Goldthwaite 48, Granger 0 — The Eagles (2-0) remained unbeaten with a blowout win at Granger.
Hayess Greenway threw for 261 yards and three TDs and rushed for 115 to lead Goldthwaite, which will face archrival San Saba (1-1) next week.
Granger fell to 1-1.
Before Haskell senior quarterback Haegen Pinkerton arrived at HHS as a freshman, the name of Pinkerton was something I associated with the famous detective agency.
I now associate it with statistical insanity, and you should associate it with the Big Country Preps Player of the Week.
Pinkerton, who was behind center in Haskell’s 80-62 loss to Stamford, had one of the biggest nights I can recollect in a losing effort, accounting for seven touchdowns on Friday.
Hitting 15 of 22 throws for 193 yards, three of Pinkerton’s deliveries went for scores. But it was on the ground where he did most of his damage, rushing 29 times for 290 yards and four touchdowns to help keep the Indians competitive.
Goldthwaite 59, Junction 27
Goldthwaite dominated Junction, outgaining JHS 502-220, including 283 yards rushing.
Haynes Greenway led GHS, with 219 yards passing and three scores.
Landry Sanderson was the top ground gainer for Goldthwaite with 132 yards and four TDs on 22 carries.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”
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!
While Rowdy Holden’s 2025 defensive statistics were head-turning in and of themselves, they probably didn’t do justice to what the now-senior linebacker means to the Hamlin Pied Pipers.
We’ll share them, anyway, because … well … these are the kind of numbers from which legends are born.
In 11 games during which Hamlin went 8-3 and advanced to the Class 2A Division II playoffs, Holden recorded 145½ tackles. Of those, 23 came in the backfield before opponents could even reach the line of scrimmage. He also forced four fumbles, broke up three passes and pressured the quarterback into sacks or hurried throws 12 times.
Following an 8-3 season during which Hamlin made the playoffs for the second consecutive year, the Pipers will try to ride a wave of momentum into the 2026 football season. But to match or exceed the exploits of their predecessors, the latest version of Pipers will likely have to see a number of new players evolve into heroes this fall.
Hamlin returns just 11 lettermen, which means a good number of starters this season — particularly at the skill positions — haven’t taken many meaningful snaps under the Friday night lights. The good news is that the new front-line players are already blending nicely with the proven leaders, giving coach Jason Botos reason for optimism when the Piper open the season on Aug. 28 hosting Crosbyton.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball teams.
Here, you will find our Rising Stars Team honoring the top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country.
For the rest of this year’s baseball selections, please click the links below.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2026 All-Big Country Preps Softball teams.
Here, you will find our Rising Stars Team honoring the top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country.
For the rest of this year’s softball selections, please click the links below.
EULA — After pitching dominated the thrilling opener of the Class 1A state semifinal series between Gordon and Hamlin on Thursday, it became apparent immediately Saturday afternoon that Game 2 would be a different kind of game.
The two teams combined for 10 runs over the first two innings and left a combined eight runners on base on top of that, setting the stage for a battle of wills and pitching depth that the Longhorns would eventually win 18-8 in six innings.
Aiden Shank, who pitched a complete-game shutout on Thursday to put GHS in position to complete the series sweep, went 3 for 4 with two home runs and five RBIs while Stryker Reed pitched the the final five innings of the game and added a bomb of his own to fuel the Longhorns past Hamlin and into the state championship game for the second year in a row.
With Saturday’s victory, coach Ligon West’s squad earned a state finals matchup with Groveton Centerville, scheduled for 9 a.m. next Saturday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
EULA — To say there wasn’t much separating the Gordon and Hamlin baseball teams Thursday in the opener of their Class 1A state semifinal series would be a fairly substantial understatement.
At the end of a game that was played from start to finish on a razor’s edge, the deciding factor a bases-loaded catcher’s interference call in the seventh inning that plated the game’s only run, lifting the Longhorns to a 1-0 walk-off win at the Eula Athletic Complex.
With Gordon’s Aiden Shank and Hamlin’s Ian Gruben matching each other zero for zero, wiggling out of what little trouble they found themselves in throughout the night, the game looked like it might be destined for extra innings when Gruben closed his outing on the mound by striking out Corvin Seymour with one out and the bases jammed in the seventh. But facing a 2-2 count against HHS reliever Isaiah Hutchings, Jasper Clark’s swing clipped the mitt of Javie Ramos, who had come in to replace Hutchings behind the plate.
Clark immediately reacted, but there was no call initially. After a brief meeting between the game’s four umpires, it was ruled that it was, indeed, catcher’s interference, forcing Brayden Walters home from third to end a thrilling pitchers’ duel in a strange — and strangely anticlimactic — way.
COLORADO CITY — The Hamlin baseball team takes great pride in its approach to hitting with two strikes and that approach paid off in droves on Saturday in Game 2 of the Pied Pipers’ Region I-1A series at AW Phillips Field against O’Donnell.
Nine different batters reached base safely on Saturday when facing a pitch with two strikes as the Pied Pipers beat the Eagles 6-0 to earn a state semifinal matchup with Gordon next week.
Hamlin coach Lynn Turner and Saturday’s starting pitcher Isaiah Hutchings both heaped praise on the offense, which chased O’Donnell starter Willie Luera in the fifth inning after he reached the 110-pitch count limit. Hamlin had six batters work a full count on Saturday with four of them reaching base via a walk.
As is our tradition, with the UIL State Track and Field Championships now over, we conclude our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column for the 2025-26 school year. We’ll pick it up again on Monday, Aug. 31.
In the meantime, our final award of the school year belongs to Gordon senior Stryker Reed, and with good reason. At the state track meet, Reed won state titles in both the 110 and 300 hurdles, breaking his own state records in both events at 14.20 and 37.24. He took an additional gold with the 1600 relay team with a 47.8 split and bronze in the pole vault at 14-0. He nearly captured a fifth medal in Austin, taking fourth in the high jump at 6-2.
Oh, and did we mention he plays baseball?
Well, he does — well enough to help the Longhorns to a series sweep of Oglesby last week, going a combined 4 of 5 with a double, triple, two RBIs, three runs scored and two steals. He also pitched in Game 2, allowing one earned run in three innings of work with four strikeouts.
EULA — The Hamlin baseball team scored the final four runs Wednesday to rally for a 5-2 win over May in the opener of a Region I-1A semifinal series at the Eula Athletic Complex.
Trailing 2-1 after an inning, the Pied Pipers bookended a two-run fourth with single runs in the third and fifth, and that was more than enough offense for starter Ian Gruben, who shut the Tigers out in the final six innings of a complete-game gem.
The victory improved Hamlin to 17-1 on the year and gives the Pipers an opportunity to close out the best-of-three series when it resumes at 6 p.m. Thursday with Game 2. Should the Tigers (16-2) bounce back to take that one, a decisive third game would be played on Monday.
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Hamlin-Hermleigh area round baseball (89 images)”
ABILENE — Several times in his career, Hamlin senior Ian Gruben has flirted with a no-hitter — including taking a perfect game into the fifth inning earlier this year against Aspermont.
On Thursday night, Hamlin’s ace lost his chance at his first no-hitter on a seventh-inning single, but he did more than enough before that as the Pied Pipers took a 12-2 win over Hermleigh in a one-game Region I-1A area-round playoff at McMurry University’s Walt Driggers Field.
While the single by Braidyn Lynch was hard-hit and clean, Gruben said it was on him as he issued a leadoff walk in the frame that had Ian Hutchings holding a runner on base.
Nothing quite like starting off a playoff series with a masterpiece from your pitcher.
Wylie sophomore Gehrig Fletcher delivered this artwork last week in a 7-0 win in Game 1 of a bi-district series with Lubbock Coronado.
Not only did the 10th grader throw a seven-inning no-hitter, but he did it with an unusual twist: he only struck out three batters.
No-hitters are rare enough, but throwing one while pitching to contact is something one almost never sees in a game dominated by aluminum bats.
“Gehrig is a kid that puts in the work every day,” coach Grant Martin said. He is the epitome of hard work, determination, and resilience.
“He is the best teammate and exemplifies what a student athlete should be. What a performance in a big time setting. So proud of him!”
EULA — The Hamlin baseball team kicked off its playoff run in dominant fashion Tuesday, scoring early and often in a 19-2 win over Cross Plains in Game 1 of a best-of-three Region I-1A bi-district series at the Eula baseball field.
The Pied Pipers broke a scoreless tie with a five-run second inning and increased their lead to 9-2 by the start of the fifth, when they exploded for 10 runs to put the run rule into effect.
Ian Gruben limited the Buffaloes to two unearned runs over four strong innings to earn the win, which puts HHS in position to clinch the series when play resumes at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Eula.
In a week that featured at least a half dozen athletes who could have taken our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, we finally settled on a Stephenville senior for our weekly award.
Willis Jackson, one of the premiere speedsters in the Big Country, took four district titles in the District 6-4A meet last week
This included individual gold medals in the 100 meters (10.66), long jump (22-8.5) and Triple jump (43-8.5). He also collected gold with the 800 relay team (1:28.53), along with a silver with the 400 relay (42.45).
“Willis is headed to the area track meet in five events,” coach Kolt Kittley said. “He comes to workouts every day with a big smile and a great attitude.
“He was huge in helping us win the district track meet this year.”
Scoring and rebounding is only part of the story when it comes to basketball. Behind the scenes and beyond the view of the public, is where character is often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps Gym Rat Team that we salute the individuals who exude the most of it.
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 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 2025-26 season.
Players are listed in no particular order.
Enjoy.
As one would expect, the Jim Ned Relays had a quality field of competition last week, opening the door for one of its athletes to snag Big Country Preps Player of the Week honors.
So it’s not surprising that its top performer sits atop of our weekly list of highlighted competitors from around the area.
Wall senior Bryson McFarden takes our weekly accolade after medaling five times in Tuscola with four golds and a silver.
In the pitcher’s circle, there are varying degrees of perfection. And in the case of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, that statement was fully illustrated on Friday in a 6-0 Clyde win over Merkel.
Yes, CHS freshman Brynli Reynolds threw a perfect game. But this wasn’t your standard, every day, run-of-the-mill, garden variety perfecto.
In fact, it may have been the most dominating performance by a baseball or softball pitcher the Big Country has seen in the last two decades.
Aside from retiring 21 straight hitters from a very good Merkel team (19-2), Reynolds fanned the first 17 batters she faced and finished with 20 strikeouts. She also helped herself at the plate, going 1-for-2 with an RBI.
It was the second time this season that the Clyde freshman has taken our weekly accolade.
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Aspermont-Hamlin baseball (110 images)”
HAMLIN — Saturday’s District 8-1A doubleheader between Hamlin and Aspermont featured something that Hamlin coach Lynn Turner hadn’t experienced in his career as a head coach, which is saying something after he notched his 400th career win the previous week.
Ian Gruben took a perfect game into the fifth inning of the Pied Pipers’ 10-0 win in the opening game at Rock Field before Isaiah Hutchings threw a no-hitter in the second game as Hamlin rolled to a 15-0 win.
The pair combined for 23 strikeouts while facing 29 batters in the two games, with Hutchings even notching a rare four-strikeout inning.
Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week earned the accolade on the state’s biggest stage.
Jayton senior guard Sean Stanaland was a big contributor in several areas for the Jaybirds in a surprisingly easy 78-45 win over Kennard in the Class 1A Division II state title game. This began with the 28 points he scored to help JHS to its third straight championship.
He also pulled down 15 rebounds to go with five assists and three steals as Jayton capped its season with a victory in San Antonio’s Alamodome.
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: 2026 Eula Softball Tournament (126 images)”
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Hamlin-Eula girls basketball area-round playoff (57 images)”
ANSON — The third-ranked Eula girls basketball team had no problems continuing its postseason run with a 58-28 win over Hamlin on Friday in a Region II-1A Division I area-round game at Tiger Gymnasium.
All 12 players on Josh Fostel’s roster saw plenty of playing time in the win, including four call-ups from the junior varsity, while the Lady Pipers played most of the game without a bench after junior Najely Hernandez aggravated a knee injury that was suffered in Hamlin’s playoff opener in the first quarter.
The depth advantage allowed the Lady Pirates to pull away starting in the second quarter as Eula’s defensive pressure left Hamlin’s five remaining players visibly struggling.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Feb. 19. With the end of the regular season, this will be the FINAL boys basketball leaders we post this year.
This database has been continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Feb. 12. This will be our FINAL girls stat leaders for 2026.
This database has been continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
Surprised — and in some cases, stressed out — faces could be seen in abundance Monday morning at Abilene’s Region 14 Education Services Center, where coaches from throughout the area and beyond gathered to learn their new district homes as part of the University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment.
In what can best be described as a seismic shift in the Big Country football landscape, a majority of area schools were placed in unfamiliar environs — be that a new district with new foes or even a new region entirely.
The now venerated process by which the UIL releases the packet containing the new district alignments for football, basketball and volleyball is frequently compared by coaches to waking up on Christmas morning to find what presents await under the three. And on this day, in particular, few found the gifts they were expecting.