Here are the Big Country’s receiving leaders through Week 6:
Category: Hamilton Bulldogs
DISTRICT 5-3A DII WEEK 5 REPORT: Tolar, Hamilton pick up victories as district race remains wide open
Tolar 42, Comanche 24 — Trailing 17-7 midway through the second quarter, the Rattlers rallied to take a 28-24 lead into halftime before dominating the second half to pull away from the Indians for a three-score win.
The victory, which improved Tolar (2-3 overall) to 1-1 in district play, saw the Rattlers limit Comanche to 338 total yards in pitching a second-half shutout.
DISTRICT 5-3A DII WEEK 4 REPORT: Comanche, Eastland open league play with victories; Hamilton, Tolar fall
Comanche 21, Clifton 14 — Zaden Tello ran for 108 yards and all three of the Indians touchdowns to lead Comanche (2-2, 1-0) to a big district-opening win over the Cubs.
Tello also had a team-high 44 yards receiving as the Indians stretched a 7-0 halftime lead to 14-0 by the end of the third quarter and held off a Clifton rally in the fourth.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde’s Wright takes this week’s award
It’s still too early to say, but 2026 could be the year of the quarterback in the Big Country. At least it has been that way through three weeks, with Clyde senior Devan Wright taking our latest Big Country Player of the Week award after another eye-popping performance from an area signal caller.
In the wake of Haskell’s Haegan Pinkerton winning our first two awards with two huge performances in Week 1 and Week 2, Wright followed those up with one of his own in a 57-21 win over Comanche on Friday.
Helping Clyde improve to 3-0, Wright connected on 12 of 18 throws for 194 yards and four scores. He also rushed nine times for 116 yards and three more TDs, giving him a direct hand in seven touchdowns.
DISTRICT 5-3A DII WEEK 3 REPORT: Hamilton, Tolar, Dublin and Eastland all pick up first wins
Hamilton 34, Brady 17 — A 21-point second quarter turned the tide for HHS in a 17-point win over the Brady in this battle of Bulldogs.
Trailing 3-0 after a quarter, Hamilton (1-2) rallied to take a 21-10 lead into halftime. Brady then scored the only touchdown of the third quarter to pull within four points, before HHS closed things out with 13 unanswered points in the fourth.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Pinkerton takes his second award in as many weeks
We prefer to not have the same athlete win our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award in successive weeks, given that it is our aim to share the love. But every now and then, the numbers simply make that impossible.
So here we have it: Haskell’s Haegen Pinkerton has won our accolade twice in as many weeks, and deservedly so after leading the Indians to a 62-44 win at Bangs on Friday.
DISTRICT 5-3A DII WEEK 2 REPORT: Area teams go 0-5 as district drops all but two games
Cisco 38, Comanche 6 — Colby McIlroy passed for 200 yards and two touchdowns and added another score on the ground to fuel the Loboes to a lopsided win over the Indians.
Landry Vosburg added 102 yards and one TD rushing, and Cannon Harris had 84 yards and two TDs receiving to help Cisco, which led 24-6 by halftime.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Mason, Hamilton produce a classic in their first game of the week
HAMILTON — With two of Big Country Preps’ newcomers going head-to-head in their first BCP Game of the Week, the Mason Punchers and Hamilton Bulldogs put together a legitimate classic on Friday at Kooken Field.
San Saba move-in Luke Tharp rushed for 139 yards and four scores to lead Mason to a 46-44 win in a game that saw four lead changes and two ties before the issue was finally settled after 10 p.m. Tharp added two fourth-quarter TDs to provide the Punchers with the winning edge, improving sixth-ranked 2A DI Mason to 2-0.
Hamilton (0-2), which carried a 37-30 edge into the fourth quarter, was led by Oliver Summers with 352 yards passing and four scores. Madden Weaver was his top target, hauling in nine passes for 235 yards and two TDs.
“We told our kids that we play games like this to see where we’re at,” Mason coach Wade Griffin said. “We play games like this to challenge ourselves and we were definitely challenged tonight by an amazing football team and I’m just glad we found one more play than they did.”
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Mason squares off with Hamilton (+plus Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
LAST WEEK: 55-19, .743
SEASON TOTAL: 55-19, .743
Our Big Country Preps Game of the Week is as much a welcoming as it is a top matchup.
With 2A DI state champion Hamilton (now in 3A DII) playing host to fourth-ranked 2A DI Mason, much of the state will be interested in the results this produces.
But, with both schools now entering their first season under the Big Country Preps coverage banner, it quickly became an opportunity to roll out the red carpet for both clubs as well.
Hamilton, which is coming off a 26-21 loss to 2A superpower Bremond, will be fired up with the home crowd behind it.
DISTRICT 5-3A DII WEEK 1 REPORT: Comanche takes care of Breck to headline otherwise rough week for area squads
Comanche 28, Breckenridge 6 — Cooper Welch threw for 135 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 pass attempts, and LaDainian Smith added 63 yards and a pair of scores on the ground to fuel the Indians to a three-score win over the Buckaroos.
Comanche also got productive days from Nicolas Anaya (6-91 rushing) and Zaden Tello (6-82 rushing; 2-64, 1 TD receiving) in increasing a 13-0 halftime lead to 28-0 in the fourth quarter before Breckenridge finally got on the board with an 80-yard kickoff return.
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 15 quarterbacks with a list of others to watch in 2026.
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 15 with a list of others to watch in 2026. Don’t forget to check in tomorrow when we conclude our series with the top 10 area quarterbacks.
We hope you enjoy this 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 with the linemen, we now shift our attention to the playmakers on the perimeter, ranking our top 15 wideouts/tight ends with a list of others to watch in 2026.
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 15 offensive linemen with a list of others to watch in 2026.
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 10 kickers and top three 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 2026 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 15 defensive backs and others to look out for in 2026.
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 last night, it’s now time to examine those who will backing them in 2026.
Continuing with Big Country Preps’ eight-part preseason position rankings series, here’s our top 15 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 2026.
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 15 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.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Linemen”
2026 DISTRICT PREDICTIONS: Evan and Daniel make their picks
The time has arrived for us to make our Big Country predictions, district-by-district.
Several weeks of research and two solid months of summertime labor have gone into this, so we’re more than ready to post it.
With that please 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!
EVAN REN: Hamilton in uncharted territory following last year’s state championship win
HAMILTON — To say that the Hamilton Tigers had very little football history prior to coach Ryan Marwitz taking over in 2022, is an enormous understatement.
Oddly enough, the Tigers have seldom been really bad — floating in a perpetual mediocre range between three and seven wins per year. They’ve had their share of bi-district appearances, but seldom advanced beyond that point.
Their all-time record illustrates their consistent spot in the middle of the pack, with a 506-524-32 overall mark and an all-time playoff record of 21-19, dating back 1914. Again, not horrible, but not exceptional either.
2026 HAMILTON FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Bulldogs move up to 3A DII with several new faces
HAMILTON — Less than a year removed from winning the first state football championship in program history, coach Ryan Marwitz and the Hamilton Bulldogs must now face the inevitable questions directed at every first-time state titlist.
Can they maintain this level of success? Can they stay hungry? How can they replace the key personnel that graduated? And so on and so on.
And while it is true that Hamilton has several key players to replace heading into 2026, there is ample reason to believe that Marwitz’s crew can withstand a move up to Class 3A DII and challenge for the District 5 title. How far they get beyond that point will depend on a few key factors.
