Colby McIlroy passed for 200 yards and two touchdowns and added another score on the ground to fuel the Loboes to a lopsided win over the Indians.
Landry Vosburg added 102 yards and one TD rushing, and Cannon Harris had 84 yards and two TDs receiving to help Cisco, which led 24-6 by halftime.
DISTRICT 5-3A DII WEEK 1 REPORT: Comanche takes care of Breck to headline otherwise rough week for area squads
Comanche 28, Breckenridge 6 — Cooper Welch threw for 135 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 pass attempts, and LaDainian Smith added 63 yards and a pair of scores on the ground to fuel the Indians to a three-score win over the Buckaroos.
Comanche also got productive days from Nicolas Anaya (6-91 rushing) and Zaden Tello (6-82 rushing; 2-64, 1 TD receiving) in increasing a 13-0 halftime lead to 28-0 in the fourth quarter before Breckenridge finally got on the board with an 80-yard kickoff return.
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 15 quarterbacks with a list of others to watch in 2026.
We hope you enjoy this list and that you’ve enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kick off a new season.
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 15 with a list of others to watch in 2026. Don’t forget to check in tomorrow when we conclude our series with the top 10 area quarterbacks.
We hope you enjoy this list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.
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 with the linemen, we now shift our attention to the playmakers on the perimeter, ranking our top 15 wideouts/tight ends with a list of others to watch in 2026.
We hope you enjoy our list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.
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 15 offensive linemen with a list of others to watch in 2026.
We hope you enjoy reading through our rankings.
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 10 kickers and top three 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 2026 season.
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 15 defensive backs and others to look out for in 2026.
We hope you enjoy our list.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Linebackers
After taking a look at the Big Country’s top defensive linemen last night, it’s now time to examine those who will backing them in 2026.
Continuing with Big Country Preps’ eight-part preseason position rankings series, here’s our top 15 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.
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 2026.
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 15 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.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Linemen”
2026 DISTRICT PREDICTIONS: Evan and Daniel make their picks
The time has arrived for us to make our Big Country predictions, district-by-district.
Several weeks of research and two solid months of summertime labor have gone into this, so we’re more than ready to post it.
With that please 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!
DUBLIN FEATURE: Salinas brings intensity to Lions
Every coach wishes they had a Joe Salinas.
Someone that plays physically, never takes a snap off and will do whatever he’s asked.
When Dublin coach Greg Hardcastle needed a quarterback after losing a couple Lions to injury early last season, Salinas was the obvious candidate to handle the position.
“He’s going to do whatever he needs to do to help the team,” Hardcastle said. “He’s a great teammate, and he’s that same way in everything he does. He’s one of those kids who if someone needs help with anything, he’ll get it done. It’s the way he’s been raised.”
2026 DUBLIN FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Dublin leaning on strong junior class
Dublin doesn’t have a big senior class to lean on.
But what the Lions do have is a strong junior class that gained plenty of experience during last year’s 1-9 record when they were sophomores.
“We’ve got a good core group that gained a lot of experience, and now that they’re juniors, they’re a little more mature,” Dublin coach Greg Hardcastle said. “I feel like it’s going to help us in the long run. Another year in the weight room plus being experienced and comfortable in our system.”
Among the veteran juniors is Joe Salinas, who is Dublin’s leading returning rusher with 380 yards and six touchdowns. Jayden Balvantin is a talented lineman who can play anywhere up front, while Kyler Gaitan and Hudsen Joslin are versatile skill players.
2026 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: First-Team Roster
Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps Second-Team Baseball Selections (w/ honorable mention)
- All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team (the best freshman and sophomores in the area!)
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (to be released Monday night)
2026 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: Second-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)
Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps First-Team Baseball Selections
- All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team (the best freshman and sophomores in the area!)
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (to be released Monday night)
2026 Big Country Preps Rising Stars Baseball Team: The top sophomores and freshmen in the area
Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball teams.
Here, you will find our Rising Stars Team honoring the top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country.
For the rest of this year’s baseball selections, please click the links below.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps First-Team Baseball Selections
- All-Big Country Preps Second-Team Baseball Selections (w/ honorable mention)
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (to be released Monday night)
2026 All-Big Country Preps Softball Team: First-team Roster
Here are our first-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps Second-Team Softball Selections (w/ honorable mention)
- All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team (the best freshman and sophomores in the area!)
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (To be released Monday night)
2026 All-Big Country Preps Softball Team: Second-team Roster (w/ honorable mention)
Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps First-Team Softball Selections
- All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team (the best freshman and sophomores in the area!)
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (To be released Monday night)