Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games and select six-man games, in addition to the results of our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
Note: If you know of a former Big Country Prep athlete now performing in college or professional sports, contact Mike Lee at michaellee7@att.net.
McMurry set a school record by scoring 13 touchdowns during Saturday’s 93-20 win over Westgate Christian, and many of the War Hawks’ contributors on both sides of the football are from the Big Country.
McMurry reserve quarterback Chris Teten, a junior from Dublin, completed 5 of 7 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 26 yards and a TD on three carries. Teten hadn’t attempted a pass this season prior to Saturday’s game, and in 2025, he passed for 95 yards in six games for the War Hawks.
Brayden Loyd, a freshman from Seymour, was the fifth McMurry quarterback to appear in Saturday’s game, and he finished 5-of-7 passing for 113 yards and one score. Loyd’s dad, Dan, is the head football coach at Roscoe.
With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, playoff races across the area and state are heating up. Excluding those in four-team leagues, which will kick off their district schedules this week, most area six-man teams already have some idea of where they stand in their district hierarchy.
As will be the case every week from now until the start of the playoffs, we had several games last week that played a major role in shaping the postseason picture and a number of standout performances that helped fuel victorious efforts.
It’s time to jump in and look at the biggest of those in this week’s “Six-Man Rewind” column. We hope you enjoy this recap of last week’s action and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for more information on your favorite team(s).
It’s one thing to put up school-record numbers. It’s an entirely different thing to do it in only one half.
With his team handing Eastland a 70-12 loss last week, Tolar quarterback Briton Rice put up a performance that the THS faithful may recollect years from now.
Aside from hitting 11 of 18 passes for 282 yards, he connected on a school-record six TD passes. He also rushed for 17 yards and a seventh score to help the Rattlers improve to 4-3 and 3-1.
“Briton connected on big plays for six passing touchdowns in the 1st half and a rushing TD on the first drive of the second half,” coach Blake Mouser said. He has 17 TDs to just two interceptions on the year while averaging over 200 yards passing a game.”
And get this: Rice’s entire performance was finished after the first drive of the second half. Beyond that, Mouser began playing his reserves.
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we offer fans the chance to pick the winners of all games involving our local and area football teams. The results of these weekly polls, which will close at 5 p.m. each Thursday, will be included in our weekly Pick ‘Em Panel.
Here are the games for Week 9:
Continue reading “WEEK 9 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!”
Photos by Carter Pirtle, PressPassSports.com
AMARILLO — Playing Amarillo Palo Duro with the top spot in the District 2-5A Division II standings on the line, the Wylie football team couldn’t keep pace with the Dons, falling 53-10 on Friday at Dick Bivins Stadium.
Trailing just 6-3 at the end of a first quarter that saw them kick a field goal for the game’s first points, the Bulldogs were outscored 35-0 over the middle two quarters in dropping 4-3 overall and 2-1 in league action.
Palo Duro (7-1, 4-0) stayed perfect in 2-5A DII play with the win, which saw them outgain the Bulldogs 435-106 and score 47 unanswered points from the 4:20 mark of the first quarter to the 2:00 mark of the fourth.
WICHITA FALLS — Trailing 35-26 midway through the fourth quarter, the Cooper football team scored a pair of touchdowns in the final five minutes Friday to rally past Wichita Falls Legacy for a thrilling 41-35 win.
Joel Soto hit Matt Balvantin with a 25-yard touchdown pass to pull the Cougars within 35-33 with 4:55 to play, before Tayden Bender capped a nine-play, 94-yard drive with a 5-yard TD run to score game-winning points with just 1:03 remaining on the clock.
Bender’s touchdown run, which gave Cooper its first lead since the 3:02 mark of the first quarter, pushed the Cougars to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in District 2-5A Division I play — bolstering the team’s hopes of hosting a first-round playoff game in the process.
Hosting Amarillo High with a chance to take sole possession of the District 2-5A Division I lead, the Abilene High Eagles lost the battle of the trenches Friday in a 24-14 loss to the Sandies.
That was particularly the case on offense, where the Eagles managed just 33 rushing yards on 30 attempts while quarterback Tristan Beal spent most of his night running for his life from a relentless Amarillo High pass rush.
For the game, the Sandies outgained Abilene High 350-117, building a 24-0 third-quarter lead before the Eagles tried in vain to rally over the game’s final 13 minutes.
7 p.m. Friday, Shotwell Stadium, Abilene
7 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium, Wichita Falls
7 p.m. Friday, Dick Bivins Stadium, Amarillo
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games and select six-man games, in addition to the results of our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
LAST WEEK: 54-11, .831
SEASON TOTAL: 351-99, .780
Our Big Country Preps Game of the Week travels to Mineral Wells for the first time since we absorbed the Rams into our coverage area.
And why not? With unbeaten Graham coming to town to face the 6-0 Rams, this is one of the biggest games to take place at Mineral Wells in a number of years.
Zach Duncan will be on hand to deliver the game story for BCP in an atmosphere that should be electric.
Here’s this week’s forecast:
Week 7 featured a fair number of high profile games, both in and outside of district play. Unfortunately, our area schools came out on the losing end of several of the biggest matchups.
Water Valley dropped its first game of the year to unbeaten Menard, red-hot Newcastle was cooled off by Whiteface and Westbrook lossed a tough matchup to Lamesa Klondike to kick off a brutal district schedule in three of the biggest games on last week’s slate.
Fortunately, there were some triumphs as well — the biggest being Richland Springs’ big district win over Cherokee.
Without further ado, let’s dive into those matchups and more in our weekly “Six-Man Rewind” column. We hope you enjoy this look back at last week’s action, and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for more information on your favorite team(s).
After only seven weeks of football this season, Haskell senior quarterback Haegan Pinkerton has put his stamp on our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award for a third time.
Believe me, we’d prefer to share the love. But with Pinkerton’s numbers, the teen has begun to turn this thing into a game of Monopoly, and he’s wearing the top hat.
Pinkerton, who led the Indians to a 92-48 win over Munday, hit 13 of 14 passes for 264 yards and five touchdowns on Friday. But that’s only the beginning.
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we offer fans the chance to pick the winners of all games involving our local and area football teams. The results of these weekly polls, which will close at 5 p.m. each Thursday, will be included in our weekly Pick ‘Em Panel.
Here are the games for Week 8:
Continue reading “WEEK 8 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!”
Photos by Susanna Jackson, HubCityPreps.com
WOLFFORTH — The Abilene High football team has won in a number of different ways this season. On Friday, it took a shootout to get past an upset-minded Frenship Memorial squad.
The Eagles piled up 544 yards of total offense, scoring early and often to escape Peoples Bank Stadium with a 55-41 win and a 3-0 record in District 2-5A Division I play.
Abilene High (4-2), which came in averaging 27.8 points, never trailed after answering an early Memorial field goal with its first of eight touchdowns. But leading by a single score on four occasions in the second half, the Eagles couldn’t breathe easily until quarterback Tristan Beal busted loose for a 62-yard TD run with 5:26 to provide the final points of the night.
Hosting an explosive Wichita Falls Memorial squad that came in with the highest scoring average in District 2-5A Division II, the Wylie coaching staff was bound and determine to avoid getting into a shootout with the Mavericks on Friday at Hugh Sandifer Stadium.
After a competitive first half, the Bulldogs made good on that plan, outscoring the visitors 14-0 in the second half of an impressive 27-13 victory.
Wylie (4-2 overall) limited Memorial to 271 total yards — just 33 of those after halftime — to stay unbeaten in league play at 2-0. The Mavericks, who came in averaging 48.5 points per game, mustered just one first down in the second half in falling to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in district action.
For the better part of three quarters Friday, the Cooper Cougars were on the verge of falling victim to a trap game during District 2-5A Division II play against 0-5 Lubbock Cooper — which entered the night at Shotwell Stadium with four losses of at least 23 points this year.
Leading just 7-6 in the third quarter, it took a pair of second-half defensive touchdowns for the hosts to get some breathing room on their way to a 27-6 win. It was the closest game of the three contested between the two squads.
Despite the struggle, Cooper coach Scott Stewart was happy with what he saw on the defensive side of the ball as the Cougars held the Pirates to 129 yards of offense on 49 plays — an average of just 2.6 yards per play.
7 p.m. Friday, Peoples Bank Stadium, Wolfforth
7 p.m. Friday, Shotwell Stadium, Abilene
7 p.m. Friday, Hugh Sandifer Stadium, Abilene
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games and select six-man games, in addition to the results of our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
Note: If you know of a former Big Country Prep athlete now performing in college or professional sports, contact Mike Lee at michaellee7@att.net.
The Hardin-Simmons Cowboys swept the American Southwest Conference Player of the Week honors in football this week — and all three selections were former Big Country Preps athletes.
During HSU’s 58-0 win over the University of Fort Lauderdale last Saturday, Cowboys quarterback Ty Thompson, a sophomore from Graham, passed for 183 yards and three touchdowns. He was named the ASC Offensive Player of the Week after completing scoring passes of 40 yards and 5 yards to Jairdyn Anderson and 15 yards to Harison Brockway, who is also from Graham.
Thompson’s three touchdown passes came in the first quarter and staked HSU to a 21-0 first-quarter lead.
Thompson also rushed for 101 yards on eight carries, including a 51-yard touchdown run.
Through three official games this season, Thompson leads the Cowboys in rushing with 221 yards and three TDs. He also leads the team in passing with 694 yards and six TDs against one interception.
In six-man football, where the slightest speed advantage can turn high-profile matchups into lopsided results, you never quite know what to expect week to week. So when the games you’re looking forward to most are competitive for four quarters, it’s a real treat.
Such was the case in Week 6, which saw much anticipated matchups between Newcastle and Jayton and Knox City and Roby come down to the wire to headline another exciting week of area action.
Without further ado, let’s dive into those games and more in this week’s “Six-Man Rewind” column. And when you’re done reading, be sure to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for more information on your favorite team(s).
Even in an otherwise “quiet” week, six-man players find a way to make a lot of noise.
With many of our teams enjoying an open week prior to district play, Knox City and Roby got into a knock-down drag-out six-man game, with the Greyhounds winning 86-80.
So great was this game, that our Big Country Preps Player of the Week emerged from the losing side of this matchup, with Roby quarterback Eli Weatherly taking our Player of the Week award for the Week ending Oct. 3
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we offer fans the chance to pick the winners of all games involving our local and area football teams. The results of these weekly polls, which will close at 5 p.m. each Thursday, will be included in our weekly Pick ‘Em Panel.
Here are the games for Week 7:
Continue reading “WEEK 7 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!”
The Abilene High offense wasn’t always efficient Friday night, but the Eagles made up for that with explosiveness, recording five touchdowns of at least 23 yards, including three of 48 yards or more, in a 42-0 win over Amarillo Caprock in front of a homecoming crowd at Shotwell Stadium.
AHS only ran for 103 yards on 38 attempts — good for a 2.7 yards-per-carry average — but quarterback Tristan Beal threw for 309 yards on just 14 completions, tossing four touchdown passes around a scoring run to complete a career night against the Longhorns.
And while the Abilene High offense was piling up points, scoring three touchdowns in each half, the Eagles defense was virtually flawless, limiting Caprock to just 66 total yards before a nine-play, 53-yard drive against against AHS reserves finally put the Longhorns over the century mark on the game’s final possession.
Together, the two units combined to help Abilene High (3-2 overall) to a 2-0 start in District 2-5A Division I play with a road trip to Frenship Memorial slated for next week.
Photos by Joe Garcia, PressPassSports.com
AMARILLO — Traveling to Dick Bivins Stadium with the District 2-5A Division II lead on the line, the Cooper football team found sledding tough against the defending district champion Palo Duro Dons on Thursday.
Finishing the game with just 92 yards of total offense, the Cougars fell behind 14-0 by the five-minute mark of the first quarter and saw the deficit balloon to 35 points in the second quarter before scoring just before halftime to narrow the gap to 35-7 — a score that would stand the rest of the way.
Led by Raymond Johnson, who rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns, the Dons ran for 337 of their 419 total yards, improving to 5-1 on the year and 2-0 in league play with the dominant victory.
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games and select six-man games, in addition to the results of our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
7 p.m. Thursday, Dick Bivins Stadium, Amarillo
Note: If you know of a former Big Country Prep athlete now performing in college or professional sports, contact Mike Lee at michaellee7@att.net.
Most athletes covered in this column are former Big Country athletes that moved on to college sports. The average sports fan lost track and finds out what happened to them. Hence, the name “Where Are They Now.”
If you’re a sports fan, you likely know where Case Keenum is now. The former Wylie quarterback was the talk of the entire NFL after elevating from Chicago’s No. 3 quarterback to the starter and leading the Bears to a 27-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.
The question fans may have about Keenum is “How did he get to where he is now?”
The 38-year-old Keenum hadn’t played in an NFL game since 2023 — a span of 1,009 days. But he showed no rust, completing 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles. He also scored on a 1-yard run — his first NFL rushing touchdown since 2019.
It’s hard to believe, but the regular season is almost halfway over, and the best teams in the area and state are starting to separate themselves across all levels of high school football.
The six-man scene is certainly no exception, and Week 5 was a particularly enlightening one, as it was full of both marquee matchups and thrilling results.
As we do each week, it’s time to take a look back at the biggest developments in our “Six-Man Rewind” column. We hope you enjoy our recap of Week 5 and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for more information on your favorite team(s).