Here are our second-team selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps football team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Category: Local football
BIG COUNTRY PREPS RISING STARS TEAM: The top football under classmen in the Big Country for 2024
Here are our selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team — an honor reserved for the area’s top freshman and sophomore football players. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 16)
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games, in addition to the results of our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Sunday night each week and close Thursday morning.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 16)”
SIGNING DAY: Abilene High’s Bradford makes UTEP decision official
In an era where the transfer portal can make it difficult to garner Football Bowl Division scholarship offers, Abilene High coach Mike Fullen encourages his athletes to take advantage of opportunities that arise for them.
On Wednesday, AHS wide receiver Ryland Bradford finalized his decision and signed an offer with the University of Texas-El Paso — accepting a full ride to join coach Scotty Waldren’s squad.
When asked what led to choosing UTEP, Bradford was quick to touch on the relationships he built with the Miners coaching staff.
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 14)
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games, in addition to the results of our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Sunday night each week and close Thursday morning.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 14)”
SIX-MAN REWIND: Six area teams survive second round, move one win away from state semifinals
Six teams from the Big Country Preps coverage area earned wins in the region semifinals last week to put area teams in four region final matchups this week.
That will make for a busy Thanksgiving week for Westbrook, Water Valley, Gordon, Benjamin, Jayton and Richland Springs, which all moved within a win of the state semifinals with victories.
We hope you enjoy this look back at last week’s games and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for schedules and results.
WEEK 14 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!
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 14:
Continue reading “WEEK 14 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!”
PHOTO GALLERY: Wylie-Anna area round football playoff (68 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
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GAME STORY: Explosive Anna squad pulls away for 56-21 area-round win over Wylie
GODLEY — Facing an Anna squad that entered the Region I-5A Division II area round averaging almost 51 points per game, Wylie coach Clay Martin knew his team would have a limited margin for error Friday at Wildcat Stadium.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they exceeded what little margin they had before halftime in a season-ending 56-21 loss to the Coyotes.
Despite the lopsided final score, Wylie had its opportunities to make a game of Friday’s contest. But the Bulldogs’ hopes of pulling off the upset slowly evaporated as Anna rode four fourth-down conversions, an onside kick recovery and a big turnover on its own end of the field to a 42-14 halftime lead.
GAME STORY: Big plays fuel Aledo to 59-14 win over Abilene High in area round
MANSFIELD — Aledo amassed five scoring plays of 36 yards or more and had 578 yards of total offense en route to a 59-14 victory over Abilene High in a Region 1-5A Division I area-round playoff Friday night at Vernon Newsom Stadium.
The Bearcats’ big plays, coupled with four costly turnovers by the Eagles, did most of the story telling in this one, as Aledo improved its record to 11-1 and earned a third-round playoff spot with the win. Abilene High finished its season at 8-4.
Though the Bearcats didn’t score first, they did score often, particularly in the first quarter, when they had touchdown runs of 36 and 76 yards by running back Raycine Guillory Jr., a 52-yard pick-six by defensive back Adrian Fuller and a 92-yard touchdown pass from Gavin Beard to Kaydon Finley. Those collective efforts translated into a 28-7 lead by quarter’s end, and the Bearcats got on the board five more times before the final whistle, tallying at least once in every quarter.
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 13)
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games, in addition to the results of our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Sunday night each week and close Thursday morning.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 13)”
SIX-MAN REWIND: First week of playoffs provides plenty of excitement, stellar individual efforts
The first week of the playoffs is in the books, and what a week it was.
Twelve area teams survived the opening round of the six-man playoffs, setting up another intriguing round of matchups for this week.
Before we look ahead to those, it’s time to look back how we got here. We hope you enjoy this “rewind” and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for schedules and results.
WEEK 13 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!
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 13:
Continue reading “WEEK 13 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!”
PHOTO GALLERY: El Paso Andress-Wylie bi-district football playoff (54 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: El Paso Andress-Wylie bi-district football playoff (54 images)”
PHOTO GALLERY: El Paso Parkland-Abilene High bi-district football playoff (62 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
GAME STORY: Wylie rides big passing game, stifling to defense to bi-district rout of EP Andress
The Wylie offense bombed away for 315 yards and six touchdowns through the air and the defense controlled the line of scrimmage from start to finish in a 46-10 win over El Paso Andress in a Region I-5A Division II bi-district matchup Thursday at Hugh Sandifer Stadium.
Behind quarterback Bear Meng, who completed 21 of 30 passes to lead the aerial assault, the Bulldogs put up 32 points by halftime. And the defense made sure that was enough to cruise comfortably into the area round.
For the game, the Bulldogs outgained the Eagles 431-203, keeping Andress out of the end zone until its final drive of the game, which spanned just 18 yards and came against Wylie reserves.
GAME REPORT: Fette, Del Valle offense too much for Cooper to handle in season-ending loss
EL PASO — Going into this week’s Region I-5A Division II bi-district matchup with unbeaten El Paso Del Valle, Cooper coach Aaron Roan said the biggest key to a Cougar victory would be limiting big-play opportunities for an explosive Conquistadores offense.
Unfortunately for the Roan and his Coogs, that did not happen Thursday at Conquest Stadium.
Led by Arizona State commit Jake Fette, who passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more, Del Valle had five scoring plays of 20 or more yards — including three of 50-plus yards — to pull away from Cooper for a 63-35 win.
GAME STORY: Abilene High matches single-half scoring record in 84-0 bi-district rout of EP Parkland
The Abilene High Eagles lit up the scoreboard while keeping El Paso Parkland off of it Thursday, cruising to an 84-0 win over the Matadors in their Region I-5A Division II playoff opener at Shotwell Stadium.
Just over a year after setting the statewide playoff record for points in a half with 70 in an 84-14 bi-district win over El Paso Hanks, AHS repeated the feat in Thursday’s romp, scoring five touchdowns in each of the first two quarters to a take 70-0 lead into halftime. That led to a running clock being used in the second half, as the Eagles put the finishing touches on a near perfect outing.
Abilene High outgained Parkland 524-116, holding the Matadors under the century mark for total yards until a 31-yard run on the game’s final play. And the Eagles defense picked off five passes, returning two of those for touchdowns to contribute to the record-tying first-half scoring frenzy.
SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Playoffs kick off with a bevy of high-profile matchups
The high school football playoffs are here. And unlike the 11-man version, which features a large number of mismatches in the opening round, the six-man brackets are loaded with thrilling matchups right off the bat.
With just two teams making the playoffs from each UIL district, you won’t find much filler in the Class 1A pairings, so teams hoping to contend had better be ready to play from the jump.
Needless to say, it should be blast to watch the cream rise to the top over the next several weeks as the best of the best shoot for a trip to Arlington on Dec. 18. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’ve got plenty to look forward to this week alone.
We hope you enjoy this look at some of the top matchups on the Big Country slate, and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for results.
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 12)
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games, in addition to the results of our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Sunday night each week and close Thursday morning.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 12)”
SIX-MAN REWIND: Last remaining district races decided as regular season comes to an end
The regular season is officially over, and it’s time to turn the page to the playoffs.
But before we do, let’s take a look back at Week 11 and the top developments — and performances — on the Big Country six-man scene.
We hope you enjoy this “rewind” and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for standings, schedules and results.
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Tascosa edges Amarillo High for No. 3 seed; Monterey locks up top spot
Amarillo Tascosa 34, Amarillo High 29 — Coltyn Fulton ran for ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns while adding 186 yards and two more scores through the air to lead the Rebels past the Sandies in a battle for the league’s No. 3 playoff seed.
TJ Tillman also had a big game for Tascosa, hauling in four passes for 129 yards and two TDs as Tascosa improved to 5-5 overall and 4-2 in district play.
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Abilene Cooper tops PD for last playoff spot; Wylie, Memorial earn wins
Abilene Cooper 44, Amarillo Palo Duro 27 — Austin Cummins passed for 104 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 55 yards and another score to help the Cougars beat the Dons in a winner-take-all matchup for the district’s final playoff spot.
Cooper (4-6, 3-3) ran for 245 yards as a team, led by Major De Los Santos with 75 yards an a touchdown on 11 carries and JQ Scroggins with 70 yards on just four attempts. Zavian Alexander (4-28, 2 TDs) and Zaylon Johnson (3-45, 1 TD), meanwhile, were the team’s leading pass-catchers.
WEEK 12 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!
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 12:
Continue reading “WEEK 12 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!”
PHOTO GALLERY: Amarillo Palo Duro-Cooper football (46 images)
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
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GAME REPORT: Wylie closes out perfect district run with workmanlike win at Plainview
PLAINVIEW — The Wylie football team went into Friday’s matchup with Plainview having already locked up the No. 1 playoff seed in District 2-5A Division II with consecutive wins over Wichita Falls Memorial (45-42) and Lubbock Cooper (22-6).
But the lack of obvious stakes in Friday’s game didn’t keep the visiting Bulldogs from beating the home ones 28-17 to close out a perfect run through league play and take a six-game win streak into next week’s playoff opener.
Wylie outgained Plainview 338-196, limiting PHS to just 51 yards rushing on 25 attempts to lead from start to finish despite a 3-2 deficit in the turnover margin.
GAME STORY: Cooper pulls away from Palo Duro for 44-27 win to extend playoff streak
Hosting Amarillo Palo Duro with a 17-year playoff streak on the line, the Cooper Cougars put together one of their most complete performances of the year Friday at Shotwell Stadium.
Coach Aaron Roan’s Coogs never punted — or trailed — in a 44-27 victory over the Dons, closing the regular season with their third consecutive win to reach the postseason for the 18th straight season.
Cooper (4-6 overall, 3-3 in District 2-5A Division II) outrushed Palo Duro 245-41, riding an advantage on both lines of scrimmage to a 28-13 halftime lead that would never fall below eight points in the second half.
SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Teams set to make final playoff push as regular season nears its end
As hard as it is to believe, given that it seems like we were just previewing the 2024 campaign a couple of weeks ago, we’ve reached the final week of the regular season.
And while some district races have been settled, there’s still much to be decided with the start of the playoffs looming.
With that being the case, it’s time to take a look at some of the area’s top six-man matchups for Week 11. We hope you enjoy this look at the Big Country slate, and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for standings, schedules and results.
Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 11)
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games, in addition to the results of our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Sunday night each week and close Thursday morning.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 11)”
SIX-MAN REWIND: Week 10 heavy on intrigue as upsets shake up several district races
Week 10 proved to be every bit as enlightening — and thrilling — as expected as several of the most high profile games weren’t decided until the final minutes. And a couple of key upsets shook up some district races that looked settled previously.
If you’re a fan of Big Country six-man football, last week likely served as a reminder why that’s the case.
As we do every Monday night, it’s time to take a look back at the week that was. We hope you enjoy this “rewind” and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for standings, schedules and results.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: San Saba’s Tharp takes this week’s accolade
It’s not a requirement for one to be on the winning team to become eligible for our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award.
It helps, but it’s not set in stone, by any means.
Case in point: San Saba quarterback Luke Tharp, who produced big-time numbers in a 44-41 loss to Holland last week.
DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 10 REPORT: Monterey knocks off Abilene High; Tascosa, Amarillo High cruise
Photo by Mark Rogers, HubCityPreps.com
Lubbock Monterey 31, Abilene High 17 — Luke Arrington passed for 203 yards and two touchdowns, and Kyree Baxter ran for 158 yards and two scores to fuel the Plainsmen to a big district win over the Eagles.
Cam Taylor added 86 yards and a TD receiving for Monterey (5-4, 4-1), which closed the game on a 24-7 scoring run to all but lock up the No. 1 playoff seed for this district.