Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
We will continually update the database throughout the regular season.
Ralls 68, Hamlin 0 — The Jackrabbits had their way in a blowout win over the Pied Pipers, outgaining Hamlin 430-18 in a dominating effort.
Leading 14-0 after a quarter, Ralls (5-2, 1-0) scored 30 in the second to take a 44-0 lead into halftime and cruised from there to its fifth consecutive victory.
The Jackrabbits didn’t attempt a single pass in the victory, getting big days from Sergio Salinas (8-152, 3 TDs) and Justin Zavala (8-101, 1 TD) to lead a 430-yard rushing effort. Hamlin (0-7, 0-1) ran just 26 offensive plays, finishing with more turnovers (4) than first downs (3).
LAST WEEK: 39-4, .906
SEASON TOTAL: 247-56, .815
Gramps Ren is back in the groove, hitting over 90 percent of his picks a week ago, to push this column’s season percentage to .815 as we head into district play across the area.
Whether or not I can keep the momentum remains to be seen, entering what might be the toughest week of area picks I’ve seen this year, with multiple games that I would rate as near-tossups.
This week’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week will see us heading to Tuscola where Jim Ned will begin its District 3-3A DI title defense against a red-hot, unbeaten team from Early.
Let’s have a look at this week’s picks …
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
We will continually update the database throughout the regular season.
Roscoe 6, Sudan 0 — The Plowboys improved to 5-1 with a win in a game that was stopped by lightning after Jake Gonzales scored from 19 yards out to cap a 63-yard touchdown drive on Roscoe’s opening possession.
The game, which was played at Post, will count as a victory for Roscoe and a forfeit loss for Sudan, which made the decision at the administrative level to cancel the contest rather than delay it.
The Plowboys needed just five plays to get on the board, getting a 31-yard pass from Jax Watts to Antonio Aguayo and three carries from Gonzales for 27 yards on their way to the end zone.
LAST WEEK: 45-6, .882
SEASON TOTAL: 208-52, .800
After a disastrous night of picking football games on Sept. 19 that saw his season percentage dip below .800, Gramps Ren has rebounded. Thank you, thank you.
Last Friday saw this column hit with more than 88 percent accuracy on games throughout the Big Country, pulling its season percentage to an even .800 as we hit the season’s midpoint.
This week I’ll be heading west — way West — to the very edge of our coverage area to get a first-hand look at the Big Spring Steers in their matchup with Littlefield in our Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
Let’s dive in to this week’s picks, shall we?
Roscoe 44, New Home 12 — The Plowboys increased their winning streak to four games with a blowout victory over New Home, holding the Leopards to 35 yards of offense in a stifling performance.
Roscoe (4-1) led just 7-6 after a quarter, but coach Jake Freeman’s squad scored 37 unanswered points over the middle two periods to take complete control.
Jax Watts passed for 152 yards and two touchdowns, while Seth Wilcox rushed for 50 yards and a pair of scores and added a team-high 69 receiving yards. Ivan McCann and Jake Gonzales pitched in with 45 and 42 rushing yards, respectively, and Antonio Aguayo received for 67 yards and a TD.
LAST WEEK: 36-16, .692
OVERALL: 163-46, .779
After four straight weeks of picking 80 percent or better, the USS Ren ran aground last Friday, bottoming out with a season-low .692 percentage and dropping my season tally to .779.
I generally like to be above 80 percent by midseason, so last Friday served as a wakeup call. Actually, it was more of a gut punch. But I’ll get over it.
This week’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week will see me traveling to Snyder, where the unbeaten Class 4A Tigers will play host to 3A DI state champion Jim Ned in what should be an absolutely electric atmosphere.
You all set? Let’s dive in to this week’s picks.
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
We will continually update the database throughout the regular season.
Roscoe 42, Christoval 30 — The Plowboys continued their resurgent start to the season, outlasting the previously unbeaten Cougars for their third consecutive win.
Leading 20-14 at halftime and 34-30 after three quarters, Roscoe (3-1) outscored Christoval 8-0 over the final 12 minutes to secure the victory.
Senior Antonio Aguayo led the winning effort for the Plowboys, rushing for 78 yards and two scores, receiving for 34 yards and throwing a 77-yard touchdown pass. Freshman Ivan McCann also had a big day, rushing for 114 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore Seth Wilcox caught two passes for 83 yards and a TD.
LAST WEEK: 36-16, .692
OVERALL: 163-46, .779
After four straight weeks of picking 80 percent or better, the USS Ren ran aground last Friday, bottoming out with a season-low .692 percentage and dropping my season tally to .779.
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
We will continually update the database throughout the regular season.
Roscoe 43, Miles 24 — The Plowboys earned their second consecutive victory, rushing out to a 28-6 halftime lead and taking care of business from there for a three-touchdown win.
Roscoe (2-1) outgained the Bulldogs 366-282 and took advantage of a 3-1 edge in the turnover margin to thwart a Miles comeback attempt in the second half and pull away in the final quarter.
Sophomore quarterback Jax Watts had an efficient day throwing the ball, hitting 14 of 23 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns, while Seth Wilcox (3-69 rushing, 2-27 receiving), Ivan McCann (13-47 rushing, 3-56 receiving) and Antonio Aguayo (4-10 rushing, 6-67 receiving) each had one touchdown rushing and receiving.
LAST WEEK: 42-9, .823
SEASON TOTAL: 85-21, .801
I was very much looking forward to our Big Country Preps Game of the Week – Coleman (2-0) at Brady (2-0). Unfortunately, COVID intervened by midweek, forcing a cancellation of the contest.
On a positive note, there are several other quality games throughout the area for us to focus on, and (taking a bow) the column is already hitting over 80 percent on picks and we’re only in Week 3.
Numbers of that sort are generally reserved for Weeks 7-10, so I’m feeling pressure to keep the early momentum going.
In the absence of our Game of the Week, I’ll be heading to Cross Plains on Friday, where Haskell will be paying a visit to the Buffaloes (COVID allowing, of course).
Let’s dive in to this week’s picks:
Roscoe 37, Stamford 26 — The Plowboys evened their record at 1-1 with an impressive win over Stamford, taking advantage of four Bulldog turnovers and a big game by senior Antonio Aguayo to build a three-score lead in the fourth quarter.
Aguayo rushed for 62 yards and two scores while receiving for 73 yards to account for 135 of Roscoe’s 320 total yards on just eight touches. Freshman Ivan McCann also rushed for a pair of TDs, finishing with 57 yards on 10 carries.
Hawley 34, Roscoe 14 — Five Roscoe turnovers, including two pick-sixes, proved costly as Roscoe dropped its season opener to Hawley.
The Plowboys (0-1) limited the Bearcats to just 287 yards of total offense but were unable to overcome their offensive miscues — two of which resulted in touchdowns for Hawley.
Rodey Hooper led HHS (1-0) with 126 yards passing and two touchdowns, while sophomore Jax Watts topped the Roscoe stat sheet with 233 yards passing and two scores.
At last, here we are.
The 2021 football season has arrived, giving us a much-needed diversion every Friday night, in isolated spots all over Central Texas. As always, I will endeavor to pick the winner of all our area games, from Class 1A through Class 6A, with the top matchup serving as our Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
Our first spotlight game should come as no surprise, with long-time Hamlin coach Russell Lucas debuting as the head coach of the Sweetwater Mustangs — one of the most -storied programs in the Big Country.
Their opposition?
The Stephenville Yellow Jackets at Tarleton State’s Memorial Stadium.
With that, let’s dive into the picks, shall we?
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 10 quarterbacks with a list of others to watch in 2021.
We hope you enjoy this list and that you’ve enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kickoff 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 Monday, we move now to the area’s top backs, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch in 2021. Don’t forget to check in Wednesday night when we conclude our series with the top 10 area quarterbacks.
We hope you enjoy tonight’s 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 pass-catchers.
After starting the offensive portion of our series Sunday with the linemen, we now shift our attention to the playmakers on the perimeter, ranking our top 10 wide receivers/tight ends with a list of others to watch in 2021.
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 10 offensive linemen with a list of others to watch in 2021.
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 2021 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-10 defensive backs and others to look out for in 2021.
We hope you enjoy our list.
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After taking a look at the Big Country’s top defensive linemen on Wednesday, it’s now time to examine those who will backing them in 2021.
Continuing with Big Country Preps’ eight-part preseason position rankings series, here’s our top 10 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.