LAST WEEK: 41-10 .803
SEASON TOTAL: 367-108, .772
Football season doesn’t feel complete without at least one visit to Chesley Field in Cisco. And Friday night, the Big Country Preps Game of the Week will stop by for a crucial District 4-2A DI matchup between the Loboes (5-2, 1-1) and Hawley (7-0, 2-0).
For Hawley, a win here will keep open the possibility of an unbeaten regular season. For Cisco, a victory would signal the beginning of a climb back into area prominence.
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.
With the Albany Lions winning last week’s district game with Winters by a score of 60-0, there were ample opportunities for the Lions to produce a Player of the Week-worthy performance.
They found one in senior Branson Beal, who rushed 11 times for 144 yards and five scores. He also caught a 46-yard TD pass to chart six touchdowns on the night.
“He might have the quickest feet of any (player) I have coached,” Albany coach Denney Faith said. “Combine that with great vision it makes him fun to watch.”
Brady 47, Eastland 7 — Johnny Menefield ran for 151 yards and three touchdowns to spearhead a 322-yard rushing effort for the Bulldogs, who dominated the Mavericks from start to finish in a blowout win.
Quarterback Sean Jacoby also had a big game for Brady (6-1, 2-0), running for 92 yards and a touchdown while passing for 82 yards and two more scores. Both touchdown throws went to Ashton Ramsey, who finished with two catches for 73 yards, while Ashton Taylor added 81 yards and a TD on the ground.
Brady 34, Dublin 31 — Johnny Menefield ran for 200 yards and two touchdowns and Ashton Taylor added 124 yards and two rushing scores of his own to lead the Bulldogs past the Lions in the league opener for both teams.
Mason Airheart added a 62-yard touchdown reception for Brady, which ran for 332 of its 392 yards in improving to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in District 5-3A DII play.
LAST WEEK: 32-12, .809
SEASON TOTAL: 279-91, .757
Now it’s time to get down to business.
With most of the Big Country taking an open date last Friday as a prelude to district play, we now dive headfirst into the games that count the most.
District play opens tomorrow for most leagues in the area, the intensity of which is already tangible.
Can you feel it?
We’ll see you on the road.
Here’s this week’s area picks:
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.
Brady 42, Ingram Moore 28 — Johnny Menefield ran for 141 yards and two touchdowns, and Ashton Taylor added 105 yards and a TD on the ground to lead the Bulldogs to a two-touchdown win over the Warriors.
Brady (4-1) rushed for 324 yards as a team, getting 41 yards and a score from quarterback Sean Jacoby, who also passed for 58 yards and a TD.
Eastland 14, Breckenridge 0 — The Mavericks piled up 286 yards rushing while limiting the Buckaroos to 200 total yards in a shutout win.
Cayden Alford rushed for a game-high 87 yards, and Chris Ojeda added 70 to lead Eastland (3-1), which got its touchdowns on a second-quarter run by Isaac Castro and a third-quarter pass from Kye Herrington to Eddie Medina.
LAST WEEK: 47-11, .810
SEASON TOTAL: 141-59, .705
After nosediving in Week 2 with one of the worst pick records I’ve ever had, the column rebounded in Week 3 with an .810 percentage to push my overall tally over .700 again.
As for this week’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week, Mr. Yale Youngblood will be on hand in Tolar to cover Comanche’s road game with the Rattlers in what should be a fun one.
I’ll be heading to Ballinger, where the Bearcats (3-0) will play host to Brady (2-1) in a battle of upstarts.
Let’s dive into this week’s picks:
Brady 47, Ozona 45 — Johnny Menefield and Ashton Taylor both eclipsed the century mark on the ground as the Bulldogs ran for 313 yards as a team in a thrilling win over the Lions.
Menefield ran for 157 yards and three touchdowns and Ramsey had 135 yards and one score for Brady, which also got an efficient passing game from Sean Jacoby (9-10-0—126, 3 TDs) and a productive receiving game from Ashton Ramsey (4-80, 2 TDs).
LAST WEEK: 46-28, .621
SEASON TOTAL: 94-48, .661
Abysmal.
That’s about the only adjective that comes to mind when trying to describe my Big Country football picks, which are off to the single worst start through two weeks that I’ve ever experienced in 18 years of covering area football.
A percentage of .621 after two weeks of play is beatable by throwing darts, flipping coins, or even consulting with your local horoscope page. Yet here I sit, trying to dig myself out of the hole I’ve created. But enough of that, Glen Rose at Brownwood is our Big Country Preps Game of the Week, in a week filled with interesting matchups.
Let’s have a look at them:
Tolar 23, Teague 21 — The Rattlers rebounded from last week’s loss to Peaster with a hard-fought win over the Lions.
Tolar (1-1) was limited on offense to 291 yards, including just 93 on the ground, but the Rattlers did enough on the defensive side of the football to make that hold up.
DE LEON — Entering this football it was expected that De Leon junior quarterback Heston Jobe would be among the top producers in the Big Country.
It took him all of one night to prove it in a 79-43 win over Dublin on Friday.
Jobe, who connected on 13 of 20 throws for 413 yards and four scores, also rushed for 176 yards and four more TDs.
By night’s end, the Bearcats were 1-0 and Jobe had accounted for 589 yards and five touchdowns.
Brady 27, San Antonio YMLA 0 — Ashton Taylor and Johnny Menefield led a dominant rushing performance for the Bulldogs, who pounded out 319 yards on the ground in a shutout win over the Lions.
Taylor finished with 146 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, while Menefield added 101 yards and a TD on 18 attempts as Brady scored 24 points after halftime to pull away following a defensive first half.
LAST WEEK: 0-0, .000
SEASON TOTAL: 00-00, .000
Week 1 is often loaded with difficult picks and 2024 is no exception.
Our first slate of games this year has a number of contests that could have qualified for the Big Country Preps Game of the Week. But we finally settled on Albany at Stamford for the spotlight.
The two-time defending state 2A DII state champions, minus several key players lost to graduation, facing a Stamford club bringing back most of its skill and a ton of speed.
Randall Case isn’t from Early, but he considers it his home. And as a member of the EHS football staff since 2016, he views his new post as the Longhorns head football coach as the greatest honor of his career so far.
Having been part of a program turnaround under Blake Sandford and Daniel Price, Case takes great pride in what he’s accomplished at Early to date.
And now that he’s been entrusted with the keys to the program, he can’t wait to continue building on a foundation that he helped lay.
As an Early assistant since 2016, Randall Case helped the Longhorns end an 11-year playoff drought in 2020 and build a winning tradition with three additional postseason berths since.
Now the school’s head coach after replacing Daniel Price, who left in April to become the offensive coordinator at Palestine, Case is tasked with sustaining that momentum from a new and larger role.
Inheriting a program that returns just eight of 26 lettermen from last year’s 6-6 team, the new Early mentor will have his work cut out for him in that endeavor. But if you think he or his young squad are ready cede the ground gained the past four years, you would be sorely mistaken.
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. 21. 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. 5, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2024 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.
Today, we take a look at the Early Longhorns.
Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Early Longhorns … 17 days to two-a-days”
OTHER 2024 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS TEAMS
Our All-Big Country Preps Softball and Baseball Teams, released Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, are in place to honor those who achieved the most on-field success in 2024. It is off the field, however, where character, grit, and work ethic are often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team that we wish to honor those players, male and female, who were (simply put) the hardest-working, best teammates in the area this spring.
This team isn’t about who the best baseball and softball players were.
The All-Hustle team honors effort, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches wish they had in every player and upon which championships are built.
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 the Big Country had to offer during the 2024 season.
The players below are listed in no particular order.
AUSTIN — The UIL Track & Field State Meet kicked off Thursday with Classes 3A and 4A competing at Mike Meyers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas, and Big Country athletes made their presence felt to start to the three-day affair.
Area competitors didn’t quite match the 14 medals accrued on the opening day of the 2023 state meet, but they still made a solid showing with 10 combined medals.
Headlining the list of medalists were Brock’s Dylan Foster (300-meter hurdles), Stephenville’s Creece Brister (shot put) and Brownwood’s Ike Hall (triple jump), who all left Austin with gold medals. Continue reading “STATE TRACK ROUNDUP: Stephenville’s Brister, Brownwood’s Hall and Brock’s Foster claim gold medals at 3A/4A meet”
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 25.
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
ABILENE — The Brock boys track team claimed its fourth consecutive region title Monday, headlining a strong showing by area athletes at the rain-altered Region I-3A meet at Abilene Christian University’s Elmer Gray Stadium.
Led by Dylan Foster, who claimed gold medals in both hurdle events, earned bronze in the long jump and ran a leg on Brock’s gold medal-winning sprint relay team, the Eagles finished with 99 points, edging runner-up Holliday by 13 points and topping third-place Wall by 44 points.
The Brock boys scored in 10 events and claimed nine medals on their way to the team championship, capping a meet that saw athletes from the Big Country Preps coverage area combined to earn 32 medals and claim 23 automatic berths to the Class 3A state meet May 2 in Austin.
Coaching changes are often prevalent in years in which the University Interscholastic League announces changes to the district and classification alignments, and that has certainly been true of the Big Country, which has seen 11 changes this offseason between the 11-man and six-man ranks.
Monday, that number grew again as Daniel Price announced that he is leaving Early to take over as the offensive coordinator at Palestine.
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 18.
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 18.
With the end of the regular season, this will be our FINAL softball leaders posting for 2024.
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 11.
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
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.
And while Wall’s Briggs Jones has already pulled down our award once this year, he earned a second with his showing at the District 6-3A meet in Clyde last week by sweeping the long jump (23-2), the triple jump (44-10.75), the 200 meters (21.92), the 100 meters (10.72) and assisting the 800 relay team to gold with a 1:29.68 split.
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 4.
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 4.
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through March 28.
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through March 28.
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Scoring and rebounding is only part of the story when it comes to basketball. Behind the scenes and beyond the view of the public, is where character is often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps Gym Rat Team that we salute the individuals who exude the most of it.
This team isn’t about who the best players are, though some of the area’s top players are on this list.
The Gym Rat team is about effort, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches love above all else and upon which championship foundations are built.
It is for that reason that our Gym Rat team is selected entirely by area coaches, described in their own words. And Big Country Preps is absolutely honored to present these individuals to you — the best “team players” (boys and girls) that the area had to offer during the 2023-24 season.
Players are listed in no particular order.
Enjoy.
Here is our 2024 All-Big Country Preps boys basketball Rising Stars team, comprised of the top freshmen and sophomores in the area. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.
Here is our 2024 All-Big Country Preps girls basketball Rising Stars team, comprised of the top freshmen and sophomores in the area. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: AISD Icebreaker Softball Tournament Day 3 (94 images)”
We’re down to the final scheduled date of the boys basketball regular season, but there’s still plenty to be decided on the Big Country hoops scene.
Included on Tuesday’s slate are a number of matchups with district title implications and several others that will either decide or help decide playoff berths.
Here’s a peek at some of the biggest games on tap this week, as well as a look back at some of last week’s most influential results:
Benjamin’s Grayson Rigdon has been posting such overwhelming numbers for so long, that people scarcely blink when upon hearing of his latest exploits.
So here we go again: Rigdon is our Big Country Preps Player of the Week after posting monstrous numbers in wins over Munday (81-60) and Electra (99-74).
In the Munday win, the junior guard tallied 41 points, nine assists and eight steals. Three nights later, he charted 51 points, six assists and 10 steals to help the Mustangs improve to 15-0 overall and 10-0 in district.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys 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.
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.
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?
We’ve reached the midway point of the district schedule in most area boys basketball leagues, and district championship and playoff races are heating up.
As one might expect with February approaching, the Big Country slate is full of meaningful games.
With that in mind, it’s time to renew our winter custom of taking a look at the most important games on the horizon and a peak back at last week’s most important results.
We hope you enjoy.