Category: Wylie Bulldogs

by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: AHS, Cooper earn spots in championship bracket at Cane’s Key City Classic

The Abilene High and Cooper boys basketball teams both opened the Raising Cane’s Key City Classic with victories on Thursday to earn spots in the tournament’s championship bracket, while Wylie dropped its opener and will be playing consolations games for the remainder of the three-day event.

Abilene High bounced back from a slow start to top Borger 58-45, and Cooper used a late bucket to escape its first-round matchup against Keller Timber Creek with a 52-51 win to ensure that both of the Classic’s host schools will be playing in the winner’s bracket quarterfinals when play resumes on Friday.

The Eagles (1-4) and Cougars (5-0) will be joined in the championship bracket by McKinney Boyd, Round Rock, North Crowley, Northwest Eaton, Fort Worth Wyatt and Lewisville The Colony, which also earned wins on Thursday. Plainview, Borger, San Antonio Harlan, Fort Worth Nolan Catholic, Justin Northwest, Timber Creek, Midland Christian and Peaster will make up the consolation bracket field.

Wylie, which fell 41-38 to Nolan in a hard-fought play-in game, was eliminated from title contention in both brackets but will close out the tournament with games against other teams eliminated from consolation title consideration.

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by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Local boys basketball teams gear up for Cane’s Key City Classic

The Abilene High, Cooper and Wylie boys basketball teams will all be in action this week at the Raising Cane’s Key City Classic, scheduled for Thursday through Saturday on the campuses of AHS and CHS.

This will be the second playing of the local tournament since it was resurrected in 2019. All pre-district tournaments were canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Here is the bracket for the 2021 Key City Classic. Check back throughout the weekend for scores, game recaps and photos from each of the tournament’s three days.

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by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stephenville linebacker Young takes award once again

It’s not easy for defensive players to wrestle the spotlight away from those on offense. It’s just the nature of things. 

But in the case of Stephenville linebacker Reese Young, he’s beginning to make a habit of it. 

Young, who charted 22 tackles (14 solos) in SHS’ 21-17 regional semifinal win over Argyle last week is our Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week for a second time this year. 

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by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dublin’s Teten earns honor with historic effort

With a huge passing game in Dublin’s 41-35 area-round win over Palmer, junior Chris Teten put up numbers worthy of our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week award.

But it’s only once you grasp the historical significance of the Lions’ win over the Bulldogs on Friday that you gain a full appreciation for the junior’s performance.

In hitting 19 of 26 passes for 406 yards and six touchdowns — all of which were needed to escape Joshua’s Owl Stadium with a victory — Teten was objectively excellent behind center for the Lions. Now for the kicker: the win over Palmer marked the first area-round victory in the history of the Dublin program, which is significant considering the school has been playing football for more than a century.

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by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT RECAP: Jim Ned girls blaze through Pug Parris Classic to remain unbeaten

The Jim Ned girls basketball team topped El Paso Mountain View 58-42 on Saturday at McMurry University’s Kimbrel Arena to complete a perfect run through the inaugural Pug Parris Classic and claim the tournament championship.

The No. 13 Lady Indians, who earned their spot in the title game with impressive wins over El Paso Ysleta (70-26), Lubbock Trinity Christian (69-32) and Wylie (47-36), raced out to a 17-8 first-quarter lead on Mountain View and were never threatened after in improving to 7-0 on the season.

Jim Ned’s run to the title completed a successful first run for the Pug Parris Classic, which was started by McMurry this year when the Hardin-Simmons University-hosted Polk-Key City Classic — believed to be the longest-running girls basketball tournament in the state — was not resumed.

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by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hico sophomore Booth earns the spotlight

Big numbers will generally get one strong consideration for our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. But when those numbers come against a team from a much larger classification, it quickly makes us take notice. 

Class 2A Hico’s Grace Booth did exactly that last week in a 61-57 win over Class 4A Mineral Wells, dominating both ends of the floor to lead the Lady Tigers in their season opener. 

Aside from the 40 points she poured in, Booth snagged 10 rebounds to chart a double-double. She also forced multiple turnovers (viewable on the video above), including three steals.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP 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.

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL SIGNINGS: Four Wylie baseball players, three Cooper athletes make college decisions official

Wylie catcher Landon Williams and pitcher Brooks Gay signed letters of intent with the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and Abilene Christian University, respectively, on Wednesday to headline a list of four Bulldogs baseball players to make their college decisions official during a ceremony at the Wylie Performing Arts Center.

In addition to Williams and Gay, who will continue their careers at the Division I level, second baseman J.T. Thompson signed with Division II Lubbock Christian University and third baseman/designated hitter Garrett Graham signed with Midland College.

That quartet, each member of which played a key role in last year’s run to the Region I-5A semifinals, became the latest in a long line of Wylie baseball players to earn opportunities at the next level, following a group of eight seniors who signed to play collegiately last year.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Boys Basketball Position Rankings: Guards

With boys basketball season beginning this week, it’s time to shine a spotlight on some of the players you’ll be reading about throughout the 2021-22 season.

For the first installment in a three-part series that will cover all positions on the area boys basketball scene, we’ll be taking a look at the Big Country’s top guards, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch this winter.

We hope you enjoy reading through our list.

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by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Roscoe’s Watts claims this week’s award

Nobody ever truly obtains perfection on the football field. And even if you believe you’ve achieved it, any competent coach can quickly scan the game film and point out when and where you could have been better along the way. 

Roscoe sophomore Jax Watts, however, came about as close as one can come to that lofty goal in Friday’s 61-0 win over Hamlin. 

To begin with, our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week hit 17 of 18 passes for 436 yards and six touchdowns as the Plowboys (9-1) closed the season with a nine-game winning streak and district title. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Wylie dominant in 35-0 season-closing win over Plainview

PLAINVIEW — Trey Gomez rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns, Aden Kincaid accounted for 236 yards and a pair of scores, and the Wylie defense pitched a shutout as the Bulldogs closed out their season Friday with a dominant 35-0 win over Plainview.

Unfortunately for Wylie, the win wasn’t enough to earn coach Clay Martin’s squad a playoff berth, as Rider’s win over Wichita Falls High forced a three-way tie for third where the tiebreaker rules eliminated the Bulldogs from the playoff race.

But the victory did allow WHS to end a tumultuous season on a high note at 4-6 overall and 2-3 in District 3-5A Division II play.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Posts

After focusing on the top guards and forwards the Big Country has to offer the past two nights, it’s time to shift our attention to the paint.

For the final installment in our three-part position rankings series, we list our top-10 post players for the 2021-22 season.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through these rankings, and make sure to come back next week when we’ll feature the top boys basketball players in the Big Country.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Forwards

After kicking off our girls basketball position rankings series with the guards on Tuesday, we now turn our attention to the forwards.

For the second installment in our three-part series, we rank the area’s top 10 players at that position with some others to watch for in 2021-22.

We hope you enjoy our list.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Guards

With the girls basketball season upon us, it’s time to take a look at the local and area players who will be making the biggest impact for their teams during the 2021-22 season.

For the first installment in a three-part series that will cover all positions, we’ll be focusing on the Big Country’s top guards, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch this season.

As with any such list, these rankings are subjective. We hope you enjoy reading through our selections.

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Strong senior class fueling Wylie volleyball into playoffs

The seven seniors that Wylie volleyball coach Shay Cox works with hold a special place in her heart.

Five of them were in Cox’s fifth grade PE class when she started out with the district, and Cox has enjoyed watching them grow and thrive on a yearly basis.

Entering the playoffs Tuesday with a 6 p.m. match against Amarillo Tascosa at Lubbock Coronado, the Wylie seniors are guaranteed just one more match. But both Cox and her core group of leaders are determined to extend their time together as long as possible. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Big plays undermine Wylie effort in 38-10 loss to No. 5 Lubbock Cooper

For most of the first half Friday at Hugh Sandifer Stadium, the Wylie football team executed its game plan about as well as could be expected against fifth-ranked Lubbock Cooper. 

By the time halftime hit, the Bulldogs had run more than twice as many plays as the Pirates, dominated time of possession and taken three of their seven possessions inside the Cooper 30-yard line.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they came away with just three points in those scoring chances, while Cooper combined a pair of big plays on offense with a pick-six on defense to build a 21-3 halftime lead on its way to a 38-10 win.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: With no margin for error, playoffs have already begun for Wylie Bulldogs

There’s good news and bad news for the Wylie football team heading into Friday’s home matchup against fifth-ranked Lubbock Cooper.

The good news: The Bulldogs still control their playoff destiny.

The bad news: They’ve lost all margin for error.

If Wylie is to reach the playoffs, its best — and perhaps only — path is through the Pirates this week and the Plainview Bulldogs in their District 3-5A Division II finale next Friday. With wins over both, coach Clay Martin’s Bulldogs will reach the postseason for the second consecutive season. With losses to either, they’ll very likely miss the playoffs for the third time in four years.

With those circumstances accepted and the stakes known, the Wylie players and coaches are treating each game as though the playoffs have already begun. And while the challenge before them is a steep one, they’re determined to tackle it head on.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie volleyball sweeps Cooper to take momentum into the playoffs

  Having already clinched the No. 2 playoff seed out of District 4-5A, the Wylie volleyball team didn’t necessarily need a Senior Night win over crosstown rival Cooper on Tuesday at Bulldog Gym.

But with the postseason approaching, the Lady Bulldogs played as though they did, taking care of business in a 25-14, 25-15, 26-24 sweep to head into the playoffs on a 6-1 run. 

Coach Shay Cox’s squad, which improved to 30-13 win the victory, closed out its district schedule with an 8-2 record, while ending the Lady Cougars’ season at 16-23 overall and 3-7 in league play.

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by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sweetwater QB Holsey snags this week’s accolade

It’s never a surprise to see Sweetwater senior quarterback Leo Holsey among the top performers in our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week column. 

Since his freshman year, the four-year starter has topped our weekly list multiple times, including this week after helping Sweetwater to a 61-37 win over Pecos on Friday. 

Holsey only threw 15 passes, but he connected on 12 of them for 364 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed six times for 75 yards and two more scores, giving him a direct hand in 439 yards and seven TDs. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Bearden’s game-winning FG lifts Wylie to crucial win over Canyon Randall

With their back against the wall after a disappointing loss at Wichita Falls High last week, the Wylie Bulldogs left themselves no choice but to beat Canyon Randall on Friday night at Hugh Sandifer Stadium if they hoped to get back in the playoff picture in District 3-5A Division II.

Entering the game at 0-2 in league play, the Bulldogs knew their cleanest — and likely only — path to the postseason was a 3-0 finish to the regular season. And to get to 3-0, they had to first go 1-0 against the Raiders.

Fueled by a shutdown defensive performance, a handful of timely drives and one heck of a clutch kick by senior Grayson Bearden, Wylie accomplished the first phase of its mission, edging Randall 16-13 on a 45-yard field goal by Bearden with 59 seconds remaining in the game.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Cisco to battle Coleman with top seed in the balance (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)

LAST WEEK: 35-11, .760
SEASON TOTAL: 322-74, .813

This week’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week will send me south to historic Hufford Field in Coleman, where the Bluecats (6-0) will play host to perennial power Cisco (6-1) in what is essentially the District 4-2A Division I championship.

Opened way back in 1934, Hufford is one of the Big Country’s oldest and most unique venues and if you are looking for a game to go to on Friday, this one will not only offer some good football, but some nostalgia as well.

The immense rock wall surrounding the field was built in 1940 by the Works Progress Administration or WPA as the nation battled its way out of The Great Depression.

Hope to see you there.

Here are this week’s picks:  

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