STEPHENVILLE — The single greatest season in Cisco softball history has officially come to a close. 

Having reached the 2A DI state semifinals (its first-ever state semi) Cisco fell to in two straight games to Bosqueville on Wednesday, 4-3 and 10-2 at the Stephenville Softball Complex. 

The losses brought the curtain down on a 26-9-2 campaign that saw the Lady Loboes finish 8-3 in postseason play with the deepest playoff run in its history.

“We’ve had an outstanding year,” Cisco coach Vanessa Longoria said. “At the very beginning we scheduled some tough teams to help get us here.

“Getting them this far was fantastic and a lot of fun.” 

Do you know what’s more annoying than facing a lefty slap hitter leading off a lineup?

How about facing two lefty slap hitters right off the bat who are quick with the bat.

That’s the reality for anyone facing Brock this season as sophomore Kayden Blue and freshman Jayci Smith have helped set the tone offensively for the Lady Eagles’ state semifinal run.

Brock (32-10) enters its best-of-three 4A series against Van Alstyne on a seven-game win streak where it’s averaged 9.3 runs. The Lady Eagles are two victories away from playing for the 4A Division II title next week in Austin.

Here are the FINAL boys area track bests through May 17 (top 15 in each event): 

Here are the FINAL girls area track bests through May 17 (top 15 in each event): 

STEPHENVILLE — After guiding Wylie to one of its best seasons ever, WHS softball coach Shelby Elkins had the unenviable task of speaking to her heartbroken players following an 11-7 Game 3 loss to Fort Worth Brewer in the Region I-5A DII title game on Saturday.

Brewer had just eliminated Wylie behind five homers at the Stephenville High School Softball Field. But Elkins quickly reminded a group of tearful players that there were several important achievements they should remember years from now.

“You just highlight the positives,” said Elkins, whose team had reached the program’s first regional title series since 2006 and its first ever in Class 5A. “For us to make it this far, they’ve done some great things this year. 

“Every single one of them shattered their own records. … And that’s what we looked at from the very beginning of the season. The number of hits they had, the number of defensive plays  — I wanted to give all of them goals to set and every one of them did a phenomenal job. 
“I’m very proud of them.”  

ABILENE — A year removed from reaching the Region I-4A DII semifinals, the Brock Lady Eagles have now pushed all the way to the state tournament. And they’ve done so, in dominating fashion. 

After defeating Canyon Randall 9-1 to open the regional championship series on Thursday, Brock completed a two-game sweep on Friday with a crushing 15-1 win at Poly Wells Field.

Kayden Blue was 4-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored and Alison “Gator” Coleman scattered five hits in a complete game win to lead Brock, which will face either Van Alstyne or North Lamar in the state semifinals at a site and time to be determined.

Randall finished its season at 30-10.

“We knew they were going to come out hard and we had to match their intensity,” said Brock coach Gregory Connors, whose team improved to 32-10 with its seventh straight postseason victory. “We knew what to expect. We’ve been here before and it’s a (great) experience for a young team.” 

ABILENE — In the end it was all a matter of Brock being Brock, and Alison Coleman being Alison Coleman. 

Game 1 of the Region I-4A DII softball championship series ended with a relatively easy 9-1 win for Brock over Canyon Randall at Poly Wells Field. This involved the Lady Eagles doing what they do best — wreaking havoc on the basepaths and backing it with solid pitching and defense.

Jayci Smith was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and Coleman tossed a two-hitter with no earned runs allowed and three Ks to lead Brock (31-10) which can close the series with a win in Game 2 at 6 p.m. on Friday at the same venue.

Taking advantage of some early Randall nerves, Brock jumped on the Lady Raiders with two runs on two hits, one error and a walk in the top of the first and never relinquished the lead. Kathryn Utley supplied both early RBIs with a single to score Kayden Blue and Smith. 

This supplied Coleman with all the support she would eventually need. 

“We have speed and we’ve shown that,” Brock coach Gregory Connors said. “And when our sticks go along with our speed it creates chaos.” 

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.

With the school year winding down, so is area athletic activity. And as is our custom, we will be ending the Big Country Preps Player of the Week next Monday following the state track and field meet.  In the meantime, a familiar face as taken the top spot, despite seeing his team’s season come to a close. 

Abilene junior pitcher George Ferguson has taken our weekly accolade for a third time in the wake of a 5-inning no hitter in a 10-0 win over El Paso Americas last week in Monahans. 

Ferguson, who is already committed to the University of Texas, hit 99 MPH on the radar gun during the win, which saw him strike out 10. He also finished the series with a combined 3-for-9 tally at the plate with two doubles, a homer and three RBIs. 

Photos by Stephenville ISD coach Nolan Vosburg

Observers talk about how Kolton Dearth’s maturity, strength and experience all came together this year in helping the senior break the Stephenville school record in the shot put with a throw of 62 feet, 10.75 inches.

The 6-foot-2, 305-pound Dearth broke the 60-foot barrier and set the school record at the area track and field meet on April 17 in Abilene. Two weeks later, he won his second consecutive Region I-4A shot put title and qualified for this week’s state meet with a mark of 59-8.

Dearth’s 59-8 was the farthest regional throw and made him the favorite for the UIL Class 4A State Track and Field Meet at Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Stadium in Austin. The 4A boys’ shot put is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

“He’s learned how to contain his adrenalin and emotions,” Stephenville throwing coach Nolan Vosburg said of Dearth. “When he was younger, he wanted it so bad that it sometimes took away from what he was trying to accomplish.

“Being part of a state championship football team helped things slow down for him in other sports. He’s not as hard on himself now as he was as a freshman and sophomore.”

While maturity, strength and experience came together for Dearth this year, he’s always had a sense of discipline and staying the course. James Dearth, Kolton’s dad and the throwing coach at Tarleton State, coached his son to use the spin or rotating motion through the ring as he threw as a junior high athlete.

Here are the girls area track bests through May 10 (top 15 in each event): 

Here are the boys area track bests through May 10 (top 15 in each event): 

BIG SPRING — While much of the Jim Ned softball team’s 2026 season has been about solid defense, consistent hitting and dominance, Saturday’s Region I-3A DI semifinal with Shallowater was largely about resilience. 

Already leading the series after a 9-6 win in Game 1 on Thursday, the Lady Indians suffered through seven uncharacteristic errors in a 7-6 Game 2 loss at Lady Steer Field to see a 17-game winning streak snapped. Then, almost as if it never happened, Jim Ned quickly regained its form to eliminate Shallowater, 7-2 in Game 3

Not only did the Lady Indians recover defensively, but pitcher Jayden Nunez, who struggled in Game 1 on Thursday, rediscovered her rhythm with four shutout innings at the outset of Game 3. She also added a solo homer for what proved to be the game-winning RBI in the sixth inning.

Jim Ned (29-5) now advances to face Iowa Park (27-7-1) for the Region I-3A DI championship.

It will be the second meeting between the two clubs, with Jim Ned having defeated the Lady Hawks 6-2 on Feb. 21.

MONAHANS — You know you’re having a good season when you toss a five-inning no-hitter with two walks and nine strikeouts and you’re not as sharp as you normally are.  But that is reality for Abilene High School junior George Ferguson, who led the Eagles to a 10-0 mercy rule win over El Paso Americas on Friday in Game 1 of a Region I-5A DII area round series at the Jerry Larned Sports Complex. 

It was the third no-hitter of the season for Ferguson, which includes a perfect game thrown against Abilene Cooper on April 21. He also helped himself at the plate, delivering a two-run homer in the first inning to score Xavier De La Cruz and put the Eagles up for good. 

Also coming up big for Abilene were Brenner Paul, who finished 3-for-3 with a homer and four RBIs and Jaxon Harris (1-for-3, two RBIs). 

The Eagles (25-9-1) can close the series out with a win in Game 2 on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the same venue. Game 3 (if needed) will be 30 minutes after Game 2.  

Americas slipped to 23-7-1 with the loss.

“You know what you’re going to get when (Ferguson) is out on the mound,” Abilene coach Thomas Harmon said. “He’s going to take the ball and compete his tail off and he did that today. At the plate he was loose and relaxed and that showed. It was one of the better all-around games he’s had all year.”

BIG SPRING — With Shallowater coming off a six-run second inning that saw the Filles cut an 8-0 Jim Ned lead to 8-6, the task of protecting that slim lead fell upon freshman reliever Paige Wilson. 

The momentum was against her and the pressure was suddenly off the scale. Nonetheless, Wilson delivered five straight shutout innings to earn a 9-6 win for the Lady Indians in Game 1 of a Region I-3A semifinal series on Thursday at Lady Steer Field. 

Gabby Cabrea was 3-for-4 with an RBI and Pyper Tilley was 2-fior-4 with two RBIs to pace Jim Ned (28-4), which can close the series with a Game 2 win on Saturday at the same venue. Game 3, if needed, will follow 30 minutes after Game 2. 

Shallowater (22-11-1) was led by Kynsi Sue, Peyton Ramirez and Skyler Stephenson, all of whom homered in the second inning. And it was in that second inning when the game suddenly took on a whole new look — setting the stage for Wilson.

EULA — After suffering a bruised rib against Jim Ned in mid April, Wall’s Gage Reichenau has been slowly recovering from the injury and trying to get to the point where he could pitch effectively again. 

That evening came on Wednesday night in a 5-4 win over Tolar in Game 1 of a Region I-3A area round series at the Eula Athletic Complex.

Overcoming a sluggish first inning that saw him allow a pair of runs on three walks and an error, Reichenau found his rhythm and delivered 6.1 solid innings in a come-from-behind victory for the Hawks. 

Reid Ballard and Tyler Klinesmith both had two hits and two RBIs to lead Wall (24-8), which can end the series with a Game 2 win on Friday at 4:30 p.m. in Eula. Game 3, if needed, is slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday at the same venue. 

Tolar (19-9) was led by Nolan Cauble, who was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. 

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: Coahoma vs. Childress area round game (20 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: Forsan vs. Cisco softball area round series (52 images)” →

Here are the girls area track bests through May 3 (top 15 in each event): 

Here are the boys area track bests through May 3 (top 15 in each event): 

STAMFORD — Many of those who follow Big Country softball expected the Coahoma Bulldogettes to take a major step backward following the graduation of standout pitcher Hannah Wells (now at the University of Texas). And needless to say, the notion of them winning an unprecedented fourth straight state title hasn’t been getting a large amount of attention. 

Nonetheless, Coahoma remains alive in postseason play in the aftermath of winning a Region I-3A DII area championship on Saturday by eliminating Childress, 5-1, at the Stamford High School softball field. 

Addi Hart and Blakely Rodgers both had solo homers and Kyndal Lee delivered 6.1 innings to get the win in the circle to lead Coahoma (22-3), which advances to face Holliday (29-3) in the regional semifinals. 

Lee was a key element in the win, holding Childress scoreless on two hits through the first six innings. She was eventually replaced by Bentli Wright after giving up a run on one hit and two walks in the seventh.

She finished with four walks and six strikeouts. 

Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 30. This will be our final baseball stat leaders post for the 2026 season.

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. 

COAHOMA — One great game deserves another. 

Only 24 hours after Cisco had edged Forsan 2-1 in Game 1 of their 2A DI area round series, the Lady Buffaloes evened things up by taking Game 2 in a 7-6 nailbiter in eight innings on Wednesday.

Madi Roach doubled home Elyssa Amaro with the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the eighth — the latter of whom was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored to lead Forsan (20-10). The decisive third game of the series is currently slated for 8 p.m. on Saturday in Clyde. 

Forsan, which saw leads of 4-1 and 6-4 evaporate by the seventh inning, took the disappointments in stride — retaining a lighthearted demeanor that saw them dancing together as a team during warmups. 

It eventually paid off.

“If they’re not doing some sort of dance routine before the game I know they’re nervous,” Forsan coach Jason Phillips said. “We want them relaxed, because believe it or not, they’re as dialed in as you could ever believe.” 

ABILENE — Defense and pitching were at the forefront in Game 1 of a Region I-2A DI area round series between Cisco and Forsan on Tuesday at Cooper High School. 

Cisco’s Aubrey Corpus outdueled Forsan’s Makayla Garza in a 2-1 win for Lady Loboes, who can close the series with a Game 2 victory on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Coahoma. If needed, Game 3 of the series will be on Saturday in Clyde at 8 p.m. 

AJ Pevey was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and Corpus was 1-for-3 with the game-winning RBI to lead Cisco (20-8-2), which broke a 1-1 tie when Pevey singled and scored on a Corpus triple in the bottom of the sixth. 

Forsan dropped to 19-10 with the loss.

“Both teams are coached well and both showed up to play today,” Cisco coach Vanessa Longoria said. “(The win) was very important. It gives us the momentum, but we can’t get too calm and take it easy tomorrow.” 

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: Brock-Levelland softball bi-district playoff (60 images)” →

Here are the boys area track bests through April 26 (top 15 in each event): 

Here are the girls area track bests through April 26 (top 15 in each event): 

ABILENE — In a rematch of last year’s thrilling Class 4A DII bi-district series, the Brock Lady Eagles posted a workmanlike 5-1 win over Levelland on Friday at McMurry University’s Edwards Field. 

It scarcely resembled what occurred a year ago, when Brock escaped with a pair of one-run victories — 2-1 in Game 1 and 7-6 in 13 innings in Game 2. This time around, the Lady Eagles (25-9) took control of Game 1 early and never relinquished it behind the pitching of Alison Coleman. 

Kayden Blue was 4-for-4 with four singles and one run scored and Sloan Booth was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs to lead Brock, which coasted behind a one-hitter from Coleman. The Lady Eagles can end the series with a win in Game 2 on Saturday at noon at McMurry. 

Game 3 (if needed) will follow 30 minutes after Game 2. 

“I thought our girls came out and (played) hard with a lot of first-game jitters,” Brock coach Gregory Connors said. “We have six freshman starting and it was their first time in a playoff atmosphere. But we started off in that first inning with our bats the way we needed to and it carried us throughout the game.” 

Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 23.

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. 

Here are the standings for all baseball districts involving Big Country schools (through April 20):

Continue reading “Big Country Baseball Standings (through April 20)” →

ANSON — For Stamford it was a game that solidified its position in the District 8-2A standings. For Anson, it became one of those games that a team would just as soon forget about. 

For the record, Stamford took Tuesday’s contest at AHS, 13-3 via the mercy rule in five innings. What relegated it to Anson’s spam file, however, was the fact that the Bulldogs achieved this with only six hits. The gaps between those hits were filled with multiple Tiger miscues (eight in all), along with five walks and two hit batsmen.   

It made the job of Stamford southpaw knuckleballer Carlos Vega much easier than one may have expected. Vega worked all five innings to get the win, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He also helped himself at the plate with a 2-for-4 effort that included a three-run homer. 

Stamford improved to 14-6 overall and 6-3 in district play. Anson fell to 8-8 and 4-5.

Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 2.

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. 

Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 2.

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 girls area track bests through March 29 (top 15 in each event): 

Abilene High coach Tommy Martinez played a major role in the Texas High School Powerlifting Association moving its state meet to Abilene and the Taylor County Coliseum in 2007, where it’s been for two decades and counting.

On Saturday morning, the THSPA inducted the veteran coach into their Hall of Honor before the final day of the state meet got under way.

While humbled by the recognition, Martinez was quick to deflect the credit to countless others.

As impressive as the 2025 Stephenville Yellow Jackets were on the football field – winning the Class 4A Division I state championship with a 16-0 record – they were even more impressive in the classroom.

Stephenville was the undefeated state champion on the football field. The Yellow Jackes were national champions in the classroom.

The Irving-based National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame recently announced Stephenville High School as the national winner of the 2025-26 NFF Hatchell Cup, the highest academic team honor in high school football.

SNYDER — With Nazareth leading Gordon 16-5 after one quarter and seeing that lead expand to 28-13 late in the second, it wasn’t difficult to think that the Swiftettes were on the verge of dominating Monday’s Class 1A DII girls state semifinal. 

Nazareth coach Eric Schilling, however, knew better. He fully expected the top-ranked, unbeaten Lady Longhorns to make a run and that’s exactly what happened as the Swiftettes escaped the Western Texas College Coliseum with a 48-46 win. 

Kambri Cleavinger scored 20 points and Lexi Ramaekers added 14 more to lead Nazareth (32-6), which advances to the state championship game where it will meet either Saltillo or Nueces Canyon on Thursday at 1 p.m. in San Antonio’s Alamodome. 

Gordon finished its campaign at 34-1, led by Faith Garnett with a game-high 23 points. Marley Jackson and Stoney Bauer added nine and eight points respectively. 

In most years, the Big Country is too big and too deep in talent for it not to compete for state championships across the spectrum of sports. And the calendar year of 2025 was no different, with multiple state titles taken at various levels. 

So many, in fact, that most of our Top 10 area sports stories for 2025 involved an area team taking a state title.

Here, we take a look at those stories in descending order, counting down to No. 1. 

STEPHENVILLE — Despite suffering from a groin injury, Aubrey’s Mya Cherry walked away from a Class 4A DII State Semifinal series with Snyder as the star of the show. 

After tossing a three-hit shutout in a 2-0 win in Game 1 on Wednesday, the senior righthander returned on Thursday to throw a four-hit complete game in a series-clinching 3-1 win at Stephenville High School. 

The Lady Chaparrals (33-3) will now advance to the state championship game where they will meet either Waco Robinson or Ingleside for title.

Despite playing well in both games, Snyder saw its season come to a close at 27-10, with Lea Aviles, Micaela Martinez, Jenna Rodriguez and Ella Aviles all producing a single each to lead the Lady Tiger offense. 

ABILENE — Two streaks were kept alive at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field on Saturday in the Region I-3A Division II championship series — both of which belong to the Coahoma Bulldoggettes. 

In winning Game 2 over Jacksboro, 8-2, Coahoma extended its current streak of regional titles to four and also pushed its current unbeaten streak to 89 straight games. 

Hannah Wells threw a complete game four-hitter with nine strikeouts and Baylor Wright was 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs to lead Coahoma (32-0-1) which now advances to face Sadler S&S in the state semifinals. 

Here are the boys area track bests through April 30 (top 15 in each event): 

Here are the girls area track bests through April 30 (top 15 in each event): 

Here are the boys area track bests through April 16 (top 15 in each event): 

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: Evan Ren’s top 100 basketball photos for 2024-25” →

AZLE — Fueled by sophomore point guard Court Gaylor and junior post Darius Steed, who combined for 46 points on the night, the Lipan boys basketball team locked up its 16th trip to the state semifinals Friday with a 71-52 win over Lindsay in the Region II-2A Division II title game at the Azle High School Competition Gym.

Gaylor poured in a game-high 28 points while Steed ruled the paint with 18 of his own to lead the Indians, who closed the first quarter on a 15-6 run and opened the second with a 19-5 spurt to turn an early one-point deficit into a 42-18 lead by the two minute mark of the first half.

From there, it was academic as LHS cruised to its fifth consecutive state appearance and seventh since 2017 — a stretch that has seen the Indians claim four state championships, including each of the past two in Class 2A.

Continue reading “GAME STORY: Gaylor, Steed lead stellar offensive effort as Lipan routs Lindsay for region title” →