Category: Jim Ned Indians

by Evan Ren

Evan Ren’s 2024 Gym Rat Team: The hardest-working players in the Big Country!

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 upon which championship foundations are built.

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 2023-24 season.

Players are listed in no particular order. 

Enjoy.

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by Evan Ren

2024 All-Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Rising Stars Team: The top freshmen and sophomores in the area!

Here is our 2024 All-Big Country Preps boys basketball Rising Stars team, comprised of the top freshmen and sophomores in the area. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.

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by Evan Ren

2024 All-Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Rising Stars Team: The top freshmen and sophomores in the area!

Here is our 2024 All-Big Country Preps girls basketball Rising Stars team, comprised of the top freshmen and sophomores in the area. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jayton’s Gentry takes this week’s award

Big moments attract big-time players and our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, certainly made the most of his opportunity over the weekend. 

After scoring nine points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing four assists in a state semifinal win over Fayetteville last Thursday, Jayton sophomore Colt Gentry, saved his best for last in a 60-53 win over Benjamin in the 1A boys state title game on Saturday.

Gentry charted a team-high 19 points to go with six boards, four assists, a steal and a block to help the Jaybirds to the state title and earn state tourney MVP honors in the process. 

It was his second straight week of huge performances under pressure, the first of which helped the Jaybirds win the regional tournament.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

BREAKING: Jim Ned stays in house, promotes McClure to head coach

TUSCOLA — After casting a wide net in search of a replacement for Matt Fanning, who resigned in February, Jim Ned found their man on Friday morning to be the 20th head football coach in program history.

As it turned out, Athletic Director Dustin Todd didn’t have to look very far.

Todd, who on Thursday celebrated the first anniversary of being named to his current role, handed the keys to the program to Jim Ned defensive coordinator Johnathon McClure during a specially called school board meeting.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Holliday pulls away in fourth quarter to spoil spirited effort by Jim Ned

HASKELL — The Jim Ned boys basketball team rallied from a double-digit deficit to pull within a single possession on a pair of occasions Tuesday in its Region I-3A quarterfinal matchup with the eighth-ranked Holliday Eagles.

But trailing by a narrow 32-30 margin with 2:52 remaining in the third quarter, the Indians ran out of gas in a 57-38 loss at the Haskell High School gym.

Jim Ned, which fell behind 10-0 to start the game and faced a 30-19 deficit at halftime, trailed just 39-34 heading into the final quarter. But fueled by 6-foot-8 standout Keitenn Bristow, who had eight of his game-high 20 points in the final quarter, the Eagles closed the game on an 18-4 run to advance to the Region I-3A tournament and end the Indians’ season at 27-9.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Shallowater stuns regional favorite Jim Ned, 43-37, to advance to state tourney

WOLFFORTH — Prior to Saturday’s Region I-3A championship game with Shallowater, the Jim Ned Lady Indians were 35-2, they had won 22 straight games and had not lost to a Class 3A team all season. 

Shallowater, on the other hand, had lost 12 times, they were without highly regarded senior Molly Salinas (knee injury) and they had been swept in two meetings with Idalou — the same Idalou team Jim Ned had blown out in Friday’s regional semifinal. 

None of this mattered on Saturday in Frenship High School’s Tiger Pit, as Shallowater stunned the favored Lady Indians 43-37 to advance to the state tournament in San Antonio. 

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Jim Ned girls use overwhelming defense in regional semifinal win over Idalou

WOLFFORTH — Just how dominant was the Jim Ned defense in Friday’s 42-21 Region I-3A semifinal win over Idalou? 

Good enough to hold a team that was 29-6 coming in to only five field goals and single-digit scoring through all four quarters. 

Gracee Cooley scored 14 points and Riley Grohman added 13 more to pace Jim Ned (35-2), which has yet to lose to a Class 3A team this season.  The Lady Indians now advance to the regional title game, where they will meet Shallowater (25-12) at 1:30 p.m. at Frenship High School’s Tiger Pit. 

Idalou finished its campaign at 29-7, led by Kira Fox with seven points and Lily Moyers with six. 

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Jim Ned rallies to defeat Brock in 3A area-round classic

COMANCHE — Through three ties, 11 lead changes, a host of clutch plays and 32 physical minutes, the Jim Ned Indians finally emerged as a 54-49 victor in Thursday’s 3A area round game with Brock at Comanche High School. 

Carter Wood scored a game-high 15 points and Carter Lange added nine more to lead Jim Ned (27-8), which rallied from a 11-point third-quarter deficit to advance to the Region I-3A quarterfinals. 

Brock closed its season at 28-8, led by Colt Matlock with 14 points and Jacoby Boxell with 12.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Jim Ned boys riding wave of momentum into area-round matchup with Brock

Generally speaking, playoff games are won by (A) teams that have played consistently well throughout the season, or (B) teams playing well at the right time. After a convincing 52-29 bi-district win over Blanco on Monday night, the Jim Ned boys basketball team can claim that the best answer in this case is (C) all of the above.

From the “marathon” perspective, the Indians have put together a 26-8 season, good by any standard. Though Jim Ned finished third in District 6-3A, it had the most victories overall of any team in the very competitive league, and the Indians knocked off co-district champ Wall late in the season.

As for the “stretch-run sprint” aspect of the Indians’ season, consider this: The thumping of Blanco represented the Indians’ sixth straight victory. There are few teams in the region that are hotter than Jim Ned.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Defense carries Jim Ned girls past Comanche and into Region I-3A semifinals

ABILENE — Just three days after the Jim Ned girls used a stifling defense to eliminate high-powered Eastland in the area round, the Lady Indians repeated that effort in a 48-24 win over Comanche in a Region I-3A quarterfinal.  

Gracie Cooley scored 16 points and Lexi Wishert added 13 more to pace Jim Ned (34-2) which now advances to face the winner of Idalou and Spearman in the Region I-3A Tournament. 

Facing a Comanche team that had been held under 50 points in only three of its 34 prior games, the Lady Indians held the Maidens to a season-low 24 points by limiting standout scorers J’Lee Salinas and Kinsey Glasgow to a combined 12 points — more than 24 points below their combined seasonal average.  It was eerily similar to Friday’s win over Eastland, in which Jim Ned held EHS’ standout Mya Wesley, the leading scorer in the Big Country at 24.2 points, to only eight.

Comanche finished its season at 31-4, with Salinas leading the Maidens with 10 points. 

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Jim Ned slows Big Country’s top gun, eliminates Eastland 65-33

ABILENE — Defensive stops have long been a key element in the success of the Jim Ned girls basketball team and heading into Friday’s 3A area round clash with Eastland, the Lady Indians had a key member of EHS to apply that tradition to. 

Eastland’s Mya Wesley, who entered the game as the top scorer in the Big Country at more than 24 points per game, was limited to only eight points in a 65-33 win by Jim Ned, which advances the Lady Indians to the Region I-3A quarterfinals where they will meet Comanche at a site and time to be determined. Immediately following Jim Ned’s win, Comanche advanced with a 73-41 win over Merkel in the nightcap of an area round doubleheader at Hardin-Simmons University. 

Lexi Wishert and Riley Grohman both scored a game-high 17 points, with Wishert connecting on five 3-pointers to lead Jim Ned (33-2), which took control of the game with a 19-5 first quarter and never looked back. 

Jayci Majors led Eastland (25-8) with 11 points, but Ned’s ability to slow Wesley proved important, resulting in a 16-point drop in production. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cisco senior takes this week’s top spot

Doing a bit of everything is a specialty of Cisco senior guard Cole Thompson, who takes our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award after a pair of big nights in an 88-53 win over Hamlin and a 57-51 loss to Albany last week.

Thompson opened on Tuesday with 29 points, five assists, four steals and three boards in the Hamlin win. He followed that with a near triple-double that saw him tally 16 points, 10 boards, eight assists and two steals against Albany on Friday. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

THIS WEEK IN BOYS BASKETBALL: There’s still plenty to be decided as we approach end of regular season

We’re down to the final scheduled date of the boys basketball regular season, but there’s still plenty to be decided on the Big Country hoops scene.

Included on Tuesday’s slate are a number of matchups with district title implications and several others that will either decide or help decide playoff berths.

Here’s a peek at some of the biggest games on tap this week, as well as a look back at some of last week’s most influential results:

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Indians avenge loss to Wall, knock Hawks out of first place in district race

TUSCOLA — On paper, Friday’s game between Wall and Jim Ned, meant little for the Indians, who had no mathematical chance of catching the Hawks for the No. 2 seed.  Nor were they in any danger of losing the No. 3 seed they had already clinched. 

They were, however, playing their archrival, to whom they lost to on Jan. 16 and who arrived at Bill Thornton Arena tied for first place in District 6-3A.  It was the perfect opportunity for the Indians to kill two birds with one stone and they did just that — avenging their earlier loss with a 43-29 win over Wall while knocking their rivals out of first place. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Hot-shooting Jim Ned boys run away from Clyde to cap dominant doubleheader sweep

TUSCOLA — Facing off with a Clyde squad playing for its postseason life, the Jim Ned boys basketball snuffed out any hope of an upset early Tuesday, raining down one 3-pointer after another in the early stages of a 66-30 win at Bill Thornton Arena.

The Indians knocked down five 3s in the first quarter and four more in the second to build a 38-19 lead by halftime and cruised from there to the 36-point victory, clinching their own playoff berth in the process.

The win capped a near perfect night for Jim Ned, which secured a 75-13 win in the girls game to kick off the doubleheader sweep.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

BREAKING: Jim Ned’s Fanning steps down, heads to college ranks

After leading the Jim Ned football team for six seasons, Matt Fanning announced on Friday that he is moving to the college ranks.

Fanning, who led the Indians to the 2020 state championship with a heart-stopping 29-28 overtime win over Hallettsville, will be the new tight ends coach at Hardin-Simmons University, his collegiate alma mater.

During his tenure in Tuscola, Fanning had a record of 58-16 which made the decision to leave a difficult one.

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Jim Ned girls propelled by a mix of veterans and youth

Jim Ned lost to eventual 3A state champion Holliday in last year’s regional finals.  

The Lady Indians brought back starting guards Riley Grohman, Lexi Wishert and Gracee Cooley among seven returning lettermen.  

They’ve helped Jim Ned pick up where it left off in the 2023 playoffs. The Lady Indians are ranked No. 2 in the state with only a pair of losses to Class 4A No. 1 Glen Rose.  

An exciting postseason is expected in Taylor County. But longtime coach Hunter Cooley said the Lady Indians don’t draw on last year’s near-miss with state as a motivating factor.  

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by Daniel Youngblood

THIS WEEK IN BOYS BASKETBALL: Several district leads on the line in loaded area slate

As a fan of high school basketball, I generally have no trouble finding area matchups I find interesting. Browsing this week’s slate, I had more trouble finding games that weren’t.

As we continue to barrel toward the boys basketball playoffs, we’ll see a number of Big Country district races take shape this week as league leads will be on the line in a number of marquee matchups.

If, like me, you enjoy hoops action, there should be plenty to pique your interest on both Tuesday and Friday. Here’s a look at the week to come:

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 25): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 25.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 25): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 25.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

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by Daniel Youngblood

THIS WEEK IN BOYS BASKETBALL: Key games dot schedule as most district races reach midpoint

We’ve reached the midway point of the district schedule in most area boys basketball leagues, and district championship and playoff races are heating up.

As one might expect with February approaching, the Big Country slate is full of meaningful games. 

With that in mind, it’s time to renew our winter custom of taking a look at the most important games on the horizon and a peak back at last week’s most important results.

We hope you enjoy.

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by Evan Ren

Evan Ren’s 2023 True Grit Team: The toughest, hardest-working players in the Big Country!

Most high school football teams have that one player acknowledged by the coaching staff as the prime example of what a teammate should be. 

He’s the guy who seldom misses any practice time and is a regular in the weight room. He’s early to arrive. He’s late to leave and takes pride in being coachable, though he seldom needs direction. 

He always sets the right example for younger players. He doesn’t complain and above all else, he’s tough enough to make all the aforementioned traits consistently possible. 

Know someone like that? Here is where they are honored. 

Welcome to Big Country Preps’ “True Grit” team — a collection of area players nominated by their head coaches and Big Country Preps staff, who exemplify the character traits football mentors want throughout their roster. 

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 11): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 11.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 11): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 11.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

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by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Comanche, San Saba girls advance to Eula Holiday Classic title game; Jim Ned boys fall in semis

EULA — The Comanche and San Saba girls basketball teams, ranked No. 5 and 16 in Class 3A and 2A respectively, completed perfect runs through the Eula Holiday Classic semifinals on Friday to claim spots in the event’s championship game Saturday evening.

Comanche, which cruised through Roscoe (72-43) and Hermleigh (73-44) on the tournament’s opening day Thursday, survived a test from Class 1A No. 10 Whiteface on Friday, outlasting the Lady Lopes for a 45-38 victory in the semifinals. And San Saba followed Thursday’s 63-37 win over Ballinger with hard-fought victories over Canadian (59-45) and tournament host Eula (59-55) to earn its spot in the title game.

The Maidens and Lady Dillos will match up for the tournament championship at 5:20 p.m. on Saturday, while Eula will take on Whiteface for third place at 1:20. The Jim Ned boys will also compete for third place, taking on Tolar at noon after dropping a tough 50-48 game to Holiday in the semifinals Friday.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Albany’s Hill takes this week’s award with big performance in regional title game

Big-time players come up with big-time performances in big games.  And our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, Albany’s Adam Hill, is a big-time player. 

Helping the Lions capture the Region II-2A DII title, Hill was a punisher out of the Lions’ backfield last Thursday in Iowa Park, rushing for 223 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries in a 52-14 rout of a very good Collinsville team. 

The Texas Tech-bound senior also caught a pair of passes for 31 yards and an additional touchdown as Albany improved to 14-0 on the year.  

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Jim Ned girls cruise past Brownwood to kick off doubleheader sweep

TUSCOLA — Hosting a Brownwood squad that entered Tuesday’s nondistrict matchup with six wins in its first eight games, the Jim Ned Lady Indians showed why they’re the second-ranked team in Class 3A, riding a dominant all-around performance to a 61-13 victory at Bill Thornton Arena.

Coach Hunter Cooley’s team took control early and never relinquished it, following a 16-4 run through the first quarter with a 13-1 surge through the second to take a commanding 29-5 advantage. And the Lady Indians would only grow that lead after halftime.

The thorough victory improved Jim Ned to 7-1 on the year with its only loss coming by six points to Class 4A No. 2 Glen Rose at the Pug Parris Classic in Abilene.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Big Country teams notch five wins on opening day of Pug Parris Classic

The 2023 edition of the Pug Parris Classic kicked off with a full slate of games on Thursday at McMurry University’s Kimbrell Arena and featured Big Country teams from Class 2A to Class 5A nearly all day long.

In addition to the six teams from the Big Country, this year’s three-day tournament features teams from as far away as Clint and El Paso.

Area teams posted a total of five wins as the Jim Ned Lady Indians swept their pool with a pair of wins, while Wylie, Cooper and Cisco added to the total.

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Buck Powell
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hico’s Powell takes this week’s accolade

Big numbers are always great to have when we decide the winner of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. Solid numbers across multiple tasks are even better. 

That was the case with this week’s spotlight player, Buck Powell, of Hico, who helped the Tigers to a 47-14 rout of Maud in the Class 2A DII bi-district round on Friday. 

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by Evan Ren

2023 BIG COUNTRY PREPS BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW: The area’s top teams in each class throughout the BCP coverage area

With a new season of boys high school basketball poised to begin, it’s time to take a look at what the Big Country will produce on the court.

Below you will find our top teams in each classification in the Big Country Preps coverage area, from Big Spring in the West, to Brock in the east and from Brady in the south to Munday in the north. 

Our rankings of the top teams in each class are given, along with a season outlook, cataloguing our expectations for each club. 

Here’s our preview. We’ll see you on the road.

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 3-3A DIV. I WEEK 11 REPORT: Clyde clinches district title; Jim Ned takes No. 2 seed; Vernon stops Bowie

Clyde 34, Breckenridge 14 — Blake Carr threw for 205 yards and three scores and rushed for 134 yards and another TD to help Clyde lock down the No. 1 seed. 

The Bulldogs (9-1, 4-1) rolled up 465 yards in total offense and blew the game open with a 20-0 second half. 

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