Category: Sweetwater Mustangs

by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 7 REPORT: Greenwood rallies past Snyder; Hirschi upsets Graham

Midland Greenwood 27, Snyder 23 — Trailing 23-21 with about 5½ minutes remaining in the game, the Rangers got a late touchdown run from Demaurin Mayfield to rally past the Tigers for a narrow win in the district opener for both teams.

It was the second touchdown run of the fourth quarter for Mayfield, who finished with 189 yards on just 13 carries to lead a 208-yard rushing effort. Greenwood also got 140 yards and a touchdown passing from Lincoln Madrid in improving to 2-5 overall and 1-0 in league play.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 3)

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.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cisco running back takes this week’s accolade

After an 0-4 start against a brutal non-district slate, the Cisco Loboes have rebounded with a pair of wins in district play, most recently, Friday’s 48-7 victory over Winters at Chesley Field. 

Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, senior running back Gus Hart, was at the forefront of that win with 173 yards and six touchdowns on only 14 carries. 

“Gus had a great game against Winters,” coach Kevin Stennett said. “He has battled some injuries this year and he is finally getting back to 100 percent. “We will rely on him heavily over the next few weeks.”

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 6 REPORT: Sweetwater, Snyder can’t keep pace in losses to close nondistrict schedules

Lubbock Estacado 49, Sweetwater 14 — Bobby Ross rushed for 254 yards and four touchdowns and the Matadors pounded out 603 yards of total offense in a lopsided win over the Mustangs.

In addition to Ross’ big night, D.J. Johnson passed for 298 yards and three touchdowns Devoryea Boyd had 106 yards and two TDs receiving as Estacado () increased a 21-6 halftime lead to 42-6 with a three-touchdown third quarter.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Yellow Jackets head to Brownwood to face archrival

LAST WEEK: 46-12, .793
SEASON TOTAL: 229-61, .789

More often than not, Big Country Preps makes an appearance at the annual Stephenville-Brownwood matchup. Because more often than not, it produces a game worthy of one of Texas’ top rivalries. 

This year is no exception as Stephenville travels to famous Gordon Wood Stadium for the Big Country Preps Game of the Week. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Abilene High QB Slack takes honor with six-TD performance

Photo by Chase Seabolt, HubCityPreps.com

Entering District 2-5A Division I play off back-to-back losses, the Abilene High football team needed a fast start and a strong performance on the road against Lubbock Monterey to get back on track and kick off its league schedule the right way.

Led by senior quarterback Dylan Slack, the Eagles got both, building a 49-7 halftime lead on their way to a 59-14 win over the Plainsmen.

Slack’s fingerprints were all over the win as he hit 15 of 20 passes for 217 yards and five touchdowns while adding another score on the ground — a performance worthy of this week’s Big Country Preps Player of the Week award.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Stewart leads Tigers to blowout win over Big Spring

Snyder 56, Big Spring 13 — Easton Stewart completed 22 of 26 passes for 226 yards and four touchdowns, and Daenin Smith rushed for 128 yards and two TDs and received for 63 yards and another score to lead the Tigers to a blowout win over the Steers.

Ethan Rios added 51 yards and two touchdowns rushing and a nine-yard touchdown catch for Snyder (3-2), which also got TD receptions from Hayden Foster and Chon Vasquez.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Bulldogs rout Sweetwater, wreck Mustang homecoming to stay unbeaten

SWEETWATER — Both clubs may have entered Friday at 4-0. But at the end of the night, it was a senior-laden Clyde team dominating a Sweetwater club filled with underclassmen, 41-7 in the Big Country Preps Game of the Week. 

Blake Carr rushed for 121 yards and two scores and threw for 88 yards and two more TDs to life Clyde (5-0), which spoiled Sweetwater’s homecoming in the Mustang Bowl to remain unbeaten. 

Sweetwater (4-1), which lost starting quarterback Caiden Ortiz to a hand-wrist injury in the second quarter, was led by Uriah Aguilar-Rivera with 143 yards rushing and one score. 

“This is a pillar win for our program,” Clyde coach Danny Dudgeon said. ” We’ve been on the up and up, but for us to get over the hump against a good Sweetwater team is a very big win for us.” 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Sweetwater plays host to Clyde in battle of unbeatens

LAST WEEK: 44-11, .800
SEASON TOTAL: 183-49, .788

Some weeks are just loaded with competitive area games and Week 5 of the 2023 season falls squarely into that category. 

This week’s menu features six or seven games that under normal circumstances, would qualify for our Big Country Preps Game of the Week. This forces us to push some great matchups aside to select our spotlight game. 

This week, we go with a battle of unbeatens — Class 3A Division I Clyde (4-0) at Class 4A Div. II Sweetwater (4-0) — at the famed Mustang Bowl at SHS. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Moran running back takes the award with insane performance

There are big games and then there are those that border on insanity. 

Moran running back Ellis Hise, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending Sept. 16, fell squarely into the latter category on Saturday with a performance that was absolutely nuts. 

Helping the Bulldogs to a thrilling 68-67 win over Mullin in one of the top six-man games the Big Country has seen this year, Hise rushed for 287 yards and six touchdowns on only 26 carries. But that’s just the beginning. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 4 REPORT: Sweetwater stays unbeaten; Monahans too much for Snyder

Sweetwater 56, Big Spring 30 — The Mustangs offense was too much for the Steers defense, piling up 586 yards of total offense in a thorough victory. 

Sweetwater (4-0), which rushed for 368 of those yards, got big games from quarterback Caiden Ortiz (10-17-1—218, 3 TDs passing), running backs Korda Moore (13-183, 3 TDs rushing; 2-30, 1 TD receiving) and Uriah Martinez (9-122, 2 TDs rushing; 1-19, 1 TD receiving) and receiver Jadyn Forbes (5-146, 1 TD receiving).

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cooper’s Bray takes this week’s top spot

When it comes to individual performances, there are big games and there are big games.

And then there’s what Cooper junior Daniel Bray did against San Angelo Central last week in leading the Cougars to their first win of the season.

The explosive tailback, who had been limited some in the first two weeks by a nagging ankle injury and the growing pains of a young offensive line, broke out in a historic way in that 53-45 victory over the Bobcats. By the time the game was over, he had rushed for a school-record 366 yards and seven touchdowns on just 21 carries, making a case for our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award that was too compelling to pass over — even in a week with a number of other monster performances.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 3 REPORT: Sweetwater stays perfect with win over Pecos, Snyder suffers first loss

Sweetwater 53, Pecos 40 — Korda Moore rushed for 128 yards and three scores and Caiden Ortiz passed for 224 yards and two touchdowns to lift the Mustangs to their third consecutive win to open the season.

Behind those two and Amare Arevalo, who caught eight passes for 114 yards and a TD, Sweetwater built a 31-26 halftime lead before outscoring the Eagles 22-14 in the second half.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Sweetwater newcomer not a distraction for Mustang football … even though she’s a girl

Photos contributed by Michael Harbour

CJ Cox had always wanted to try playing football, but she’d never really had an opportunity. 

That changed last spring when Cox was finishing up her sophomore year at Sweetwater. That’s when she surprised head football coach Russell Lucas by asking if she could kick for the Mustangs. 

“I’ve never had a girl on our football team, but I laid out the expectations. Show up all the time and work really hard,” Lucas said. “If you do those things, you’ll have the same chance as everybody. I’m not going to give preferential treatment or discriminate against you because you’re a female.” 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde quarterback takes the top spot with huge night

After two weeks, few teams are grabbing the attention of Big Country football fans more than the Clyde Bulldogs (2-0), who have opened with consecutive wins over Cisco and Eastland. 

And topping the list of last week’s area performers is Clyde senior quarterback Blake Carr, who posted some eye-popping numbers in last week’s 34-21 win at EHS. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 2 REPORT: Snyder, Sweetwater improve to 2-0 with impressive wins

Snyder 30, Levelland 0 — Quarterback Easton Stewart had another big game for the Tigers, following last week’s Big Country Preps Player of the Week-worthy effort with 308 yards and two touchdowns passing to lead the Tigers another lopsided win.

Stewart also rushed for 15 yards and another score as Snyder raced out to a 23-0 halftime lead over the Lobos. In addition to the quarterback’s efforts, Snyder also got 82 yards rushing and a touchdown from Daenin Smith and productive receiving performances from Jay Castillo (3-126, 1 TD), Dom Dominguez (4-78) and Jacob James (6-61, 1 TD).

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Snyder’s Stewart takes our first award of the school year

After a summer-long effort to produce our football preview, it is good to be back in our school year routine — a big part of which is our Big Country Preps Player of the Week. 

That said, we are proud to hand our first accolade for 2023-24 to Snyder senior quarterback Easton Stewart, who led the Tigers to a 42-0 season-opening win over Slaton last week. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BCP NOTEBOOK: This week’s entries — Comanche, Sweetwater, Santo, Hico

Comanche’s concession stand is currently without a roof after being hit by severe winds over the weekend. Friday’s home date with Bangs has been shifted to Dublin at 7:30 p.m. 

COMANCHE — Strong straight-line winds or a small tornado? 

Nothing is verified just yet, but one thing is for certain: Comanche High School has some work to do on both its concession stand and press box after being hit by high winds over the weekend.

The damage sustained was serious enough to force athletic director Jake Escobar to make contingency plans for home dates until further notice.

“The roof of the concession stand flew off about 100 yards,” Escobar said. “Part of the press box roof fell off and our ag building, which is a big tin building —its roof broke open and it was pretty bad.” 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-4A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Sweetwater, Snyder get off to strong starts

Sweetwater 42, Idalou 20 — Caiden Ortiz completed 11 of 16 passes for 249 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Mustangs to a blowout win over the Wildcats in their season opener.

Korda Moore added 89 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while Jadyn Forbes caught three passes for 80 yards and two scores to help Sweetwater to a 25-7 halftime lead.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

SWEETWATER FEATURE: SHS using committee approach for accountability and leadership

SWEETWATER — If anyone understands how to cultivate team unity and accountability, it is Sweetwater football coach Russell Lucas, who took over a struggling Hamlin program and guided it to 12 straight playoff appearances between 2009 and 2020.  

Now entering his third season at Class 4A Sweetwater, Lucas is adapting to the challenge of uniting a much larger program and he’s doing it by way of a committee — officially named the Leadership Council.

A council of nine players selected by the Sweetwater coaching staff now oversees the task of holding everyone on the roster accountable for their actions. This emphasizes the wide-spread belief that player-led teams are better than coach-led teams, and buys Lucas more time to do his primary task: coaching football. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

2023 SWEETWATER FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Young Mustangs beginning to mature

SWEETWATER — The good news for Sweetwater football fans, is that their beloved Mustangs should field a better product in 2023. 

The bad news is, so will everyone else in District 3-4A DII and that’s no exaggeration. 

An already tough district will be even more difficult this year. But third-year coach Russell Lucas will have more material to work with across the board in order to face the challenge. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Sweetwater Mustangs … seven 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. 16. 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 July 31, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2023 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

We continue in Class 4A Division II with the Sweetwater Mustangs. On Tuesday we will take a look at the Big Spring Steers, followed by the Brownwood Lions on Wednesday.

Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Sweetwater Mustangs … seven days to two-a days” →

by Brandon McAuliffe

STATE TRACK ROUNDUP: Area Class 3A, 4A athletes claim 14 combined medals at state meet

Cover photo courtesy of Stephenville coach Kolt Kittley

AUSTIN —The UIL State Track and Field meet kicked off Thursday with Classes 3A and 4A competing at Mike Meyers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas, and the Big Country had a fairly strong showing.

The closest finish determining who would be on and off the podium came in the Class 3A girls 800 meter run where Ballinger’s Addison Martin ran the race in  2 minutes, 17.522 seconds, edging Holliday freshman Kenli Atwood by a microscopic 0.007 seconds after diving through the finish line in her final event of a storied career.

Martin’s podium finish, where she was just one-tenth of a second off what had been the top qualification mark, was one of 14 medal-worthy performances for area athletes.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

REGION I-4A TRACK RECAP: Stephenville’s Cameron, Brister headline strong showing for area athletes

LUBBOCK — Big Country athletes combined to claim 18 medals and clinch 13 automatic berths to the state track meet at the Region I-4A meet over the weekend at Lowrey Field. 

The area accounted for 11 gold medals, two silvers and five bronzes as Stephenville and Sweetwater claimed top-five team finishes on the girls side and Stephenville and Brownwood finished in the top 10 in boys competition.

Stephenville’s Victoria Cameron headlined the meet for the Big Country girls contingent, leaving Lubbock with four gold medals, while Stephenville’s Creece Brister won both throwing events on the boys side.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Sweetwater run-rules Stephenville 13-2 to open best-of-three bi-district series

BRECKENRIDGE — The Sweetwater softball team opened the playoffs in explosive fashion Thursday, racking up 17 hits in a 13-2 run-rule victory over Stephenville in Game 1 of a best-of-three Region I-4A bi-district series.

The Lady Mustangs scored at least one run in every inning, plating four in the first and three in the second to build an early lead they’d only add to the rest of the way. 

With Thursday’s victory,  Sweetwater will have a chance to clinch a sweep and a spot in the area round when the series resumes with Game 2 at 5 p.m. Friday back in Breckenridge. Game 3, if necessary, would follow 30 minutes after the completion of Game 2.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Snyder baseballer edges Snyder softballer for top spot

It’s difficult to trump a no-hitter, though Snyder’s Ava Aviles came close last week. 

Aviles, who threw back-to-back two-hitters for Snyder softball, is our first runner-up to her classmate, Player of the Week Ty Davis and his first career no-hitter. 

Davis earned a 13-2 five-inning win over Levelland last week, holding LHS hitless in the mercy rule win, finishing with five strikeouts. 

“Ty has continued to improve on the mound and has given us some excellent innings this season, none bigger than last Tuesday with his no-hit performance,” Snyder coach Shane Stewart said. ” I am proud of him and looking forward to watching him mature as a pitcher and a young man.”

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sweetwater senior captures five medals and our award

“Damarrius Walker is a very talented young man,” Sweetwater coach Brian Hodnett said. “There isn’t much in track and field that he can’t do!

“We as a staff are excited to see how far he can go this year.”

So is the rest of the area as our Big Country Preps Player of the Week collects the award after scoring 44 points individually at the Hamlin Pied Piper Relays last week. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Glen Rose holds off Sweetwater bi-district upset bid, 49-40

CISCO — After having swept through District 6-4A with an 8-0 mark, few who follow area basketball were expecting Glen Rose to struggle in its Region I-4A bi-district matchup with fourth-seeded Sweetwater on Monday night. 

Nonetheless, the Tigers got all they wanted from a Mustang team that finished 5-5 in District 5. By night’s end, Glen Rose prevailed 49-40, but not before a boisterous crowd got its money’s worth at Ray Saunders Gym. 

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Surging Mustangs ready for playoff challenge after overcoming 0-4 district start

Sitting at 0-4 in District 5-4A play on Jan. 25, the Sweetwater boys basketball team found itself at a crossroads.

The Mustangs’ campaign, which began with a promising 17-6 run through nondistrict play, was headed toward a disappointing end without some necessary course correction.

Coach Evan Grantham’s squad needed to right the ship and quickly if it hoped to finish its season in the playoffs. Fortunately, it did just that.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Eula’s Gray tops 1,500-point mark, claims this week’s award.

Eula’s Clayton Gray, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 4, earned the accolade on two fronts. Not only did he post big numbers in consecutive wins over Moran and Rising Star, but he also reached an impressive milestone in the process. 

To begin with, the junior guard chalked up 29 points, six boards and four blocks in a win over Moran. He also tallied 43 points, eight boards and four steals in a win over Rising Star.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Sweetwater boys stymie Snyder for big road win; Lady Tigers take care of Lady Mustangs

SNYDER — With both the Snyder and Sweetwater boys basketball teams riding waves of momentum into Friday’s District 5-4A showdown, fans packed the Snyder gymnasium expecting to see a thrilling encore to the first matchup between the teams, which saw the Tigers take a 40-38 win on a layup at the buzzer.

Unfortunately for those on the home side of the gym, the Mustangs had different plans.

Coming in on a two-game winning streak after an 0-4 district start, including a 61-60 victory over Levelland on Thursday, Sweetwater stifled Snyder for four full quarters, building a 23-point third-quarter lead on their way to a 40-27 win over their rival.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Mustangs use big third quarter to hold off feisty Jaybirds

SWEETWATER — The Jayton boys basketball team entered Friday’s game at Sweetwater ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 1A and sporting one of only a couple of undefeated records in the state.

After the Mustangs used a big third quarter fueled by the hot shooting hand of Stason Hernandez to get a 51-38 win at Mustang Gym, Jayton coach Ryan Bleiker felt a sense of relief.

The relief didn’t come from losing, but rather that his squad didn’t have to carry the burden of being undefeated anymore.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wylie QB Long leads another thrilling comeback to claim award

With the Wylie football team’s season on the line, facing a 40-30 deficit with less than six minutes remaining, the Bulldogs needed an epic comeback to rally past Colleyville Heritage on Friday at Grapevine’s Mustang-Panther Stadium.

Fortunately for coach Clay Martin’s squad, their senior quarterback has made a habit of leading those this year.

After throwing just his sixth interception on a fourth-down play midway through the final quarter, KJ Long was given new life when his defense forced and recovered a quick fumble. He made the most of it by leading a pair of quick scoring drives — the last to put the Bulldogs 43-40 with three seconds left on the clock — to fuel his team to a wild 50-40 area-round win and earn this week’s Big Country Preps Player of the Week award.

Continue reading “BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wylie QB Long leads another thrilling comeback to claim award” →

by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Position Rankings: Posts

After highlighting the Big Country’s top guards and forwards the past two nights, we now take a look at the area’s best big men.

For the final installment in our three-part boys basketball position rankings series, we rank the Big Country’s top 10 post players.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through our rankings, and make sure to check back for all our boys and girls basketball coverage this season.

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us