As one would expect, the Jim Ned Relays had a quality field of competition last week, opening the door for one of its athletes to snag Big Country Preps Player of the Week honors.
So it’s not surprising that its top performer sits atop of our weekly list of highlighted competitors from around the area.
Wall senior Bryson McFarden takes our weekly accolade after medaling five times in Tuscola with four golds and a silver.
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.
Entering the week at 35-1 and ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, the Lipan Indians have won 33 straight games since suffering their only loss of the year to Class 4A Dallas Roosevelt in mid-November.
At the heart of that success has been standout point guard Court Gaylor, who performed at a high enough level in LHS’ first two playoff games to claim our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Feb. 19. With the end of the regular season, this will be the FINAL boys basketball leaders we post this year.
This database has been 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.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Feb. 12. This will be our FINAL girls stat leaders for 2026.
This database has been 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.
Surprised — and in some cases, stressed out — faces could be seen in abundance Monday morning at Abilene’s Region 14 Education Services Center, where coaches from throughout the area and beyond gathered to learn their new district homes as part of the University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment.
In what can best be described as a seismic shift in the Big Country football landscape, a majority of area schools were placed in unfamiliar environs — be that a new district with new foes or even a new region entirely.
The now venerated process by which the UIL releases the packet containing the new district alignments for football, basketball and volleyball is frequently compared by coaches to waking up on Christmas morning to find what presents await under the three. And on this day, in particular, few found the gifts they were expecting.
Most high school football teams have that one player acknowledged by the coaching staff as the prime example of what a teammate should be.
He’s the guy who seldom misses any practice time and is a regular in the weight room. He’s early to arrive. He’s late to leave and takes pride in being coachable, though he seldom needs direction.
He always sets the right example for younger players. He doesn’t complain and, above all else, he’s tough enough to make all the aforementioned traits consistently possible.
Know someone like that? Here is where they are honored.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps football team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps football team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
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.
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.
Midland Greenwood 67, Snyder 35 — Lincoln Madrid passed for 166 yards and four touchdowns, and Jackson Audus ran for 105 yards and two scores to help the Rangers complete a perfect regular season with a comfortable win over the Tigers.
Dylan Payton (3-130, 3 TDs receiving; 85 yard kickoff return touchdown) and Nathaniel Romero (6-94, 1 TD rushing) also had big games for Greenwood (10-0, 4-0), which led 38-7 by the end of the first quarter and 48-14 by halftime.
Midland Greenwood 10, Seminole 3 — After coming in averaging 46 and 50 points per game, respectively, the Rangers and Indians got defensive in a hard-fought matchup for the district championship.
The two teams went to halftime deadlocked after a scoreless first half, before Greenwood (9-0, 3-0) finally broke through in the third-quarter with a 22-yard field goal by Dylan Payton. The Rangers then scored the game’s only touchdown in the fourth quarter, when Nathaniel Romero (163 yards rushing) broke loose for a 48-yard touchdown run.
Seminole 81, Snyder 14 — The Indians passed for 456 yards, ran for 242 more and scored 12 total touchdowns in a lopsided win over the Tigers.
Dominick Higgins passed for 233 yards and three TDs, while Jacob Gonzales added 223 yards and three scores through the air for Seminole (6-2, 2-0), which also got a big rushing day from Caton Cramer (11-141, 5 TDs) and a standout receiving effort from Landen Guerra (6-229, 3 TDs).
Fort Stockton 49, Snyder 15 — Gerry Diaz passed for 284 yards and four touchdowns, hitting jaden Sotelo three times for 150 yards and three scores, to fuel the Panthers to a blowout win over the Tigers.
Diaz also ran for 98 yards and a pair of TDs in the win, which saw Fort Stockton (5-3, 1-1) take a 21-0 lead after a quarter and increase that to 35-0 by halftime.
Monahans 37, Snyder 33 — Trailing 27-23 at halftime, the Loboes outscored the Tigers 14-6 in the fourth quarter to rally for a thrilling win.
Majestic Williams accounted for four total touchdowns to lead Monahans (1-6, 1-0), including a 23-yard scoring run to put the Loboes ahead in the game’s final minute. That was the third TD run for the senior running back, who also caught a touchdown pass.
Levelland 41, Snyder 14 — The Tigers trailed just 14-7 at halftime, but the Lobos came out the break with 20 unanswered points in the third quarter to pull away for a lopsided win.
Aedyn Claxton passed for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns and had a team-high 67 rushing yards for Snyder, which got receiving touchdowns from Kason Rinehart (5-85 receiving) and Andres Martinez.
Big Spring 51, Snyder 34 — Marcus Rios passed for 159 yards and three touchdowns and contributed a team-high 107 yards on the ground to lead the Steers to a comfortable win over the Tigers.
Xander Garza (16-70, 2 TDs rushing), Jacobi Lozano (3-84, 2 TDs receiving) and Kaine Valenzuela (4-75, 1 TD) also had productive games for Big Spring, which finished with 375 yards of total offense and won the turnover battle 3-2.
Clyde 49, Snyder 7 — The Bulldogs piled up 242 yards rushing while limiting the Tigers to 118 yards of total offense on their way for a comfortable win.
Clyde scored the first 19 points of the game and led 27-7 at halftime, before shutting out coach Anthony Gonzales’ squad in the second half.
Lubbock High 48, Snyder 21 — Zach Reyna passed for 236 yard and four touchdowns, hitting three different targets with scoring passes, to lead the Westerners to a comfortable win over the Tigers.
Easton Blakely (2-88, 1 TD receiving), Denzel Robins (5-59, 2 TDs) and Isaac Lagasse (1-7, 1 TD) all caught TD passes for Lubbock High, which also got rushing scores from Bo Davis (8-84 rushing) and Anthony Boyd (5-46).
San Angelo Lake View 49, Snyder 28 — Chris Alvizo hit 23 of 33 passes for 276 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Chiefs to a comfortable win over the Tigers.
Nick Leyva was the quarterback’s favorite target, hauling in seven passes for 100 yards, while Christian Esparza had 61 yards and a pair of touchdown catches to help Lake View race out to a 28-0 lead in the second quarter.
Pecos 36, Snyder 28 (2OT) — Seth Cooper passed for 311 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Tigers, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Eagles in a double-overtime thriller.
Pecos, which did most of its damage on the ground, outrushed Snyder 346-9, getting 128 yards and a touchdown from Jaivien Martinez and 91 yards and a score from Omar Salgado Jr.
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 method: 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 2025.
I’ll see you on the road.
SNYDER — There are versatile athletes, and then there is Snyder senior Ethan Rios — a 6-1, 185-pound ball of energy who has yet to demonstrate something athletically that he can’t do well.
Only 17, Rios heads into the 2025 season as a starting wide receiver and defensive back — both of which saw him earn honorable mention All-Big Country Preps honors a year ago. And if you look closely, you’ll see him playing some quarterback out of the Wildcat formation.
SNYDER — With slim numbers, low experience and a new coach from out of state who only had three months to prepare, the Snyder Tigers slipped to 1-9 in 2024. And few who follow Big Country football were surprised, given the scenario.
The upcoming season, however, offers several reasons for optimism in the Snyder camp, with a genuine opportunity to take a step forward in 2025.
Second-year coach Anthony Gonzales not only has the benefit of having his system in place, but he also has six offensive and seven defensive starters back among 22 lettermen.
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. 20. 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. 4, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2025 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.
Today, we take a look at the Snyder Tigers.
OTHER 2025 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS TEAMS
Our All-Big Country Preps Softball and Baseball Teams, released Saturday and Sunday, respectively, are in place to honor those who achieved the most on-field success in 2025. It is off the field, however, where character, grit, and work ethic are often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team that we wish to honor those players, male and female, who were (simply put) the hardest-working, best teammates in the area this spring.
This team isn’t about who the best baseball and softball players were.
The All-Hustle team honors effort, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches wish they had in every player and upon which championships are built.
It is for that reason that this team is largely selected by area coaches and described in their own words.
Big Country Preps is now honored to present these individuals to you — the best team players (boys and girls) that the Big Country had to offer during the 2025 season.
The players below are listed in no particular order.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2025 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 2025 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2025 All-Big Country Preps baseball teams.
Here, you will find our Rising Stars Team honoring the top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country.
For the rest of this year’s baseball selections, please click the links below.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2025 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 2025 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2025 All-Big Country Preps Softball teams.
Here, you will find our Rising Stars Team honoring the top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country.
For the rest of this year’s softball selections, please click the links below.
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: Snyder-Aubrey softball state semifinal playoff (30 images)”
STEPHENVILLE — The Snyder Lady Tigers dropped the opener of their Class 4A Division II state semifinal series on Wednesday, falling 2-0 to Aubrey at the Stephenville softball field.
Sydnee Gomez pitched around seven hits and eight walks to limit a potent Lady Chaparrals lineup to just two runs, but SHS could never solve Aubrey starter Mya Cherry, who surrendered just three hits and three walks in a complete-game shutout.
That allowed the Lady Chaparrals to take the win with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, putting the Lady Tigers in a must-win situation when the series resumes at 7 p.m. Thursday back at Stephenville. If Snyder can force a Game 3, the series would then be decided at 2 p.m. Saturday.
BIG SPRING — It took a slugfest, a pitcher’s duel and a whole lot of grit, but at the end of a thrilling Region I-4A Division II championship series, it was the Snyder Lady Tigers left standing Saturday at the Big Spring ISD Softball Complex.
Entering Day 2 of their best-of-three series with Monahans off a tough 4-3 loss on Friday, the Lady Tigers needed to take two from a strong Lady Loboes squad Saturday to extend their season and advance to the state semifinals.
While nothing about that task was easy in theory or practice, coach Regina Cummings team managed to accomplish it nonetheless, following a heart-stopping 9-8 win in Game 2 with a gutsy 1-0 victory in the series clincher to earn a date with Aubrey (31-3) next week at a time, date and location to be determined.
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
BIG SPRING — A day removed from a 16-1 mercy rule beating at the hands of Snyder, the Midland Greenwood Rangerettes arrived at Lady Steer Field on Friday hoping for redemption.
They found it, albeit in a 2-1 loss to the Lady Tigers in a Region I-4A DII semifinal series, swept by Snyder 2-0.
Micaela Martinez was 1 for -3 with an RBI double and Jenna Rodriguez was 1 for 2 with a walk and the game-winning RBI to lead Snyder (25-7), which had to come from behind with two runs in the fifth inning to scratch out a tough win. The Lady Tigers now advance to the Region I-4A DII title series where they will meet either Brock or Monahans.
Greenwood (17-18-1), which had surrendered 14 hits, eight walks and two errors in Thursday’s Game 1 disaster, cut those numbers to six, four and one respectively on Friday while very nearly forcing a Game 3.
BIG SPRING — For Snyder, it was one of those days when virtually everything went right. From Midland Greenwood’s perspective, Thursday’s 16-1 mercy-rule beating at the hands of the Lady Tigers at Lady Steer Field couldn’t have been much worse.
Jenna Rodriguez was 3 of 4 with two homers and four RBIs while Sydnee Gomez was 2 of 3 with an RBI and went the distance in the circle to lift Snyder (24-7), which now leads the Region I-4A semifinal series 1-0.
The teams will square off in Game 2 on Friday at 10 a.m. at the same venue.
“Sydnee is a sophomore, but she does what she needs to do, and she takes care of business,” Snyder coach Regina Cummings said. “She’s very focused and very intense.”
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 24:
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.
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 24.
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.
LUBBOCK — The Brownwood girls won a team title and Stephenville finished second behind Canyon on the boys side over the weekend to headline a strong effort by programs and athletes from the Big Country Preps coverage area at the Region I-4A track meet.
The Lady Lions earned 113 points to run away from the competition at Lowrey Field, topping second-place Canyon by 38 points and third-place Canyon Randall by 53. The Stephenville boys, meanwhile, finished with 76 points to fall 15 shy of Canyon for the team championship.
Those efforts highlighted a successful meet that saw area athletes claim 23 total medals — 13 on the girls side and 10 on the boys.