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 and takes pride in being coachable, though he seldom needs direction.
He always sets the right example for younger players. He doesn’t complain and above all else, he’s tough enough to make all the aforementioned traits consistently 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 and Big Country Preps staff, who exemplify the character traits football mentors want throughout their roster.
We freely admit that more offensive players take our Big Country Preps Player of the Week than do defenders. 
Big numbers are always great to have when we decide the winner of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. Solid numbers across multiple tasks are even better. 
Korda Moore has been playing well all year for the Sweetwater Mustangs. But he picked the right moment for one of his best games last Friday, helping the Mustangs clinch a playoff spot with a 51-38 win over Snyder. 
Wall 68, Brady 0 — The Hawks (8-2, 5-0) piled up 302 yards on the ground to finish an unbeaten district title. 
With the column hitting at more than 90 percent accuracy last week, we now close the regular season on the upswing and with something uncommon: A local Big Country Preps Game of the Week. 
Wall 50, Early 6 — The Hawks locked up the district title behind 429 yards rushing as a team. 
It really didn’t take long for people to start talking about the Hawley – Stamford matchup in 2023. In fact, this one was on our calendar as a possible Game of the Week before the season even started. 
Every now and then, the biggest performances come at precisely the right time. And in the case of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, that couldn’t be more true than it is now. 
Wall 69, San Angelo TLCA 12 — Gunner Dillard threw for 194 yards and three scores and rushed for 51 yards and three more TDs to lead the Hawks in a rout of TLCA.
As Week 9 of the 2023Texas High School football season gets underway, there are multiple high-profile games that would qualify as our Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
Wall 61, Ballinger 6 — The Hawks used 10 different ball carriers to produce 392 rushing yards in a win over their area rival. 
Big Country Preps makes a point of sharing the love and we look for opportunities to take our Game of the Week to as many different places that make sense each year. 
Wall 67, San Angelo Grape Creek 0 — The Hawks (4-2, 1-0) pounded out 375 yards rushing to open district play with a win. 
Contrast in styles games make for excellent entertainment and are usually high on our list of potential Big Country Preps Games of the Week. 
Mason 14, Wall 7 — An anticipated trench war materialized at the Puncher Dome with Mason holding off Wall by a score. 
San Angelo TLCA 41, Stanton 0 — The Eagles were the lone team in District 2-3A DII to notch a victory in Week 5. 
Wall 42, Peaster 0 — The Hawks (3-1) pounded out 221 rushing yards among nine different ball carriers in a dominating win over Peaster (1-3).
Wall 27, Cisco 10 — The Hawks used a workmanlike effort on the ground, pounding out 312 yards rushing with nine different ball carriers to hand Cisco (0-2) its second straight loss. 
After a summer-long effort to produce our football preview, it is good to be back in our school year routine — a big part of which is our Big Country Preps Player of the Week. 
Wall 35, Eastland 10 — Gunner Dillard threw for 119 yards and two scores and rushed 20 times for 95 yards and two more scores to lead Wall to a win over Eastland on Friday. 
EARLY — It was six hours of insanity with a half hour bathroom break in the middle. But by the time the dust settled, the Early Lady Longhorns had posted back-to-back one-run victories to eliminate Jacksboro in a best-of-three bi-district series that may never be forgotten by those who played in it.
A no-hitter alone is often enough to secure the Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. But when it’s backed by a solid offensive performance, it’s very difficult to get knocked off of the perch. 
BRECKENRIDGE —It took nearly 3.5 hours and 11 innings to settle the issue. But the Breckenridge Buckaroos finally got what they desperately needed on Tuesday to keep their hopes for a No. 2 playoff seed alive. 
Clyde’s Payton Phillips is no stranger to our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. She’s no stranger to gold medals either. 
It’s difficult to trump a no-hitter, though Snyder’s Ava Aviles came close last week.