Early 52, San Angelo TLCA 6 — The Longhorns ended a 12-year playoff drought behind two rushing TDs each from Alex Jacobs and Tre Beam.
Early (5-4, 2-2) took control with a 28-6 first half, then blew the game wide open with 24 unanswered points after the break.
EARLY — When Clyde football coach Scott Campbell arrived at Longhorn Stadium on Friday and saw the flags whipping in a fierce north wind, he knew immediately what he was going to do if his Bulldogs happened to win the coin toss.
They did. And his subsequent decision to defer and force Early to drive into that wind may very well have been the difference in a 33-20 Clyde win in the Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
Dylan Neuman threw for 224 yards, rushed for 41 and accounted for four scores to lift Clyde (4-4, 3-0 District 3-3A DI), which remains in contention for the league title with the win.
Early (4-4, 1-2) was led by Jaxyn Price, who threw for 111 yards, rushed for 25 and had a direct hand in all three EHS scores.
Jim Ned 75, TLCA 0 — The Indians (6-1, 3-0) had an easy time with winless TLCA, building a 61-0 halftime lead before coasting home.
Xavier Wishert had 115 yards rushing and two scores on only three carries on a night that saw five different Indians score rushing touchdowns.
LAST WEEK: 32-2, .941
OVERALL: 282-64, .815
With two straight weeks of hitting over 90 percent on my picks, I’m feeling ready for the home stretch. But our Big Country Preps Game of the Week and at least three other area games, are virtual tossups. So keeping this pace up will be a challenge.
Our spotlight game: Clyde (3-4, 2-0) facing Early (4-3, 1-1) in a game that in the end, may decide the No. 3 playoff seed.
But this game offers a bit more than that.
The Early Longhorns haven’t reached the playoffs since 2008 — 12 straight years of sitting at home in late November. But a win here would nearly lock up a playoff spot, assuming the Longhorns defeat winless San Angelo TLCA on Oct. 30.
Early 21, Breckenridge 0 — Early used one of its best defensive efforts of the year to score a crucial district win over Breckenridge.
Limiting the Buckaroos to 138 yards in total offense, Early patiently built a three-score lead over one of the teams considered to be a contender for the No. 4 playoff seed.
Clyde 38, Breckenridge 21 — Clyde charted 466 total yards to win the district opener for both clubs. Dylan Neuman threw for 213 yards and two scores and Austin Hastings rushed for 128 yards and two TDs to lead Clyde ( 2-4, 1-0).
Leading 24-21 late in the third quarter, the Bulldogs pulled away with a 51-yard TD pass from Neuman to Jacob Roberts at the 1:26 mark of the third and a 6-yard TD run by Canaan Charleston with 0:29 to play.
Jim Ned 24, Hallettsville 21 — The Indians stunned the fifth-ranked Brahmas by forcing three turnovers and getting a good push up front.
The Indians, who gained the upper hand with a 10-0 third quarter, finished with 235 yards on the ground as a team
Early 36, Grape Creek 0 — Early had an easy time with Grape Creek, limiting the Eagles to just 82 yards in total offense.
The Longhorns (3-2) led 20-0 at the end of the first half and put the game out of reach with a pair of second-half touchdowns.
Alex Jacobs led Early with 157 yards rushing and two scores on 16 carries.
Grape Creek fell to 1-4 with the loss.
LAST WEEK: 36-12, .750
SEASON TOTAL: 152-47, .763
I have not been to Bangs for a Game of the Week since 2013 — the last time the Dragons posted more than six wins in a season and the last winning record they had prior to last year’s 6-5 mark.
That drought ends tomorrow, when I travel to BHS for an interesting showdown between the Dragons (3-0) and Class 2A Division I power Hawley (3-1).
Bangs has the better overall numbers, but Hawley has faced a slightly tougher overall schedule, making this pick a perplexing one.
Wall 42, Mason 7 — The Hawks (3-1) rolled up 406 combined rushing yards in an easy win over still-winless Mason.
led Wall with 163 yards and three scores on 13 carries.
Drew Morrison added 135 yards and two scores on 14 touches.
Leading 22-7 at the break, the Hawks put the game away with a pair of third-quarter scores.
Comanche 36, Tolar 6 — Leading 9-0 at the break, Comanche blew this one open with a 27-6 second half.
Hudson Welch threw for 123 yards and two scores and Logan Wilkerson rushed for 106 yards and another touchdown to keep Comanche (4-0) unbeaten.
Tolar slipped to 0-4 with the loss.
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games, in addition to the results of Evan Ren’s Twitter polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Monday night each week and close Thursday morning.
Disagree with our picks or the Twitter consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 4)”
LAST WEEK: 42-9, .824
SEASON TOTAL: 116-35, .740
Week 4 arrives and I’m finally hitting my stride on pick accuracy.
It’s been an odd year thus far, both in terms of results and overall feel. It’s been tough to gauge.
Nonetheless, we’re hitting the road once again this Friday, with the Big Country Preps Game of the Week landing at Chesley Field in Cisco, where the Loboes (2-1) will play host to a Jim Ned club that is two divisions larger than they are.
Jim Ned 62, Eastland 27 — The Indians pounded out 312 yards rushing to level off ant 1-1 on the year. Xavier Wishert led that effort with 175 yards and three scores on 13 carries.
Jim Ned led 42-14 by the break and was never seriously threatened beyond that point.
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games, in addition to the results of Evan Ren’s Twitter polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Monday night each week and close Thursday morning.
Disagree with our picks or the Twitter consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 3)”
By Seth LaRue (special to Big Country Preps)
The Dublin Lady Lions rebounded from two consecutive losses in pre-district play with a convincing defeat of the Early Lady Horns on Tuesday at the Early Longhorn Gym.
The Lady Lions controlled the match from the onset with a first set win, 25-21, and never once lost stride. They proceeded to win the next two sets 25-20 and 25-22, respectively.
Dublin Coach Kaitlyn Embry had nothing but praise for her varsity team saying, “They did such a good job. They pushed through, they never let up and it’s everything we really have been working hard for in preseason that actually showed up on the court tonight.”
Big Country Preps will publish area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m.
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.
Early 41, Tolar 25 — Alex Jacobs rushed for 120 yards and one score and Tre Beam rushed for 86 yards and two touchdowns as the Longhorns evened their record to 1-1.
Early which led 28-11 at the break, rushed for 258 yards as a team.