ABILENE — For three quarters, the fourth-ranked Stephenville Yellow Jackets found themselves in a dogfight with a scrappy Hereford squad Thursday at Shotwell Stadium.
But that changed in a flash in the opening minute of the fourth, when coach Sterling Doty’s squad scored a pair of touchdowns in a 12-second span to open the floodgates for a 35-7 victory in a tougher-than-expected area-round matchup.
After Ryan Gafford hit Tristian Gentry with a 73-yard touchdown pass on the opening play of the fourth quarter to break a 7-all tie, Hudson Butchee picked off a Kalub Ramirez pass on first down and returned it 27 yards for a score to give the Yellow Jackets the momentum they needed to close out the Whitefaces and earn a Region I-4A semifinal date next week with Canyon Randall.
Brownwood 42, Marble Falls 14 — Levi Pearson rushed for 108 yards and two scores and Matt Rodriguez rushed for 132 yards and another TD to lead Brownwood over Marble Falls. 
Lampasas 61, Marble Falls 7 — After racing out to a 31-7 first-half lead, the Badgers had an easy time of it on Friday night. 
There’s a great deal of excitement brewing around the Tolar volleyball team heading into postseason play and with good reason. If the Lady Rattlers (28-9, 12-1 District 8-3A) manage to knock off Comanche on Tuesday, they will set a school record for wins in a season. 
In perhaps the most exciting game produced in the Big Country on Friday, Brownwood held off Burnet in overtime. 
With the Albany Lions winning last week’s district game with Winters by a score of 60-0, there were ample opportunities for the Lions to produce a Player of the Week-worthy performance. 
Stephenville 63, Marble Falls 0 — The Yellow Jackets coasted to the win behind 546 yards in total offense. 
Lampasas 30, Brownwood 20 — Trailing 20-17 at the end of the third quarter, Lampasas closed the game with a 28-yard TD from Haegan Oncken at the 11:00 mark. 
Brownwood 55, Ingleside 7 — Judson Coalson threw for 257 yards and three TDs and Trey Mosley rushed for 136 yards and two more scores to help Brownwood to an easy win over Ingleside. 
The Yellow Jackets gradually built a 38-14 lead by the 11-minute mark of the fourth quarter, capped by a 46-yard TD run by Sawyer Wilkerson. 
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. 
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. 
Stephenville 45, Godley, 0 
DE LEON — Entering this football it was expected that De Leon junior quarterback Heston Jobe would be among the top producers in the Big Country. 
Stephenville 38, Midlothian Heritage 3 — Ryan Gafford threw for 242 yards and two scores as the Yellow Jackets dominated Class 5A Heritage. 
Week 1 is often loaded with difficult picks and 2024 is no exception. 
STEPHENVILLE — Just a few months after Stephenville’s Class 3A DI state football championship in 2012, a young coach, Jeremiah Butchee, brought his family to town looking for work. 
STEPHENVILLE — For your average Class 4A football program, the loss of 32 lettermen to graduation is enough to inspire whispers of “rebuilding year.” 
SEMINOLE — The bad news for Stephenville is that the Yellow Jackets didn’t bring their absolute “A” game to the opener of the Region I-4A semifinal series with Seminole on Thursday. 
STEPHENVILLE — Creece Brister could have very easily chosen to feel sorry for himself in the aftermath of a devastating knee injury suffered during the football season. 
