Here are our selections for the 2023 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.
Category: Merkel Badgers
GAME STORY: Wall posts important doubleheader sweep at Merkel
MERKEL — The Wall girls and boys basketball teams both came to Merkel on Friday needing wins to solidify their league title chances in District 6-3A, and both succeeded in a varsity doubleheader sweep at MHS.
The Wall girls opened the evening with a come-from-behind 52-44 win, after which the WHS boys took the nightcap by a 50-34 tally.
Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 11): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 11.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 11): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 11.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
PHOTO GALLERY: Merkel-Clyde basketball (82 images)
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GAME STORY: Darby, Jackson and Lee lead Merkel to sweep of Clyde
CLYDE — The Merkel boys basketball team has one of the most dynamic 1-2 scoring threats in the area with Kooper Darby and Aiden Jackson.
Tuesday night at Bulldog Gym, Darby had a game-high 32 points while Jackson added 24 more as the Badgers held off a furious rally by the Bulldogs over the final 90 seconds in taking a 68-65 win in the District 6-3A opener for both teams.
The boys showdown came on the heels of the Merkel girls knocking off Clyde 48-30 in the opening game of the doubleheader behind Jaedyn Lee’s 24 points.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Albany’s Hill, Waggoner share BCP’s final award for 2023
NOTE: This will be the final BCP Player of the Week for 2023. It will return on Monday, Jan. 8.
Very seldom will we go with co-players of the week here at Big Country Preps, but every now and then, the situation warrants it.
So, our final BCP Player of the Week award for 2023 will be split between Albany teammates Adam Hill and Zane Waggoner, who were both instrumental in AHS winning its second straight Class 2A DII state football title last week in a 28-10 win over Mart in Arlington.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Gordon senior Caitlyn Parsons snags this week’s award
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a Class 1A girls team from the outer reaches of our coverage area land our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. But Gordon’s Caitlyn Parsons put an end to the drought with a huge performance in the Mesquite Pit Classic in Poolville.
Helping the Lady Longhorns to a 4-1 mark in the event, Parson tallied a combined 70 points, 50 boards, 16 steals, five assists, 11 blocks and one charge through five games to earn all-tournament honors and lead GHS to a third-place finish. She also had 10 points in a loss to San Saba earlier in the week.
GAME STORY: Class 5A Lady Eagles use size, depth to rally for win at 3A Merkel
MERKEL — What had the early look of a rout, became a case study in the advantages large schools can have over smaller ones in Tuesday’s 56-45 win for the Abilene girls at Merkel.
Samia Cooper scored 20 points and Taryn Moore added 10 to lead Abilene (9-6), which rallied from an early 13-point deficit with a combination of size and depth to hand the Lady Badgers (10-4) a loss on their home floor.
Merkel, which led 11-0 by the 5:14 mark of the first quarter and 18-5 with 0:59 left in the period, was led by Brooklynn Fulfer with 18 points and Jaedyn Lee with 12.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Albany’s Hill takes this week’s award with big performance in regional title game
Big-time players come up with big-time performances in big games. And our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, Albany’s Adam Hill, is a big-time player.
Helping the Lions capture the Region II-2A DII title, Hill was a punisher out of the Lions’ backfield last Thursday in Iowa Park, rushing for 223 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries in a 52-14 rout of a very good Collinsville team.
The Texas Tech-bound senior also caught a pair of passes for 31 yards and an additional touchdown as Albany improved to 14-0 on the year.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stephenville’s Butchee takes the top spot
We freely admit that more offensive players take our Big Country Preps Player of the Week than do defenders.
But a great defensive performance can, indeed, take the top spot and that is the case with this week’s award winner: Stephenville sophomore linebacker, Hudson Butchee.
With the Yellow Jackets squaring off with perennial power Celina in the Region II-4A DI semifinals, Butchee played like a man possessed in a 7-3 Stephenville win.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: With Windthorst vanquished, Ivan “The Terrible” hath seized thy weekly accolade
It’s always nice to see numbers that match a nickname. And in the case of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, there’s no worries in that department.
Roscoe junior running back Ivan “The Terrible” McCann takes the accolade for the week ending Nov. 18 after helping the Plowboys to a stunning 50-22 win over Windthorst in the 2A DI area round.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hico’s Powell takes this week’s accolade
Big numbers are always great to have when we decide the winner of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. Solid numbers across multiple tasks are even better.
That was the case with this week’s spotlight player, Buck Powell, of Hico, who helped the Tigers to a 47-14 rout of Maud in the Class 2A DII bi-district round on Friday.
2023 BIG COUNTRY PREPS BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW: The area’s top teams in each class throughout the BCP coverage area
With a new season of boys high school basketball poised to begin, it’s time to take a look at what the Big Country will produce on the court.
Below you will find our top teams in each classification in the Big Country Preps coverage area, from Big Spring in the West, to Brock in the east and from Brady in the south to Munday in the north.
Our rankings of the top teams in each class are given, along with a season outlook, cataloguing our expectations for each club.
Here’s our preview. We’ll see you on the road.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sweetwater’s Moore wins second award in less than a month
Korda Moore has been playing well all year for the Sweetwater Mustangs. But he picked the right moment for one of his best games last Friday, helping the Mustangs clinch a playoff spot with a 51-38 win over Snyder.
To begin with, Moore rushed 11 times for 106 yards and five scores. Along the way he added a pair of two-point conversion runs for a total of 34 points on the night.
Defensively he charted 12 tackles, three of which were behind the Snyder line of scrimmage and had a quarterback hurry as well.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Comanche routs Eastland; Merkel closes with upset win over Millsap
Comanche 46, Eastland 7 — The Indians ran for 295 yards, getting 100-yard games from Colt Schwertner and Sawyer Wilkerson to pull away from the Mavericks for a lopsided win.
Comanche (6-4, 3-2), which got 125 yards and two touchdowns from Schwertner and 109 yards from Wilkerson, led 25-0 by halftime and was never threatened after the break. Layden Welch also had a productive day for the Indians, passing for 89 yards and two TDs while rushing for 39 yards an another score.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Wylie, Cooper clash in burgeoning rivalry game
LAST WEEK: 47-5, .903
SEASON TOTAL: 438-91, .827
With the column hitting at more than 90 percent accuracy last week, we now close the regular season on the upswing and with something uncommon: A local Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
While our weekly picks column generally highlights the top area game outside of the Abilene city limits, this week seems to call for us to stay at home with rivals Wylie (6-3, 3-1) and Cooper (4-5, 3-1) fighting for sole possession of the No. 2 seed in District 2-5A Division II.
Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 31)
NOTE: This will be our final installment of Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders for the 2023 season
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m. roughout the regular season.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Comanche routs Merkel; Eastland too much for Dublin
Comanche 48, Merkel 0 — The Indians rushed for 330 of their 436 yards, getting big games from Sawyer Wilkerson and Colt Schwertner in a blowout win over the Badgers.
Wilkerson finished with 139 yards and two touchdowns while Schwertner added 102 yards and one TD to lead Comanche (5-4, 2-2), which built a 28-0 lead by halftime.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Bulldogs, Bearcats meet with district title in the balance
LAST WEEK: 44-7, .862
SEASON TOTAL: 391-86, .820
It really didn’t take long for people to start talking about the Hawley – Stamford matchup in 2023. In fact, this one was on our calendar as a possible Game of the Week before the season even started.
Who will win? That depends on who you speak with. Our Twitter poll is split virtually down the middle and even the computers see this one as a near tossup.
Stamford (7-0, 4-0 District 4-2A DII) enters this game scarcely challenged, rolling over the opposition by an average tally of 45-8. Hawley (6-2, 4-0), on the other hand, comes in with some battle scars after a brutal schedule featuring Jim Ned, Lubbock Roosevelt and Albany.
Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 24)
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m. roughout the regular season.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 9 REPORT: Comanche snaps streak against Dublin; Millsap rallies past Eastland
Comanche 60, Dublin 13 — Layden Welch ran for 98 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 154 yards and two more scores to help the Indians snap a four-game losing streak with a thorough victory over the Lions.
Sawyer Wilkerson added 98 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while Colt Schwertner (8-79), Kazdon Thedford (2-68) and Ezequiel Medrano (1-20) also rushed for touchdowns as Comanche improved to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in district play.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Stephenville hosts China Spring (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
LAST WEEK: 40-8, .833
SEASON TOTAL: 347-79, .814
As Week 9 of the 2023Texas High School football season gets underway, there are multiple high-profile games that would qualify as our Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
But we’re settling for a rare Thursday night matchup at Tarleton State University where seventh-ranked 4A DI Stephenville (5-2, 1-0) will play host to fourth-ranked China Spring (6-2, 2-0) in a game will give the victor sole possession of first place in District 5.
Picking who wins it may come down to throwing darts, but I do believe China Spring has one key advantage.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 8 REPORT: Eastland knocks off Merkel; Jacksboro rallies past Comanche
Eastland 23, Merkel 20 — The Mavericks raced out a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, stretched it to 23-6 by halftime and held on for dear life from there to knock off the Badgers in a district thriller.
Isaiah Hays passed for 166 yards and a touchdown for Eastland (2-5, 1-1), which got rushing touchdowns from Eddie Medina and Cayden Alford and strong receiving days from Jay Oznick (9-87) and Preston Rose (2-59, 1 TD).
BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Hico hosts Dawson with high playoff seeds in the balance (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)
LAST WEEK: 41-7, .854
SEASON TOTAL: 307-71, .812
Big Country Preps makes a point of sharing the love and we look for opportunities to take our Game of the Week to as many different places that make sense each year.
Yet since our inaugural season in 2018, a rebuilding Hico football team missed our spotlight game for five straight seasons.
That drought ends this week when BCP visits Hico for the first time as the Tigers (5-2, 2-1 District 10-2A DII) host Dawson (5-1, 2-0) in a crucial matchup with high seed implications.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 7 REPORT: Merkel thumps Dublin; Millsap takes down Comanche to open league play
Merkel 47, Dublin 21 — The Badgers kicked off district play with a comfortable win over the Lions, getting 145 yards and three touchdowns passing from Maddox O’Malley and 181 yards and a TD rushing from Connor Willyerd in the process.
Rayson Houston (1-59 receiving), Kaden Blubaugh (3-44) and Bryant Jones (2-37) all caught touchdown passes from O’Malley, who added 34 yards and another score rushing in the win. Merkel (5-1, 1-0) finished with 496 yards of total offense, rushing for 287 to go with 209 yards through the air.
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.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Eastland knocks off Jim Ned; Merkel, Dublin score victories
Eastland 21, Jim Ned 19 — Isaiah Hays passed for 259 yards and a touchdown and Cayden Alford rushed for a pair of scores to lift the Mavericks to an upset win over the Indians.
Preston Rose had a huge day receiving, hauling in four passes for 127 yards and a TD for EHS (1-4), which outscored Jim Ned 14-12 in the final quarter to earn its first victory of the season.
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.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 4 REPORT: Merkel runs over Bangs; Eastland, Dublin competitive in losses
Merkel 54, Bangs 37 — Connor Willyerd and Maddox O’Malley rushed for 171 and 164 yards, respectively, as the Badgers ran over and around the Dragons for a comfortable win.
Willyerd had one touchdown and O’Malley rushed for four as Merkel (3-1) finished with 389 yards on the ground as a team. Braxton Duden (4-60 rushing) also had a rushing TD for the Badgers, who got 98 yards passing and one score from O’Malley and 72 yards and two touchdowns receiving from Kaden Blubaugh.
PHOTO GALLERY: Clyde-Merkel football (78 images)
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DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 3 REPORT: Welch, Schwertner fuel Comanche to blowout win over Early
Comanche 57, Early 0 — Layden Welch passed for 266 yards and four touchdowns and Colt Schwertner rushed for 264 yards and a score to fuel the Indians to a blowout win on a day standout running back Sawyer Wilkerson was limited to three carries by an ankle injury.
Welch, who hit Kyler Beaty six times for 136 yards and two TDs, also ran for 28 yards and two scores as Comanche improved to 3-0.
GAME STORY: Shootout between Clyde’s Carr, Merkel’s O’Malley goes to the Bulldogs
MERKEL — One thing is for certain: Merkel’s new scoreboard and videoboard at Badger Stadium are fully functional.
With the Badgers showing off their new improvements in their home opener, it was Clyde that landed the most body blows in a thrilling 69-57 win on Friday night in nondistrict action.
The game featured an astonishing six touchdowns in a span of 6:51 in the third quarter — a stretch that saw five touchdowns scored in a stretch of 13 snaps.
BCP NOTEBOOK: On tap tonight … Merkel, De Leon, Clyde, Gordon and Strawn
“All good things to those who wait.”
— English proverb
We’ve all seen good high school coaches let go after only two years. And with very few exceptions, it’s almost always a bad move.
Well, allow me to give you three good examples of why there is a payoff for patience and a reward for living up to the words we feed the kids — you know, like overcoming adversity, being loyal, being respectful and working through the process.
Yeah, those words.
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 2 REPORT: Merkel, Comanche improve to 2-0 with dominant performances
Merkel 34, Stanton 7 — The Badgers overcame a slow start, scoring 34 unanswered points over the final three quarters to rally from a 7-0 deficit after the first.
Maddox O’Malley passed for 234 yards and a touchdown and added another TD on the ground to lead Merkel (2-0), which also got 116 total yards from Connor Willyerd (14-72 rushing; 4-44 receiving) and strong receiving days from CJ Walcott (3-105, 1 TD), Bryant Jones (2-68, 1 TD) and Kaden Blubaugh (2-66, 1 TD).
DISTRICT 5-3A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Comanche, Merkel impressive in season-opening victories
Comanche 37, Brady 8 — Sawyer Wilkerson ran for 189 yards and two touchdowns, while Layden Welch passed for 163 yards and three scores and rushed for 51 yards and an additional TD to fuel the Indians to comfortable win over the Bulldogs.
Behind those two and receiver Kyler Beaty, who hauled in five passes for 73 yards and a touchdown, Comanche (1-0) built a 25-8 lead by halftime and was never threatened after the break.
MERKEL FEATURE: O’Malley takes over behind center at Merkel
MERKEL — He is better known as one of the area’s most athletic wide receivers.
Yet as his senior season approaches, Merkel’s Maddox O’Malley will be largely positioned behind center, directing the Badger offense from a position that will most enable him to use his athleticism to make plays.
And it is the intention of coach Will Kates to give his new quarterback the green light to do precisely that, make plays — an ability he has demonstrated in a variety of ways.
2023 MERKEL FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Badgers hope experience will be the difference
MERKEL — Since his arrival in Merkel two years ago, MHS football coach Will Kates has been fighting an uphill battle with inexperience and lack of depth.
The net result has been a 7-14 overall record with one playoff appearance. But Kates understood the challenge when he inherited an MHS team that had posted just one winning season since 2012.
There is, however, some light developing at the end of the tunnel. The Badgers, though still suffering from a depth problem, are loaded with seniors heading into the 2023 season.
Scenes from Big Country Preps Photo Tour Day 1
Day 1 of Big Country Preps’ 2023 Photo Tour is now in the books, with seven more days of shooting yet to come from practice fields throughout the area.
Here are but a few of the images collected Monday:
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COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Merkel Badgers … 13 days to two-a-days
Football is just around the corner, and we at BigCountryPreps.com are committed to bringing you the information you need to prepare for your favorite team’s season.
We’ll be releasing our Big Country Preps Preseason Football Preview, the most comprehensive look at the upcoming Big Country football season anywhere, on Wednesday, Aug. 16. But you won’t have to wait until then to sate your gridiron appetite.
Leading up to the first day of fall football practice on July 31, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2023 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.
We continue in Class 3A Division II with the Merkel Badgers. On Wednesday we will take a look at the Breckenridge Buckaroos, followed by the Clyde Bulldogs on Thursday.
Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Merkel Badgers … 13 days to two-a-days”
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stephenville’s Cameron takes this week’s award
It’s always a great accomplishment to go to the state track meet in multiple events. But when it’s done in dominating fashion at the Class 4A level or above, you’re generally talking about a very special, gifted athlete.
Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, Victoria Cameron of Stephenville, falls directly into that category and she has the regional hardware to prove it.
Taking four gold medals at the Region I-4A meet, Cameron scored 30 individual points while clinching four berths to the state meet.
PHOTO GALLERY: Region I-3A track meet (118 images)
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REGION I-3A TRACK MEET: Brock, Breck boys go 1-2 again; Big Country girls claim six individual golds
The Brock boys track teams clinched its third consecutive region championship Saturday at Abilene Christian University’s Elmer Gray Stadium, and for the second year in a row, the Eagles’ stiffest competition came from Breckenridge.
Brock took first at the Region I-3A meet, tallying 70 team points over the two-day competition, while the Buckaroos finished with 55 points, edging third-place Vernon (54) for their second runner-up finish in as many years.
Those performances headlined a successful meet for area competitors, which saw athletes or relay teams from the Big Country Preps coverage area claim 26 total medals — 14 on the boys side and 12 on the girls. That list featured 15 automatic qualifying bids to the state meet May 11-13 in Austin, including 10 total gold medals.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sweetwater senior captures five medals and our award
“Damarrius Walker is a very talented young man,” Sweetwater coach Brian Hodnett said. “There isn’t much in track and field that he can’t do!
“We as a staff are excited to see how far he can go this year.”
So is the rest of the area as our Big Country Preps Player of the Week collects the award after scoring 44 points individually at the Hamlin Pied Piper Relays last week.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Fincannon fires perfecto and no-hitter to take this week’s award
You know you’re on a roll when you throw a no-hitter and it’s your second-best performance of the week.
That was the case for Hico junior pitcher Kiersten Fincannon, not only threw a no-hitter in a 24-0 win over Meridian, but also tossed a perfect game in a 22-0 rout of Itasca.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hamlin lefty takes this week’s award
Softball tournaments can distort the significance of pitching accomplishments due to inning caps or time limits, rendering perfect games or no-hitters into half-versions of their true selves.
However, there is no denying that tournaments are work, especially for pitchers, and our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, Hamlin southpaw Zoe Moore, earned the accolade with a 4-0 record in the Wichita Falls Sunrise Optimist Tournament last week.
PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene Icebreaker Softball Tournament (241 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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