Category: Wylie Bulldogs

by Daniel Youngblood

BIG COUNTRY PREPS RISING STARS TEAM: The top football under classmen in the Big Country for 2024

Here are our selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team — an honor reserved for the area’s top freshman and sophomore football players. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

Continue reading “BIG COUNTRY PREPS RISING STARS TEAM: The top football under classmen in the Big Country for 2024” →

by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wylie sweeps Abilene High in 4-5A hoops in front of a packed house

With a 14-point lead at the end of the third quarter in front of a standing room only crowd, the Wylie boys basketball team looked like it was going to cruise to a win over crosstown rival Abilene High on Tuesday night at Bulldog Gym.

The Bulldogs then had to hold off a spirited comeback attempt by the Eagles, with Connel Colley’s 3-point attempt with just seconds remaining missing the mark, allowing Wylie to survive 55-52 in District 4-5A play.

It was the type of contest both Gregg Ruffin (Wylie) and Justin Reese (Abilene High) said their teams can expect in the five-team district that will only play eight games — making each matchup a crucial one.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jim Ned’s Wyatt Nickson takes first honor of 2025


Wyatt Nickson was on fire over Christmas Break.

In fact, in six games the senior guard averaged 19.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 45 percent overall and 48 percent from the 3-point line.

“Wyatt has been putting in the extra work to make himself the best scorer possible,” coach Blake Allen said. “He has been on an absolute tear and he is fun to watch play basketball”

The Indians enter this week at 12-6.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie opens district with comfortable home win over crosstown rival Cooper

The Wylie girls basketball team kicked off District 4-5A play with a dominant effort Friday, taking control early and maintaining it throughout in a 58-26 win over crosstown rival Cooper at Bulldog Gym.

The Lady Bulldogs, who improved to 20-5 on the season, scored the game’s first eight points and were never seriously threatened in building a 40-15 lead by halftime.

The victory put coach Duane Hopper’s team in an early district tie with Abilene High, which edged Wichita Falls Memorial 55-51 in Friday’s other 4-5A matchup.

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by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Wylie holds off West Plains to close out Catclaw Classic at 2-1

The Wylie boys basketball team closed out the Catclaw Classic with a hard-fought win, holding off a late rally to defeat Canyon West Plains 45-38 on Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Gym.

Leading 22-15 at halftime, the Bulldogs saw the Wolves narrow the gap to a single point on a pair of occasions in the fourth quarter. But coach Gregg Ruffin’s squad answered the final West Plains push with back-to-back 3-pointers and made all four of their fourth-quarter free throws to create some separation down the stretch.

The victory gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 record at their annual tournament and improved Wylie’s overall mark to 8-6 for the season.

Continue reading “TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Wylie holds off West Plains to close out Catclaw Classic at 2-1” →

by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Wylie splits pair of games on opening day of Catclaw Classic

The Wylie boys basketball team opened the Catlaw Classic with mixed results Friday, falling to Fort Worth Chisholm Trail 49-40 in the afternoon before bouncing back to rout Midland Greenwood 80-35 in the nightcap.

After being outscored 30-17 in the second half of their opener, the Bulldogs dominated their second game from start to finish to take a 1-1 record into Saturday’s Catclaw finale against Canyon West Plains.

Coach Gregg Ruffin’s team, now 7-6 on the season overall, led Greenwood 41-19 by halftime and outscored the Rangers 18-7 in the third quarter to ensure that it would close Day 1 of its own tournament on a winning note.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wolfforth Frenship tops Wylie 49-32 to snap Lady Bulldogs win streak

Coming off a championship run at the Granbury tournament to improve to 13-2 on the year, the young Wylie girls basketball team ran into a difficult matchup Tuesday against Wolfforth Frenship.

The Lady Bulldogs struggled with the Lady Tigers’ length on both ends of the floor, allowing a combined 34 points — almost all of those in the paint — to the post tandem of Jada Jackson and Kedan Burch in a 49-32 loss at Bulldog Gym.

After a competitive first quarter, Wylie was outscored 33-18 the rest of the way, including an 8-0 Frenship run through the final period, to see a five-game winning streak snapped with the loss.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Hot-shooting Wylie holds off furious Monterey rally, scores thrilling 65-64 win

After outscoring Lubbock Monterey 48-21 over the middle two quarters Tuesday to take a 55-36 lead into the final period, the Wylie boys basketball team appeared poised to cruise into Thanksgiving with a comfortable win over a former district rival.

As it would turn out, though, the Bulldogs would need a pair of clutch free throws and a big steal in the waning seconds to rally themselves for a thrilling 65-64 win at Bulldog Gym.

Led by Elijah Smothers, who scored nine of his team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter, the Plainsmen methodically erased a 22-point deficit over the games’ final 10 minutes and 15 seconds. But after watching the visitors take a one-point lead on a floater with 22.6 seconds remaining, Wylie’s Isaiah Carrillo was fouled with just under seven seconds left and sank two high-pressure free throws to give his team an edge it would protect with a steal on the other end.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall quarterback grabs the spotlight with huge performance

Only a year removed from running a ground-based flexbone option attack, the Wall Hawks have managed to put that approach in the distant past with a remarkable effort through the air in 2024. 

And who would have thought that making that difficult transition could have happened so quickly? 

Now, having committed to a full-blown spread attack under new coach Craig Slaughter, the Hawks have already accumulated nearly 3,000 passing yards, placing them near the top in that category among Big Country teams. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Explosive Anna squad pulls away for 56-21 area-round win over Wylie

GODLEY — Facing an Anna squad that entered the Region I-5A Division II area round averaging almost 51 points per game, Wylie coach Clay Martin knew his team would have a limited margin for error Friday at Wildcat Stadium.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they exceeded what little margin they had before halftime in a season-ending 56-21 loss to the Coyotes.

Despite the lopsided final score, Wylie had its opportunities to make a game of Friday’s contest. But the Bulldogs’ hopes of pulling off the upset slowly evaporated as Anna rode four fourth-down conversions, an onside kick recovery and a big turnover on its own end of the field to a 42-14 halftime lead.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie rides big passing game, stifling to defense to bi-district rout of EP Andress

The Wylie offense bombed away for 315 yards and six touchdowns through the air and the defense controlled the line of scrimmage from start to finish in a 46-10 win over El Paso Andress in a Region I-5A Division II bi-district matchup Thursday at Hugh Sandifer Stadium.

Behind quarterback Bear Meng, who completed 21 of 30 passes to lead the aerial assault, the Bulldogs put up 32 points by halftime. And the defense made sure that was enough to cruise comfortably into the area round.

For the game, the Bulldogs outgained the Eagles 431-203, keeping Andress out of the end zone until its final drive of the game, which spanned just 18 yards and came against Wylie reserves.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Abilene Cooper tops PD for last playoff spot; Wylie, Memorial earn wins

Abilene Cooper 44, Amarillo Palo Duro 27 — Austin Cummins passed for 104 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 55 yards and another score to help the Cougars beat the Dons in a winner-take-all matchup for the district’s final playoff spot.

Cooper (4-6, 3-3) ran for 245 yards as a team, led by Major De Los Santos with 75 yards an a touchdown on 11 carries and JQ Scroggins with 70 yards on just four attempts. Zavian Alexander (4-28, 2 TDs) and Zaylon Johnson (3-45, 1 TD), meanwhile, were the team’s leading pass-catchers.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Wylie closes out perfect district run with workmanlike win at Plainview

PLAINVIEW — The Wylie football team went into Friday’s matchup with Plainview having already locked up the No. 1 playoff seed in District 2-5A Division II with consecutive wins over Wichita Falls Memorial (45-42) and Lubbock Cooper (22-6).

But the lack of obvious stakes in Friday’s game didn’t keep the visiting Bulldogs from beating the home ones 28-17 to close out a perfect run through league play and take a six-game win streak into next week’s playoff opener.

Wylie outgained Plainview 338-196, limiting PHS to just 51 yards rushing on 25 attempts to lead from start to finish despite a 3-2 deficit in the turnover margin.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Stamford, Hawley clash in rematch of last season’s thriller

LAST WEEK: 45-8, .849
SEASON TOTAL: 464-122, .791

The regular season ends Friday night (if you can believe it) and there’s no better way to close things up than with No. 5 Class 2A DI Hawley (9-0, 4-0) at No. 1 Stamford (9-0, 4-0). 

The winner will earn the District 4 championship and No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs, so much is at stake.

I’m leaning toward Stamford here for three reasons: First, the overall team speed of SHS is unmatched by anyone in the area.

Secondly, the Bulldogs have an intangible working here — specifically a last-second miracle touchdown scored by Hawley’s

Camden Ables from 45 yards out with 0:47 left in last year’s game.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Wylie clinches title with win over LCP; Palo Duro keeps playoff hopes alive

Wylie 22, Lubbock Cooper 6 — Thanks to a stellar defensive performance, the Bulldogs never trailed on Senior Night, holding the Pirates offense to 276 yards of total offense and a pair of first-half field goals in a workmanlike win.

Julius Laine ran for a game-high 54 yards and a touchdown before being injured early in the third quarter, and Bear Meng passed for 124 yards and a TD pass to Gage Heighten (3-30 receiving) to lift the Bulldogs to the victory. Jaegan Smith also had a scoring run as Wylie (7-1, 5-0) clinched the district title.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie shuts down Lubbock Cooper, clinches district title with 22-6 win

Two weeks ago, the Wylie football team put itself in position to a win the District 2-5A Division II championship with a shootout win at Wichita Falls Memorial.

On Friday, the Bulldogs turned to their defense to finish the job against Lubbock Cooper.

Hosting a Pirates squad that came in averaging just over 40 points per game, Wylie held the visitors to 276 yards and a pair of first-half field goals on its way to a 22-6 win that served as a near perfect backdrop for the Bulldogs’ Senior Night celebration at Hugh Sandifer Stadium.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie can’t close out district sweep, falls to Memorial in three on Senior Night

Hosting Wichita Falls Memorial with a chance to clinch the District 4-5A championship outright, the Wylie volleyball team couldn’t complete a perfect run through league play Tuesday, falling to the Mavericks 25-22, 25-14, 26-24 on Senior Night.

The season split with Memorial dropped the Lady Bulldogs (22-18 overall) to 7-1 in league play, leaving them in a tie with the Mavericks (25-12, 7-1) atop the district standings.

A decision hadn’t been made after the match how that tie would be broken for playoff seeding purposes, but in diagnosing the factors behind Tuesday’s loss — and the potential need for a rubber match — Wylie coach Shay Cox said it came down to a simple lack of consistency.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 9 REPORT: Cooper pulls away from Legacy; Memorial wins thriller over LCP

Abilene Cooper 45, Wichita Falls Legacy 21 — Leading 24-21 in the third quarter, the Cougars closed the game with 21 unanswered points to pull away for a comfortable win over the Leopards and head into their Week 10 open date in position to extend their 17-year playoff streak.

Cooper (3-6, 2-3), which led 24-14 at halftime, was led by quarterback Austin Cummins, who passed for 210 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 84 yards and an additional score, while Peyton Ewing ran for 90 yards and a TD and Zavian Alexander received for 130 yards and two scores.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Loboes play host to Hawley in Big Country Preps Game of the Week

LAST WEEK:  41-10 .803
SEASON TOTAL: 367-108, .772

Football season doesn’t feel complete without at least one visit to Chesley Field in Cisco. And Friday night, the Big Country Preps Game of the Week will stop by for a crucial District 4-2A DI matchup between the Loboes (5-2, 1-1) and Hawley (7-0, 2-0). 

For Hawley, a win here will keep open the possibility of an unbeaten regular season. For Cisco, a victory would signal the beginning of a climb back into area prominence. 

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 22)

Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday at 7 p.m. roughout the regular season.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Albany’s Beal earns this week’s accolade

With the Albany Lions winning last week’s district game with Winters by a score of 60-0, there were ample opportunities for the Lions to produce a Player of the Week-worthy performance. 

They found one in senior Branson Beal, who rushed 11 times for 144 yards and five scores. He also caught a 46-yard TD pass to chart six touchdowns on the night. 

“He might have the quickest feet of any (player) I have coached,” Albany coach Denney Faith said. “Combine that with great vision it makes him fun to watch.” 

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 8 REPORT: Cooper, Wylie pick up big wins; LCP takes care of Palo Duro

Abilene Cooper 35, Plainview 23 — The Cougars outgained the Bulldogs 364-258, overcoming a couple of bad breaks early to pull away for a comfortable victory in a must-win district home game.

Trailing 10-7 in the second quarter after a couple of mistakes in special teams on on offense, Cooper (2-6, 1-3) outscored Plainview 28-13 the rest of the way, with the Bulldogs’ final touchdown coming with three seconds remaining in the game.

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Laine’s career night, Rehburg’s walk-off field goal key Wylie to thrilling win over WF Memorial

WICHITA FALLS — Feed Julius Laine. Feed Laine again. Then feed the Wylie junior tailback some more.

As Wylie and Wichita Falls Memorial kept swapping touchdowns Friday night in a crucial District 2-5A Division II contest, the Bulldogs’ strategy became obvious. Put the ball in the hands of its 220-pound bruiser and let a worn-out Maverick defense try to stop him.

The approach worked as Laine rushed for 268 yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries, the last of which moved the Bulldogs into scoring range. Kicker Noah Rehburg did the rest, drilling a 26-yard field goal at the buzzer to give Wylie a thrilling 45-42 victory on the road at Memorial Stadium.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie stays unbeaten in district play with hard-fought sweep of rival Cooper

Coming into Tuesday’s crosstown volleyball match between Wylie and Cooper, both teams were riding the high of a big win to close out the first half of District 4-5A play.

The Lady Bulldogs went on the road Friday to outlast Wichita Falls Memorial in a five-set marathon and take sole possession of first place in the league’s standings, while the Lady Cougars downed Wichita Falls Legacy at home to get a leg up on the district’s fourth playoff spot.

That momentum carried over to Tuesday as both teams played and competed well at Cougar Gym. But in the end, Wylie was too tough in a hard-fought 25-23, 25-19, 25-19 win.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche’s Terrell takes this week’s award

It isn’t often that a place-kicker nails down our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, but Comanche’s Alex Terrell has done exactly that with a pressure-packed performance in a 13-10 overtime win over Jim Ned in our Game of the Week last Friday. 

Aside from hitting a game-tying 30-yard field goal to send the contest into overtime, Terrell connected on a 31-yard field goal in the extra period to give CHS the win. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 7 REPORT: Wylie blasts Palo Duro; Lubbock Cooper routs Abilene Cooper

Wylie 70, Amarillo Palo Duro 28 — The Bulldogs dominated the Dons from start to finish, scoring at will on offense while forcing seven turnovers (six interceptions, one fumble) in a blowout win.

Wylie (5-1, 3-0) finished with 452 yards of total offense, scoring on each of its first nine possessions while adding a defensive score as well to take a 70-12 lead early in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Bear Meng passed for 186 yards and four touchdowns and added two more scores on the ground, while Julius Laine ran 94 yards and a score — all in the first half.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Near perfect offensive execution, six interceptions fuel Wylie to 70-28 rout of Palo Duro

The Wylie offense scored almost every time it had the football and the Bulldogs defense made sure it had the ball a lot, picking off Amarillo Palo Duro quarterback Julian Reese II six times in a 70-28 win Friday at Hugh Sandifer Stadium.

The Bulldogs, who scored on each of their first nine offensive possessions and added a defensive touchdown for good measure, amassed 452 yards of total offense in stretching a 35-12 halftime lead to 70-12 by the opening minute of the final period.

The victory, Wylie’s largest of the year by scoring margin, improved the Bulldogs (5-1 overall) to 3-0 in District 2-5A Division II play and provided a fitting backdrop for a halftime ceremony honoring the 20th anniversary of the program’s 2004 state championship team.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Comanche plays host to Jim Ned (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)

LAST WEEK: 32-12, .809
SEASON TOTAL: 279-91, .757

Now it’s time to get down to business. 

With most of the Big Country taking an open date last Friday as a prelude to district play, we now dive headfirst into the games that count the most.

District play opens tomorrow for most leagues in the area, the intensity of which is already tangible. 

Can you feel it? 

We’ll see you on the road. 

Here’s this week’s area picks: 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie takes care of Abilene High to stay unbeaten in District 4-5A play

The Wylie volleyball team improved to 3-0 in District 4-5A play Tuesday, smothering any upset hopes crosstown rival Abilene High had early in a 25-11, 25-12, 25-20 sweep at Bulldog Gym.

The Lady Bulldogs (16-14 overall) overwhelmed the Lady Eagles at the net, taking the visitors out of their rhythm with a towering block and an efficient attack.

That combination allowed coach Shay Cox’s squad to cruise to comfortable wins in each of the first two sets, before fending off a stiffer challenge in the third.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 6 REPORT: Wylie runs away from Cooper; Memorial rallies past Palo Duro

Wylie 29, Abilene Cooper 7 — The Bulldogs overcame an early pick-six to put up 29 unanswered points in a comfortable win over the Couagars in the Southtown Showdown.

Led by running back Julius Laine, who rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, Wylie (4-1, 2-0) outgained 323-103, using seven sacks to limit Cooper to just seven yards on the ground.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Running back Laine, stifling defense fuel Wylie to 29-7 win over rival Cooper

Coming into Friday’s Southtown Showdown, Cooper coach Aaron Roan said the key to a Cougars victory would be controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Once the game kicked off, it became apparent pretty quickly that wouldn’t be the case.

Wylie outgained Cooper 323-103, outpacing the Cougars 190-7 on the ground to cruise to a thorough 29-7 win at Shotwell Stadium. The three-score victory improved the Bulldogs (4-1 overall) to 2-0 in District 2-5A Division II action, while dropping Cooper to 0-2.

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