Here are the boys area track bests through April 9 (top 15 in each event):
Category: San Saba Armadillos
Evan Ren’s 2025 Gym Rat Team: The hardest-working players in the Big Country!
While scoring and rebounding garner much of the attention in basketball, there are other elements, crucial to success that seldom grab headlines.
Behind the scenes is where character, effort and sacrifice set the foundation for teams to reach their full potential. And it is with our Big Country Preps Gym Rat Team that we salute the individuals who bring these elements to the table.
This team isn’t about who the best players are — though some of the area’s top players are on this list.
The Gym Rat Team is about outworking, outhustling and outgiving everyone around you, both on the floor and off. Hard-working, honest, selfless, tough, coachable kids are what we seek for this roster.
A Gym Rat Team member can be your best player or the last player off the bench. But the one thing all of them bring is an uncompromisingly good attitude.
It is for that reason that our Gym Rat Team is selected entirely by area coaches. And Big Country Preps is truly honored to present these individuals to you — the best “team players” (boys and girls) that the area had to offer during the 2024-25 season.
Players are listed in no particular order.
Enjoy.
Area Softball Stat Leaders (through March 27)
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through March 27:
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his or her email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com.
Area Baseball Stat Leaders (through March 27)
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through March 27.
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com.
Area Baseball Stat Leaders (through March 20)
20Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through March 20.
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com.
Area Softball Stat Leaders (through March 20)
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through March 20:
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his or her email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com.
CLASS 2A DI STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Late Nocona run secures title win over San Saba
SAN ANTONIO — It took the San Saba Lady Dillos the better part of three quarters to finally find the range in Thursday’s Class 2A Division I state title game with Nocona. And when they did, they captured the momentum and cut an 18-point deficit to six by the 6:30 mark of the fourth quarter.
Then it happened.
Almost as if someone had flicked a switch, Nocona recaptured the initiative with seven unanswered points and suddenly a six-point lead turned to 13 in under a minute, eventually leading to a 54-37 win for NHS in the Alamodome.
Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Feb. 13): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Feb. 13.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Feb. 13): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Feb. 13.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche’s Alex Terrell takes this week’s spotlight
While it wasn’t a perfect two-game stretch for the Comanche boys basketball team, the Indians did clinch a postseason berth last week and one of their players earned the spotlight.
Comanche went 1-1 on the week, dropping a game against Tolar while securing a playoff spot Friday with a win over Breckenridge. In the meantime, senior guard Alex Terrell came up with two big efforts to capture our Big Country Preps Player of the Week.
Terrell put up solid numbers on both nights, beginning with 20 points, five rebounds and two steals in the Tolar loss. Three nights later, he finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and four steals in a tough 32-26 win at Breck to clinch a postseason berth.
SIGNING DAY 2025: Top area athletes sign on the dotted line
National Signing Day is typically a busy one in the Big Country Preps’ coverage area and 2025 was no exception with several players inking and/or confirming their commitments to play at the next level.
At various signing ceremonies held throughout the area, athletes celebrated their final choices to pursue a degree while competing collegiately.
Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 30): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 30.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 30): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 30.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 23): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 23.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 23): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 23.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
Evan Ren’s 2024 True Grit Team: The toughest, hardest-working players in the Big Country!
We all know a football player who almost never misses any practice time and practically lives in the weight room. He’s always early to arrive and late to leave. He’s coachable, but seldom needs direction because he always pays attention.
You know who I’m talking about.
The guy who sets a good example for young players. The guy who never complains and, first and foremost, is tough mentally and physically. He may not be the best player on a team (though some of them are). But he’s definitely the guy who gets the most out of the talent he’s given.
Welcome to the 2024 “True Grit” team — the one place in the Big Country where guys who fall into this category are recognized for it.
2024 All-Big Country Preps Football Team: First-Team Roster
Here are our first-team selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps football team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
2024 All-Big Country Preps Football Team: Second-Team Roster
Here are our second-team selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps football team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
2024 All-Big Country Preps Football Team: Third-Team Roster (w/honorable mention)
Here are our selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps Football Team (Third-Team roster). For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS RISING STARS TEAM: The top football under classmen in the Big Country for 2024
Here are our selections for the 2024 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.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall’s York takes second award of the year
With all the competition in the Big Country Preps coverage area, taking our Player of the Week award once is a big enough challenge.
Wall quarterback Landon York has done it twice.
York, who led Wall to a 56-21 win over Littlefield in the Region I-3A DII semifinals, takes his second award with a huge performance.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Evans takes award with monstrous performance
When someone hits 27 of 34 passes for 441 yards and five scores, it’s generally the type of performance that appears on our Player of the Week radar screen.
When it’s done in only two and a half quarters, however, it makes everyone sit up and do a doubletake.
That was the case for Glen Rose quarterback Canyon Evans, who shredded Fort Worth Dunbar in a 61-7 win on Friday that saw him removed before the onset of the fourth quarter.
DISTRICT 14-2A DIV. I WEEK 11 REPORT: Mason, Thorndale, Johnson City collect wins
Mason 35, San Saba 0 — Mason locked up the district title with this win, finishing 9-1 and 5-0 for the regular season.
San Saba, which had a shot at the district title coming in, finished at 6-4 and 3-2 — tied for second place with Thorndale and Holland.
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.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: San Saba’s Tharp takes this week’s accolade
It’s not a requirement for one to be on the winning team to become eligible for our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award.
It helps, but it’s not set in stone, by any means.
Case in point: San Saba quarterback Luke Tharp, who produced big-time numbers in a 44-41 loss to Holland last week.
DISTRICT 14-2A DIV. I WEEK 10 REPORT: Playoff picture still unclear
Holland 44, San Saba 41 — Holland (7-2, 3-1) earned the tiebreaker with San Saba (6-3, 3-1) for the second seed with this important win.
The Hornets can clinch the No. 2 seed with a win at Thorndale next week, if San Saba falls to Mason.
The Armadillos, who had a three-game winning streak snapped, will face the league-leading Punchers next week.
The Armadillos (6-2, 3-0) retained a piece of the district lead with an important win over the Longhorns.
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.
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.
DISTRICT 14-2A DIV. I WEEK 8 REPORT: San Saba, Mason, Holland continue winning ways
San Saba 36, Thorndale 28 — 
Luke Tharp rushed for 241 yards and two scores to help push San Saba past district rival Thordale.
The win puts the Armadillos (5-2) atop the district race and sets up a possible season-ending showdown with Mason for all the marbles.
Thorndale fell to 4-3 and 0-2.
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.
DISTRICT 14-2A DIV. I WEEK 7 REPORT: San Saba, Mason and Holland open district play victorious
San Saba 38, Johnson City 15 — Luke Tharp rushed for 241 yards and four touchdowns to lead San Saba to a big win at Johnson City.
Tharp also posted eight tackles, a pass breakup, a quarterback hurry and an interception.
San Saba improved to 4-2 and 1-0; Johnson City fell to 2-4 and 0-1.
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:
San Saba, idle — The Armadillos entered their bye week with a 3-2 overall record. They will open district play at Johnson City (2-3) on Oct. 11.
BIG COUNTRY PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ables takes the top spot after big win over De Leon
Hawley’s Keagan Ables is no stranger to the Big Country Preps Player of the Week column — appearing among our top performers multiple times over the last three years.
However, his latest effort to help HHS defeat De Leon 54-21 on Friday, may rank as one of his best.
The Hawley senior connected on 16 of 32 passes for 441 yards and six touchdowns to help Hawley improve to 4-0 on the year.
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:
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.
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:
DISTRICT 14-2A DIV. I WEEK 1 REPORT: Mason falls, San Saba victorious in openers
Wall 28, Mason 6 — Landon York threw for 148 yards, and two scores and Hagyn Barbee rushed for 37 yards and a TD to lead Wall to a win in Craig Slaughter’s coaching debut at WHS.
Briggs Jones was the top receiving target for the Hawks (1-0), hauling in three passes for 102 yards and two scores.
Wall (1-0) will face Brownwood (0-0) next Friday at home.
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.
SAN SABA FEATURE: Final Lackey brother just as smallish, but just as tough as the first two
Photos provided by the San Saba Yearbook class
SAN SABA —If one were to use a cookie cutter to form a prototypical linebacker, the exterior wouldn’t resemble San Saba’s Winton Lackey.
In fact, it wouldn’t be anything close to the senior Armadillo, who stands in at only 5-foot-7 and weighs just 165 pounds.
Lackey’s interior, however, is actually a prototype for what high school coaches are looking for: a non-stop motor, fearlessness, a nose for the football and heart. These ingredients have been dealt to Lackey in such measure, that San Saba coach Andreas Aguirre had no hesitation in allowing him to occupy the heart of his defense.
2024 SAN SABA FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Dillos expect step forward behind solid numbers
SAN SABA — Since a highly successful run from 2018-20 that saw San Saba post a combined 35-5 record, the numbers game hasn’t been kind to the Armadillos.
As fate would have it, San Saba has spent the last three seasons slugging through a combined 11-20 mark with either lower numbers, smaller players and/or less team experience. And at times, it was a combination of all three.
The year 2024, however, seems to be offering the Armadillos a solid opportunity to recapture the momentum it had only four short seasons ago.
COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The San Saba Armadillos … 23 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 stay in Class 2A Division I with the San Saba Armadillos.
Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The San Saba Armadillos … 23 days to two-a-days”