Mississippi ump Kristi Howard joins the show
Original release date: April 13, 2022

Roscoe’s Jake Freeman joins the show. 
Original release date: Oct 6, 2021

Forsan’s Jason Phillips
Original release date: Sep 22, 2021

Stamford’s Joe Crabb joins the show
Original airdate: Jan. 19, 2022 

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: FCA volleyball all-star game (85 images)” →

Trailing the Coleman Bluecats 11-3 after three innings in Game 2 of their Region I-2A baseball quarterfinal series at McMurry University, the Albany Lions had something stunning in store for everyone attendance — a comeback for the ages.  

Coy Lefevre, Zane Waggoner, Caden Price, Cole Read and Bryson Herring all collected two hits and at least one RBI each to lead Albany (19-4), which scored 11 runs over a five-inning stretch to rally for a 14-12 win in eight innings on Saturday.

The Lions now advance to face either Clarendon or Lockney in the Region I-2A semifinals. 

“They stayed with it and it was a great comeback,” Albany coach David Fairchild said. “We didn’t start well on the mound and we used a lot of pitchers today.

“I’m proud of the way they battled.” 

Merkel’s Alyssa O’Malley continues to endure pain, continues to amaze and continues to win. 

For the second straight week, O’Malley has captured our Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week award after capturing four Region I-3A championships, despite a stress fracture in her foot.

And in O’Malley’s case, we’re talking about individual events — not medals won in a relay 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: Region I-3A Track Meet Day 1” →

Haskell’s girls relay teams truly believe they can beat anybody at the Class 2A level.  

That confidence was instilled last year when they captured three relay medals at state. It’s only grown under new coach Mindy Myers, who’s no stranger to success on the sport’s biggest stage.   

Last week’s area track meet was the next step of progression for the Lady Indians, who ran their fastest times of the year in the 4×100 (50.01), 4×200 (1:45.27) and 4×400 (4:06.42).   

Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 14 (top 25 in each category).

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. 

Photos courtesy of Cassie Gang Photography

Coleman’s Devinar Roberson has an explosiveness that can’t be taught.  

He’s motivated by a play-to-win mentality. And he doesn’t mind putting on a show, either.  

Those qualities make Roberson not only a state title contender in multiple field events, but also a must-watch competitor every time the senior jumps.  

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

ANSON — A year ago, the Anson Tigers couldn’t have come much closer to reaching the state tournament. Stopped within one victory of a trip to Round Rock, the Tigers fell in three games to New Deal in the Region I-2A championship series in Seminole. 

At first glance, a Game 3 loss to New Deal was a disaster, ending in a 10-2 loss. But Anson was trailing 4-2 after five complete innings — still competing for a shot at state when New Deal broke things open with s six-run sixth inning. 

That is the memory that is currently fueling the 2022 Anson Club, which is hoping to navigate its way back through a tough Region I bracket to reach the promised land for Class 2A teams: Dell Diamond in Round Rock for the state tournament.

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

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

Here the boys area track bests through March 27 (top 15 in each event): 

Scoring and rebounding is only part of the story when it comes to basketball. Behind the scenes and beyond the view of the public, is where character is often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps Gym Rat Team that we salute the individuals who exude the most of it. 

This team isn’t about who the best players are, though some of the area’s top players are on this list. 

The Gym Rat team is about effort, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches love above all else and that championship foundations are built upon.

It is for that reason that our Gym Rat team is selected entirely by area coaches, described in their own words. And Big Country Preps is absolutely honored to present these individuals to you — the best “team players” (boys and girls) that the area had to offer during the 2021-22 season.

Players are listed in no particular order. 

Enjoy.

Here are the girls area track bests through March 27 (top 15 in each event): 

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT WEDNESDAY NIGHT PODCAST: Early softball coach Alfonso Chavez talks Lady ‘Horns softball with Evan and Dan 

COLEMAN — With area rival De Leon coming to town on Tuesday with designs on first place, the Coleman Bluecats got the one thing they wanted most in an effort to protect their district lead: a great pitching performance. 

Ryland Gentry threw a complete-game four-hitter with seven strikeouts and was 2 for 3 with an RBI to lead Coleman to a 7-2 win at CHS to keep the Bluecats (5-4, 4-0 District 7-2A) on top of the league standings. 

Here the boys area track bests through March 20 (top 15 in each event): 

Here are the girls area track bests through March 20 (top 15 in each event): 

EARLY — With district favorite Brock in town on Friday and Early playing the roll of underdog, the Lady Longhorns needed a triple dose of patience, confidence and luck to snap a losing streak to BHS that dated back at least nine seasons. 

As fate would have it, the Lady ‘Horns found all three in a stunning come-from-behind 7-6 win which saw them rally from a 6-2 deficit with five unanswered runs between the fifth and seventh innings. 

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT WEDNESDAY NIGHT PODCAST: Jim  Ned’s Erica Jones talks Lady Indian softball with Evan and Dan 

MERKEL — It’s all a matter of perspective. 

Following Brady’s 4-0 win at Merkel on Tuesday, the Bulldogs can easily view their victory as a clutch performance, marked by timely hitting and pitching that came through whenever they were needed.

Merkel, on the other hand, can view it as a day of missed opportunities, with  a dozen men left on base, including five who reached scoring position. 

Photo courtesy of Tommy Hays.

While much of the Big Country may be unfamiliar with Brock senior Tessa Cowan, Dublin and Peaster became well acquainted with our Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week last week in their respective 18-3 and 13-1 losses. 

Finishing a combined 5 of 7 through the two wins, Cowan went yard three times to go with a double, a walk and 10 RBIs. 

Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking on the “Buy on SmugMug” link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.

Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Ballinger-Merkel softball (29 images)” →

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT WEDNESDAY NIGHT PODCAST: Evan and Dan talk state and regional basketball

MERKEL — It took a few innings for highly touted Merkel to get it bats going in Tuesday’s District 6-3A opener with Ballinger.

But once the Lady Badgers got started, the complexion of the game turned on a dime — flipping a would-be pitchers’ duel into a 12-2 win via the mercy rule in six innings for MHS.

Eve Rodriguez with 3 for 3 with three RBIs  and Jaycee Tumlinson was 3 for 4 with an RBI to lead Merkel (11-1, 1-0), which pounded out 17 hits en route to the win — 16 of which came in the final four innings. 

Somehow or another, Merkel continues to produce quality girls hurdlers – Carly Szabo and Kaydi Pursley, among others.

The latest example: senior Alyssa O’Malley, who is already picking up where she left off a year ago when she posted the second-fasted time in the area.

Last week she took silver in the 100-meter hurdles (15.59), gold in the 300 hurdles (47.75), gold in the high jump (5-4) and gold with the 1,600 relay team at the Ballinger track meet to take our Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week for the week ending March 5.

A fast-paced search for a new Athletic Director for the Abilene Independent School District has come to an end with the selection of Jim Garfield to the post.

Garfield, 58, comes to AISD after serving as the Assistant Athletics Director for Lubbock ISD and will replace Phil Blue who is retiring at the end of the school year. Blue announced his retirement at the end of January.

He had been with LISD since early 2017.

SAN ANTONIO — A quick glance at the stat sheet of Saturday’s Class 2A girls state championship game told the story. 

After falling to Gruver 50-38 in the Alamodome, the Stamford Lady Bulldogs could quickly pinpoint two keys that hurt them more than anything else. 

SAN ANTONIO — In the end, it all came down to Ackerly Sands’ trapping defense in its 60-33 win over Robert Lee in the girls Class 1A state title game Saturday at the Alamodome.

Despite shooting a lower percentage than Robert Lee (.417 to .386) and being outrebounded by a whopping 16 boards, the Lady Mustangs had all the compensation they needed with their relentless defensive pressure. 

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT WEDNESDAY NIGHT PODCAST: Evan and Dan take a look at the area’s top baseball players and teams.

HASKELL — There are much easier places in the Big Country to secure a road win than Haskell’s “TeePee”. So when Stamford girls coach Joe Crabb lost a coin flip which forced his Lady Bulldogs to face the Maidens there in a Region II-2A quarterfinal on Tuesday, he knew he had a difficult task at hand. 

Crabb got exactly what he expected: A fired-up Haskell team and a raucous crowd which forced Stamford to rally in the fourth quarter for a 57-46 win — the 700th victory in Crabb’s lengthy career. 

The Goldthwaite boys’ basketball team lists seven seniors on its roster, yet the Eagles’ leading scorer is freshman Luke Sanderson.

A 5-foot-10 guard, Sanderson leads Goldthwaite in scoring at 16.6 points per game, assists at 2.9 per game, steals at 2.1 per game, and free-throw shooting at 74 percent. He also ranks second on the team in rebounds at 6.1 per game and in field goal shooting at 48 percent.

This on a playoff-bound team that has seven seniors in guards Jackson Patrick, Seth Gardner and Saul Vaquera; forwards Cason Guthrie, Bryson Keel and Cole Hermesmeyer; and center Kody Roberts.

Photos by Mike Jones of MJ Photography and Shayla Kirby

Early High School’s Vic Cooper was a good basketball player last season, when he averaged 16.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game as a junior. But second-year Early coach Eric Davis said Cooper is even better this season as a senior.

“The biggest improvements are in his strength and toughness,” Davis said of the 6-foot-5, 195-pound Cooper. “He’s also improved his ball-handling skills, shooting touch and court vision to make himself a more versatile player. He’s not as raw as he was last year, and he was pretty good last year.”

Another big difference in Cooper this season is his handling of opposing defenses that collapse on him in the paint.

When the UIL boys basketball playoffs start this week, Jayton will enter as one of several highly ranked favorites to capture Region I-A.  

A third trip to state in four years would be quite an accomplishment for Ryan Bleiker’s program. However, that’s not on the mind of the longtime Jaybirds coach right now.  

“We really do just try to enjoy the process, enjoy each win,” Bleiker said. “What I never want to happen is that we take things for granted, that winning a bi-district game doesn’t mean as much. I really want us to try and enjoy each moment while also having goals, but those goals will come if we enjoy the process.”