Here are the Big Country’s rushing leaders through Week 7:
Category: Local football
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 7 REPORT: Wylie, Rider and Palo Duro open league play with wins
Wylie 36, Cooper 34 — Malachi Daniels rushed for 185 yards and a touchdown and the WHS defense made four stops inside its own 25-yard line to escape Plainview with a thrilling two-point victory.
Wylie (4-2, 1-0) was outgained 343-273, but coach Clay Martin’s squad took advantage of two blocked extra points (one returned for two points) and a 2-1 edge in the turnover margin, including a fourth-quarter scoop-and-score.
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 7 REPORT: Abilene High stays hot; Lubbock Cooper knocks off Amarillo High
Abilene High 55, Amarillo Caprock 0 — The Eagles made quick work of the Longhorns, scoring three touchdowns in each of the first two quarters to put the game away by halftime.
AHS, which led 41-0 at the break, outgained Caprock 453-166 in improving to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in district play with the win. Dylan Slack threw two touchdown passes, while Brayden Henry and Chard Lara each had two rushing scores and Ryland Bradford had one TD rushing and receiving.
PHOTO GALLERY: Wylie-Plainview football (86 images)
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GAME REPORT: Abilene High stays perfect in league play with 55-0 win at Caprock
AMARILLO — The Abilene High football team continued its dominant start to District 2-5A Division I play Friday, routing Amarillo Caprock 55-0 at Dick Bivins Stadium to improve to 3-0 in league action.
The Eagles, who have outscored their first three district opponents by a combined margin of 156-34, led 41-0 by halftime and coasted from there to their first shutout of the season.
AHS (5-2 overall) outgained the Longhorns 453-166, pounding out 314 yards on the ground in a game that was decided by the end of the first quarter.
GAME STORY: Wylie escapes Plainview with wild 36-34 win to open district play
PLAINVIEW — Friday’s District 2-5A Division II opener between Wylie and Plainview was a dog fight in more ways than one.
In the end, it was the Bulldogs from WHS who had just a bit more bite than their PHS counterparts in a thrilling 36-34 win.
In a game that featured a number of wacky plays and wild momentum shifts, Wylie rallied from a 20-16 halftime deficit to take a two-possession lead on a pair of occasions in the final five minutes of the game. But Plainview responded each time it looked like the visitors had put their hosts away, forcing coach Clay Martin’s team to recover an onside kick in the final minute to secure the narrow victory.
PHOTO GALLERY: Wichita Falls Rider-Cooper football (63 images)
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GAME STORY: Rider takes advantage of Cooper special teams miscue, pulls away for 42-21 win
After rallying from a 14-0 first-quarter hole to tie the game in the second quarter, the Cooper football team saw its District 2-5A Division II opener against Wichita Falls Rider take an unfortunate turn Thursday at Shotwell Stadium.
Following their third consecutive stop after allowing touchdowns on each of Rider’s first two possessions, the Cougars appeared poised to take the momentum — and perhaps even a lead — into halftime.
Instead, a muffed punt led to a 32-yard touchdown drive for the Raiders, who would start the second half with three unanswered touchdowns to pull away for a 42-21 victory.
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel vs. Twitter Polls (Week 7)
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 Evan Ren’s Twitter polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Monday night each week.
Disagree with our picks or the Twitter consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
ABILENE NOTEBOOK: Local volleyball races heating up; football teams hitting pivotal stretches
Several weeks ago, when our local volleyball teams were struggling against tough nondistrict schedules, I laid out a case in this column for patience, citing the significant progress those squads typically make over the course of the season.
Well, we’ve reached the midway point of the District 4-5A campaign and the Wylie and Abilene High volleyball teams are making me look smarter than I really am.
Heading into the second half of league play, which begins Tuesday with a big matchup between those two teams at AHS’ Eagle Gym, the Lady Bulldogs (18-15 overall) are in second place at 5-1 — behind only 6-0 Lubbock Cooper — while the Lady Eagles (11-19 on the year) are a match behind in third at 4-2.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cisco running back takes this week’s accolade
After an 0-4 start against a brutal non-district slate, the Cisco Loboes have rebounded with a pair of wins in district play, most recently, Friday’s 48-7 victory over Winters at Chesley Field.
Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, senior running back Gus Hart, was at the forefront of that win with 173 yards and six touchdowns on only 14 carries.
“Gus had a great game against Winters,” coach Kevin Stennett said. “He has battled some injuries this year and he is finally getting back to 100 percent. “We will rely on him heavily over the next few weeks.”
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 6 REPORT: Abilene High, Amarillo High and Lubbock Cooper pick up wins, stay perfect in district
Abilene High 42, Amarillo Tascosa 20 — The Eagles took advantage of three turnovers and a special teams score to blow out the Rebels despite holding a narrow 290-270 edge in total yardage.
After allowing the first touchdown of the game to fall behind 7-0, Abilene High (4-2, 2-0) got a 97-yard kickoff return touchdown from Ryland Bradford to kick off a run of four consecutive scores to take a 28-7 lead into halftime. That proved more than enough cushion as the game never got closer than 15 points after the break.
PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Amarillo Tascosa football (104 images)
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GAME STORY: Honoring past powerhouses, Eagles steamroll Tascosa for homecoming
Abilene High wide receiver Ryland Bradford opened the season with an unbelievable one-handed catch at Odessa Permian as the Eagles rolled to a victory.
Friday night, the junior added two more jaw-dropping catches as the Eagles dominated Amarillo Tascosa 42-20 for a key District 2-5A Division I win at Shotwell Stadium on AHS’ homecoming.
He also had a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown just seconds after the Rebels took their only lead of the game in the first quarter.
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel vs. Twitter Polls (Week 6)
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 Evan Ren’s Twitter polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Monday night each week.
Disagree with our picks or the Twitter consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Yellow Jackets head to Brownwood to face archrival
LAST WEEK: 46-12, .793
SEASON TOTAL: 229-61, .789
More often than not, Big Country Preps makes an appearance at the annual Stephenville-Brownwood matchup. Because more often than not, it produces a game worthy of one of Texas’ top rivalries.
This year is no exception as Stephenville travels to famous Gordon Wood Stadium for the Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
PHOTO GALLERY: Odessa Permian-Cooper football (80 images)
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DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Wylie stays hot as district goes 2-4 in final week of nondistrict action
Wylie 37, San Angelo Central 27 — Bear Meng passed for 191 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 47 yards and another score to lead the Bulldogs to a homecoming win over the Bobcats in their final nondistrict game of the season.
Malachi Daniels added 106 yards and two touchdowns rushing while Derrick Evans received 101 yards and a TD as Wylie (3-2) built a 24-14 lead by halftime and stretched that to 30-14 by the end of the third quarter.
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 5 REPORT: Abilene High, Amarillo High and Coronado open league play with wins
Photo by Chase Seabolt, HubCityPreps.com
Abilene High 59, Lubbock Monterey 14 — Dylan Slack passed for 259 yards and five touchdowns and Brayden Henry accounted for 112 all-purpose yards and two scores to lead the Eagles to a blowout win over the Plainsmen in the district opener for both teams.
Abilene High (3-2, 1-0) outgained Monterey 432-162 and forced four turnovers, building a 49-7 lead by halftime. Of the Eagles’ eight touchdown drives in the game, only one was longer than 50 yards, and three spanned fewer than 30 yards.
PHOTO GALLERY: Wylie-San Angelo Central football (94 images)
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GAME REPORT: Abilene High dominant in all phases in district-opening rout of Lubbock Monterey
Photos by Chase Seabolt, HubCityPreps.com
LUBBOCK — Abilene High kicked off District 2-5A Division I play in dominating fashion Friday, following a 14-point first quarter with 35 points in the second to put Lubbock Monterey away by halftime.
Dylan Slack passed for 259 yards and five touchdowns, Brayden Henry had 107 all-purpose yards and two scores and the Eagle defense limited the Plainsmen 162 yards and forced four turnovers to fuel a thorough 59-14 win at Lowrey Field.
The victory improved AHS (3-2 overall) to 1-0 in league play heading into next week’s homecoming matchup with Amarillo Tascosa.
GAME STORY: Miscues, missed opportunities cost Cooper in 41-20 loss to Permian
As was the case with last week’s loss to Lubbock Coronado, the Cooper Cougars will see a lot of positive things on both sides of the ball when they turn on the film from Friday’s home matchup against Odessa Permian.
But for the second straight week, untimely mistakes and missed opportunities proved the difference between celebrating a win and playing the what if game after another frustrating defeat.
The Cougars rebounded from a disastrous start to pull within a touchdown on two occasions before halftime and had a number of opportunities to make things interesting in the second half. But four turnovers and three empty red zone trips proved too much to overcome in a 41-20 loss to the Panthers to close out nondistrict play.
GAME STORY: Total team effort lifts Wylie to homecoming win over San Angelo Central
San Angelo Central entered Friday night’s game against Wylie at Hugh Sandifer Stadium with a 1-3 record and every game being decided by one score.
Last year, the Bobcats used a walkoff Hail Mary to beat the Bulldogs at San Angelo Stadium.
There would be no close finish or miracle this go-round as the Bulldogs thoroughly dominated the Bobcats in all phases of the game and took a 37-27 homecoming win in front of a packed house.
FEATURE: Cooper sophomore Davis driven to maximize elite potential
At 15 years old, Dycin Davis can’t even legally drive yet. But the Cooper sophomore is already attracting attention from some of the top colleges in and out of the state.
Blessed with a 6-foot-4 frame that he has added a significant amount of weight to over the past calendar year, Davis is a physical force to be reckoned with from his defensive end spot.
But if you ask coach Aaron Roan, it’s Davis’ other, less visible attributes that truly make him a special player. While the young man’s natural talent has and will continue to open doors for him, it’s his intelligence, drive and a maturity beyond his years that will be the key to unlocking his full potential, the coach said.
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel vs. Twitter Polls (Week 5)
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 Evan Ren’s Twitter polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Monday night each week.
Disagree with our picks or the Twitter consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Sweetwater plays host to Clyde in battle of unbeatens
LAST WEEK: 44-11, .800
SEASON TOTAL: 183-49, .788
Some weeks are just loaded with competitive area games and Week 5 of the 2023 season falls squarely into that category.
This week’s menu features six or seven games that under normal circumstances, would qualify for our Big Country Preps Game of the Week. This forces us to push some great matchups aside to select our spotlight game.
This week, we go with a battle of unbeatens — Class 3A Division I Clyde (4-0) at Class 4A Div. II Sweetwater (4-0) — at the famed Mustang Bowl at SHS.
