The six-man season got underway with a bang in Week 1, which featured a number of thrilling games and eye-popping individual efforts.
As we have done on Mondays the past two years, it’s time to recap the best of those in our weekly “Six-Man Rewind” column.
We hope you enjoy taking a look back at the week that was in Big Country six-man football and encourage you to check out our new “Six-Man/Class 1A Central” page for more information on your favorite six-man teams.
After a week of highlighting area playmakers, we wrap up our eight-part preseason position rankings series with the Big Country’s best signal callers.
To complete our look at the area’s top players, we’ve ranked our top 15 quarterbacks with a list of others to watch in 2026.
We hope you enjoy this list and that you’ve enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kick off a new season.
As we wind down our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we arrive finally at the Big Country’s top ball-carriers.
After breaking down this year’s crop of receivers and tight ends earlier today, we move now to the area’s top backs, ranking our top 15 with a list of others to watch in 2026. Don’t forget to check in tomorrow when we conclude our series with the top 10 area quarterbacks.
We hope you enjoy this list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.
We’re approaching the final stretch of our eight-part preseason position rankings series, and it’s time to look at the Big Country’s top receivers.
After starting the offensive portion of our series with the linemen, we now shift our attention to the playmakers on the perimeter, ranking our top 15 wideouts/tight ends with a list of others to watch in 2026.
We hope you enjoy our list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.
With the defensive and special teams rankings behind us, it’s time to look at the area’s top offensive players. And we’ll start with the foundation of any productive offense: the offensive line.
For the fifth installment of our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we turn our attention to the trenches, ranking the Big Country’s top 15 offensive linemen with a list of others to watch in 2026.
We hope you enjoy reading through our rankings.
After starting with the linemen and linebackers, we turn to the defensive backfield 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 shift our focus to the secondary, giving our list of the area’s top 15 defensive backs and others to look out for in 2026.
We hope you enjoy our list.
After taking a look at the Big Country’s top defensive linemen last night, it’s now time to examine those who will backing them in 2026.
Continuing with Big Country Preps’ eight-part preseason position rankings series, here’s our top 15 linebackers to watch this fall, as well as a list of the others we’re expecting big things from.
We hope you enjoy our list.
With the start of football season around the corner, it’s time to take a look at the players who will be making the biggest impact in 2026.
For the first installment in an eight-part series that will cover all position groups, we’ll be taking a look at the area’s top defensive linemen, ranking our top 15 with a list of others to watch this fall.
As with any such list, these rankings are subjective. We hope you enjoy reading through them.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Linemen”
Photos courtesy of Betty Berry
(Note: Texas six-man football historian Leman Saunders contributed to this article).
Jamie Humphries’ induction into the Texas Six-Man Coaches Association Hall of Fame class of 2026 was celebrated on June 20 at Wichita Falls. But Jamie’s journey actually began 11 years ago, when his younger brother Chad Humphries was inducted into the same hall of fame.
After his induction in 2015, Chad said of Jamie, “He was a great athlete. I know he was a better runner than I was. Jamie gave me a lot of motivation. I had big shoes to fill when I became the quarterback. I didn’t want to let the family name down.
“My brother deserves to be in the hall of fame, too,” Chad said. “I totally believe he will be someday.”
Someday came last month.
Gone from Class 1A Division I are names like Stryker Reed and Ry Reed, both of whom are now with different branches of the United States service academies, but a familiar name from Division II has replaced them at Gordon — Keegan Hayes.
The Longhorns, now led by the former Benjamin standout, are aiming to become just the 19th program to ever make it to four straight state championship games per the UIL archives.
Of those, only Fort Hancock (1988-91), Sealy, (1994-97), Celina (1998-2001), Southlake Carroll (2002-06) and Austin Lake Travis (2007-11) have ever won four titles in a row, with FHHS’ representing the only time it’s happened in the six-man ranks.
Here’s a preview of each of the Class 1A Division I districts in the Big Country Preps coverage area with our predictions for 2026.
With two-time defending state champion Jayton moving up to Division I this fall, the race for the Class 1A Division II crown is wide-open heading into the fall as the Big Country dominates the preseason state rankings.
In TAPPS, Abilene Christian saw a change atop the program as former Abilene High offensive coordinator Justin Gorman took over for Kirk Wade and the Panthers are primed to make a traditionally deep playoff run this fall.
Here’s a preview of each of the Class 1A Division II districts in the Big Country Preps coverage area, as well as TAPPS Division II District 1, with our predictions for 2025.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
ROUND ROCK — A two-out, two-run single by Chris Fry in the top of the first inning proved the difference in the game Saturday as Groveton Centerville edged Gordon 2-0 for the Class 1A state championship at Dell Diamond.
The Bulldogs’ three first-inning hits accounted for more than half their total for the game, but that mini outburst against Longhorns ace Aiden Shank was all the run support necessary for Kolt Larsen, whose complete-game shutout had him holding the MVP trophy after the game.
Fry’s single, the only hit by either team in 17 at-bats with runners in scoring position, forced Gordon to play catch-up the rest of the way. And despite a strong pitching performance of their own from Shank and reliever Stryker Reed, the Longhorns could never close the gap, leaving seven runners on base in the loss.
With the victory, Centerville (24-1) claimed its first state championship in program history, while Gordon (23-5) finished as the state runner-up for the second consecutive year.
ROUND ROCK — With what they’ve accomplished across all sports, Gordon’s 2026 seniors have already cemented themselves as one of the most successful graduating classes in the history of the state.
The laundry list of achievements on the boys side, which include three football titles, three track titles, a basketball state tournament appearance and two trips to the championship game in baseball, have seen the Longhorns compete on the biggest stages Texas high school sports have to offer and collect enough hardware to fill several trophy cases along the way.
On Saturday, six members of that class — Brayden Walters, Stryker Reed, Aiden Shank, Asher Salinas, Evan Jackson and Noah Kostiha — will don the black and gold for one final time when Gordon takes on Groveton Centerville for the Class 1A title at 9 a.m. at Dell Diamond. And if things go according to plan, that group will help the Longhorns leave Round Rock with one of the few trophies that alluded them to this point.
EULA — After pitching dominated the thrilling opener of the Class 1A state semifinal series between Gordon and Hamlin on Thursday, it became apparent immediately Saturday afternoon that Game 2 would be a different kind of game.
The two teams combined for 10 runs over the first two innings and left a combined eight runners on base on top of that, setting the stage for a battle of wills and pitching depth that the Longhorns would eventually win 18-8 in six innings.
Aiden Shank, who pitched a complete-game shutout on Thursday to put GHS in position to complete the series sweep, went 3 for 4 with two home runs and five RBIs while Stryker Reed pitched the the final five innings of the game and added a bomb of his own to fuel the Longhorns past Hamlin and into the state championship game for the second year in a row.
With Saturday’s victory, coach Ligon West’s squad earned a state finals matchup with Groveton Centerville, scheduled for 9 a.m. next Saturday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
EULA — To say there wasn’t much separating the Gordon and Hamlin baseball teams Thursday in the opener of their Class 1A state semifinal series would be a fairly substantial understatement.
At the end of a game that was played from start to finish on a razor’s edge, the deciding factor a bases-loaded catcher’s interference call in the seventh inning that plated the game’s only run, lifting the Longhorns to a 1-0 walk-off win at the Eula Athletic Complex.
With Gordon’s Aiden Shank and Hamlin’s Ian Gruben matching each other zero for zero, wiggling out of what little trouble they found themselves in throughout the night, the game looked like it might be destined for extra innings when Gruben closed his outing on the mound by striking out Corvin Seymour with one out and the bases jammed in the seventh. But facing a 2-2 count against HHS reliever Isaiah Hutchings, Jasper Clark’s swing clipped the mitt of Javie Ramos, who had come in to replace Hutchings behind the plate.
Clark immediately reacted, but there was no call initially. After a brief meeting between the game’s four umpires, it was ruled that it was, indeed, catcher’s interference, forcing Brayden Walters home from third to end a thrilling pitchers’ duel in a strange — and strangely anticlimactic — way.
COLORADO CITY — The Hamlin baseball team takes great pride in its approach to hitting with two strikes and that approach paid off in droves on Saturday in Game 2 of the Pied Pipers’ Region I-1A series at AW Phillips Field against O’Donnell.
Nine different batters reached base safely on Saturday when facing a pitch with two strikes as the Pied Pipers beat the Eagles 6-0 to earn a state semifinal matchup with Gordon next week.
Hamlin coach Lynn Turner and Saturday’s starting pitcher Isaiah Hutchings both heaped praise on the offense, which chased O’Donnell starter Willie Luera in the fifth inning after he reached the 110-pitch count limit. Hamlin had six batters work a full count on Saturday with four of them reaching base via a walk.
STEPHENVILLE — The Cross Plains softball team outhit and outpitched two-time defending champion Jonesboro in the opener of its Class 1A state semifinal series Thursday at the Stephenville softball field.
Unfortunately for the Lady Buffaloes, that wasn’t enough due to miscues in the field and missed opportunities at the plate.
Standout pitcher Kenzie McLean limited the Lady Eagles to three hits (two of those bunt singles) and no earned runs in a complete-game gem. But four unearned runs left the freshman and her teammates on the losing end of a 4-3 tally and needing two wins Saturday to extend Cross Plains’ best season ever into the state finals.
As is our tradition, with the UIL State Track and Field Championships now over, we conclude our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column for the 2025-26 school year. We’ll pick it up again on Monday, Aug. 31.
In the meantime, our final award of the school year belongs to Gordon senior Stryker Reed, and with good reason. At the state track meet, Reed won state titles in both the 110 and 300 hurdles, breaking his own state records in both events at 14.20 and 37.24. He took an additional gold with the 1600 relay team with a 47.8 split and bronze in the pole vault at 14-0. He nearly captured a fifth medal in Austin, taking fourth in the high jump at 6-2.
Oh, and did we mention he plays baseball?
Well, he does — well enough to help the Longhorns to a series sweep of Oglesby last week, going a combined 4 of 5 with a double, triple, two RBIs, three runs scored and two steals. He also pitched in Game 2, allowing one earned run in three innings of work with four strikeouts.
Cover photo courtesy of Gordon ISD
AUSTIN — The 2026 University Interscholastic League track and field state championships came to a conclusion on Saturday at the University of Texas’ Mike A. Meyers Stadium with the Class 1A and Class 6A meets.
Over the first two days of the meet, area athletes earned a total of 30 medals — taking a dozen during Thursday’s Class 3A/4A portion and 18 on Friday in the Class 2A/5A/Wheelchair meet.
Given their chance to shine along with Class 6A athletes, the best of the Big Country’s Class 1A participants didn’t disappoint.
EULA — The Hamlin baseball team scored the final four runs Wednesday to rally for a 5-2 win over May in the opener of a Region I-1A semifinal series at the Eula Athletic Complex.
Trailing 2-1 after an inning, the Pied Pipers bookended a two-run fourth with single runs in the third and fifth, and that was more than enough offense for starter Ian Gruben, who shut the Tigers out in the final six innings of a complete-game gem.
The victory improved Hamlin to 17-1 on the year and gives the Pipers an opportunity to close out the best-of-three series when it resumes at 6 p.m. Thursday with Game 2. Should the Tigers (16-2) bounce back to take that one, a decisive third game would be played on Monday.
Jayton’s Jace Chisum admits she’ll likely feel nervous when competing in her final state track meet Saturday.
The senior has earned silver medals in the Class 1A 3,200 and 1,600 the past two seasons in Austin. When Chisum lines up for the 3,200 that morning, it’ll mark her eighth state track race in four years.
But Chisum isn’t anxious because she’s diligently prepared for moments like this.
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Cross Plains-Hermleigh softball regional semifinal (43 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.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Hamlin-Hermleigh area round baseball (89 images)”
ABILENE — Cross Plains softball coach Chad Barron has gone to great lengths to make sure that his team doesn’t take anything for granted.
After winning the first district championship in school history, the Lady Buffs advanced to just their second regional final ever after completing a Region I-1A semifinal sweep of Hermleigh with a 12-6 win on Saturday afternoon at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field.
Barron had to fight back tears after the game talking about what Saturday’s win meant.
ABILENE — Several times in his career, Hamlin senior Ian Gruben has flirted with a no-hitter — including taking a perfect game into the fifth inning earlier this year against Aspermont.
On Thursday night, Hamlin’s ace lost his chance at his first no-hitter on a seventh-inning single, but he did more than enough before that as the Pied Pipers took a 12-2 win over Hermleigh in a one-game Region I-1A area-round playoff at McMurry University’s Walt Driggers Field.
While the single by Braidyn Lynch was hard-hit and clean, Gruben said it was on him as he issued a leadoff walk in the frame that had Ian Hutchings holding a runner on base.
EULA — It took 10 innings and four lead changes to decide, but at the end of a marathon opener to the Region I-1A area-round series between May and Ira, it was the Tigers celebrating a thrilling 5-4 victory at the Eula Athletic Complex.
May trailed 2-1 after 2½ innings and 4-3 heading to the bottom of the ninth, but coach Chad Dail’s squad came through with an answer each and every time it needed one to hold off a spirited Ira squad and improve to 15-1 on the year.
The victory gives the Tigers a chance to close out the series when it resumes at 7 p.m. Thursday back in Eula, while Ira (13-4) will be looking to force a deciding third game with a win. Should a rubber match be necessary, it would be played at noon on Saturday at the same site.
Nothing quite like starting off a playoff series with a masterpiece from your pitcher.
Wylie sophomore Gehrig Fletcher delivered this artwork last week in a 7-0 win in Game 1 of a bi-district series with Lubbock Coronado.
Not only did the 10th grader throw a seven-inning no-hitter, but he did it with an unusual twist: he only struck out three batters.
No-hitters are rare enough, but throwing one while pitching to contact is something one almost never sees in a game dominated by aluminum bats.
“Gehrig is a kid that puts in the work every day,” coach Grant Martin said. He is the epitome of hard work, determination, and resilience.
“He is the best teammate and exemplifies what a student athlete should be. What a performance in a big time setting. So proud of him!”
HEWITT — The Cross Plains boys and May girls both finished second in the team race at the Region III-1A meet Friday at Saturday at Panther Stadium to headline a strong showing for the Big Country Preps Coverage area.
The Buffaloes finished with 70 points, 23 behind team champion Saint Jo, while the Lady Tigers tallied 54 points to finish 18 points behind Saint Jo, which also won the girls title.
Blanket (3rd, 62 points), May (7th, 26), Bryson (T8th, 24) and Gorman (T8th, 24) also posted top 10 finishes on the boys side, while Cross Plains (T5th, 37), Newcastle (T5th, 37), Perrin-Whitt (8th, 29) and Gorman (10th, 26) achieved the same feat for the girls, as area athletes combined for 43 total medals and 25 automatic berths to the Class 1A state meet May 16 in Austin.
ABILENE — The Gordon Longhorns dominated the Region II-1A track meet for the second consecutive year, piling up an impressive 132 team points to take the boys title by a 50-point gap over second-place Hamlin on Saturday at Abilene Christian University’s Elmer Gray Stadium.
And the Lady Longhorns got in on the championship action as well, though the margin was not nearly as large.
The Gordon girls finished with 58 points to edge second-place Highland by four points and the third-place duo of Menard and Eula (last year’s girls champion) by nine in a tightly contested team race that saw six schools finish within 15 points of the lead.
Together the Longhorns and Lady Longhorns headlined a wildly successful meet for Big Country athletes, who combined to earn 74 medals and claim 40 automatic berths to the Class 1A state meet May 16 in Austin.
EULA — The Hamlin baseball team kicked off its playoff run in dominant fashion Tuesday, scoring early and often in a 19-2 win over Cross Plains in Game 1 of a best-of-three Region I-1A bi-district series at the Eula baseball field.
The Pied Pipers broke a scoreless tie with a five-run second inning and increased their lead to 9-2 by the start of the fifth, when they exploded for 10 runs to put the run rule into effect.
Ian Gruben limited the Buffaloes to two unearned runs over four strong innings to earn the win, which puts HHS in position to clinch the series when play resumes at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Eula.
EULA — It took the Cross Plains Lady Buffaloes a few innings to find their offensive stride Tuesday in the opener of their Region I-1A area-round series with Westbrook. But once they did, it was smooth sailing in a 9-1 win over the Lady Cats at the Eula softball field.
With freshman standout Kenzie McLean tossing a gem in the circle, Cross Plains didn’t need to generate much run support. But after breaking through for the game’s first run in the bottom of the third inning, the Lady Buffs put up multiple runs in the each of the next three frames to pull away for the comfortable victory.
McLean, who allowed one hit and one walk while striking out 16 in a complete-game effort, carried a shutout through six innings, before allowing an unearned run in the top of the seventh. The game was well in hand by then, though, putting the Lady Buffs in position to close out the series when it resumes with Game 2 at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in Eula.
If you’re going to top someone who throws a perfect game in our in our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column, you had better do something very special.
This rare occurrence took place last week when Brock sophomore shortstop Kayden Blue helped the Lady Eagles to a three-game bi-district series win over Levelland with a truly memorable performance. In the process, she edged Abilene High ace George Ferguson, who delivered a perfect game win over Cooper.
With Brock sandwiching wins in Games 1 and 3 (5-1 and 5-2) around a 5-4 loss in Game 2, Blue was quite literally unstoppable, going 10-for-10 in the series with five runs scored (accounting for more than a third of BHS’ run tally. Yet it doesn’t stop there. She also posted a pair of walks (one intentional), making her a perfect 12 for 12 in reaching base throughout a difficult series against excellent competition.
“Kayden showed all the characteristics of a great leader in all three games and was phenomenal in the leadoff spot for us”
In a week that featured at least a half dozen athletes who could have taken our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, we finally settled on a Stephenville senior for our weekly award.
Willis Jackson, one of the premiere speedsters in the Big Country, took four district titles in the District 6-4A meet last week
This included individual gold medals in the 100 meters (10.66), long jump (22-8.5) and Triple jump (43-8.5). He also collected gold with the 800 relay team (1:28.53), along with a silver with the 400 relay (42.45).
“Willis is headed to the area track meet in five events,” coach Kolt Kittley said. “He comes to workouts every day with a big smile and a great attitude.
“He was huge in helping us win the district track meet this year.”
In the pitcher’s circle, there are varying degrees of perfection. And in the case of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, that statement was fully illustrated on Friday in a 6-0 Clyde win over Merkel.
Yes, CHS freshman Brynli Reynolds threw a perfect game. But this wasn’t your standard, every day, run-of-the-mill, garden variety perfecto.
In fact, it may have been the most dominating performance by a baseball or softball pitcher the Big Country has seen in the last two decades.
Aside from retiring 21 straight hitters from a very good Merkel team (19-2), Reynolds fanned the first 17 batters she faced and finished with 20 strikeouts. She also helped herself at the plate, going 1-for-2 with an RBI.
It was the second time this season that the Clyde freshman has taken our weekly accolade.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Aspermont-Hamlin baseball (110 images)”
HAMLIN — Saturday’s District 8-1A doubleheader between Hamlin and Aspermont featured something that Hamlin coach Lynn Turner hadn’t experienced in his career as a head coach, which is saying something after he notched his 400th career win the previous week.
Ian Gruben took a perfect game into the fifth inning of the Pied Pipers’ 10-0 win in the opening game at Rock Field before Isaiah Hutchings threw a no-hitter in the second game as Hamlin rolled to a 15-0 win.
The pair combined for 23 strikeouts while facing 29 batters in the two games, with Hutchings even notching a rare four-strikeout inning.
Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week earned the accolade on the state’s biggest stage.
Jayton senior guard Sean Stanaland was a big contributor in several areas for the Jaybirds in a surprisingly easy 78-45 win over Kennard in the Class 1A Division II state title game. This began with the 28 points he scored to help JHS to its third straight championship.
He also pulled down 15 rebounds to go with five assists and three steals as Jayton capped its season with a victory in San Antonio’s Alamodome.
SAN ANTONIO — The top-ranked Jayton Jaybirds made history Thursday, blasting Kennard 78-45 in the Class 1A Division II championship game to become the first Class 1A boys basketball team since the early 1980s to claim three consecutive state titles.
The Jaybirds, who were making their fourth straight trip to the Alamodome and sixth since 2019, overwhelmed the state-rookie Tigers, closing the first half on a 14-4 run to build a double-digit lead they would only add to the rest of the way.
The victory made Jayton the first program ever to complete a three-peat on the hardwood while also claiming back-to-back state football championships. And in the process, it further established the senior trio of Bode Ham, Sean Stanaland and Colt Gentry as one of the most successful group of athletes in the history of Texas high school sports.
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