In a week filled with unforgettable moments, several of our nominees handed in by area coaches could justifiably be called our Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week.
We finally settled on Clyde sophomore Payton Phillips, who stunned attendees at the Region I-3A meet by taking gold in both the long jump (18 feet, 6 inches) and the 100 hurdles (15.12) — breaking school records that were 25 and 15 years old, respectively.
The Cross Plains girls and boys track teams topped the list of Big Country teams competing at LeGrand Stadium in the Region II-1A meet on Friday and Saturday.
Fueled by wins in the 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter relay teams , the Cross Plains girls (60 points) earned a second-place finish behind regional champion Irion County (71.33).
Cross Plains’ Addison Long, Tori Taylor, Abbigale Shepard and Katie Goins combined for gold in both the 400 and 800 relays. Cadence Wediking joined Long, Shepard and Goins for the win in the 4×400.
Other top area teams included Munday and Blackwell, which tied for fourth in the 30-team field, along with Roby, which finished sixth.
The present and the future will intersect this week for Reese Chambers.
The May senior will compete in the sprint races at the Region II-1A track and field meet at San Angelo. This is the week in which Chambers can qualify for next month’s UIL state meet after finishing fifth in the 100 meters and ninth as a member of the 400-meter relay at state as a sophomore in 2019.
The top two finishers in each event at regional guarantee themselves a spot in the UIL Class 1A state meet on May 8 in Austin.
The year 2020 is finally behind us — a fact I think we can all celebrate as a positive.
A wretched year in so many ways, 2020 presented unique challenges most of us never could have envisioned and brought levels of heartbreak and hardship we may never experience again in our lifetimes.
But even out of bad years, good stories can arise. And as a website devoted to highlighting the positives in our narrow area of focus, we’re going to revisit some of the best today.
As has become a New Year’s Day custom here at Big Country Preps, it’s time once again to revisit the biggest Big Country sports stories of the past year. And while narrowing and compiling that list is never easy, and always leaves worthy stories unaccounted for, we hope you enjoy looking back at some of the highlights from a tough year.
As we say goodbye to 2020 (thankfully), we turn our attention to the local athletes and coaches who produced some positive memories for area sports fans.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the top 10 stories from last year:
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Due to UIL regulations, photo sales from state championship events are not permitted.
ARLINGTON — For one play on Wednesday, everything was good for May in the Class 1A Division I state championship game against top-ranked Sterling City at AT&T Stadium.
Kaden Halk had a 67-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game to stake the Tigers to a quick 8-0 lead, but after that, it was all Eagles as Sterling City took a 68-22 win in a game was stopped just 23 seconds into the second half because of the 45-point rule.
May, now 1-5 all-time in state championship games, finished the season at 13-2 with both losses coming to Sterling City.
VIDEO PODCAST NO. 12: Evan Ren and Dan Youngblood speak about last week’s playoff action, and this week’s state title games
Top games of this week discussed: May vs. Sterling City, Jim Ned vs. Mt. Vernon, Abilene vs. North Crowley
Top games of last week discussed: Jim Ned vs. Mount Vernon, Cooper vs. Mansfield Summit, Abilene vs. El Paso Eastwood, Wylie vs. Grapevine.
DUBLIN – It was incredibly ironic that a six-man football game that included 178 points and 1,157 total yards of offense was decided by two defensive stands.
The May Tigers outlasted the defending state champion Blum Bobcats 92-86 in overtime Saturday night in a Class 1A Division I state semifinal game. The win advanced third-ranked May (13-1) into the state championship game against No. 1 Sterling City at 2 p.m. on Dec. 16 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Sterling City handed May its only loss this season 44-40 on Sept. 4.
“I’m overcome with emotions. We’re going to state,” said May junior Kaden Halk, who rushed for 302 yards and scored seven touchdowns Saturday. “Since the eighth grade, our coaches have told us that defense wins championships. This wasn’t a championship game, but it got us to a championship game.”
The Abilene High boys basketball team took care of Class 3A No. 3 Peaster on Friday, using a 14-9 first quarter to take control early and holding from there for a 57-50 victory.
The Eagles (4-1) led 31-26 at halftime and 41-38 after three quarters, before putting the game away with a 16-12 run through the fourth quarter.
D.J. Modest led a list of four AHS players to score in double figures with 13 points, followed by Kelton Jackson and Nathan Watts with 12 and Jalen McGee with 10. Jackson Stevens just missed joining that group with eight points.
