Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. Our company watermark “BigCountryPreps.com” will be removed from all purchased photos.
Category: Eula Pirates
GAME STORY: Eula, Haskell split varsity doubleheader (Video, two box scores and photo gallery included)
EULA — A varsity basketball doubleheader between Haskell and Eula yielded a split result on Tuesday at Eula Pirate Gymnasium with the Haskell girls rallying to taking the opener 45-37 and the Eula boys winning 56-41 in the nightcap.
Early on, the EHS girls were well on their way to setting up a doubleheader sweep when they built a 30-20 lead with a big third quarter. But Haskell answered with a 15-0 run, beginning with a 3-pointer from Emma Roewe with 0:12 left in the period. The Maidens then opened final quarter with 12 straight points to take the lead for good.
BCP Boys Basketball Position Rankings: Posts
After spotlighting the Big Country’s top guards and forwards the past two nights, it’s time to take a look at the area’s best big men.
For the final installment in our three-part boys basketball position rankings series, we rank the Big Country’s top-10 posts with others to watch for the 2019-20 season.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through our rankings, and make sure to check back for all our boys and girls basketball coverage this season.
BCP Boys Basketball Position Rankings: Forwards
After debuting our boys basketball position rankings series on Monday with the guards, we now turn our attention to the forwards.
For the second installment in our three-part series, we rank the area’s top-10 players at that position with others to watch in 2019.
We hope you enjoy our list.
BCP Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Guards
With girls basketball season upon us, it’s time to take a look at the players who will be making the biggest impact during the 2019-20 season.
For the first installment in a three-part series that will cover all position groups, we’ll be taking a look at the area’s top guards, 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.
BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Coahoma to receive huge test from Idalou (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
LAST WEEK: 34-9, .790
OVERALL: 251-51, .831
There comes a point when every emerging football program has to show its hand. And it’s usually around the midpoint of the season when we can differentiate between who has a full house and who’s holding a pair of deuces.
The Coahoma Bulldogs (4-1) will reach that point this Friday when they host perennial toughie Idalou (3-2) in our Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
EVAN REN: High school athletics has forgotten itself
What is the purpose of interscholastic athletics? It seems silly to even pose the question.
I bring it up because within the word purpose lies the problem — a poisonous problem, brought on by our own lack of vision.
Must I say it?
The original purpose behind high school sports was the teaching of teamwork, work ethic, sacrifice, respecting authority, overcoming adversity and accepting discipline.
Sports taught our kids that the world wasn’t perfect. It taught our kids that there would be disappointments to endure. It taught them the benefits of hard work and we hired our coaches accordingly.
Somewhere along the line we injected winning into the mix and it has resulted in something truly ugly.
Continue reading “EVAN REN: High school athletics has forgotten itself”
BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Loboes, Bearcats clash in our spotlight game (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
LAST WEEK: 43-7, .860
OVERALL: 173-34, .835
While the Cisco Loboes have been in countless big games over the last two decades, the last few years have been a bit lean for Ballinger.
In fact, the general consensus is, when the Bearcats (3-0) play host to the Loboes (2-1) on Friday, this will be the biggest regular season game played in Ballinger in several years.
At the very least, it’s our Big Country Preps Game of the Week, and deservedly so.
BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Cisco, Wall square off in a clash of area powers (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
LAST WEEK: 43-13, .767
SEASON TOTAL: 43-13, .767
The beauty of Week 1 of the football season is that it throws all sorts of new questions into your face. The beauty of Weeks 2 and 3 is that most of those questions get answered.
Our Big Country Preps Game of the Week — Wall at Cisco — should serve as a moment of clarity.
Just how good is this Wall team that routed perennial power Mason 47-7 at the Puncher Dome last week? Entering as a nine-point favorite, the Hawks shattered the computer projections leading some to believe this could be a vintage Hawks football team.
At this point, however, we don’t know exactly where Mason stands.
We do, however, have a pretty fair idea about Cisco, which handed a rapidly improving (albeit young) Class 4A Sweetwater team a 49-27 loss in the Mustang Bowl. This is your standard, tough Cisco football team with an excellent running game and physical defense.
So we’ll find out precisely where Wall is on Friday.
BCP Preseason 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 five kickers and 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 2019 season.
DISTRICT PREDICTIONS: Evan and Dan 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.
BREAKING: Brock edges Wall for sixth Lone Star Cup
For the second year in a row and sixth time in school history, Brock has won the Lone Star Cup.
The UIL announced the six winners of its annual award for overall athletic department achievement on Monday, and the Eagles were joined by Southlake Carroll in Class 6A, Dallas Highland Park in 5A, Argyle in 4A, Mason in 2A and Nazareth in 1A.
Continue reading “BREAKING: Brock edges Wall for sixth Lone Star Cup”
BCP BOYS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AND SUPER DOZEN: Yeager claims top spot
On the heels of announcing our first-ever Big Country Preps Girls Athlete of the Year, it’s now time to announce our first boys winner.
Again, our Athlete of the Year and subsequent “Super Dozen” represent the Big Country Athletes who contributed the most to their athletic programs — most often over a broad range of disciplines.
So, at this time, Big Country Preps proudly announces its Boys Athlete of the Year: Kevin Yeager of De Leon.
BCP GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AND SUPER DOZEN: Masonheimer takes top spot
An Athlete of the Year award for the Big Country has been a long time coming, and Big Country Preps is officially ending the wait.
What better way to end our first school year than by honoring our top all-around athletes. By that, we mean those athletes who competed at a high level over a broad range of disciplines and had the biggest overall impact on their athletic programs (as nominated by area athletic directors).
So without further ado, we proudly announce our first Big Country Preps Girls Athlete of the Year: Anna Masonheimer of Eula.
From start to finish, Masonheimer was a key contributor to Eula’s athletic success during the 2018-19 school year, beginning with her helping the EHS cross country team reach the regional meet.
She was the MVP of Eula’s district champion basketball team, earning all state honors from both the Texas Association of Basketball coaches and the Texas Girls Coaches Association. But she was just getting started at that point.
All-Big Country Preps Baseball Superlatives: Heuertz, Dyer nab top spots
Here are our superlative award winners for the inaugural All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: First-Team Roster
Here are our first-team selections for the inaugural All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: Second-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)
Here are our second-team selections for the inaugural All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
All-Big Country Preps Softball Superlatives: Ellett, Washington headline squad
Here are our superlative award winners for the inaugural All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
All-Big Country Preps Softball Team: First-Team Roster
Here are our first-team selections for the inaugural All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
All-Big Country Preps Softball Team: Second-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)
Here are our second-team selections for the inaugural All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
2018-19 IN REVIEW: Softball (w/ two photo galleries)
Prior to the release of our All-Big Country Preps softball and baseball teams on Friday and Saturday, Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood will review the 2018-19 school year throughout this week and the top athletic stories produced by the area in football, boys and girls basketball, baseball and softball.
I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for fastpitch softball — I admit it.
A long time ago, it was common for men to play the game. My dad played it. I played it. So I still thoroughly enjoy getting to as many girls softball games as possible — just to see some fastpitch again.
So, it is with pleasure that I review the the 2019 season — the top teams, the top games, the top surprises and the clubs that are about to make a splash in 2020.
That said, it’s time to dive in.
Continue reading “2018-19 IN REVIEW: Softball (w/ two photo galleries)”
2018-19 IN REVIEW: Boys basketball (w/ two photo galleries)
Prior to the release of our All-Big Country Preps softball and baseball teams on Friday and Saturday, Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood will review the 2018-19 school year throughout this week and the top athletic stories produced by the area in football, boys and girls basketball, baseball and softball.
Any season that ends with two teams in the state tournament is a successful one, so the Big Country’s 2018-19 boys basketball campaign would certainly qualify.
With Brock advancing to the Alamodome in Class 3A and Jayton doing so in 1A, area teams kept us captivated until the final day of the high school season. And even those whose runs ended short of that ultimate goal gave us some great storylines to follow.
Today, we look back on the highlights of the most recent boys basketball season and remember the teams and games that helped make it such a special one.
Continue reading “2018-19 IN REVIEW: Boys basketball (w/ two photo galleries)”
Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Woodward tops nearly 50 nominees for award
When selecting our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, the quality of competition is one of the top considerations we look at.
And in a week that is absolutely loaded with nearly 50 quality nominations from area coaches, choosing the player to occupy the top spot was no easy task.
Our choice: Breckenridge junior Owen Woodward, who helped Breckenridge in its stunning 3-0 win over top-ranked Brock with a three-hit, no-walk, 12-strikeout complete game.
BCP Podcast No. 38: Evan, Daniel discuss All-Big Country Preps basketball teams
In this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast, Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood discuss the inaugural All-Big Country Preps boys and girls basketball teams, giving insight into the selection process and sharing their opinions the superlative award winners and first-tema selections.
To read more on this year’s selections, click the links below:
Evan Ren’s 2019 Big Country Gym Rat Team: The hardest workers in the area!
Following a basketball program on the surface can only provide one with so much insight. Behind the scenes, however, is where character is often measured. And it is with our Gym Rat Team that we wish to tip our caps to those individuals who exuded the most of it.
This team isn’t about who the best players are, though some of the area’s top players did make this list.
The Gym Rat team is about effort, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches love above all else and that championship foundations are built upon.
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 2018-19 season.
Players are listed in no particular order.
All-Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Team: First-Team Roster
Here are our third-team selections for the inaugural All-Big Country Preps girls basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.
All-Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Team: Second-Team Roster
Here are our third-team selections for the inaugural All-Big Country Preps girls basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.
All-Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Team: Third-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)
Here are our third-team selections for the inaugural All-Big Country Preps boys basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.
All-Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Team: Third-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)
Here are our third-team selections for the inaugural All-Big Country Preps girls basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.
BCP Podcast No. 36: Brock’s Boxell, Jayton’s Bleiker talk state hoops
The Brock Eagles and Jayton Jaybirds are headed to San Antonio for the UIL boys basketball state championships. But before they touchdown at the Alamodome for Thursday’s semifinals, their coaches — Brock’s Zach Boxell and Jayton’s Ryan Bleiker — took some time to talk to Big Countr Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood for this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss Wall and Hermleigh’s performances at the girls state tournament and the three regional tournaments involving area boys teams last week.
Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Brownwood senior Ellett tosses two no-nos to take award
No-hitters are fairly common in fastpitch softball, but they are to be respected, nonetheless — especially when someone throws two of them in one week.
Chyanne Ellett, Brownwood’s senior ace who has been among the area’s top hurlers since her freshman year, accomplished the feat last week in a 5-0 win over Chisholm trail and a 1-0 loss to Granbury that saw GHS pitcher Alison Been match Ellett’s no-no with one of her own.
GAME STORY: Slow start, free-throw line hurt Eula in semifinal loss to Slidell (box score included)
Coming into the Region III-1A semifinal with Slidell, the Eula Pirates were on fire from the field, canning no fewer than 24 3-pointers over their last two games.
That stretch came to an icy finish on Friday, with Eula struggling from the floor in a 51-36 loss at Mansfield High School.
Brock Harwell scored 23 points and Slayton Pruett added 14 more to lead Slidell (30-9), which advances to face top-ranked Lipan in the Region III title game at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Daniel Youngblood: Region tourneys offer challenges for area’s three survivors
After nearly four months of basketball, just three Big Country boys teams remain.
Brock, Jayton and Eula stand alone as the area’s last remaining survivors, and each now finds itself two victories away from a trip to San Antonio for the state tournament.
The Eagles, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, must survive the field at the Region I-3A tournament in Plainview, while the Class 1A No. 9 Jaybirds and 11th-ranked Pirates will compete in the Region II-1A and Region III-1A tournaments, respectively.
Which, if any, of those teams will still be playing after this weekend? Only time will tell. But let’s take a look at what each group is up against, and what it will need to do to reach high school’s equivalent of the Final Four.
BCP Podcast No. 35: Wall’s Lombard, Hermleigh’s Hopper talk state hoops
The Wall Lady Hawks and Hermleigh Lady Cardinals are state-bound. But before they arrived in San Antonio for Thursday’s semifinals, their coaches — Wall’s Tate Lombard and Hermleigh’s Duane Hopper — took some time to talk to Big Countr Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood for this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss the boys basketball playoff picture.
PHOTO GALLERY: Huckabay-Eula boys basketball playoff (37 images)
Photos may be purchased for $7 by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. Our company watermark “BigCountryPreps.com” will be removed from purchased photos.
GAME STORY: Pirate defense pushes Eula into regional semifinals (video, box score and photo gallery w/37 images included)
EASTLAND — The Eula Pirates may have been a bit streaky on the offensive side in Tuesday’s Region III-1A quarterfinal with Huckabay. But coach Josh Fostel’s crew made up for it with a wire-to-wire defensive effort in a 60-26 win at Eastland High School.
Cade Smith scored 17 points while Dakota Boles and Matthew Booth added 11 each to pace the 11th-ranked Pirates (28-6), who now push on to the Region III-1A tournament, where they will meet No. 6 Slidell at 5 p.m. Friday in Mansfield.
Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Eastland’s Foster snags the award
Softball and baseball are officially here. And cold weather or not, we’re already seeing performances worthy of consideration here.
Case in point: Eastland’s Brynna Foster, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 23.
Foster, who is only a junior, tossed four shutouts in last week’s Stephenville tournament to help the Lady Mavs improve to 10-2.
DANIEL YOUNGBLOOD: This week in Big Country boys basketball (Feb. 24-March 2)
The first two rounds of the boys basketball playoffs weren’t kind to the Big Country, leaving just nine area teams standing this week in the region quarterfinal round.
With two games involving a pair of Big Country schools — both at the Class 1A level — we’re certain to have at least two teams playing in this weekend’s regional tournaments. But when you get to the third round of the playoffs, little else is guaranteed.
With that said, let’s take a look at what the area’s nine survivors are up against this week.
GAME STORY: Eula falls short against Lipan in regional quarterfinals
EASTLAND — Cruel. Unbelievable. Heartbreaking.
All three words are perfect descriptions of how the season came to an end for the Eula girls basketball team on Tuesday night at Maverick Gymnasium in a 37-34 loss to Lipan in a Region III-1A quarterfinal.
The Lady Pirates forced a turnover with 5.01 seconds to play when attempting to commit a foul, setting up a chance for Anna Masonheimer to take a game-tying 3-pointer as time expired.
Her off-balanced attempt went off the backboard and then bounced off the rim three different times before bouncing away to end Eula’s season a game shy of the regional tournament. Two of the three bounces appeared to hit the inside of the rim to add to the disappointment.
DANIEL YOUNGBLOOD: This week in Big Country boys basketball (Feb. 17-23)
The high school boys basketball playoffs are finally here, and the Big Country will be well represented as always.
After a long and entertaining regular season, we’ve reached the “win or go home” stage, where the ultimate prize is a trip to the Alamodome for a spot in the UIL state tournament.
There will be added urgency to every game, with a heightened sense of celebration/relief with each win and tears after every loss. But this is the time of year that all of these coaches and kids have been working toward — and we as fans of high school basketball have been waiting for.
Big Country boys basketball playoff pairings, results (March 2)
Here are the updated Big Country boys basketball playoff pairings:
Continue reading “Big Country boys basketball playoff pairings, results (March 2)”
Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Cisco’s Adame is the Man of the Hour
When Cisco’s Izzy Adame gets the hot hand, there are few players in the Big Country capable of putting up more points in a short time than this senior guard.
Last week was a prime example of this, when he helped the Loboes to a 70-48 win over Dublin with 31 points, seven 3-pointers and six rebounds.
Three nights later, he hurt Coleman in an 86-68 victory that saw him drop 30 points on the Bluecats with six boards and four more treys.
DANIEL YOUNGBLOOD: This week in Big Country boys basketball (Feb. 10-16)
With just one more game re—maining on the regular-season boys basketball schedule, most district championships have already been decided and many teams have already locked up their playoff spots and seeding.
But as is always the case this time of year, a few league title and district playoff races have come down to the final week, which means Tuesday’s slate of games will have an enormous importance for those teams.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest matchups this final week has to offer and review some of the developments last week that put us in this position, shall we?
Big Country girls basketball playoff pairings, results (Feb. 23)
Here are the updated Big Country girls basketball playoff pairings:
Continue reading “Big Country girls basketball playoff pairings, results (Feb. 23)”
Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Forsan’s Richardson takes the top spot
He has spent much of this season hidden by West Texas obscurity.
But with the way Forsan’s Kobe Richardson has been playing, he’s becoming noticeable, even while playing in an isolated corner of Howard County.
Last week, the senior guard was magnificent, beginning with a 40-point, eight-rebound night in a tough 60-56 win at Miles that saw him chart nine steals, four blocks and an 18-of-18 tally at the free-throw line.