Here are the Big Country’s receiving leaders through Week 4:
Category: Early Longhorns
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Brownwood entertains red hot Glen Rose (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country picks)
LAST WEEK: 51-10, .836
SEASON TOTAL: 131-42, .757
Football picks are something I take pride in and it irritates me to no end when I stink it up. So let’s just say, I burned some midnight oil to get that situation corrected last week.
As a result, the column recovered with a solid .836 percentage in Week 3, salvaging my bruised ego after a disastrous Week 2 tally. In all, 51 of 61 area picks hit the mark last week, elevating my season’s record above 75 percent.
That’s more like it.
Week 4 in the meantime, presents a lineup of some of the most difficult area picks we’ve had this season — including an explosive Glen Rose team facing Brownwood in our BCP Game of the Week. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Here’s this week’s forecast:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
EARLY FEATURE: Veteran QB Jaxyn Price looking to close out high school career in style
As a third-year starting quarterback, there’s not much Early senior Jaxyn Price hasn’t seen. The son of EHS coach Daniel Price, Jaxyn is almost like another coach on the field for the Longhorns at this point.
With loads of experience and results to match, the Early quarterback is a calming presence for his coaches and teammates.
And after leading the Longhorns to a 9-3 record in 2021 — marking their first winning season since going 10-4 in 2007 — the seasoned signal caller is hoping to have his best campaign yet as a senior.
2022 EARLY FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Upstart Longhorns have high hopes for another strong season
In 2021, the Early football program enjoyed its best season in well over a decade, outscoring its opponents 449-233 on its way to a 9-3 campaign.
Included in that season were the Longhorns’ first winning record and first playoff victory since 2008, when EHS capped a dominant three-year stretch with a 10-4 record under former coach Robbie Tindol.
Now, with many of the principal figures back from last year’s team, the Longhorns are hoping to build a new such run of success. And coach Daniel Price is confident he has the pieces in place to back up a strong 2021 season with another in 2022.
COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Early Longhorns
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 3A Division II with the Early Longhorns. On Saturday we will take a look at the Wall Hawks followed by the Coahoma Bulldogs on Sunday.
Evan Ren’s 2022 BCP Baseball/Softball All-Hustle Team: The hardest-working players in the area!
OTHER 2022 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS TEAMS
- All-Big Country Preps Baseball 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
- All-Big Country Preps Softball 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 Second-Team Softball Selections (plus honorable mention)
- Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team (area’s top Sophomores and Freshmen!)
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.
FEATURE: Early pinning hopes of a deep playoff run on talented pitching staff
In baseball, there’s no substitute for quality pitching.
If you have it, you can win any game you play. If you don’t, your team’s ceiling drops precipitously.
The Early baseball team falls firmly into the first camp. And it’s for that reason, the Longhorns (18-4) are entering the playoffs with a sky-high confidence level and matching expectations.
PHOTO GALLERY: Henrietta-Early softball playoff (78 images)
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GAME STORY: Early softball rides fast start to Game 1 win over Henrietta
The Early softball team scored the first five runs of the game and held off a late Henrietta rally to claim a 6-4 win over the Lady Cats on Friday in the opener of a best-of-three Region I-3A bi-district series at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field.
The Lady Longhorns were held to just five hits by a pair of Henrietta pitchers, but after plating two runs in the first to take an early lead, coach Alfonso Chavez’s team took advantage of some aggressive baserunning and two Lady Cat errors to pull the victory across the finish line.
Trailing 5-0 after four frames, HHS pulled within two with back-to-back two-run innings in the fifth and sixth. But Early pitcher Teagan Lopez stopped the bleeding there, pitching a scoreless seventh to close out a complete-game victory.
CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP Player of the Week: O’Malley overcomes injury to punch regional ticket
Merkel’s Alyssa O’Malley is no stranger to our Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week column.
If she’s not in the weekly mix during the basketball season as one of the area’s top players, she’s competing for our top spot during the spring in track and field.
Her latest exploit: How about four area championships in solo events, despite having a painful foot injury?
CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stephenville’s Eakin snags this week’s top spot
For Stephenville standout Coy Eakin to land our Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week really shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Already signed to play football at Texas Tech, Eakin earned Offensive MVP honors in the wake of a spectacular performance in the Class 4A state title win over Austin LBJ in December, which netted him our final award for 2021. So this isn’t his first rodeo.
Eakin’s latest big-time performance came at the District 6-4A track meet, where he captured two individual district championships in the triple jump (43-0) and long jump (20-10) and assisted in a third title with the 1,600 relay team (50.5 anchor leg).
It’s important to note that Eakin took the district titles in the triple jump and long jump on short notice — having only practiced for both events for a week. That, ladies and gentlemen, is absolutely remarkable at the Class 4A level.
PHOTO GALLERY: Early-Brock baseball (55 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking on the “Buy on SmugMug” link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Early-Brock baseball (55 images)”
GAME STORY: Brock, Early split one-run varsity baseball/softball games
BROCK — Chasing Brock for first place in baseball and softball, Early had opportunities in both sports to tighten the District 8-3A races on Tuesday.
The two area powers came away with a split — Brock edging Early 3-2 on the baseball diamond and Early squeaking past Brock in softball, 1-0.
CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Snyder’s Aviles takes this week’s accolade
Back-to-back shutouts.
Under normal circumstances, that’s enough to capture the Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week award.
But when one of the shutouts is a no-hitter, that’s a rock-solid insurance policy.
CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Kirbo vaults his way into the top spot
In a week loaded with top-flight performances, Big Country Preps would have had a difficult time choosing the Capital Farm Credit Player of the Week.
But Stephenville pole vaulter Ben Kirbo made the decision easy by accomplishing something which hasn’t been done by a Stephenville track athlete in nearly three decades.
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.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Brock-Early softball (45 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking on the “Buy on SmugMug” link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Brock-Early softball (45 images)”
Big Country boys basketball playoff pairings, results (March 5)
Here are the updated Big Country boys basketball playoff pairings, results through March 5:
Continue reading “Big Country boys basketball playoff pairings, results (March 5)”
Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (Final)
Below are the final regular season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball in 2022.
This database has been continually updated for our subscribers throughout the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall’s Richardson is in this week’s spotlight
With big numbers spaced over three games, Wall senior guard Jacob Richardson claims the Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week award for the week ending Feb. 12.
Helping the Hawks to clinch a District 6-3A title with a 3-0 mark, Richardson poured in an average of 26.7 points in wins over Clyde, Ballinger and San Angelo TLCA.
CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cross Plains sophomore takes this week’s award
When Cross Plains’ Cadence Wedeking has the range zeroed in, the scorer’s table may want to have a spare pencil handy just in case.
Our Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week had one of “those nights” last week in a 69-20 win over Moran, connecting with five 3-pointers and finishing with 33 points. It was the third time this season the sophomore guard had connected from beyond the arc five times in one game.
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.
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.
CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Merkel senior takes this week’s award
When selecting our Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week, it’s not entirely about numbers, though that’s certainly a part of it. The
quality of the competition counts, as does the importance of the game itself.
And when factoring in all of the above, nobody had a better overall week than Merkel senior Alyssa O’Malley, who has been among the area’s most consistent performers all season.
PHOTO GALLERY: Early-Brock basketball doubleheader (105 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking on the “Buy on SmugMug” link below a selected photo. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
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GAME STORY: Brock sweeps varsity doubleheader from Early
BROCK — With both clubs chasing Peaster for a possible league title and a No. 2 seed also in the balance, the Brock and Early boys arrived for Friday’s District 8-3A matchup knowing full well what was at stake.
And so did the crowd at BHS, as the Eagles rallied from a six-point first-half deficit to top Early 45-34 in an atmosphere the rivaled playoff intensity. Tyce Gentry scored 15 points and Sawyer Strosnider added 10 more to lead Brock (20-8, 8-1), which remains one game behind Peaster in the league title hunt.
The win capped a varsity doubleheader sweep for BHS, which also took the girls game 52-26 earlier in the evening.
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.