LAST WEEK: 27-7, . 794
SEASON TOTAL: 215-59, .785
The first game out of the chute in a merciless district is often the most important one — especially if the game doesn’t involve the league favorite.
Applying that axiom to District 3-3A DI, a league opener between Breckenridge and Jim Ned is vital, given that Wall is expected to beat everyone. That makes every other contest indispensable between five teams vying for three remaining playoff spots.
Since taking over a moribund program at Cross Plains eight years ago, coach Daniel Purvis has turned the Buffaloes into a perennial playoff team. And this year, he has his squad off to the best start of his tenure at 4-1.
This week, Purvis took some time to talk to Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about the program he’s built, the state of his current team and the District 7-2A Division II race in the Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss the biggest developments of Week 6, which featured a shortened schedule for the Big Country.
Baird 48, Roby 7 — The Bears improved to 4-1 on the year with a homecoming win in preparation for their district opener with Albany next Friday.
This isn’t a new development for Baird, which has been 4-1 as recently as 2016. But it does give the coach Joel Baker’s Bears three straight wins and momentum going into their district opener at Albany next Friday.
With district play either here or approaching for the 16 11-man leagues involving Big Country football teams, every game has heightened importance from this point forward.
In this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast, Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood forego a guest to discuss each district race and examine each of our 40 school’s chances of reaching the postseason.
Hamlin 28, Stratford 14 — Hamlin remained unbeaten with a balanced offense and solid defense in this neutral field game in Plainview.
The Pipers rushed for 182, passed for 168 and limited Stratford to just 210 yards in total offense.
Hamlin heads into its bye week at 5-0. Stratford fell to 2-3.
LAST WEEK: 37-7, .841
SEASON TOTAL: 146-46, .761
Prior to this season, I had chosen the Dublin Lions for a Game of the Week only once in 12 years.
This season, the Lions (4-0), who are off to their best start of this century, have landed the marquee game twice. This week, they’re off to Breckenridge (2-2) to face what I believe is the best team they have met to date.
The Buckaroos, who are coming off back-to-back losses to monster teams from Cisco (34-13) and Brock (20-9), are far better than that .500 mark would indicate.
Stamford 42, Haskell 8 —The Bulldogs built a 27-0 first-half lead before coasting to the finish line with 452 yards in total offense in a Saturday afternoon win at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene.
Big Country leading passer Peyton Bevel finished with 303 passing yards and five scores to lead the Bulldogs.
Stamford improved to 4-0; Haskell dropped to 1-3.
LAST WEEK: 38-13, .745
SEASON TOTAL: 109-39, .736
The Big Country Preps Game of the Week heads east tonight to Eastland, a day early due to anticipated thunderstorms in that area on Friday.
On tap: Childress (3-0) pays visit to EHS (3-0) in what should be the most difficult test for the unbeaten Mavericks to date.
If all goes as anticipated, those in attendance should be treated to a premiere quarterback matchup, pitting Childress’ Luke Latimer and Eastland standout Behren Morton.
Hamlin 58, Munday 20 — Sophomore Hamlin QB Braydin Warner threw for 208 yards and three scores and Jackson Sepeda rushed for 39 yards and two TDs to push Hamlin to 2-0 on the year.
Leading 10-6 after one quarter, the Pipers blew the game open with a 27-0 second period.
7:30 p.m. Friday at Plowboy Field, Roscoe
LAST WEEK: 33-19, .634
SEASON TOTAL: 33-19, .634
Whenever perennial powerhouses Cisco and Wall square off, it’s a candidate for the spotlight, and this year is no exception.
Friday, the Big Country Preps Game of the Week heads south, when the Loboes (1-0) visit Wall (0-1) with a fair amount of intrigue attached.
The Hawks, who are coming off a 27-21 loss to No. 3 Class 2A Mason, haven’t started a season at 0-2 since 2008. Yet Friday, they’ll be confronted with a Cisco team fully capable of pushing them down memory lane.
This is too high-profile to ignore. People want to know just how good this Cisco team is and with Wall being a proven commodity, this is a great measuring stick.
The first week of the high school football season in the Big Country saw its share of thrilling finishes and surprising outcomes.
In this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast, Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood forego a guest to discuss all the action and excitement of the season’s opening week.
Baird 30, Grape Creek 0 — The fact that Baird beat San Angelo Creek didn’t stun me, although I picked GCHS. The fact that they hammered the Eagles by 30 is an eye-opener.
Jax Bellar rushed 13 times for 144 yards and one score and Trace Price threw for 116 yards and two TDs to lead Baird (1-0), which seems to have recovered the form it had as recently as two seasons ago.
Through two scrimmages and one game, the Bears (1-0) have looked surprisingly good.
After recognizing the top offensive and defensive players throughout the Big Country, it’s time to honor the specialists.
We conclude our eight-part preseason position rankings series by naming our top three punters and kickers 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 2018 season.
Got the truck started yet?
Ready to jump on one of those farm-to-market roads to watch high school football into the late hours on a Friday night?
You’re not alone.
And, as tradition would have it, I tip my cap to those of you who will be hitting the trails each week in search of pigskin. My salute: a preseason menu of sorts.
Each week for the next 11 weeks, Big Country Preps will be searching for its Game of the Week, and we’re already looking ahead. We now present our preliminary list of Big Country Games worth traveling for, but keep in mind: the following list is subject to change as surprises and disappointments emerge.
And as we all know … surprises and disappointments always emerge.
So, without further delay, here is our list of Big Country games worth traveling for in 2018.
I’ll see you on the road.
LAST WEEK: 0-0, .000
SEASON TOTAL: 0-0, .000
In picking our first-ever Big Country Preps Game of the Week, I literally could have thrown a dart at the top seven or eight games and came away with a matchup that was justifiable.
Yes, Week 1 of the 2018 season is that good.
My eventual choice: Brock at Brownwood — a matchup pairing last year’s Class 3A Division I state runner-up with a Class 4A Division I team expecting to be in the thick of one of the toughest district races in Texas.
7:30 p.m. Friday at Forrest Field, Hawley
When Bob Cervetto took over the Dublin football program, the Lions hadn’t won a playoff game in almost five decades. In the seven seasons since, Dublin has twice reached the area-round in football and experienced a higher degree of athletic success during the winter and fall seasons.
This week, the always-upbeat Cervetto took some time to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about his positive outlook on coaching and life, the state of the Dublin athletic program and what keeps him coming back each year on this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss the Big Country’s most intriguing storylines heading into the 2018 high school football season.
We’re now past the halfway point in our eight-part preseason position rankings series, and it’s time to look at the Big Country’s top pass-catchers.
After starting the offensive portion of our series Sunday with the big boys up front, we now shift our attention to the playmakers on the edges, ranking our top 10 wide receivers/tight ends with a list of others to watch in 2018.
Enjoy the list and feel free to share your thoughts on our selections in the comments section below.
After starting with the linemen and linebackers, we turn to the secondary 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 key on the defensive backs, giving our list of the area’s top-10 players and others to look out for in 2018.
Enjoy the list and feel free to voice your opinions on it in the comments section below.
With less than a week to go now until the high school football season kicks off in earnest, it’s prediction time here at Big Country Preps.
Site co-founders Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood have put their opinions on paper to tell you how they see the 2018 football season playing out, predicting the order of finish for all 16 11-man districts featuring Big Country squads.
Take a look and let us know where you disagree in the comments section below.
If Roscoe senior Jose Ortega had it his way, he’d never leave the field. As it is, that’s almost the case anyway.
Ortega, who plays receiver, safety, kicker and punter, is an impact player in all three phases of the game for the Plowboys. And on the rare occasions he does find himself on the sidelines, it’s only for a play or two to catch his breath between roles.
“Five. A maximum of five,” Ortega said when asked how many plays he sits out in a given game.
The Roscoe Plowboys won’t be real big in 2018, but they’ll be fast and experienced — two qualities that should come in handy while trying to navigate one of the state’s toughest Class 2A Division II districts.
With 18 returning lettermen and eight starters back on both sides of the football, coach Jake Freeman’s team will have more seasoned talent than any group in District 7-2A DII. The challenge will be leveraging that experience into a product that can compete with area powers Albany and Hamlin for district supremacy.
Blake Sandford took a unique path to becoming Early’s head football coach that included time as an amateur scout for Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds, among other clubs.
This week, Sandford spent some time chatting with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about his time in baseball, the season outlook for his Early Longhorns and his philosophy as an athletic director on this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss the wealth of quarterback talent and depth in the Big Country this season.
Like Big Country Preps co-founders Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood, Wichita Falls Time Record News area writer Zach Duncan has been covering high school sports in his market for a long time.
Entering his 15th football season with the Wichita Falls newspaper, Duncan has seen more great games than he can count and worked with some outstanding coaches and players. This week, he took some time to share some his favorite football stories and talk shop with Evan and Daniel.
Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss District 3-3A Division I and District 7-2A Division II — two all-area leagues that should be competitive from top to bottom.