Cover photo courtesy Brian Hodnett
AUSTIN — The 2025 UIL state track and field meet got underway on Thursday at the University of Texas’ Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium, and the Big Country is bringing home some hardware.
The Brownwood Lady Lions made the most of their trip to Austin, claiming the Class 4A girls team championship on the strength of their three relays.
The Wall boys came “painfully close” in the words of track coach Craig Slaughter to giving the Big Country Preps area a second team title as the Hawks’ 64 points left them just two points behind Holliday in the Class 3A boys team standings.
Even so, Slaughter said that Wall’s relay teams, both boys and girls, all set personal records in an “incredible day.”
At Big Country Preps, we pride ourselves on sharing the love as much as possible. But Wall senior Briggs Jones has been so spectacular of late, that he’s making that difficult. 
ABILENE — Both teams had dominated the Big Country and surrounding area for the entire track season, so few were stunned on Saturday when both Wall and Gordon captured the Region I-3A and II-1A boys championships at Abilene Christian University’s Elmer Gray Stadium.
Clyde softball has been overdue for landing a Big Country Preps Player of the Week award and senior pitcher Kaycee Bingham has just ended the drought. 
At the Class 1A level, where it is common for athletes to participate in multiple sports at the same time due to a lack of numbers, individuals who excel in different disciplines are invaluable. 
CHINA SPRING — Gracee Cooley drained a pair of free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining Tuesday to fuel the Jim Ned girls to a thrilling 40-38 win over Winnsboro in the Class 3A Division I state semifinals and help the Lady Indians to their first state championship game since defeating Poth for the Class 2A title in 2008.
Munday’s Caisen Lee isn’t the first freshman to whom we’ve given our Big Country Preps Player of the Week Award. But during the basketball playoffs, it is indeed a rare occurrence. 
LUBBOCK — Not since 2012 had perennial girls basketball power Jim Ned captured a regional championship — a span of 13 years that saw the Lady Indians reach nine regional tournaments with three losses in championship games and six others in the semifinals. Toss in two regional quarterfinal losses and one in the area round and you have a remarkable run of success that was usually capped by an annual regional heartbreak. 
COLEMAN — Four quarters of tough defense and 27 points from Abilene Christian signee Riley Grohman were enough to push the Jim Ned Lady Indians past Comanche, 51-32 in a 3A DI area round clash on Friday at Coleman High School. 
WALL — With a chance to lock up the District 6-3A title on the line, the Jim Ned Indians had to clear a familiar hurdle to get there — their archrival Wall on the Hawks’ home floor. 
TUSCOLA — Jim Ned swept a varsity doubleheader on Friday at Bill Thornton Arena to maintain a hold on first place in both the girls and boys District 6-3A races. 
Back-to-back double-doubles in two dominating efforts were enough to give Gorman junior Delila Crain our Big Country Player of the Week for the week ending Saturday, Jan. 18. 
