Here are the Big Country’s receiving leaders through Week 8:
Category: Merkel Badgers
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tolar QB’s record-setting performance takes the top spot
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.
DISTRICT 4-3A DII WEEK 8 REPORT: Jacksboro, Merkel and Holliday earn wins in Week 8
Jacksboro 38, Breckenridge 6 — Sophomore Ryder Davis rushed for 114 yards and four scores and Hoytt Wesson threw for 230 yards and another TD to lead Jacksboro to a road win in Buckaroo Stadium.
Cooper Wimberley led Breckenridge with 128 yards passing and one TD.
Jacksboro improved to 6-1 and 2-0; Breckenridge fell to 1-6 and 1-1.
DISTRICT 4-3A DII WEEK 7 REPORT: Breckenridge, Holliday, Jacksboro win districtr openers
Breckenridge 55, Wichita Falls City View 23 — The Buckaroos (1-5, 1-0) rallied from a 23-13 halftime deficit with 42 unanswered points in a huge second half to earn their first win of 2026.
Breckenridge will face a far tougher test next week when it plays host to Jacksboro (5-1, 1-0) and former BHS coach Casey Hubble.
Merkel (3-2) — The Badgers were idle Friday night.
DISTRICT 4-3A DII WEEK 5 REPORT: Merkel, Henrietta, Bowie chalk up wins
Merkel 54, San Angelo TLCA 0 — Easton Malone was 9 of 10 for 139 yards and four TDs and CJ Guadarrama rushed for 52 yards and two more scores as Merkel routed San Angelo TLCA.
Merkel will have an open date on Friday, after which they will open district play with a road date against Jacksboro on Oct. 9.
Merkel 47, Odessa Compass Academy 30 — Easton Malone threw for 190 yards and three scores and rushed 20 times for 139 yards and two more TDs as Merkel improved to 2-2.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde’s Wright takes this week’s award
It’s still too early to say, but 2026 could be the year of the quarterback in the Big Country. At least it has been that way through three weeks, with Clyde senior Devan Wright taking our latest Big Country Player of the Week award after another eye-popping performance from an area signal caller.
In the wake of Haskell’s Haegan Pinkerton winning our first two awards with two huge performances in Week 1 and Week 2, Wright followed those up with one of his own in a 57-21 win over Comanche on Friday.
Helping Clyde improve to 3-0, Wright connected on 12 of 18 throws for 194 yards and four scores. He also rushed nine times for 116 yards and three more TDs, giving him a direct hand in seven touchdowns.
DISTRICT 4-3A DII WEEK 3 REPORT: Merkel, Jacksboro, Henrietta land in the win column
Merkel 53, Colorado City 27 — The Badgers (1-2) collected their first win of the season behind Easton “Moose” Malone’s 218 yards passing and two scores.
Malone also rushed for 80 yards and three scores; Kayden Diaz added 68 yards rushing and two more TDs.
DISTRICT 4-3A DII WEEK 2 REPORT: Jacksboro the lone victor in the district, with Breckenridge, Henrietta, Merkel and City View falling
Jacksboro 48, Boyd 24
Hoytt Wesson threw for 141 yards and rushed for 149 while accounting for four touchdowns to help Jacksboro improve to 2-0.
Boyd was limited to 283 total yards, including only 50 on the ground.
DISTRICT 4-3A DII WEEK 1 REPORT: Jacksboro, Henrietta are lone district members to chart Week 1 wins
Jacksboro 52, Millsap 18 — Ryder Davis rushed for 208 yards and three scores to lead JHS to an impressive win in its opener.
Quarterback Hoytt Wesson was a big contributor as well, rushing for 87 yards and two TDs and throwing for 85.
The Tigers (1-0) will face Boyd (1-0) at home on Friday.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Quarterbacks
After a week of highlighting area playmakers, we wrap up our eight-part preseason position rankings series with the Big Country’s best signal callers.
To complete our look at the area’s top players, we’ve ranked our top 15 quarterbacks with a list of others to watch in 2026.
We hope you enjoy this list and that you’ve enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kick off a new season.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Running Backs
As we wind down our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we arrive finally at the Big Country’s top ball-carriers.
After breaking down this year’s crop of receivers and tight ends earlier today, we move now to the area’s top backs, ranking our top 15 with a list of others to watch in 2026. Don’t forget to check in tomorrow when we conclude our series with the top 10 area quarterbacks.
We hope you enjoy this list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
We’re approaching the final stretch of our eight-part preseason position rankings series, and it’s time to look at the Big Country’s top receivers.
After starting the offensive portion of our series with the linemen, we now shift our attention to the playmakers on the perimeter, ranking our top 15 wideouts/tight ends with a list of others to watch in 2026.
We hope you enjoy our list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Offensive Linemen
With the defensive and special teams rankings behind us, it’s time to look at the area’s top offensive players. And we’ll start with the foundation of any productive offense: the offensive line.
For the fifth installment of our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we turn our attention to the trenches, ranking the Big Country’s top 15 offensive linemen with a list of others to watch in 2026.
We hope you enjoy reading through our rankings.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Kickers/Punters
After recognizing the top defensive players throughout the Big Country over the past three days, it’s time to honor the specialists.
We continue our eight-part preseason position rankings series by naming our top 10 kickers and top three punters to watch this fall.
We hope you enjoy this list and that you have enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kickoff the 2026 season.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Backs
After starting with the linemen and linebackers, we turn to the defensive backfield to complete our look at the top defenders in the Big Country.
For the third installment in our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we shift our focus to the secondary, giving our list of the area’s top 15 defensive backs and others to look out for in 2026.
We hope you enjoy our list.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Linebackers
After taking a look at the Big Country’s top defensive linemen last night, it’s now time to examine those who will backing them in 2026.
Continuing with Big Country Preps’ eight-part preseason position rankings series, here’s our top 15 linebackers to watch this fall, as well as a list of the others we’re expecting big things from.
We hope you enjoy our list.
Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Linemen
With the start of football season around the corner, it’s time to take a look at the players who will be making the biggest impact in 2026.
For the first installment in an eight-part series that will cover all position groups, we’ll be taking a look at the area’s top defensive linemen, ranking our top 15 with a list of others to watch this fall.
As with any such list, these rankings are subjective. We hope you enjoy reading through them.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Linemen”
2026 DISTRICT PREDICTIONS: Evan and Daniel make their picks
The time has arrived for us to make our Big Country predictions, district-by-district.
Several weeks of research and two solid months of summertime labor have gone into this, so we’re more than ready to post it.
With that please dive in and study our take on the upcoming season, along with the more than 80 preseason stories we posted earlier today. Enjoy! We’ll see you on the road!
MERKEL FEATURE: There’s a moose on the loose in the Big Country
MERKEL — When one sees Merkel’s Easton “Moose” Malone standing on the sidelines for the first time, they may assume he’s an offensive or defensive lineman. At 5-foot-10 and 225 pounds, he’s certainly big enough to take on both challenges.
Well, he is neither.
In fact, Malone is so athletic, that he is the Badgers’ starting quarterback — with equally dangerous abilities to pass and run. And when he’s not behind center, he’s occupying the middle of the Merkel defense, as a sure-footed, quick, sound-tacking middle linebacker.
Since his freshman year, he’s gone from a ninth-grader seeking respect to an upper classman whose name precedes him. And he has a level of confidence to illustrate it.
2026 MERKEL FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Badgers will no doubt find the end zone, but can they stop the opposition from getting there?
MERKEL — When examining the 2026 Merkel football team two things become apparent: First, the Badgers will have their share of skill, including one of the area’s most athletic quarterbacks in junior Easton “Moose” Malone.
But secondly, Merkel will be smallish up front defensively, making the Badgers a target for teams that like to pound the football. And solving this potential dilemma could be the key for MHS to have a successful campaign.
In the meantime, the numbers are far from terrible. Third-year coach Wes Wood returns seven offensive and five defensive starters from last year’s 7-5 club that pushed two rounds deep into the playoffs. A modest 13 lettermen are back on a roster that is expected to be around 24 players, with incoming help from a solid 6-3-1 JV team.
2026 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: First-Team Roster
Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps Second-Team Baseball Selections (w/ honorable mention)
- All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team (the best freshman and sophomores in the area!)
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (to be released Monday night)
2026 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: Second-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)
Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps First-Team Baseball Selections
- All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team (the best freshman and sophomores in the area!)
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (to be released Monday night)
2026 Big Country Preps Rising Stars Baseball Team: The top sophomores and freshmen in the area
Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball teams.
Here, you will find our Rising Stars Team honoring the top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country.
For the rest of this year’s baseball selections, please click the links below.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps First-Team Baseball Selections
- All-Big Country Preps Second-Team Baseball Selections (w/ honorable mention)
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (to be released Monday night)
2026 All-Big Country Preps Softball Team: First-team Roster
Here are our first-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
- Superlative Award Winners (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc.)
- All-Big Country Preps Second-Team Softball Selections (w/ honorable mention)
- All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team (the best freshman and sophomores in the area!)
- Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (To be released Monday night)