Category: Graham Steers

by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Graham’s defense steps up in second half against Glen Rose 

Photos by Kael Duncan

MINERAL WELLS – Graham is headed to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2020.

The Steers have many reasons why they’re going to be playing in December, but the biggest reason is a defense that took some punches but held high-powered Glen Rose to three second-half points.

That enabled Graham to close out a 38-27 victory over the Tigers at a packed Ram Stadium. The Steers (12-1) advance to face Brock (12-1) for the Region I-4A Division II title, while the Tigers finish at 10-3.

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN’S PLAYOFF FORECAST: BCP coverage area well-represented heading into Turkey Day

LAST WEEK: 24-2, .923
SEASON TOTAL: 578-139, .806

Big Country Preps carries 16 teams from its coverage area into Week 14 and it’s my guess that at least nine of them will survive Thanksgiving weekend. 

And on that subject, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you from all of us at BCP. 

Here are this week’s picks, we’ll see you on the road! 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall quarterback grabs the spotlight with huge performance

Only a year removed from running a ground-based flexbone option attack, the Wall Hawks have managed to put that approach in the distant past with a remarkable effort through the air in 2024. 

And who would have thought that making that difficult transition could have happened so quickly? 

Now, having committed to a full-blown spread attack under new coach Craig Slaughter, the Hawks have already accumulated nearly 3,000 passing yards, placing them near the top in that category among Big Country teams. 

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by Evan Ren

CLASS 4A AREA ROUND REPORT: Lions fall; Stephenville, Brock, Graham

REGION I-4A Div. I 

Canyon West Plains 49, Brownwood 14 — West Plains rolled up 510 yards in total offense, including 306 yards rushing to eliminate the Lions. 

Slade Russell rushed for 121 yards and two scores, Reid Macon rushed for 120 yards and two more TDs to lead West Plains (9-3), which will face Lampasas (10-2) in the regional semis. 

Brownwood, which hurt itself with five turnovers, finished at 6-5. The Lions were led by Judson Coalson, who rushed for 94 yards and passed for 94.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Graham reaches third round for the first time in four years after hammering Monahans

SWEETWATER — Graham sophomore Damien Noria, a player on the Steers junior varsity squad, spent all week acting as a Monahans running back on the scout team to prepare the Steers defense for their Region I-4A Division II area-round matchup.

What nobody expected was to see him get a chance to shine under the bright lights of the Mustang Bowl on Thursday night.

With Graham cruising to an easy 63-6 win, Noria ran for 67 yards on 13 carries and trucked several defenders to score his first career touchdown in the third quarter.

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by Daniel Youngblood

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).

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by Evan Ren

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.

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by Evan Ren

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. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

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.

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

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.

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by Evan Ren

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.

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by Daniel Youngblood

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.

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by Evan Ren

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. 

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by Evan Ren

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.

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by Evan Ren

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.” 

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by Daniel Youngblood

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.

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by Evan Ren

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. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

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.

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by Evan Ren

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: 

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by Evan Ren

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!”

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by Daniel Youngblood

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.

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by Daniel Youngblood

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.

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by Evan Ren

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: 

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by Daniel Youngblood

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).

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by Evan Ren

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:  

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by Evan Ren

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. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

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.

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by Evan Ren

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. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

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.

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by Evan Ren

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. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

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.

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by Daniel Youngblood

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.

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by Evan Ren

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” →

by Evan Ren

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

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. 

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