Category: Local football

by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Wylie clinches title with win over LCP; Palo Duro keeps playoff hopes alive

Wylie 22, Lubbock Cooper 6 — Thanks to a stellar defensive performance, the Bulldogs never trailed on Senior Night, holding the Pirates offense to 276 yards of total offense and a pair of first-half field goals in a workmanlike win.

Julius Laine ran for a game-high 54 yards and a touchdown before being injured early in the third quarter, and Bear Meng passed for 124 yards and a TD pass to Gage Heighten (3-30 receiving) to lift the Bulldogs to the victory. Jaegan Smith also had a scoring run as Wylie (7-1, 5-0) clinched the district title.

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by Daniel Youngblood

WEEK 11 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 11:

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie shuts down Lubbock Cooper, clinches district title with 22-6 win

Two weeks ago, the Wylie football team put itself in position to a win the District 2-5A Division II championship with a shootout win at Wichita Falls Memorial.

On Friday, the Bulldogs turned to their defense to finish the job against Lubbock Cooper.

Hosting a Pirates squad that came in averaging just over 40 points per game, Wylie held the visitors to 276 yards and a pair of first-half field goals on its way to a 22-6 win that served as a near perfect backdrop for the Bulldogs’ Senior Night celebration at Hugh Sandifer Stadium.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Abilene High drops regular-season finale at Lubbock Monterey

Photos by Mark Rogers, HubCityPreps.com

LUBBOCK — The Abilene High football team couldn’t close out a perfect run through District 2-5A Division I on Thursday, capping its regular season with a 31-17 loss to Lubbock Monterey on Halloween night at Lowrey Field.

The Eagles, who came in averaging 50.9 points per game, were limited to just a single touchdown after halftime, allowing the surging Plainsmen to pull away for their fourth consecutive win.

Thursday’s outcome created a three-way tie in the loss column for the district lead between Abilene High (7-3, 5-1), Monterey (5-4, 4-1) and Amarillo High (4-3, 3-1) and will likely leave the district co-champion Eagles with the No. 2 seed when the playoffs start in two weeks.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Week 10 slate offers scary good time for area six-man fans

Spooky season is nearing its end, but Week 10 will leave fans of Big Country six-man football with a Halloween bag full of king-sized treats.

As you might expect with just two weeks remaining in the regular season, we’ve got a bunch of games with playoff and district title implications. And it’s time to talk about them here.

So take a break from your trick or treating and enjoy this look at the area’s top matchups. And when you’re done reading, make sure to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for standings, schedules and results.

Continue reading “SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Week 10 slate offers scary good time for area six-man fans” →

by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 10)

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 10)” →

by Daniel Youngblood

SIX-MAN REWIND: District title, playoff races get clearer though decisive Week 9 slate

A Week 9 slate that looked light on competitive games on paper yielded very few of them. But the area’s playoff and district championship races continued to take shape through the lopsided results.

We also saw a number of stellar individual performances worth noting as the regular season nears its end. 

With just two weeks left before the start of the playoffs, it’s time to take a look backward at last week’s most important developments. We hope you enjoy reading our Week 9 review and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for standings, schedules and results.

Continue reading “SIX-MAN REWIND: District title, playoff races get clearer though decisive Week 9 slate” →

by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tolar’s Abbie Soileau takes the top spot with record-setting week

Photos provided by Melissa Carroll and Kelly Moody

There’s a great deal of excitement brewing around the Tolar volleyball team heading into postseason play and with good reason. If the Lady Rattlers (28-9, 12-1 District 8-3A) manage to knock off Comanche on Tuesday, they will set a school record for wins in a season. 

Secondly, senior setter Abbie Soileau is dishing assists like they were going out of style — including the 47 she tallied last week in wins over No. 25 Peaster and Early.  That lifted her season total to a Tolar school record 1,032 assists on the year and more 1,700 for her career.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 9 REPORT: Abilene High slips past Tascosa; Amarillo High, Caprock earn wins

Abilene High 31, Amarillo Tascosa 29 — Rylan Bradford returned a free kick following an intentional safety 70 yards for a touchdown with eight seconds remaining to lift the Eagles to a wild victory over the upset-minded Rebels and keep AHS alone atop the district standings.

Abilene High, which was outgained 358-303, led 16-7 at halftime and 23-14 early in the fourth quarter, but Tascosa went up 29-23 with back-to-back touchdowns. But following a safety that pulled the Eagles within 29-25, Bradford took the free kick back to the house for the win.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 9 REPORT: Cooper pulls away from Legacy; Memorial wins thriller over LCP

Abilene Cooper 45, Wichita Falls Legacy 21 — Leading 24-21 in the third quarter, the Cougars closed the game with 21 unanswered points to pull away for a comfortable win over the Leopards and head into their Week 10 open date in position to extend their 17-year playoff streak.

Cooper (3-6, 2-3), which led 24-14 at halftime, was led by quarterback Austin Cummins, who passed for 210 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 84 yards and an additional score, while Peyton Ewing ran for 90 yards and a TD and Zavian Alexander received for 130 yards and two scores.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Bradford’s late return lifts Abilene High to improbable win over Amarillo Tascosa

Leading Abilene High 29-25 after taking an intentional safety with 24 seconds remaining, Amarillo Tascosa had the District 2-5A Division I-leading Eagles right where it wanted them Friday at Shotwell Stadium.

If the Rebels could hold off AHS for just a few more ticks, they’d score the upset of the year in 2-5A DI and force themselves back into the district title picture in the process.

Instead, they kicked the ball to Ryland Bradford — a mistake that proved fatal in a wild 31-29 win for coach Mike Fullen’s squad. 

Continue reading “GAME STORY: Bradford’s late return lifts Abilene High to improbable win over Amarillo Tascosa” →

by Daniel Youngblood

SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Blanket-Zephyr headlines Week 9 schedule as teams fight for playoff positioning

Coming off a Week 8 schedule that featured a bevy of intriguing matchups and produced a fair number of thrilling outcomes, the Week 9 slate lacks some of that same punch on paper.

But that’s not to say it’s short on interesting — and meaningful — games. In fact, quite the opposite is true.

As we have done on Thursday nights throughout this season, it’s time to take a look at some of the top matchups this week has to offer. And when you’re done reading, make sure to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for standings, schedules and results.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 9)

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 9)” →

by Daniel Youngblood

SIX-MAN REWIND: Knox City-Newcastle lives up to billing, headlines thrilling Week 8 schedule

A stacked Week 8 slate proved to be every bit as entertaining as expected, with a couple of two-point thrillers headlining the weekend’s results.

And with almost all of our area teams in district play at this point, the outcomes continue to become more important with each passing week.

As has become custom here on Monday nights, it’s time to take a look back at the biggest results and performances we saw last week. We hope you enjoy this “Rewind” and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for standings, schedules and results.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Albany’s Beal earns this week’s accolade

With the Albany Lions winning last week’s district game with Winters by a score of 60-0, there were ample opportunities for the Lions to produce a Player of the Week-worthy performance. 

They found one in senior Branson Beal, who rushed 11 times for 144 yards and five scores. He also caught a 46-yard TD pass to chart six touchdowns on the night. 

“He might have the quickest feet of any (player) I have coached,” Albany coach Denney Faith said. “Combine that with great vision it makes him fun to watch.” 

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. I WEEK 8 REPORT: Abilene High routs Lubbock High; Monterey, Coronado pick up wins

Photos by Kaylee Wilkerson, HubCityPreps.com

Abilene High 69, Lubbock High 14 — Tristan Beal passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start to help the Eagles breeze to a 69-14 road win over the Westerners.

In addition to Beal’s production, Abilene High (6-2, 4-0) got big games from running back Ethan Joyner (18-137, 3 TDs rushing) and receivers Ryland Bradford (8-152, 2 TDs receiving; 2-9, 1 TD rushing) and Bryson Perez (3-80, 1 TD rushing; 5-57, 1 TD receiving) in expanding a 27-7 halftime lead to 62-7 by the start of the fourth quarter.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 8 REPORT: Cooper, Wylie pick up big wins; LCP takes care of Palo Duro

Abilene Cooper 35, Plainview 23 — The Cougars outgained the Bulldogs 364-258, overcoming a couple of bad breaks early to pull away for a comfortable victory in a must-win district home game.

Trailing 10-7 in the second quarter after a couple of mistakes in special teams on on offense, Cooper (2-6, 1-3) outscored Plainview 28-13 the rest of the way, with the Bulldogs’ final touchdown coming with three seconds remaining in the game.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Resilient Cooper Cougars top Plainview in must-win district matchup

After starting District 2-5A Division II play at 0-3, the Cooper football team entered Friday’s home matchup against Plainview with its back against the wall.

The Cougars had to beat the Bulldogs or risk seeing their 17-year playoff streak come to an end. 

At several points throughout the night, coach Aaron Roan’s squad had its mettle tested. But time and again, the Coogs stood tall, answering every Bulldogs challenge in a 35-23 win at Shotwell Stadium.

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Laine’s career night, Rehburg’s walk-off field goal key Wylie to thrilling win over WF Memorial

WICHITA FALLS — Feed Julius Laine. Feed Laine again. Then feed the Wylie junior tailback some more.

As Wylie and Wichita Falls Memorial kept swapping touchdowns Friday night in a crucial District 2-5A Division II contest, the Bulldogs’ strategy became obvious. Put the ball in the hands of its 220-pound bruiser and let a worn-out Maverick defense try to stop him.

The approach worked as Laine rushed for 268 yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries, the last of which moved the Bulldogs into scoring range. Kicker Noah Rehburg did the rest, drilling a 26-yard field goal at the buzzer to give Wylie a thrilling 45-42 victory on the road at Memorial Stadium.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Beal steady, defense strong as Abilene High cruises to win at Lubbock High

Photos by Kaylee Wilkerson, HubCityPreps.com

LUBBOCK — Making the first start of his high school career in the absence of injured standout Brayden Henry, sophomore quarterback Tristan Beal passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns — two of those during a 21-point first quarter — to help lead Abilene High to a 69-14 win over Lubbock High on Thursday at Lowrey Field.

The Eagles also got big offensive games from running back Ethan Joyner and receivers Ryland Bradford and Bryson Perez, while their defense limited the Westerners to a single touchdown until the final 10 seconds of the game.

The thorough victory improved AHS to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in District 2-5A Division I play, putting coach Mike Fullen’s squad alone atop the league’s standings heading into regular season-ending matchups with Amarillo Tascosa and Lubbock Monterey.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Week 8 light on games but full of intriguing matchups

With district play in full swing and most of the squads in our four-team leagues idle, we only have 23 area matchups this week. But what’s lacking in quantity is more than made up for in quality in Week 8.

With a slate full of potential thrillers at both the top and bottom of our district races, there’s plenty of action to talk about and preview.

Let’s go ahead and take a look at some of the matchups that make this week’s schedule so intriguing, shall we? And when you’re done reading, we encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for standings, schedules and results.

Continue reading “SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Week 8 light on games but full of intriguing matchups” →

by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 8)

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 8)” →

by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Pipers, Plowboys clash in important district matchup

LAST WEEK: 47-7, .870
SEASON TOTAL: 326-98, .768

ROSCOE (2-3, 1-0) AT HAMLIN (5-1, 1-0)

It’s been a while since our Game of the Week has visited Hamlin, but it’s a good time for it. 

The Pied Pipers have taken five straight games and will be in contention for a high playoff seed if they can win this crucial matchup. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIX-MAN REWIND: First week of district play produces bevy of blowouts, strong individual efforts

Most of the Big Country’s six-man teams opened district play last week, and an area slate expected to produce a bevy of lopsided results did just that.

But there were handful of highlights and some big individual performances that bear mentioning in this week’s “Six-Man Rewind.”

We hope you enjoy this look back at Week 7’s biggest developments and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for standings, schedules and results.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche’s Terrell takes this week’s award

It isn’t often that a place-kicker nails down our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, but Comanche’s Alex Terrell has done exactly that with a pressure-packed performance in a 13-10 overtime win over Jim Ned in our Game of the Week last Friday. 

Aside from hitting a game-tying 30-yard field goal to send the contest into overtime, Terrell connected on a 31-yard field goal in the extra period to give CHS the win. 

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