Category: Mineral Wells Rams

by Brandon McAuliffe

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: AHS stuns Richardson Pearce for berth in championship game; Cooper, Mineral Wells go winless on Day 2

On the second day of the 16-team Raising Cane’s Key City Classic, Brooks Reese hit an off-balance, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send the Abilene High boys basketball team to the championship game with a thrilling 44-42 win over Richardson Pearce that saw the fans storm the court Friday night at Eagle Gym.

Across town, Cooper fell to Lubbock Cooper 46-35 in the quarterfinals before dropping their nightcap 52-34 to Cleburne. Mineral Wells, meanwhile, dropped a pair of games against Midland Legacy (60-36) and Carrollton Creekview (62-47).

For a full listing of Day 2 results and a complete tournament schedule, click here.

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by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Abilene High, Cooper cruise to wins on first day of Key City Classic

The Abilene High and Cooper boys basketball teams got off to winning starts on Day 1 of the Raising Cane’s Key City Classic, cruising to comfortable victories Thursday to kick off the annual tournament on a high note.

The Eagles downed Perryton 54-37 in there opener to earn a matchup with El Paso Coronado at noon on Friday, while the Cougars smothered El Paso Jefferson in a 34-20 win to advance to play Lubbock Cooper at 1:30 p.m. on Day 2. 

Mineral Wells, the only other area team in the event’s 16-team field, dropped its first game 52-30 to Clebrune and will take on Midland Legacy at 9 a.m. Friday. For a full listing of Day 1 results and a complete tournament schedule, click here.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Graham, Brock and Mineral Wells close with wins

Graham 49, Saginaw Eagle Mountain 3 — Rylan Monsey rushed for 144 yards and four touchdowns, and the Steers ran for 214 yards as a team in a blowout win over the Knights.

Ty Thompson added 185 yards passing and a rushing TD for Graham (9-1, 5-0), which was led in receiving by Brayden Riggins (5-92) and Jace Gill (3-61).

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Stamford, Hawley clash in rematch of last season’s thriller

LAST WEEK: 45-8, .849
SEASON TOTAL: 464-122, .791

The regular season ends Friday night (if you can believe it) and there’s no better way to close things up than with No. 5 Class 2A DI Hawley (9-0, 4-0) at No. 1 Stamford (9-0, 4-0). 

The winner will earn the District 4 championship and No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs, so much is at stake.

I’m leaning toward Stamford here for three reasons: First, the overall team speed of SHS is unmatched by anyone in the area.

Secondly, the Bulldogs have an intangible working here — specifically a last-second miracle touchdown scored by Hawley’s

Camden Ables from 45 yards out with 0:47 left in last year’s game.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Mineral Wells takes care of Eagle Mountain; Burkburnett downs Bridgeport

Mineral Wells 26, Saginaw Eagle Mountain 13 — Owen Gadd passed for 101 yards and a touchdown, and Kayden Montalvo ran for 102 yards and a score to lead the Rams to a two-touchdown win over the Knights.

Mineral Wells (6-3, 2-2), which also got 70 yards receiving and a touchdown from Preztynn Harrison, outgained Eagle Mountain 369-147, taking a 23-7 lead by halftime.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 9 REPORT: Graham shuts out Mineral Wells; Brock blasts Burkburnett

Graham 37, Mineral Wells 0 — Rylan Monsey ran for 114 yards and three touchdowns, and Ty Thompson added 68 yards and a rushing score of his own to lead the Steers to a shutout win over the Rams.

Thompson also passed for 80 yards, though Graham (7-1, 3-0) gained 210 of its 290 total yards via the rush. Behind that ground attack, the Steers built a 16-0 lead by halftime and put the game away with two unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Loboes play host to Hawley in Big Country Preps Game of the Week

LAST WEEK:  41-10 .803
SEASON TOTAL: 367-108, .772

Football season doesn’t feel complete without at least one visit to Chesley Field in Cisco. And Friday night, the Big Country Preps Game of the Week will stop by for a crucial District 4-2A DI matchup between the Loboes (5-2, 1-1) and Hawley (7-0, 2-0). 

For Hawley, a win here will keep open the possibility of an unbeaten regular season. For Cisco, a victory would signal the beginning of a climb back into area prominence. 

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 22)

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.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 8 REPORT: Brock shuts out Mineral Wells; Graham blasts Bridgeport

Brock 21, Mineral Wells 0 — Brody Woods and Coty Farmer both topped the 100-yard rushing mark as the Eagles ran for 295 yards as a team in a shutout win over the Rams.

Woods, who was limited to 38 yards passing, ran for 148 yards and a touchdown, while Farmer added 118 yards and a score of his own on just eight carries. Brock (7-0, 2-0) also got an 85-yard punt return touchdown from Colt Matlock for the only points of the first half.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 7 REPORT: Brock, Graham and Mineral Wells open league play in style

Brock 42, Saginaw Eagle Mountain 7 — Brody Woods passed for 233 yards and four touchdowns and Coty Farmer ran for 112 yards and a TD to help the Eagles to a blowout win over the Knights in the league opener for both teams.

Colt Matlock (7-68, 2 TDs receiving), Cannon Stephens (5-56, 1 TD) and Jesse Rusinek (2-25, 1 TD) all had receiving scores for Brock (6-0, 1-0), which outgained Eagle Mountain 439-89.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Comanche plays host to Jim Ned (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)

LAST WEEK: 32-12, .809
SEASON TOTAL: 279-91, .757

Now it’s time to get down to business. 

With most of the Big Country taking an open date last Friday as a prelude to district play, we now dive headfirst into the games that count the most.

District play opens tomorrow for most leagues in the area, the intensity of which is already tangible. 

Can you feel it? 

We’ll see you on the road. 

Here’s this week’s area picks: 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Coahoma has planted a Vineyard in its backfield

With the bulk of the area’s football teams taking the night off in a bye week prior to district, the question last Friday was if we could find an ample supply of top games and top performances to cover.

We actually found several — topped by a show-stopping effort by Coahoma’s Jaidyn Vineyard in an unforgettable 71-70 win over Littlefield in our Big Country Preps Game of the Week.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Brock, Graham cruise to shutout wins, Mineral Wells suffers first loss

Brock 49, Eastlake (Calif.) 0 — Coty Farmer ran for 101 yards on just 12 carries to lead a 251-yard rushing effort for the Eagles in a dominating performance against the Titans.

Brock, which led 21-0 by halftime and 35-0 by the start of the fourth quarter, also got a productive rushing day from Bryer McDonald (7-75, 1 TD), while Brody Woods passed for 136 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 46 yards.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 4 REPORT: Graham, Brock and Mineral Wells pick up wins as league goes 4-2

Graham 34, Decatur 14 — Ty Thompson passed for 205 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 57 yards and another score to lead the Steers to a three-touchdown win over the Eagles.

Rylan Monsey added 82 yards rushing in the victory, while Brayden Riggins (3-61, 1 TD) and Harison Brockway (4-54) led Graham in receiving.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Unbeaten Mineral Wells overcomes multiple first-half turnovers to top Quinlan-Ford

ARLINGTON — A dominant start to the season for the Mineral Wells football team saw its first true challenge on Thursday night at Choctaw Stadium, where the Rams needed a penalty on an onside kick with under a minute to play to seal a 34-28 win over Quinlan Ford.

The Panthers, who scored with 43 seconds to play to close to within six points, recovered the ensuing onside kick but were flagged for illegal touching,  allowing Mineral Wells to kneel out the clock with just a single snap.

Thursday’s win moved the Rams to 4-0 on the season, their best start since going 5-0 to start the 2018 campaign.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Rattlers play host to Comanche

LAST WEEK: 47-11, .810
SEASON TOTAL: 141-59, .705

After nosediving in Week 2 with one of the worst pick records I’ve ever had, the column rebounded in Week 3 with an .810 percentage to push my overall tally over .700 again. 

As for this week’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week, Mr. Yale Youngblood will be on hand in Tolar to cover Comanche’s road game with the Rattlers in what should be a fun one.

I’ll be heading to Ballinger, where the Bearcats (3-0) will play host to Brady (2-1) in a battle of upstarts. 

Let’s dive into this week’s picks: 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Anson’s Layne earns this week’s accolade

Versatility is a definite advantage for nominees in our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column. And for Anson senior quarterback Corey Layne it was enough to put him in this week’s top spot. 

Leading the Tigers (3-0) to a 49-28 over Dublin, Layne connected on 18 of 27 throws for 284 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed eight times for 65 more yards and two additional scores. 

Layne was equally effective from his linebacker spot, collecting 10 tackles and one interception. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 3 REPORT: Graham, Brock and Mineral Wells pick up convincing wins

Graham 58, Whitesboro 0 — Ty Thompson passed for 201 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 34 yards and another score to fuel the Steers to a blowout win over the Bearcats.

Graham, which led 44-0 at halftime, piled up 495 yards of total offense, getting nice games on the ground from Isaiah Flores (6-93, 1 TD) and Jace Gill (8-62, 1 TD) and a big receiving day from Harison Brockway (3-135, 2 TDs).

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Glen Rose visits Brownwood (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)

LAST WEEK: 46-28, .621
SEASON TOTAL: 94-48, .661

Abysmal. 

That’s about the only adjective that comes to mind when trying to describe my Big Country football picks, which are off to the single worst start through two weeks that I’ve ever experienced in 18 years of covering area football. 

A percentage of .621 after two weeks of play is beatable by throwing darts, flipping coins, or even consulting with your local horoscope page. Yet here I sit, trying to dig myself out of the hole I’ve created. But enough of that, Glen Rose at Brownwood is our Big Country Preps Game of the Week, in a week filled with interesting matchups. 

Let’s have a look at them:  

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper rides emotional opening set to home sweep of Mineral Wells

Facing game point in a back-and-forth first set against Mineral Wells on Tuesday, the Cooper volleyball team used a 4-1 run to rally for a 28-26 win. That shifted momentum to the Lady Cougars’ side, and it stayed there the rest of the way as coach Nora Campbell’s team won the next two games 25-14 and 25-18 to secure a nondistrict sweep at Cougar Gym.

The victory, which snapped a four-match losing streak, improved Cooper to 10-13 with four matches to play before their Sept. 27 District 4-5A opener against crosstown rival Wylie. 

Mineral Wells, meanwhile, dropped to 10-10 with the loss, which saw the Lady Rams lose outside hitter Liliana Rodriguez for the final two sets to a broken pinky.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 2 REPORT: Mineral Wells, Brock improve 2-0; Graham falls to Springtown

Mineral Wells 36, Iowa Park 6 — The Rams improved to 2-0 on the year with a dominant performance against the Hawks.

Owen Gadd threw for 151 yards and a touchdown on 7-of-11 passing and ran for another score, while Preston Mendez (13-119, 1 TD) and Kayden Montalvo (16-110, 2 TDs) both topped the 100-yard rushing mark.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Brock, Graham and Mineral Wells earn comfortable wins

Brock 27, Decatur 7 — Brody Woods passed for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns and rushed for 65 more yards to fuel BHS to a lightning-delayed win over Decatur.

Colt Matlock caught both of Woods’ touchdown passes, finishing with six catches for 139 yards, while Coty Farmer (10-90 rushing) and Jackson Farhatt (3-17) each had scoring runs for Brock.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Albany travels to Stamford in Game of the Week

LAST WEEK: 0-0, .000
SEASON TOTAL: 00-00, .000

Week 1 is often loaded with difficult picks and 2024 is no exception. 

Our first slate of games this year has a number of contests that could have qualified for the Big Country Preps Game of the Week. But we finally settled on Albany at Stamford for the spotlight. 

The two-time defending state 2A DII state champions, minus several key players lost to graduation, facing a Stamford club bringing back most of its skill and a ton of speed. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

MINERAL WELLS FEATURE: Senior QB Gadd a willing leader for Mineral Wells

As a first-year varsity starter in a brand new offense last season, Mineral Wells quarterback Owen Gadd experienced a learning curve and went through some growing pains. But he showed enough as a junior to emerge as the undisputed leader of the Rams offense.

Now a grizzled vet with a full year of starts and a successful 7-on-7 season under his belt, the senior signal caller is ready to lead MWHS back to the playoffs in 2024.

Gadd, one of just four returning starters for the Mineral Wells offense, will have to guide a young group along if he hopes to achieve that. But second year Rams coach Chad Worrell said no player is more suited for that task.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2024 MINERAL WELLS FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Rams aim to take step forward in Worrell’s second year

In 2023, a late arrival to Mineral Wells had coach Cody Worrell and the new members of his staff scrambling to get a group of players they weren’t particularly familiar with moving in the same direction.

The result was a promising but ultimately losing campaign that saw the Rams finish 4-6 and miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

This year, with a full offseason under their belt and a better understanding of both the schemes and expectations within the program, the Mineral Wells coaches and players are hoping for a more successful run in Worrell’s second season.

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by Evan Ren

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Mineral Wells Rams … six 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. 21. 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 Aug. 5, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2024 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

Today, we take a look at the Mineral Wells Rams.

Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Mineral Wells Rams … six days to two-a-days” →