With district play either underway or starting this week for all area boys basketball teams, it’s time to start taking a closer look at how our Big Country hoops races are shaping up.
And as we’ve done in the past, we’ll break down our top upcoming matchups, the top results from the previous week and the area’s biggest surprise right here each Sunday, starting with this column.
We hope you enjoy a look at this week in area boys basketball.
Nobody played a tougher schedule over the holidays than the Wall boys. And nobody had a bigger impact on their successful run through a brutal five-game stretch than 6-foot-7 big man Paxton Brake who takes our first Big Country Preps Player of the Week for 2026.
Brake, a junior, scored a combined 70 points through the break, averaging 14 points, 9.2 boards and 3.2 assists to help the Hawks go 4-1 over the break with wins over Decatur, Lorena, Ponder and Sweetwater, along with a close loss to perennial power Brock.
Wall enters this week at 17-5 overall.
In helping the Jayton Jaybirds to a second-straight state title last week, senior running back Bode Ham not only produced the top game in our coverage area, but his performance will likely remain part of six-man lore forever.
With Jayton topping Richland Springs 99-54, Ham’s numbers were nothing short of shocking, with 430 yards rushing and a state championship record 10 TDs on 28 carries.
For good measure, he was 3 of 4 through the air for 118 yards and an additional three scores, giving him 548 total yards and a direct hand in a state championship-record 13 touchdowns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
ARLINGTON — Whether or not you believe the old axiom that defense wins championships, the Wall Hawks put forward a strong argument for it in Thursday’s 3A Division II state championship game at AT&T Stadium.
In a matchup that was widely considered to be pairing of Texas’ best 3A defense against the state’s top 3A offense, Wall combined several defensive stops with a handful of big plays to earn a thrilling 25-24 win.
“It hasn’t set in yet,” Slaughter said at the postgame news conference. “We really couldn’t breathe with (Newton’s) explosive offense, but I couldn’t be happier.
“It was a special year from the jump. We knew we had a chance to play here tonight. Then we see a loaded Newton team (on tape) and we knew we’d have to play well. If you had told me that we’d hold them under 24 points, I probably (wouldn’t have believed it.)
ARLINGTON — The Wall football team didn’t win the stat sheet Thursday night in its Class 3A Division II state championship game against Newton at AT&T Stadium. But the Hawks won where it mattered: on the scoreboard.
Buoyed by a near-perfect start and a strong defensive performance throughout, the Hawks built a 25-8 halftime lead, before holding on for dear life over the final 24 minutes to secure a thrilling 25-24 win and its first state title in program history.
The victory capped a perfect season for coach Craig Slaughter’s squad, which improved to 16-0, while Newton closed its campaign at 14-2, bookending the year with one-score losses to Class 4A DII title hopeful West Orange-Stark and Wall.
Since practice began in preparation for the 2025 football season, the Wall Hawks have had two dates figuratively circled on their calendars:
• Whenever — if ever — they got a chance for revenge against Gunter
• And Dec. 18.
Thanks to a thrilling 28-25 win last week, Wall placed a big X over the first box. By dispatching the three-time defending Class 3A Division II state champion Tigers in the state semifinals, the Hawks helped erase the memories of last season’s 42-32 loss, also in the semifinals. In the process, Wall ran its record to 15-0.
Consequently, there is still one more X to apply. And it’s THE BIG ONE.
If you were told that the Big Country had a possible boys basketball star in the making, where would you guess he was from?
Jim Ned? Eula? San Saba?
While those choices often make sense, there is a rising star on the block from an area that is seldom attached with basketball greatness. His name: Carter Toof, a junior from Cisco where pigskin has served as the athletic identity of the school for more than two decades.
Named as our Big Country Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 13, Toof, a gifted guard, earned our accolade with a performance that bordered on scary.
STEPHENVILLE — The Wall football team had circled a state semifinal rematch with Gunter and was zeroed in on getting revenge for the past 364 days after a 42-32 loss in 2024.
A sign in the Hawks locker room even read: “Hey Gunter — we have been looking for you!”
But what started out as a revenge game turned into a heavyweight prize fight as the Hawks held on for a 28-25 win at Art Briles Stadium to earn a berth in the Class 3A Division II state championship game at 7 p.m. Thursday night against Newton, which beat East Bernard 74-20 on Thursday night.
STEPHENVILLE — In the end, it came down to who made the final set of big plays.
Wall’s thrilling 28-25 win over three-time defending state champion Gunter in a Class 3A Division II state semifinal rematch went beyond what many expected. The topsy-turvy matchup saw Wall build a 14-0 first-half lead, lose it in second half and recover it with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to earn their second trip to a state title game (the first coming in 2013).
Landon York threw for 182 yards and two scores while the Wall defense limited Gunter to 285 yards and forced two turnovers to key the win for the Hawks, who now advance to face powerhouse Newton (14-1) in the Class 3A DII state championship game on Thursday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
When the season began, Wall coach Craig Slaughter was confident he’d have an explosive offense. After all, the Hawks returned the area’s third-leading passer in Landon York and a deep and talented group of pass-catchers, led by speedy senior Reid Robertson.
When it came to the defense, though, the veteran coach wasn’t quite as sure what to expect. Wall graduated seven of its 11 starters from last year’s state semifinalist squad, and Slaughter felt the offense may need to carry some extra weight while the defense found its stride.
As it turned out, though, the defense’s learning curve was much shorter than expected. In fact, it was basically nonexistent. The Hawks established a brisk defensive pace through a tough nondistrict schedule and have done nothing but improve since, allowing seven points or fewer in 10 of their 14 games (all victories), including a total of 14 points in the four playoff wins leading up to Friday’s clash with three-time defending state champion Gunter.
LAST WEEK: 6-2, .750
SEASON TOTAL: 540-113, .827
With six-man teams from Gordon, Richland Springs and Jayton having already qualified for next week’s state championship games in Arlington, there are three additional 11-man possibilities for the Big Country Preps coverage area in the state semifinals.
Stephenville will take on Celina in 4A DI; Brock will face Celina in 4A DII and Wall will square off with Gunter in 3A DII. All three of those games will take place on Friday, with the winners advancing to their respective title games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington next week.
All three matchups are razor-thin when it comes to looking for reasons to pick one team or the other. But frankly, that’s what we want at this time of year, so here goes nothing.
Here’s this week’s playoff forecast.
It’s one thing to pour in points.
It’s quite another to do it against difficult competition in a big-school tournament. Wylie senior Swade Sipe, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, did exactly that in last week’s Granbury tournament, helping the Bulldogs to a 2-2 mark in the challenging event.
Sipe’s weekend began with a 22-point effort in a 54-48 win over Saginaw. It continued with 12 points in a 56-50 loss to Prosper Rock Hill, 20 points in a 59-51 win over Midland Christian and a 33-point night in a 46-43 loss to Arlington Lamar.
Throughout their unbeaten run through the 2025 season, nobody gave the Wall Hawks more difficulty than Idalou in a 35-21 WHS win on Oct. 3.
However, Friday’s rematch in the Region I-3A DII title game, followed a completely different script.
Rather than a mistake-filled night on the part of Wall as in the first matchup, the Hawks forced four Idalou turnovers and ran away with the regional championship in a 48-7 rout at San Angelo Stadium.
Landon York threw for 307 yards and four scores to lead Wall (14-0) which now advances to face Gunter in a rematch of last year’s 3A DII state semifinal on Friday at 6 at Art Briles Stadium in Stephenville.
LAST WEEK: 13-0, 1.000
SEASON TOTAL: 534-111, .828
As the calendar flips to December, we’re still plenty busy here at Big Country Preps, with 10 of our teams still alive with shots at a state title.
So with out further delay, let’s take a quick look at all of this week’s matchups.
I’ll see you on the road.
Big-time performances are the norm this year for the 13-0 Brock Eagles, who earned a trip to the Region I-4A DII championship game with last week’s 66-3 win over Seminole.
At the forefront of that: This week’s Big Country Preps Player of the Week, junior running back Bryer McDonald.
And with good reason.
Not only is our Big Country Preps Player of the Week holding down the top spot with big numbers, but his performance in Graham’s 35-28 area round win over Lubbock Cooper Liberty was a virtual seminar on poise.
Helping the Steers (9-3) to overcome three separate deficits, senior QB/kicker/punter Jace Gill was 15 of 28 for 239 yards and three TDs. He also rushed 12 times for 118 yards and another score.
SNYDER — After seeing last season end in heartbreaking fashion with an emotional loss to Gunter in the state semifinals, the Wall football team has made it no secret that it plans to earn a rematch with the Tigers in the same round on its way to Arlington this season.
If there were any worries that such a mission-focused approach might lead to overlooking earlier steps in the process, the Hawks did a pretty good job of allaying those Thursday in a 50-0 area-round win over Childress at Grant Teaff Tiger Stadium.
In scoring on every possession but one in the first half, Wall built a 33-0 lead by the halftime break and never let down after, securing its second consecutive shutout and sixth of the season to earn a Region I-3A Division II semifinals date with Slaton at 1 p.m. next Friday in Sweetwater.
You have to love a great all-around performance and in the case of Brayden Henry, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, his effort in last week’s 84-25 bi-district win over El Paso Bel Air was a record-setter.
Aside from going 6 of 7 through the air or 56 yards and one TD, he also rushed five times for 137 yards and three more scores.
Coming off a breakout junior season that ended prematurely due to a torn ACL late in district play, Wylie running back Julius wasn’t having the type of senior season he had hoped to going into Friday’s Senior Night game against Plainview.
Running behind a young and often banged-up offensive line, Laine entered that matchup with 668 yards on 135 carries on the year, including a combined 139 yards on the ground in three consecutive losses leading up to the Plainview game.
On Friday, though, the 6-foot-2, 235-pound bruiser finally broke loose and found some open field — a lot of open field — in closing out his high school career with a memorable night worthy of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week honor. By the game’s end, Laine had run for a career-high 300 yards and five touchdowns, including scoring runs of 35, 39 and 49 yards, to lead the Bulldogs to a wild 70-52 victory.
Wall 71, Stanton 7 — Landon York was perfect in Wall’s season finale, hitting 8 of 8 throws for 142 yards and five TDs.
Hagyn Barbee led the way on the ground, with 59 yards on two carries. The Hawks rushed for 238 yards and three scores as a team and finished 10-0 through the regular season.
Stanton finished at 1-9.
It’s been a good while since a Goldthwaite Eagle snagged our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award in any sport. But sophomore Owen Campbell obliterated that streak with a fabulous effort in a 61-0 rout of Meridian on Friday.
His performance came on both sides of the ball, beginning with 12 carries for 144 yards and four touchdowns from his running back position.
Defensively Campbell charted eleven tackles, including seven solos, four assists and an interception from the GHS secondary.
“Owen had a tremendous game on Friday where he contributed to our win,” coach Andy Howard said. “He made a huge impact in all three phases of the game. He plays a huge role for us every week on defense, offense and on special teams.
“He continues to grow and improve as a player every week. I am proud of Owen but proud of everyone around him as well.”
Coahoma 42, Stanton 0
Coahoma had an easy time with a struggling Stanton team, rolling up 391 yards in total offense, including 257 passing yards from Austin Joslin.
CHS led 21-0 at the break and put the game away with 21 unanswered third-quarter points.
Coahoma improved to 7-2 overall and 2-1 in league play; Stanton dropped to 1-8 and 0-3.
What more can be said about the performance of Wall senior Landon York last week other than it was a model of efficiency?
Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week shredded Grape Creek in a 48-0 district win to clinch the District 4-3A DII championship.
Along the way, York connected on 18 of 21 throws for 246 yards and get this: seven touchdowns. That means one out of every three throws resulted in points.
How good of a night did he have? How about a ridiculous quarterback rating of 294.1?
Merkel 48, Stanton 9 — Easton Malone threw for 253 yards and four scores and CJ Guadarrama rushed for 93 yards and three more TDs to lift Merkel to a rout of Stanton.
The Badgers (6-2, 1-1) will next face Grape Creek on the road next Friday.
Forsan senior Hayden Bowlin had a career night last Friday and picked up our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award in the process.
To begin with, the FHS QB rushed for 280 yards and five scores in last week’s 60-27 win over Colorado City. Aside from that, he threw for 59 yards, he returned a punt 75 yards for a sixth TD and had a 34-yard kickoff return to give him 389 all-purpose yards and 36 of FHS’ points.
It’s mid-October, the weather is cooling, we have a pretty good idea of what our top football teams are and as tradition would have it, now is the time when we start talking about everyone’s postseason chances.
Having covered the Big Country since 2006, I’ve been through seasons when we’ve sent five or more teams to state championship games. And in general, we almost always send at least two, so championship chat around the water cooler isn’t unrealistic at this point.
That said, it’s time to take a quick peek at those teams that I believe have the best chance of playing for a state title in December at AT&T Stadium.
We’ll break it down into three categories: Favorites (those I expect to see in Arlington), contenders (those who might get there) and longshots (those who can get there if things line up just right).
Wall 58, Coahoma 0 — Wall’s Landon York kept his hot hand, hitting 17 of 24 throws for 333 yards and two scores to help Wall to an important league win over Coahoma.
Brady Neal led Wall (8-0, 2-0) on the ground with 107 yards rushing and three scores.
Limited to only 158 total yards, Coahoma fell to 6-2 and 1-1.
Photos courtesy of Kimberly Branch
With its sweep of San Angelo TLCA on Tuesday, the Wall volleyball team ran its District 6-3A record to a perfect 10-0 and its overall mark to 29-7.
Yet, as impressive as those numbers are, the record is not the most remarkable stat of the year for the Lady Hawks.
While forging its identity as the 6-3A “team to beat,” Wall has dropped just one set in district play.
That astounding number, coupled with the fact that Wall faced a pre-district schedule that included a bevy of quality Class 6A and 5A opponents, has the Lady Hawks primed for what could be a special season.
Slowly but surely, the Cooper Cougars have emerged as one of the most explosive teams in the Big Country. And in its latest exploit, CHS rolled up 517 yards in total offense in a 66-16 win over Lubbock Cooper.
At the top of the stat sheet: Cooper quarterback Jaden Carrillo, who hit 18 of 27 throws for 263 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed 11 times for 80 yards and another score to help the Cougars improve to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in District 2-5A DII.
His six TD passes tied a school record held by Zac Allen and Clayton Nicholas.
Wall 63, Merkel 13 — Landon York threw for 387 yards and seven TDs to keep the Hawks (7-0, 1-0) unbeaten.
Merkel, which is off to its best start in several years, slipped to 5-2 and 0-1.
The Badgers will have their open date next Friday. On the same evening, Wall will travel to Coahoma in a game that will be crucial for both teams’ hopes of winning the district.
The season’s midpoint usually offers little in the way of big-time performances, with most of the area teams taking a bye week prior to the opening of district play.
This year was an exception.
Haskell junior quarterback Haegan Pinkerton delivered an astonishing effort in last week’s 56-42 win over Seymour, that could have taken our weekly accolade at any given point in the season.
Wall 35, Idalou 21 — Landon York threw for 307 yards and two scores and Wall rushed for 95 yards via committee in a tough win at Idalou.
The Hawks improved to 6-0 in their final non-district game of the season. Idalou fell to 3-3.
As it turned out, the best game in the Big Country last week was Clyde’s dramatic 54-49 win over Muleshoe in the top shootout the area has seen thus far in 2025.
At the heart of all that mayhem was our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, CHS junior quarterback Devan Wright.
Wall 35, Sweetwater 0 — Wall (5-0) remained unbeaten with a workmanlike effort against Sweetwater.
Landon York threw for 171 yards and three TDs to lift Wall, which limited the Mustangs to 183 total yards.
Sweetwater (1-4) was led by Caiden Ortiz, who threw for 108 yards and Mason Blueford, who rushed three times for 45 yards.
Wylie junior Haddie Mock was at her very best against difficult competition last week, helping the Lady Bulldogs to wins over seventh-ranked 3A Bushland (25-8) and 21st-ranked 4A Stephenville last week.
Mock finished a whopping combined total of 19 blocks in the two matches to help the Lady Bulldogs improve to 24-7. She also had 16 combined kills.
Coahoma 15, Albany 12 — The Bulldogs earned an always-tough win at Albany (3-1) by limiting the Lions to only 131 yards in total offense.
CHS in the meantime, finished with 268 total yards, led by Austin Joslin, who threw for 167 yards and two TDs.
Coahoma improved to 4-0 with the win.
TUSCOLA — With all the press coverage garnered by the Wall offense in recent weeks, the Hawks dished out a stark reminder during Friday’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week: They can play a little defense too.
Handing Jim Ned a 24-0 loss on its homefield, the third-ranked Class 3A DII Hawks limited the Indians to 153 total yards (including 20 yards rushing on 26 carries) and just eight first downs to get the win.
When Craig Slaughter took over at Wall less than two years ago, he knew what needed to happen.
The Hawks had some special players coming through their football program. And Slaughter wanted those guys to get the ball in space.
While quarterback Landon York has generated his fair share of headlines, York has benefitted from a strong collection of receivers led by seniors Reid Robertson, Kellen Oliver and Hagyn Barbee.
LAST WEEK: 53-15, .780
SEASON TOTAL: 107-29, .787
This week’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week, Wall at Jim Ned, has a checkmark in most of the key boxes.
A high-profile game? Check. A battle of unbeatens? Check. A rivalry game? Check. A game of importance? Check, yes, check —even for a non-district game. Is a large crowd expected? Check.
So even during a week where there are multiple matchups of interest in our area, the spotlight game was relatively easy to select.
Here’s this week’s Big Country Football Forecast. I’ll see you on the road.
Some people like to write off the non-district portion of their football schedules, labeling it as meaningless. Some people even like to refer to it as “preseason.”
Well, that’s a misnomer. Preseason games are known as scrimmages.
Nondistrict games count on your official record, they are part of players’ season statistics, they contribute to our state records, they influence statewide rankings and like it or not, many of them are quite important.
I’ll give you a prime example.
Friday in Tuscola, our Big Country Preps Game of the Week will feature the Wall Hawks (2-0) facing Jim Ned (2-0) in a contest that doesn’t mean a thing in terms playoff seeding. Yet it will mean a great deal for both teams to prep for what they hope will be lengthy playoff runs.
Continue reading “BIG COUNTRY PREPS NOTEBOOK: Wall, Jim Ned have “value game” approaching”
Merkel 29, Bangs 26 — The Badgers are off to a 2-0 start following their narrow win over Bangs on Friday.
Easton Malone threw for 157 yards and four scores to lead Merkel, which earned the win with only 235 yards in total offense.
Bangs (0-2) was led by Jason Tidwell, who rushed for 183 yards and two scores.
Photo provided by Randy Day
Milestones catch our eye when selecting our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, as do great weekly performances. But when both occur at the same time, you can rest assured that player will be in the running for the top spot.
This week the spotlight goes to Comanche senior outside hitter J’Lee Salinas, who not only helped the Maidens to the Heart of Texas Tournament Championship in Brownwood, but she also hit the 500-kill milestone in process.
Merkel 38, Ballinger 26 — Sophomore standout Easton Malone threw for 319 yards and four scores as Merkel stunned Ballinger on the road to snap a 10-game losing streak.
Malone, who also rushed for 26 yards and another score, hit six different receivers, including six passes to Kaden Blubaugh for 190 yards and four scores.
Merkel’s last win came on Nov. 3 of 2023 in a season finale at home against Millsap (41-20).
WALL — While Mother Nature wasn’t cooperative for the Wall Hawks before their season-opener with Mason on Friday, a lightning delay of more than an hour didn’t appear to hurt WHS’ efficiency.
The Hawks rolled up 409 yards in total offense while limiting the Punchers to only 208 in a 48-7 rout at Hawk Stadium in the Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
Landon York threw for 168 yards and three scores while four different Hawk running backs found the end zone to highlight the Wall offensive effort.
“A great win,” Wall coach Craig Slaughter said. “We got out of it healthy, it’s a great start, the snowball is rolling and let’s get ready for next week against the Brownwood Lions.”
Coahoma 51, Kermit 0 — Coahoma rushed or 126 yards and two scores and Austin Joslin threw for 178 yards and three TDs to help the Bulldogs improve to 3-0 on the year.