Category: Hamlin Pied Pipers

by Evan Ren

BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Pipers, Lions clash for district title (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country picks)

LAST WEEK: 40-3, .930

OVERALL: 397-76, .839

At the beginning of the season, I pointed to this game as a likely Big Country Preps Game of the Week and along with that, I said two things: On paper, Hamlin would be the favorite (which they are) and that I’d pick Albany (which i will). 

I’m throwing logic completely out of the window here and basing this pick on history alone. 

For better or worse, Hamlin has not beaten Albany since 2001 — a time span that includes 12 straight AHS victories, including two Lion wins last year that saw me pick the Pied Pipers twice. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 69: Denney Faith, Russell Lucas talk Albany-Hamlin matchup with Evan, Daniel

During their time at their respective schools, Albany’s Denney Faith and Hamlin’s Russell Lucas have been among the most successful football coaches in all of the Big Country.

With their teams set to clash in what may be the game of the year in this area, the two mentors joined Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood to talk about the Albany-Hamlin rivalry and this year’s matchup in particular for this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.

Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel take a look at the area’s most intriguing district races heading into the final week of the regular season.

Continue to check back at BigCountryPreps.com each Wednesday night at 7 p.m. when Evan and Dan discuss the current happenings in Big Country High School sports — often with an interesting sports figure from around the area.

You can also peruse our BCP Podcast archive, which features dozens of our previous shows with prominent coaches and Big Country media fixtures. 

Inquiries regarding these podcasts may be directed to Evan Ren at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

If you have a suggested topic of conversation or a recommended guest, don’t hesitate to contact us! 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: San Saba QB O’Keefe runs way to honor

San Saba senior Sean O’Keefe wasn’t fully needed through much of an 8-0 start that saw the Armadillos rout one team after another and consistently pull their starters early. 

In Friday’s district title game against Crawford, however, the Tulsa-bound signal caller had a full opportunity to shine in a 48-28 win over Crawford — the closest game the Armadillos (9-0) have had this season, by far. 

Rushing 21 times, O’Keefe piled up 364 yards on the ground, finding the end zone four times in the process to earn our Big Country Preps Player of the Week honor and lock up the District 7-2A Division I championship in his final home game.

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 7-2A Division II: Week 10 Report

Sepeda

Hamlin 41, Cross Plains 0 — The sixth-ranked Pied Pipers did their part to set up a massive Week 11 clash with No. 2 Albany, returning from their bye week with their second shutout win in three district games.

Hamlin (6-2 overall, 3-0 district) outgained the Buffaloes 395-197, getting 182 yards and three touchdowns passing from Braydin Warner, 83 yards and two TDs rushing from Jackson Sepeda and 85 yards and two scores receiving from Jevon Williams.

The Pied Pipers will now prepare to take on Albany for the outright district title next week, while Cross Plains (6-3, 1-2) will travel to Roscoe with a chance to clinch the No. 3 playoff seed out of District 7-2A DII.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 68: Brady’s Shay Easterwood talks Bulldog turnaround with Evan, Daniel

It’s taken Brady native Shay Easterwood three years to lay the foundation for the BHS football program, but with his team sitting at 4-4 overall and 3-0 in District 13-3A play, he has the Bulldogs in position to compete a district championship this season.

Earlier this week, Easterwood took some time to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about the pressure of coaching at his alma mater, the Bulldogs’ turnaround this fall and his goals for the rest of the season for this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.

Also on this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss the Big Country football landscape, highlighting last week’s top results and this week’s most intriguing matchups. 

Continue to check back at BigCountryPreps.com each Wednesday night at 7 p.m. when Evan and Dan discuss the current happenings in Big Country High School sports — often with an interesting sports figure from around the area.

You can also peruse our BCP Podcast archive, which features dozens of our previous shows with prominent coaches and Big Country media fixtures. 

Inquiries regarding these podcasts may be directed to Evan Ren at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

If you have a suggested topic of conversation or a recommended guest, don’t hesitate to contact us! 

BCP PODCAST ARCHIVE 

BIG COUNTRY PREPS FACEBOOK PAGE 

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 7-2A Division II: Week 9 Report

Newton

Albany 41, Cross Plains 13 — The Lions turned in a dominant performance Friday, keeping the Buffaloes off the board until the fourth quarter and building a 41-0 lead by that point to stay undefeated in District 7-2A DII play.

Ben West passed for 226 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for Albany, while rushing for 70 yards and an additional score. Jaheim Newton also had a nice game, rushing for 75 yards and two TDs on 13 carries.

The Lions, now 6-2 overall and 2-0 in league play, will host Haskell next week before their high-profile matchup at Hamlin on Nov. 8. Cross Plains, which fell to 6-2 and 1-1, will try to regroup next week at home against the Pied Pipers.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 67: Hugh Sandifer jumps on to talk Wylie football, career

In his 41 years at Wylie High School, more than 30 of those as the Bulldogs’ head football coach, Hugh Sandifer has had one of the most successful tenures the Big Country has ever seen. But in the past two years, WHS has struggled while transitioning to the Class 5A level, experiencing an 18-game losing streak before defeating Wichita Falls High 21-14 last week.

Earlier this week, Sandifer took some time to visit with Big Country Preps’ Daniel Youngblood about that victory, his tenure at Wylie and what drives him to continue coaching for this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.

Also on this episode, Daniel and partner Evan Ren discuss the Big Country football landscape, highlighting last week’s top results and this week’s most intriguing matchups. 

Continue to check back at BigCountryPreps.com each Wednesday night at 7 p.m. when Evan and Dan discuss the current happenings in Big Country High School sports — often with an interesting sports figure from around the area.

You can also peruse our BCP Podcast archive, which features dozens of our previous shows with prominent coaches and Big Country media fixtures. 

Inquiries regarding these podcasts may be directed to Evan Ren at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

If you have a suggested topic of conversation or a recommended guest, don’t hesitate to contact us! 

BCP PODCAST ARCHIVE 

BIG COUNTRY PREPS FACEBOOK PAGE 

BIG COUNTRY PREPS TWITTER PAGE 

by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brady’s Bauer snags award again

In a week filled with explosive performances it wasn’t easy choosing our weekly award winner among those nominated by our coaches.

We eventually settled on Brady’s Walker Bauer, whose dual-threat performance in a win over Johnson City was just good enough to eclipse the others. 

Throwing for 132 yards and four touchdowns in a 53-3 win over Johnson City, Bauer was perhaps even more impressive running the ball, with 239 yards and and two additional scores. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 7-2A Division II: Week 8 Report

Warner

Hamlin 51, Haskell 7 — Jevon Williams rushed for four touchdowns and added a fifth score receiving to lead the Pied Pipers to a blowout win over Haskell on Friday.

Hamlin, which also got two passing TDs from Braydin Warner and a rushing and receiving score from A.J. Ramirez, led 34-0 at halftime and scored the first 17 points of the second half, before the Indians finally got on the board on a long scoring run by Jacari Holland.

The win improves the Pipers to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in District 7-2A DII play heading into their bye week next week. Haskell, which fell to 2-6 and 0-2 with its fifth consecutive loss, will try to get the ship righted next week at Roscoe.

Continue reading “District 7-2A Division II: Week 8 Report” →

by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 66: James Morton joins Evan, Daniel to talk Eastland football, son’s recruitment

It’s been a big year for Eastland football coach James Morton, who has coached the Mavericks to a 6-0 start and earlier this week week watched his son, standout junior quarterback Behren Morton, commit to play collegiately at Texas Tech.

On Tuesday, Coach Morton took a few minutes to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about this year’s Eastland team, the progress his program has made and watching his son’s recruitment for this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.

Also in this episode, the guys revisit Evan’s column on fan’s treatment of coaches and discuss last week’s top results and this week’s top matchups.

Continue to check back at BigCountryPreps.com each Wednesday night at 7 p.m. when Evan and Dan discuss the current happenings in Big Country High School sports — often with an interesting sports figure from around the area.

You can also peruse our BCP Podcast archive, which features dozens of our previous shows with prominent coaches and Big Country media fixtures. 

Inquiries regarding these podcasts may be directed to Evan Ren at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

If you have a suggested topic of conversation or a recommended guest, don’t hesitate to contact us! 

BCP PODCAST ARCHIVE 

BIG COUNTRY PREPS FACEBOOK PAGE 

BIG COUNTRY PREPS TWITTER PAGE 

by Daniel Youngblood

District 7-2A Division II: Week 7 Report

Cross Plains 25, Haskell 22 — The Buffaloes outscored the Indians 25-8 over the final three quarters Friday to overcome an early two-score deficit and kick off District 7-2A Division II play with a huge victory.

Trailing 14-0 after a quarter, Cross Plains (6-1, 1-0) got the first of two Caleb Hernandez rushing touchdowns to trim the deficit to one score by halftime, and the Buffs took their first lead in the third quarter with a pair of Hernandez TD passes. The CPHS quarterback added his second rushing score with about three minutes remaining in the game to put coach Daniel Purvis’ squad up 25-14 and effectively seal the victory.

Haskell got a pair of rushing touchdowns from Jacari Holland in the loss, which dropped the Indians to 2-5 overall and 0-1 in league play heading into next week’s home game against Hamlin. Cross Plains will be idle next week before hosting Albany on Oct. 25.

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by Evan Ren

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. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 65: Daniel talks Cooper football with coach Aaron Roan

In his second year as Cooper’s head football coach, Aaron Roan has the Cougars unbeaten at 6-0 and ranked No. 10 in Class 5A Division I.

Earlier this week, Roan took a few minutes to chat with Big Country Preps’ Daniel Youngblood about the start his team’s gotten off to, the factors behind the Cougars’ success and his growth as a coach for this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.

Also in this episode, Daniel and Brandon McAuliffe discuss last week’s top results and the biggest area football matchups Week 7 has to offer.

Continue to check back at BigCountryPreps.com each Wednesday night at 7 p.m. when Evan and Dan discuss the current happenings in Big Country High School sports — often with an interesting sports figure from around the area.

You can also peruse our BCP Podcast archive, which features dozens of our previous shows with prominent coaches and Big Country media fixtures. 

Inquiries regarding these podcasts may be directed to Evan Ren at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

If you have a suggested topic of conversation or a recommended guest, don’t hesitate to contact us! 

BCP PODCAST ARCHIVE 

BIG COUNTRY PREPS FACEBOOK PAGE 

BIG COUNTRY PREPS TWITTER PAGE 

by Evan Ren

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” →

by Daniel Youngblood

District 7-2A Division II: Week 6 Report

Cross Plains 42, Miles 6 — Facing off with a previously unbeaten Miles squad on the road, the Buffaloes scored early and often in routing the Bulldogs.

Cross Plains led 14-0 after the first quarter and increased their lead to 35-6 by halftime, ending the competitive phase of the game before the break. This concluded an impressive nondistrict run for the Buffs who will enter district play with a 5-1 record, having outscored their first six opponents by a 261-51 margin.

Coach Daniel Purvis’ squad will open 7-2A DII play next week with a big home game against Haskell, before following their Oct. 17 open date with a tough two-week stretch against Albany (Oct. 25) and Hamlin (Nov. 1).

Continue reading “District 7-2A Division II: Week 6 Report” →

by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 64: Evan, Daniel discuss biggest storylines, surprises from season so far

With Week 6 upon us, we’ve hit the halfway point of the 2019 regular season.

Most Big Country teams have either started district play or will in the next week or two, and fans have seen enough to form some informed opinions on their teams. This week, Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood forego a guest to share their biggest takeaways from the season so far and discuss the things their most looking foward to down the stretch in this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.

Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel give a brief rundown of the week’s top matchups.

Continue to check back at BigCountryPreps.com each Wednesday night at 7 p.m. when Evan and Dan discuss the current happenings in Big Country High School sports — often with an interesting sports figure from around the area.

You can also peruse our BCP Podcast archive, which features dozens of our previous shows with prominent coaches and Big Country media fixtures. 

Inquiries regarding these podcasts may be directed to Evan Ren at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

If you have a suggested topic of conversation or a recommended guest, don’t hesitate to contact us! 

BCP PODCAST ARCHIVE 

BIG COUNTRY PREPS FACEBOOK PAGE 

BIG COUNTRY PREPS TWITTER PAGE 

by Daniel Youngblood

District 7-2A Division II: Week 5 Report

Albany 41, Peaster 0 — The Lions snapped a two-game losing streak with a blowout win over the Class 3A Greyhounds, dominating the second-year varsity program from start to finish.

Coach Denney Faith’s Lions built a 34-0 lead by halftime and cruised over the final two quarters to their first shutout win of the season and third victory over a Class 3A opponent.

Albany (3-2) will host Menard next week to close out the nondistrict portion of its schedule, before enjoying its bye week in Week 7 and opening district on Oct. 18 against Roscoe.

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by Evan Ren

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. 

Continue reading “BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Loboes, Bearcats clash in our spotlight game (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)” →

by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 63: Abilene High’s Mike Fullen checks in to talk Eagle football with Evan, Daniel

After serving as defensive coordinator under former Abilene High head coaches Steve Warren and Del Van Cox, helping the Eagles to a state championship in 2009, Mike Fullen was hired over the summer to take over the AHS football program. 

Earlier this week, Fullen took a few minutes to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about his first season as a head coach, what he’s learned and what he hopes to accomplish in the future for this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.

Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss some of their takeaways from the fourth week of the Big Country football season and take a look at the top matchups in Week 5.

Continue to check back at BigCountryPreps.com each Wednesday night at 7 p.m. when Evan and Dan discuss the current happenings in Big Country High School sports — often with an interesting sports figure from around the area.

You can also peruse our BCP Podcast archive, which features dozens of our previous shows with prominent coaches and Big Country media fixtures. 

Inquiries regarding these podcasts may be directed to Evan Ren at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

If you have a suggested topic of conversation or a recommended guest, don’t hesitate to contact us! 

BCP PODAST ARCHIVE 

BIG COUNTRY PREPS FACEBOOK PAGE 

BIG COUNTRY PREPS TWITTER PAGE 

by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Roscoe QB earns award with massive game

It took a little while for the Roscoe Plowboys (1-3) to get things going this season, but once they did, it happened in a big way, courtesy of quarterback Junior Martinez.

Martinez, who helped Roscoe to a 48-20 win over Chico on Friday, accounted for seven, count ’em seven touchdowns, beginning with two rushing scores among 27 carries for 129 yards. 

He also connected on 20 of 32 pass attempts for 329 yards and five touchdowns and charted six tackles and two pass breakups as Roscoe earned its first win of the year. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 7-2A Division II: Week 4 Report

Hawley 22, Albany 20 — The Bearcats raced out to a 22-7 first-quarter lead Friday and held on over the final three periods to remain unbeaten on the season at 4-0.

Hawley, which got a touchdown run and pass from quarterback Xavier Rodela, appeared to be in control early. But the Lions shut out the Bearcats after the 13-second mark of the first quarter. Ben West pulled AHS within two points with TD passes to Dillon Hindman in the third quarter and Blaine Kayga in the fourth, but a failed two-point conversion after the final score proved to be the difference in the game.

Hawley will put its unbeaten record back on the line next week when it hosts Windthorst, while Albany (2-2) will will try to snap a two-game losing streak when it welcomes Peaster to Robert Nail Stadium.

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by Evan Ren

BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Explosive Brady visits Dublin (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)

LAST WEEK: 41-8, .837

OVERALL: 130-27, .828

On a Friday where any one of four or five games is arguably a candidate for our Big Country Preps Game of the Week, our final decision — Brady at Dublin — was based on sharing the love. 

Jim Ned and Mason is on the board, as is Wichita Falls Rider at Brownwood, Hawley at Albany, Christoval at Cross Plains and, of course, the annual war between Brock and Breckenridge. 

But with Jim Ned a likely candidate for Game of the Week when it faces Wall and Eastland later this year, and Brownwood receiving live coverage for Snyder two weeks ago and Wylie next week, the field narrowed a bit. 

Hawley got our Game of the Week last Friday, and Albany will likely see the GOW when it faces Hamlin, so we’re heading to Dublin where Brady will be a part of its first-ever BCP spotlight game.

It shouldn’t disappoint. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 62: Stephenville’s Sterling Doty visits with Evan, Daniel

After a successful five-year run at Magnolia High School, following a stint as an assistant and offensive coordinator at Cooper, Sterling Doty has returned home to lead the Stephenville program he helped to two state titles in the late 1990s.

This week, Doty took a few minutes to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about his team, the pressure he faces as Stephenville’s coach and some of his influences for this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast. 

Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss some of their takeaways from the third week of the Big Country football season and take a look at the top matchups in Week 4.

Continue to check back at BigCountryPreps.com each Wednesday night at 7 p.m. when Evan and Dan discuss the current happenings in Big Country High School sports — often with an interesting sports figure from around the area.

You can also peruse our BCP Podcast archive, which features dozens of our previous shows with prominent coaches and Big Country media fixtures. 

Inquiries regarding these podcasts may be directed to Evan Ren at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

If you have a suggested topic of conversation or a recommended guest, don’t hesitate to contact us! 

BCP PODAST ARCHIVE 

BIG COUNTRY PREPS FACEBOOK PAGE 

BIG COUNTRY PREPS TWITTER PAGE 

by Daniel Youngblood

District 7-2A Division II: Week 3 Report

Burson

Haskell 14, Peaster 13 — The Indians only managed 192 yards of total offense Friday, but a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Cutter Medford to Logan Burson were enough to lift coach Brian Hodnett’s squad to a one-point win over the Class 3A Greyhounds.

Peaster struck first in the second quarter with a 63-yard touchdown run by Shawn Glover, and the score remained 7-0 into the fourth. Scoring passes of 26 and 34 yards put the Indians up 14-7, and a failed two-point conversion on a late Greyhound touchdown allowed Haskell to escape with the narrow victory.

Medford passed for 136 yards and Burson received for 110 for the Indians (2-1), who limited Peaster to 259 yards and forced five turnovers. Haskell will host Stamford next week.

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by Evan Ren

BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Hawley tops Hamlin 46-44 in Big Country thriller

HAWLEY — It took nearly three hours and close to 900 yards of combined total offense to settle the issue. 

But once the dust cleared at Hawley High School on Friday, the 10th-ranked 2A DI Bearcats had earned a 46-44 win over top-ranked 2A DII Hamlin in a classic Big Country Preps Game of the Week.

Colton Marshall rushed for 230 yards, three touchdowns and four two-point conversions  to lead Hawley (3-0), which forced four Hamlin turnovers to key the win. 

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by Evan Ren

BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Hawley, Hamlin collide in matchup of 2A powerhouses (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)

 

LAST WEEK: 46-6, .884

SEASON TOTAL: 89-19, .824

I don’t know what has me more jazzed — the interesting slate of Big Country games we’ve got on tap this week, or the fact that I hit 88 percent of my picks in Week 2 and am at 82 percent for the season. 

I don’t mind saying, it’s way too early in to be picking at a rate that high. Normally the 80-percent plateau is crossed in the second half of the season, after you get dialed in on who’s who. But why should I complain? It will give me a leg up on Youngblood. 

Our Big Country Preps Game of the Week — Hamlin (2-0) at Hawley (2-0) — was actually circled on the calendar well in advance of the season. 

Yes, last year’s matchup resulted in a 32-6 Hamlin win. 

But the venue switches to Hawley this time around and unless I’ve missed my guess, the Bearcats are more than motivated after being escorted to the woodshed by the Pipers a year ago. 

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