Category: Eastland Mavericks

by Evan Ren

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: Eastland Mavericks

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 Saturday, Aug. 14. 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. 2, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2021 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

Today, we stay in Class 3A Division II with the Eastland Mavericks. On Sunday, we will take a look at the Merkel Badgers, followed by the Breckenridge Buckaroos on Monday.

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN: Handicapping the boys state track meet.

Having already released our picks for the girls state track meet earlier this evening, we now present the boys event, using the same approach. 

We’ll comb through each event involving a Big Country athlete (or athletes) and assess if they are favorites, dark horses or long shots to get on the medal stand. 

Let’s not waste any time. Let’s dive in. 

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN: Picking the favorites, dark horses and longshots at the girls state track meet

I don’t care who you are — even if you’re a non-fan when it comes to track and field. 

The excitement of the state meet in Austin will capture your attention if you catch sight or sound of it. It’s inescapable. 

And once per year, it is my pleasure to examine the multitude of Big Country athletes heading to Austin for the event and pick who we can expect to see on the medal stand from our area. 

Let’s begin with the girls side, looking at each event in which a Big Country athlete has qualified for state. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY SIGNINGS: Three Eastland athletes sign to play collegiately

Eastland ISD conducted a brief signing ceremony on Tuesday for three EHS athletes who have committed to play collegiately. 

Football players Brandon Fielding and Aaron Copeland, along with softball standout Jaeley May all signed at the Eastland Athletic Training Facility, putting an exclamation point on three impactful prep careers. 

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by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde’s Phillips earns this week’s spotlight

In a week filled with unforgettable moments, several of our nominees handed in by area coaches could justifiably be called our Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week. 

We finally settled on Clyde sophomore Payton Phillips, who stunned attendees at the Region I-3A meet by taking gold in both the long jump (18 feet, 6 inches) and the 100 hurdles (15.12) — breaking school records that were 25 and 15 years old, respectively. 

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by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wylie senior Aguilar vaults way to honor

Kylor Aguilar’s high school athletic career has been filled with obstacles, but after beginning it with such promise as a state silver medalist as a freshman, the Wylie pole vaulter is on track to finish it in style.

Aguilar, who had his sophomore season derailed by a rare bone disorder and had his junior season shortened by the COVID-19 stoppage, is having his best high school season to date as a senior.

And after vaulting a career best 15 feet, 9 inches at the District 4-5A meet in Lubbock, he’s our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending April 10.

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by Evan Ren

FEATURE: Eastland senior becoming a master of hitting technique that pitchers hate

EASTLAND — Senior outfielder Lexi Hicks of Eastland is unlikely to be getting very many Christmas cards from area pitchers this year. And she’s perfectly comfortable with that. 

Hicks, for the uninitiated, is what is known in softball parlance as a “lefty slapper” — an individual who utilizes a half-bunt, half-swing hitting style while aggressively charging to the front of the batter’s box to get a running start down the baseline. 

As it turns out, Hicks, who has already signed to play at Texas Lutheran University, is quite good at this technique. And while she may not win any popularity contests among area hurlers, her slapping style, when employed correctly, can result in fewer strikeouts, more infield singles and a higher on-base percentage for the practitioner.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Maidens hang on to beat Eastland 8-6, avenging early season loss

COMANCHE — The old baseball adage of “hit’em where they ain’t” was applied to softball on Friday by the Comanche Maidens, who literally singled their way to an 8-6 win over area rival Eastland at CHS. 

Mackenzie Foley was 4-for-4 with a double and freshman Riley Riordan went the distance in the circle to lead Comanche (14-6, 5-3 District 8-3A), which saw 12 of its 13 hits land as singles in an important league win.   

Trailing 1-0 early on, the Maidens gained a permanent upper hand in the bottom of the second when they struck for five runs on four hits, two walks and a hit batsman.  This included RBI singles by Madelyn Martin, Lynzie Day and Kaycee Schoen, along with an RBI fielder’s choice by Alize Lopez. 

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by Evan Ren

Evan Ren’s 2021 Gym Rat Team: The toughest, hardest-working teammates in the Big Country

While scoring and rebounding garner much of the attention in basketball, there are other elements, crucial to success, that seldom grab headlines. 

Behind the scenes is where character, effort and sacrifice set the foundation for teams to reach their full potential. And it is with our Big Country Preps Gym Rat Team that we salute the individuals who bring these elements to the table. 

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 outworking, outhustling and outgiving everyone around you, both on the floor and off. Hard-working, honest, selfless, tough, coachable kids are what we seek for this roster. 

A Gym Rat Team member can be your best player or the last player off the bench. But the one thing all of them bring is an uncompromisingly good attitude. 

It is for that reason that our Gym Rat Team is selected entirely by area coaches. And Big Country Preps is truly honored to present these individuals to you — the best “team players” (boys and girls) that the area had to offer during the 2020-21 season.

Players are listed in no particular order. 

Enjoy.

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