Here’s a complete rundown of Thursday and Friday’s Class 4A playoff results in the Big Country:
Category: Graham Steers
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Graham, Brock and Mineral Wells close with wins
Graham 49, Saginaw Eagle Mountain 3 — Rylan Monsey rushed for 144 yards and four touchdowns, and the Steers ran for 214 yards as a team in a blowout win over the Knights.
Ty Thompson added 185 yards passing and a rushing TD for Graham (9-1, 5-0), which was led in receiving by Brayden Riggins (5-92) and Jace Gill (3-61).
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Stamford, Hawley clash in rematch of last season’s thriller
LAST WEEK: 45-8, .849
SEASON TOTAL: 464-122, .791
The regular season ends Friday night (if you can believe it) and there’s no better way to close things up than with No. 5 Class 2A DI Hawley (9-0, 4-0) at No. 1 Stamford (9-0, 4-0).
The winner will earn the District 4 championship and No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs, so much is at stake.
I’m leaning toward Stamford here for three reasons: First, the overall team speed of SHS is unmatched by anyone in the area.
Secondly, the Bulldogs have an intangible working here — specifically a last-second miracle touchdown scored by Hawley’s
Camden Ables from 45 yards out with 0:47 left in last year’s game.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: San Saba’s Tharp takes this week’s accolade
It’s not a requirement for one to be on the winning team to become eligible for our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award.
It helps, but it’s not set in stone, by any means.
Case in point: San Saba quarterback Luke Tharp, who produced big-time numbers in a 44-41 loss to Holland last week.
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Mineral Wells takes care of Eagle Mountain; Burkburnett downs Bridgeport
Mineral Wells 26, Saginaw Eagle Mountain 13 — Owen Gadd passed for 101 yards and a touchdown, and Kayden Montalvo ran for 102 yards and a score to lead the Rams to a two-touchdown win over the Knights.
Mineral Wells (6-3, 2-2), which also got 70 yards receiving and a touchdown from Preztynn Harrison, outgained Eagle Mountain 369-147, taking a 23-7 lead by halftime.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Graham routs Brock in our weekly spotlight game
GRAHAM — Graham was dominant in the Big Country Preps Game of the Week from beginning to end.
From the time they drove the field on their first possession until Ozzy Trejo drilled a 50-yard field goal in the waning minutes, the fifth-ranked Steers left no doubt who the better team was in a 38-0 dismantling of No. 2 Brock.
The rout clinched the district title for Graham, which extended its scoreless streak to 22 quarters. Meanwhile, it was the Eagles’ worst loss in their brief 13-year history.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tolar’s Abbie Soileau takes the top spot with record-setting week
Photos provided by Melissa Carroll and Kelly Moody
There’s a great deal of excitement brewing around the Tolar volleyball team heading into postseason play and with good reason. If the Lady Rattlers (28-9, 12-1 District 8-3A) manage to knock off Comanche on Tuesday, they will set a school record for wins in a season.
Secondly, senior setter Abbie Soileau is dishing assists like they were going out of style — including the 47 she tallied last week in wins over No. 25 Peaster and Early. That lifted her season total to a Tolar school record 1,032 assists on the year and more 1,700 for her career.
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 9 REPORT: Graham shuts out Mineral Wells; Brock blasts Burkburnett
Graham 37, Mineral Wells 0 — Rylan Monsey ran for 114 yards and three touchdowns, and Ty Thompson added 68 yards and a rushing score of his own to lead the Steers to a shutout win over the Rams.
Thompson also passed for 80 yards, though Graham (7-1, 3-0) gained 210 of its 290 total yards via the rush. Behind that ground attack, the Steers built a 16-0 lead by halftime and put the game away with two unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Loboes play host to Hawley in Big Country Preps Game of the Week
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 Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 22)
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.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Albany’s Beal earns this week’s accolade
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.”
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 8 REPORT: Brock shuts out Mineral Wells; Graham blasts Bridgeport
Brock 21, Mineral Wells 0 — Brody Woods and Coty Farmer both topped the 100-yard rushing mark as the Eagles ran for 295 yards as a team in a shutout win over the Rams.
Woods, who was limited to 38 yards passing, ran for 148 yards and a touchdown, while Farmer added 118 yards and a score of his own on just eight carries. Brock (7-0, 2-0) also got an 85-yard punt return touchdown from Colt Matlock for the only points of the first half.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche’s Terrell takes this week’s award
It isn’t often that a place-kicker nails down our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, but Comanche’s Alex Terrell has done exactly that with a pressure-packed performance in a 13-10 overtime win over Jim Ned in our Game of the Week last Friday.
Aside from hitting a game-tying 30-yard field goal to send the contest into overtime, Terrell connected on a 31-yard field goal in the extra period to give CHS the win.
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 7 REPORT: Brock, Graham and Mineral Wells open league play in style
Brock 42, Saginaw Eagle Mountain 7 — Brody Woods passed for 233 yards and four touchdowns and Coty Farmer ran for 112 yards and a TD to help the Eagles to a blowout win over the Knights in the league opener for both teams.
Colt Matlock (7-68, 2 TDs receiving), Cannon Stephens (5-56, 1 TD) and Jesse Rusinek (2-25, 1 TD) all had receiving scores for Brock (6-0, 1-0), which outgained Eagle Mountain 439-89.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Comanche plays host to Jim Ned (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
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 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Graham volleyballer takes Player of the Week with a Noble effort
Overwhelming. If there were a one-word description for last week’s performance by six-foot Graham senior Lillian Noble, that would be it.
Noble, a four-year varsity player who has already committed to Oklahoma Baptist, was far and away the most dominant player in both a 3-1 win over Wichita Falls Memorial and a 3-1 loss to Glen Rose last week.
Her combined totals: 54 kills, 23 digs and 12 blocks — making her the most effective two-way player the area saw on both sides of the net last week.
“Lillian has become a true utility player for us this season,” coach Marci Faulk said. “It’s exciting to see her embrace this new role and have so much success doing so!”
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Brock, Graham cruise to shutout wins, Mineral Wells suffers first loss
Brock 49, Eastlake (Calif.) 0 — Coty Farmer ran for 101 yards on just 12 carries to lead a 251-yard rushing effort for the Eagles in a dominating performance against the Titans.
Brock, which led 21-0 by halftime and 35-0 by the start of the fourth quarter, also got a productive rushing day from Bryer McDonald (7-75, 1 TD), while Brody Woods passed for 136 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 46 yards.
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 4 REPORT: Graham, Brock and Mineral Wells pick up wins as league goes 4-2
Graham 34, Decatur 14 — Ty Thompson passed for 205 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 57 yards and another score to lead the Steers to a three-touchdown win over the Eagles.
Rylan Monsey added 82 yards rushing in the victory, while Brayden Riggins (3-61, 1 TD) and Harison Brockway (4-54) led Graham in receiving.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Rattlers play host to Comanche
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:
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 3 REPORT: Graham, Brock and Mineral Wells pick up convincing wins
Graham 58, Whitesboro 0 — Ty Thompson passed for 201 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 34 yards and another score to fuel the Steers to a blowout win over the Bearcats.
Graham, which led 44-0 at halftime, piled up 495 yards of total offense, getting nice games on the ground from Isaiah Flores (6-93, 1 TD) and Jace Gill (8-62, 1 TD) and a big receiving day from Harison Brockway (3-135, 2 TDs).
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Glen Rose visits Brownwood (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
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:
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Abilene High’s Henry takes the top spot
Sometimes, the biggest stage creates the biggest performances.
And in the Big Country, the stage doesn’t get any bigger than the annual Abilene – Abilene Cooper matchup — one of the biggest rivalries in the state of Texas and arguably the biggest in our area (though you may get an argument from Brownwood-Stephenville).
Friday night with much of the city of Abilene paying attention, AHS quarterback Brayden Henry had a memorable night, hitting 15 of 19 throws for 216 yards passing and two TDs.
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 2 REPORT: Mineral Wells, Brock improve 2-0; Graham falls to Springtown
Mineral Wells 36, Iowa Park 6 — The Rams improved to 2-0 on the year with a dominant performance against the Hawks.
Owen Gadd threw for 151 yards and a touchdown on 7-of-11 passing and ran for another score, while Preston Mendez (13-119, 1 TD) and Kayden Montalvo (16-110, 2 TDs) both topped the 100-yard rushing mark.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jobe takes first Player of the Week for 2024-25 school year
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.
DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Brock, Graham and Mineral Wells earn comfortable wins
Brock 27, Decatur 7 — Brody Woods passed for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns and rushed for 65 more yards to fuel BHS to a lightning-delayed win over Decatur.
Colt Matlock caught both of Woods’ touchdown passes, finishing with six catches for 139 yards, while Coty Farmer (10-90 rushing) and Jackson Farhatt (3-17) each had scoring runs for Brock.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Albany travels to Stamford in Game of the Week
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.
GRAHAM FEATURE: QB Thompson, RB Monsey ready to lead explosive Steers offense
When you look across the state, few schools can boast the experience the Graham Steers will return in 2024. That’s especially true in the backfield, where quarterback Ty Thompson and running back Rylan Monsey have been frustrating defenses for years.
Thompson, in his fourth year as the Steers’ starting signal caller, and Monsey, a three-year starter at tailback, have been stalwarts for a Graham program that will feature 26 seniors this fall.
And coming off a 10-2 season in which they averaged almost 47 points per game, the Steers will be leaning on that duo to achieve some pretty lofty goals this season.
2024 GRAHAM FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Senior-loaded Steers have ‘sky-high’ expectations
Longtime Graham defensive coordinator Clay McChristian couldn’t have asked for a better time to take over as the Steers’ head football coach.
His first year in that role, which came open when Kenny Davidson retired over the offseason as the winningest coach in Graham history, will see him lead one of Class 4A’s most experienced teams off a 10-win campaign in 2023.
With 26 seniors on his 39-player roster and call-ups from a 10-0 junior varsity team providing depth around them, the Steers are positioned as well as anyone in the Big Country Preps coverage area to make a deep playoff run this fall. And McChristian, who has been part of the GHS program since 2009, isn’t shying away from the expectations that accompany that reality.
COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Graham Steers … seven days to two-a-days
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 Graham Steers.
Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Graham Steers … seven days to two-a-days”
Evan Ren’s 2024 Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (the hardest-working baseball and softball players in the area)
OTHER 2024 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS TEAMS
- ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS BASEBALL Superlative Awards (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc)
- ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS BASEBALL: First-Team Selections
- ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS BASEBALL: Second-Team Selections (plus honorable mention)
- ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS BASEBALL: Rising Stars Team
- ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS SOFTBALL: Superlative Awards (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc)
- ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS SOFTBALL: First-Team Selections
- ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS SOFTBALL: Second-Team Selections (plus honorable mention)
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.