Category: Wylie Bulldogs

by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Bruning’s pinch-hit double propels Wylie to big sixth inning, win over Abilene High

For the better part of six innings, Friday night’s District 4-5A showdown between Abilene High and Wylie was a fan’s dream: intense, thrilling, competitive and headed down to the wire.

Enter Collin Bruning.

With the Bulldogs trailing 4-3 and down to their final four outs, Bruning came off the bench and had a pinch hit double that landed just inches fair to jumpstart a seven-run rally that propelled Wylie to a 10-4 win at Bulldog Field.

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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. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

LOCAL ROUNDUP: AHS teams pick up wins; Wylie baseball knocks off Lubbock High

Despite it being the end of spring break, the local baseball and softball teams were busy on the diamonds on Saturday, both in town and in Lubbock.

The six teams from Abilene High, Cooper and Wylie combined to go 3-3 in action.

You can read Daniel Youngblood’s story on Lubbock Monterey’s 6-2 win over Cooper in District 4-5A baseball here.

Meanwhile, Abilene High’s baseball and softball teams, along with Wylie baseball, picked up key District 4-5A wins. Wylie softball dropped a heartbreaker at Lubbock Monterey and the Cooper softball squad dropped a nondistrict game against Wolfforth Frenship.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie softball uses big fourth inning to down rival Cooper 7-4

The Wylie softball team stayed perfect in District 4-5A play Thursday, using a big fourth inning to break a 3-all tie and eventually beat crosstown rival Cooper 7-4 at Bulldog Field.

After scoring one run in each of the first three innings, the Lady Bulldogs erupted for four runs in the fourth — all with two outs — to build a lead they would protect the rest of the way.

The victory improved Wylie to 18-4 overall and 2-0 in league play, while Cooper fell to 1-2 in District 4-5A action with its second loss to a crosstown rival this week.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Fincannon fires perfecto and no-hitter to take this week’s award

You know you’re on a roll when you throw a no-hitter and it’s your second-best performance of the week. 

That was the case for Hico junior pitcher Kiersten Fincannon, not only threw a no-hitter in a 24-0 win over Meridian, but also tossed a perfect game in a 22-0 rout of Itasca. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

ABILENE ISD INVITATIONAL: Wylie gets big win over Cooper; AHS splits a pair of games

Not only did Thursday mark the opening game of the 2023 Abilene ISD Invitational, it also featured a District 4-5A matchup with the Southside Showdown between Cooper at Wylie at Bulldog Field.

Abilene High split a pair of games with schools from Wichita Falls ISD, while the Bulldogs picked up a 10-0 win over the Cougars to close out the day in a game played mainly in a heavy mist.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Big Spring senior chalks up four victories and our weekly award

It’s always a good sign early in the season when you’re getting good pitching against quality competition. And in the case of the Big Spring Lady Steers, the numbers in the circle thus far are downright encouraging. 

Courtesy of senior Alexcia Munoz, the Lady Steers are off to a 5-1 start, including a 4-0 mark from Munoz in last week’s Abilene Icebreaker tournament.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie boys see season end with 54-46 play-in loss to Lubbock Cooper

COLORADO CITY — Leading Lubbock Cooper 40-37 after the first three quarters of its District 4-5A play-in game, the Wylie boys basketball ran out of steam in the fourth Friday.

After outscoring the Pirates 32-25 over the middle two periods to pull ahead by as many as five points in the third quarter, The Bulldogs were outscored 17-6 over the final eight minutes to see their season end with a 54-46 loss at the Colorado High School gymnasium. 

Wylie closed its campaign at 13-19, capping a  roller coaster of a year that saw the Bulldogs go from a 1-4 start to district to finish 5-7 in league play and force Friday’s winner-take-all rubber match with the Pirates.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High outlasts Wylie for thrilling 48-44 win on Senior Night

In District 4-5A boys basketball, anything can happen — and it usually does.

That was was the case again Friday night, when an Abilene High squad that had lost five of its previous six games cooled off the red-hot Wylie Bulldogs with a 48-44 Senior Night win to reignite its dimming playoff hopes heading into its final game Tuesday.

That victory was part of an upset-filled night in 4-5A that saw Lubbock Cooper top Abilene Cooper 44-41 and Lubbock Coronado down district champion Lubbock Monterey 77-62 to create ties for second and fourth place in the league standings heading into the final day of games on Tuesday.

AHS (12-16 overall, 4-7 in district) remains outside of the playoff picture for now, but with Friday’s win, the sixth-place Eagles trail Wylie (13-18, 5-7) and Lubbock Cooper (17-14, 5-6) by just one game in the win column heading into their regular-season finale against archrival Abilene Cooper.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIGNING DAY: Wylie’s Borho, Fernandez celebrate college choices during belated ceremony

Wylie seniors Reese Borho and Jadyn Fernandez waited seven extra days to celebrate their college signings due to the winter storm that blew through Texas last week, but the two finally got to do so Wednesday during a Signing Day ceremony at the Wylie Performing Arts Center.

Surrounded by friends, family, coaches and teammates, Borho formally announced his signing to play baseball at Abilene Christian University, while Fernandez made her commitment to play softball for Wayland Baptist University official.

It was a special day for both players, ending a stressful recruiting process in time for each to focus on their final seasons in purple in gold.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie boys come through with huge home win over Lubbock Cooper

The Wylie boys basketball team entered Tuesday’s home matchup with Lubbock Cooper tied with the Pirates in the win column and needing a victory to maintain its hopes of claiming playoff spot out of District 4-5A.

Fueled by a packed Senior Night crowd, the Bulldogs played like a team on a mission.

After allowing the first bucket of the game, Wylie responded with a 16-2 run and never trailed again in blasting Cooper 75-55.

The win, the Bulldogs’ fourth in their last six games, improved coach Gregg Ruffin’s team to 13-17 overall and 5-6 in District 4-5A — a half-game ahead of the Pirates (16-14, 4-6) and 1½ games ahead of Abilene High (11-16, 3-7) for the fourth spot in the league standings.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Benjamin’s Rigdon on an unbelievable scoring pace

He entered last week as the leading scorer in the entire Big Country, putting up more than 37 points per game. So few will be surprised to hear that Benamin’s Grayson Ridgon has put up yet another performance worthy of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week Award. 

Yet last week’s numbers were big, even by his standards. 

Helping the Mustangs to consecutive routs of Harrold (100-36) and Crowell (93-53), the sophomore guard poured in 50 and 51 points respectively and even found time to snag a head-turning 20 rebounds in the Crowell win. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wylie boys lose thriller as Lubbock Monterey sweeps doubleheader

Martin Marshall had the look that Wylie wanted as the clock was ticking down.

The junior guard caught a pass from Hunter Hood with two seconds left and unleashed a 3-pointer from the wing in an attempt to send the Bulldogs’ District 4-5A showdown with Lubbock Monterey into overtime.

But Marshall’s shot bounced off the rim and out, allowing the Plainsmen to escape Bulldog Gym with a 56-53 win in which neither team was ever able to take complete control.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Young Wylie Bulldogs riding wave of momentum into second round of district play

With an 11-15 overall record and a 3-4 mark in District 4-5A play, the Wylie boys basketball team has faced its share of adversity this season.

In fact, due to an extended playoff run by the school’s football team that delayed the arrival of several key players and a handful of instances where others missed time to illness or injury, few teams have played more lineups or experienced more roster upheaval. 

But after a tumultuous start that saw the Bulldogs drop six of their first seven games and 11 of their first 14, coach Gregg Ruffin’s young squad seems to finally be rounding into form.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie boys win wild one at Cooper; fast start fuels Lady Cougars past Lady Bulldogs

About a second passed between the time Kam Gray’s game-tying 3-point attempt first banged off the rim and when it finally came back down to the basket. But it felt like much longer for those in attendance — and especially those on each bench. 

With his team trailing crosstown rival Wylie by three points and just over seven seconds remaining, the Cooper guard raced down the court and launched a shot from just in front of the CHS coaching staff. The high-arcing heave, which was on target but a little long, bounced high off the rim and came down over the cylinder, but after clanging off both sides of the rim it fell harmlessly to the floor, preserving a 62-59 win for the visiting Bulldogs.

The closing sequence was fitting end for a wild game that almost saw Cooper erase an eight-point deficit in the final 48.6 seconds.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wylie records sweep of Abilene High in crosstown hoops

The Wylie boys basketball team knew that it needed the student body to be rowdy in Tuesday’s District 4-5A showdown against crosstown rival Abilene High.

After a relatively quiet first quarter, the students got loud and then made a world of difference in the second half as the Bulldogs took a 54-45 win at Bulldog Gym to close out their first half of district play.

Wylie coach Gregg Ruffin was effusive in his praise of the student body and the difference it made in the game.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper boys outlast Wylie to earn 44-39 win in defensive slugfest

It wasn’t the prettiest game the Cooper boys basketball team will play all year, but the result was just what the Cougars were looking for in their District 4-5A opener against crosstown rival Wylie.

After taking a 13-11 lead into halftime and going into the fourth quarter tied at 25, CHS outscored the Bulldogs 19-14 over the final eight minutes Tuesday to escape Bulldog Gym with a 44-39 victory in a game that even coach Bryan Conover as a “rock fight.”

But the win sends the Coogs into the holiday break at 8-6 overall and 1-0 in district play, which made the ugly win seem a little prettier after the fact.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Speights’ big fourth quarter fuels Cooper past rival Wylie

Trailing crosstown rival Wylie 33-32 heading into the final quarter, the Cooper girls basketball team needed a spark to get to the finish line with a win Tuesday at Bulldog Gym.

Enter standout senior Kyla Speights.

After being limited to just six points through the first three quarters, the talented point guard exploded for 13 points in the fourth — including two big 3-pointers and a three-point play in rapid succession — to fuel the Lady Cougars to 52-41 victory.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Cooper, Wylie close Catclaw with tough losses

Cooper and Wylie both suffered tough losses on Saturday to close out the Catclaw Classic at Wylie’s Bulldog Gym as they each fell by two possessions after rallying to have a shot late in the game at the win.

The Cougars dropped a 48-43 decision to Canyon in the second game of the day before the Bulldogs were on the short end of a 61-55 decision against Fort Worth Chisholm Trail to close out the tournament.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Abilene High closes Catclaw Classic at 1-2; Wylie, Cooper drop tight ones

The Catclaw Classic has seen the three local schools struggle with a combined six losses in seven games, but it hasn’t been as bleak as it sounds.

Cooper has continued its strong performance of late, starting off with a pair of losses by a combined three points to Midland Christian and Fort Worth Chisholm Trail, while host Wylie suffered a big loss on Thursday before falling by just three on Friday.

Abilene High has had the most success in the tournament so far with one win in its three games, a 41-36 victory over Midland Christian on Friday night. The Eagles lost games to Chisholm Trail and Canyon earlier in the event.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche standout Glasgow takes top spot

Consistency and versatility always score big in our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column. 

Add a few extras to your stat sheet and play well over several games and you’ll generally end up at or near the top of our weekly list. 

That is precisely why Comanche sophomore guard Kinsey Glasgow has earned our Player of the Week award for the Week ending December 3.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Amarillo High pulls away late to claim Cane’s Key City Classic title

After North Crowley’s Eric Moore hit a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the third quarter and tie Amarillo High in the Raising Cane’s Key City Classic championship game, it seemed as though the Panthers had all the momentum.

The game stayed close throughout the fourth quarter, but the Sandies pulled away over the final 1:23 to take a 59-48 win and claim the tournament title Saturday afternoon at Abilene High’s Eagle Gym.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie’s upset bid comes up just short in season-ending loss to Argyle

STEPHENVILLE — The comeback magic finally ran out for the Wylie football team on Friday at Tarleton State University’s Memorial Stadium, but the fight never did in a 35-28 loss to top-ranked Argyle in the Region I-5A Division II championship game.

Trailing by 14 on two occasions in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs pulled within a touchdown both times, with the last earning them an opportunity at an onside kick with just over a minute remaining.

But Wylie’s hopes and season ended there, when the Eagles recovered the kick and kneeled the ball three times to escape with a hard-fought win and advance to take on South Oak Cliff in the 5A DII state semifinals next week.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Big, experienced O-line a major key to Wylie’s offensive success

Before the season began, Wylie senior Cayden Clay said the Bulldogs offensive line — and the offensive unit around it — had the potential to be among the best in the state of Texas in 2022. 

Few outside of the program likely agreed with him at the time.

But four months later, those words from the 6-foot-2, 260-pound captain look prophetic.

Behind that big and experienced offensive line, the Wylie offense has been nothing short of outstanding, averaging 37.8 points and 441.7 yards per game for the year. And thanks in large part to that production, the Bulldogs (10-3) are riding an eight-game winning streak into the Region I-5A Division II championship game against unbeaten Argyle on Friday.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYOFF FORECAST: Nine BCP teams still alive as we enter December

LAST WEEK: 11-1, .916
SEASON TOTAL: 529-120, .815

As December football arrives so will nine — count’em, nine — Big Country Preps teams retain a playoff pulse and are still hopeful of winning a state championship.

Wylie, Brock, Wall, Cisco, Hawley, Albany, Westbrook, Benjamin and Loraine will all take the field this week.

Not too shabby.

Also doing pretty well: this column, which hit with 91-percent accuracy last week despite a difficult slate of games to pick.

That said, let’s dive into this week’s games.

Here’s this week’s forecast: 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Albany’s Chapman takes the top spot

Having fought his way through a mid-season injury, Albany quarterback Cole Chapman is back in form. 

Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week was the dual threat we’ve grown accustomed to seeing on Saturday, leading the Lions (11-2) to a 35-18 whipping of formerly unbeaten Wink in the Region II-2A Division II semifinals. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Special teams lift Wylie past Canutillo and into state quarterfinals

FORT STOCKTON — It’s time to hang the “Football in December” banner at Hugh Sandifer Stadium.

The Wylie football team continued its postseason run through the Region I-5A Division II bracket with a thrilling 21-18 win over Canutillo at Fort Stockton’s Panther Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

After the game, Wylie players were quick to admit that they knew the last time the banner went up was in 2016 when the Bulldogs lost 31-17 to Carthage in the Class 4A Division I state championship.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Clutch Wylie Bulldogs comfortable with game on the line

It may seem obvious, but pressure situations are described as such because of the increased stress put on teams trying to perform in the late stages of close games.

Playing in “crunch time” is supposed to make things more difficult.

Apparently no one ever bothered to inform the Wylie football team of this.

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