Category: Wylie Bulldogs

by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Graham volleyballer takes Player of the Week with a Noble effort

Overwhelming. If there were a one-word description for last week’s performance by six-foot Graham senior Lillian Noble, that would be it. 

Noble, a four-year varsity player who has already committed to Oklahoma Baptist, was far and away the most dominant player in both a 3-1 win over Wichita Falls Memorial and a 3-1 loss to Glen Rose last week. 

Her combined totals: 54 kills, 23 digs and 12 blocks — making her the most effective two-way player the area saw on both sides of the net last week.

“Lillian has become a true utility player for us this season,” coach Marci Faulk said. “It’s exciting to see her embrace this new role and have so much success doing so!”

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Wylie, Memorial and Lubbock Cooper open league play with wins

Wylie 49, Wichita Falls Legacy 19 — Julius Laine ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries to fuel a 302-yard rushing effort for the Bulldogs in a district-opening  rout of the Leopards.

Bear Meng added 182 yards and two touchdowns passing for Wylie (3-1, 1-0), which increased a 30-7 halftime lead to 49-7 before Legacy scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns against the Bulldogs backups.

Continue reading “DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Wylie, Memorial and Lubbock Cooper open league play with wins” →

by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wylie hammers Wichita Falls Legacy in district opener

As the clock ticked down during the fourth quarter of Wylie’s 49-19 win over Wichita Falls Legacy in a District 2-5A Division II football game, an unusual chant started to break out on the Bulldogs sideline.

“Bry-son! Bry-son! Bry-son!”

When junior Bryson Baker lined up at wide receiver, the chant turned into a full-blown pandemonium of cheers. Continue reading “GAME STORY: Wylie hammers Wichita Falls Legacy in district opener” →

by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 4 REPORT: Cooper earns first victory; Palo Duro knocks Amarillo High

Abilene Cooper 53, Lubbock Coronado 7 — JQ Scroggins and Peyton Ewing both eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark, and the CHS defense was dominant as the Cougars broke into the win column with a blowout victory over the Mustangs. 

Scroggins ran for 137 yards and a touchdown, while Ewing rushed for 102 yards and a score of his own to help lead a 359-yard rushing effort for Cooper (1-3), which also got 119 yards and two touchdowns passing from Austin Cummins and 56 yards and one TD receiving from Zavian Alexander.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Efficient offense, clutch defense fuel Stephenville to 49-27 win over Wylie

The Stephenville offense was sharp as a tack and the defense came up with four big stops on its own end of the field Friday to spur the Yellow Jackets to a 49-27 win over Wylie in a battle of unbeatens at Hugh Sandifer Stadium.

SHS piled up 508 yards of offense, scoring on every full possession but one to build a 28-7 halftime lead and tamp down a Wylie rally after the break, spoiling the Bulldogs’ homecoming with its fourth consecutive win to open the season.

Wylie, which finished with 481 total yards, passed for 377. But four fruitless trips into Stephenville territory proved too much to overcome in a game that was never closer than 14 points after halftime.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Rattlers play host to Comanche

LAST WEEK: 47-11, .810
SEASON TOTAL: 141-59, .705

After nosediving in Week 2 with one of the worst pick records I’ve ever had, the column rebounded in Week 3 with an .810 percentage to push my overall tally over .700 again. 

As for this week’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week, Mr. Yale Youngblood will be on hand in Tolar to cover Comanche’s road game with the Rattlers in what should be a fun one.

I’ll be heading to Ballinger, where the Bearcats (3-0) will play host to Brady (2-1) in a battle of upstarts. 

Let’s dive into this week’s picks: 

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 3 REPORT: Wylie, Lubbock Cooper and Memorial cruise to wins

Wylie 41, Lubbock Coronado 12 — After a slow start, the Bulldogs pulled away from the Mustangs, scoring 34 unanswered points to turn a 12-7 second-quarter deficit into a blowout win.

Bear Meng passed for 169 yards and two touchdowns, while Jaegan Smith (10-111, 1 TD) and Julius Laine (5-74, 2 TDs) led a 295-yard rushing attack in the win, which improved Wylie to 2-0 on the year.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Wylie runs away from Lubbock Coronado for comfortable road win

Photos by Annie Rice, HubCityPreps.com

LUBBOCK — Trailing 12-7 early in the second quarter, the Wylie football team responded with 34 unanswered points to bury Lubbock Coronado 41-12 in a nondistrict matchup Thursday at Lowrey Field.

The Bulldogs scored 20 points in the second quarter and tacked on two more touchdowns in the third to put the game away before the start of a scoreless final period.

Coach Clay Martin’s team racked up 464 yards, including 295 on the ground, while limiting the Mustangs to just 205 total yards in improving to 2-0 on the season.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Glen Rose visits Brownwood (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)

LAST WEEK: 46-28, .621
SEASON TOTAL: 94-48, .661

Abysmal. 

That’s about the only adjective that comes to mind when trying to describe my Big Country football picks, which are off to the single worst start through two weeks that I’ve ever experienced in 18 years of covering area football. 

A percentage of .621 after two weeks of play is beatable by throwing darts, flipping coins, or even consulting with your local horoscope page. Yet here I sit, trying to dig myself out of the hole I’ve created. But enough of that, Glen Rose at Brownwood is our Big Country Preps Game of the Week, in a week filled with interesting matchups. 

Let’s have a look at them:  

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 2 REPORT: Wylie, Lubbock Cooper and Palo Duro stay perfect with wins

Wylie 29, Lubbock Monterey 28 — Bear Meng passed for 277 yards and two touchdowns while adding another score on the ground to fuel the Bulldogs to a season-opening win over the Plainsmen.

Wylie, which had its Week 1 game at Brownwood canceled by lightning, led 20-14 at halftime and 26-14 early in the third quarter, before Monterey (0-2) responded with back-to-back touchdowns to enter the fourth quarter with a 28-26 lead. The score stayed there until the 3:42 mark of the final period, when Noah Rehburg hit a 25-yard field goal for what proved to be the winning points.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wylie escapes with narrow win over Lubbock Monterey in season opener

With the way the second half had gone, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Gio Cardenas was going to hit a walk-off 30-yard field goal for Lubbock Monterey on Friday night at Hugh Sandifer Stadium.

Wylie, meanwhile, was sending the house to try and block the attempt to win its season opener after having last week’s game against Brownwood canceled by lightning.

In the end, Monterey sophomore holder Noah Alexander couldn’t handle the snap, allowing the Bulldogs to escape with a thrilling 29-28 win.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DIV. II WEEK 1 REPORT: Abilene Cooper drops opener; LCP, Palo Duro and Memorial all score wins

Azle 41, Abilene Cooper 34 — Leading 20-19 at halftime, the Cougars couldn’t hold off the Hornets in the second half, being outscored 22-14 over the final two quarters to drop a thriller in the season opener for both teams.

Hagan Hughes rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns and King Stephens added 108 yards and three touchdowns on the ground for Azle, which also got 191 yards and one TD passing from Derrek Vowell in a 485-yard effort.

Cooper, which had 333 yards of total offense, was led in rushing by Peyton Ewing (14-74), in passing by Austin Cummins (16-29-0—195, 2 TDs) and in receiving by Zavian Alexander (6-95, 1 TD). 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Albany travels to Stamford in Game of the Week

LAST WEEK: 0-0, .000
SEASON TOTAL: 00-00, .000

Week 1 is often loaded with difficult picks and 2024 is no exception. 

Our first slate of games this year has a number of contests that could have qualified for the Big Country Preps Game of the Week. But we finally settled on Albany at Stamford for the spotlight. 

The two-time defending state 2A DII state champions, minus several key players lost to graduation, facing a Stamford club bringing back most of its skill and a ton of speed. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

WYLIE FEATURE: Talented safety Wright hoping to have his best season yet as senior

As a sophomore in 2022, Hayden Wright was a breakout star, intercepting nine passes in his first year as a starter to help Wylie to a 10-4 campaign.

Challenged by coach Clay Martin and his defensive staff to become more of a complete safety last season, his coverage stats took a bit of a dip, but he still played a pivotal role in the Bulldogs’ run to the area round.

Now entering his final high school season, Wright is hoping for his best year yet. And Martin would be surprised, frankly, if he doesn’t accomplish that goal.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2024 WYLIE FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Bulldogs looking to sustain, build on recent success

After posting a combined 18-8 record over the past two years, the Wylie Bulldogs are entering a campaign off consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2016-17. 

The goal — and expectation — now for coach Clay Martin’s squad is to make winning seasons and playoff berths the norm at WHS again.

In the pursuit of sustained year-over-year success, Martin will have another good group to work with in 2024. The Bulldogs have five starters back on both sides of the ball among 39 returning lettermen. 

While the fifth-year Wylie mentor, who has coached four of the Bulldogs’ six seasons at the Class 5A level, will have some questions to answer and holes to fill, he likes his chances of putting another winning product on the field this fall.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

WINTERS FEATURE: Blizzards to lean on strong O-line group to get Wing-T rolling

Winters coach Matt McCarty has big plans for his Blizzards during the upcoming football season. That’s “big,” as in the collective 1,000-plus pounds the team’s starting offensive line weighs this season.

If/when Winters begins turning the tide as a program after a 1-9 campaign last fall, the five guys charged with opening holes and protecting the quarterback will likely lead the way.

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by Daniel Youngblood

COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Cooper Cougars, Wylie Bulldogs and Abilene High Eagles … one day to two-a-days

Football is just around the corner, and we at BigCountryPreps.com are committed to bringing you the information you need to prepare for your favorite team’s season.

We’ll be releasing our Big Country Preps Preseason Football Preview, the most comprehensive look at the upcoming Big Country football season anywhere, on Wednesday, Aug. 21. But you won’t have to wait until then to sate your gridiron appetite.

Leading up to the first day of fall football practice on Aug. 5, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2024 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

Today, we take a look at the Cooper Cougars, the Wylie Bulldogs and the Abilene High Eagles.

Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Cooper Cougars, Wylie Bulldogs and Abilene High Eagles … one day to two-a-days” →

by Evan Ren

Evan Ren’s 2024 Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (the hardest-working baseball and softball players in the area)

OTHER 2024 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS TEAMS

Our All-Big Country Preps Softball and Baseball Teams, released Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, are in place to honor those who achieved the most on-field success in 2024. It is off the field, however, where character, grit, and work ethic are often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team that we wish to honor those players, male and female, who were (simply put) the hardest-working, best teammates in the area this spring. 

This team isn’t about who the best baseball and softball players were.

The All-Hustle team honors effort, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches wish they had in every player and upon which championships are built.

It is for that reason that this team is largely selected by area coaches and described in their own words.

Big Country Preps is now honored to present these individuals to you — the best team players (boys and girls) that the the Big Country had to offer during the 2024 season.

The players below are listed in no particular order. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Five-run sixth lifts Argyle to come-from-behind win over Wylie to clinch series sweep

CLEBURNE — Facing elimination after dropping the opener of its Region I-5A semifinal series to Argyle 12-0 on Thursday, the Wylie baseball team looked poised to even things up and force a deciding third game Saturday at the Cleburne High School baseball field.

But leading 4-0 after 5½ innings, the Bulldogs saw the wheels fall off in a five-run bottom of the sixth, leaving them on the wrong side of a heart-wrenching 5-4 loss and a two-game sweep at the hands of the Eagles for the second straight season.

The defeat marked the fourth consecutive year that Wylie was eliminated in the fourth round of the Class 5A playoffs, ending another successful campaign at 30-8.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie rides fast start to Game 3 win over Abilene High, advances to I-5A semis

Facing off with crosstown rival Abilene High in a winner-take-all Game 3 with a trip to the Region I-5A semifinals on the line, the Wylie baseball team wasted no time taking control Saturday, using a six-run first inning to build a lead it would never relinquish in a 14-4 win at McMurry University’s Walt Driggers Field.

The Bulldogs followed the big first inning with two more runs in the second to increase their early lead to 8-0, before relying on a wild — but effective — pitching performance to take the win home.

The Wylie trio of Tye Briscoe, Garrett Salada and Collin Bruning combined to no-hit the Eagles, pitching around 10 walks and two hit batters to keep AHS from ever clawing its way back into the game.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High, Wylie set for winner-take-all Game 3 after splitting first two games

After two days of baseball, nothing’s been settled in the Region I-5A quarterfinal series between Abilene High and Wylie.

Playing in front of standing-room-only crowds Thursday and Friday at McMurry University’s Walt Driggers Field, the Eagles and Bulldogs split the first two games of the high-profile crosstown affair, with WHS taking a weather-suspended Game 1 by a 6-1 margin and AHS responding with a 7-5 victory in Game 2.

Those outcomes, both arrived at Friday due to Thursday’s opener being stopped by lightning in the top of the seventh inning, mean the first all-Abilene playoff meeting since 1996 will go to a decisive third game, giving local fans one more chance to pack Driggers Field for a winner-take-all matchup at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Continue reading “GAME STORY: Abilene High, Wylie set for winner-take-all Game 3 after splitting first two games” →

by Daniel Youngblood

PREVIEW: Abilene High, Wylie set for first crosstown baseball meeting in postseason since 1996

Before last week’s Region I-5A quarterfinal softball series between Abilene High and Wylie, two local teams hadn’t met in the playoffs since 2001. 

With the AHS and Wylie baseball teams set to repeat the feat this week at McMurry’s Walt Driggers Field, the Eagles and Bulldogs will be snapping an even longer drought in their sport.

That opener of that series, set for 7 p.m. Thursday, will mark the first crosstown baseball game in the postseason since 1996, when Cooper edged Abilene High 6-5 in a one-game playoff on their way to the state semifinals. And with a trip to the region quarterfinals on the line, both the Eagles and Bulldogs are preparing for what promises to be a weekend to remember for local players, coaches and fans.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

SIGNING DAY: Fourteen Cooper athletes, Wylie’s Salada make college decisions official

It was a special afternoon on Wednesday inside the Cooper and Wylie gyms as 15 local athletes from a variety of sports made their college decisions official in a pair of signing ceremonies.

Cooper had nearly all of the signees as 14 seniors signed for their future with their families, friends, coaches and community members filling the bleachers of Cougar Gymnasium.

At Wylie, meanwhile, Garrett Salada was the lone signee, taking a brief break from his prep for this week’s Region I-5A quarterfinal series against crosstown rival Abilene High to solidify his pledge to Luna Community College in Las Vegas, N.M.

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Wylie, Abilene High secure sweeps to earn crosstown matchup in I-5A quarters

The Abilene High and Wylie baseball teams passed their area-round tests over the weekend, each sweeping El Paso-area schools to earn a crosstown matchup in the Region I-3A quarterfinals later this week.

Abilene High took down El Paso Ysleta 5-1 and 12-1 to improve to 4-1 in the postseason, while Wylie knocked off Canutillo 2-1 and 9-5 to stay perfect in the playoffs at 4-0.

The series between the Eagles and Bulldogs is set for Thursday, Friday and Saturday at McMurry’s Walt Driggers Field.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Small ball helps Lady Eagles shut out Wylie, advance to region semis for first time since 2003

When Amyah Starks suffered a season-ending knee injury in an early-season tournament, the Abilene High softball team was forced to find a new offensive identity with their slugger sidelined.

The Lady Eagles perfectly executed their small ball mentality in a five-run fourth inning, getting just a leadoff single in the frame as they finished off a Region I-5A sweep of crosstown rival Wylie with a 6-0 win Saturday morning at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field.

Despite being sidelined, Starks said she’s having as much fun this year she’s had in her four years in the program.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Big fifth inning fuels Abilene High to 7-0 win over Wylie in series opener

The series opener between Abilene High and Wylie was the pitcher’s duel many expected for 4½ innings Friday at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field.

But when the Lady Eagles finally broke through against Lady Bulldogs starter Halli Russell in the bottom of the fifth, they did it big, pushing across seven runs to turn a scoreless thriller into a comfortable 7-0 win and take a 1-0 series lead in the best-of-three Region I-5A quarterfinal clash.

The victory, which improved Abilene High to 24-13-1 on the year, has the Lady Eagles within one win of their first trip to the fourth round of the playoffs since 2003 — something they’ll try to secure when the series resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday back at ACU.

Continue reading “GAME STORY: Big fifth inning fuels Abilene High to 7-0 win over Wylie in series opener” →

by Daniel Youngblood

PREVIEW: Abilene High, Wylie softball teams set for crosstown ‘showcase’ with trip to fourth round on the line

Since 2018, the city of Abilene has had at least one team reach the third round of the softball playoffs every year but 2020, when no postseason was played due to COVID.

A local team has reached the fourth round of the playoffs in three of the last five completed seasons.

With Abilene High and Wylie set for a Region I-5A quarterfinals series Friday and Saturday at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field, that’s already guaranteed to happen again this season. The only question is which of those two surging teams it will be that represents the Key City in the region semifinals next week.

Continue reading “PREVIEW: Abilene High, Wylie softball teams set for crosstown ‘showcase’ with trip to fourth round on the line” →

by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: AHS rallies past Plainview in three, Wylie sweeps Caprock

The Abilene High and Wylie baseball teams both won their opening playoff series over the weekend, with the Eagles surviving a wild three-game set with Plainview and the Bulldogs comfortably sweeping Amarillo Caprock.

After cruising to an 11-3 win in Game 1 on Thursday, AHS found itself down to its final outs on Friday, thanks to a 5-3 loss in Game 2 and a 3-0 seventh-inning deficit in Game 3. But the Eagles rallied for four runs in their final at-bat to extend their season with a 4-3 walk-off win on a bases-clearing double by Beckham Paul.

Wylie had considerably less trouble with Caprock, following a 6-0 shutout in Game 1 on Friday with a 12-2 rout in Game 2 a day later to end the series without the need for a third game.

With the series victories, both teams advance to the Region I-5A area round this week, where Abilene High will take on El Paso Ysleta and Wylie will face off with Canutillo.

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Abilene High, Wylie softball teams sweep way into I-5A quarterfinals

The Abilene High and Wylie softball teams enjoyed a successful weekend, each sweeping their area-round series to advance to the Region I-4A quarterfinals, where they’ll play each other on Friday and Saturday.

Abilene High earned its second consecutive series win over a higher-seeded team, following its bi-district series victory over District 3-5A champion Amarillo High with an impressive showing against District 2-5A runner-up El Paso Ysleta. The Lady Eagles rallied past the Lady Indians for a 4-3 win in Game 1 before run-ruling Ysleta 11-1 in Game 2 to clinch the sweep.

Wylie, meanwhile, dispatched of District 1-5A runner-up Canutillo, following a 16-6 run-rule victory in the series opener with a hard-fought 7-6 win in Game 2.

The Lady Eagles and Lady Bulldogs will now meet in the third round of the playoffs after splitting their two district matchups. That series will be played at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field, opening at 6 p.m. Friday, before resuming with Game 2 ( and Game 3, if necessary) on Saturday, beginning at noon.

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Abilene High rallies to eliminate Amarillo High; Wylie blasts Tascosa

Entering the second game of their respective Region I-5A bi-district series at Lubbock Cooper, the Abilene High softball team was hoping force a third game and Wylie was hoping to avoid one. Both accomplished their mission.

The Lady Eagles rebounded from Friday’s 5-0 loss to Amarillo High to sweep the Lady Sandies on Saturday, winning Game 2 by a 7-2 margin and taking the deciding third game 6-2, while the Lady Bulldogs backed up a 10-2 win over Amarillo Tascosa in Game 1 with a 18-4 win in Game 2 to cruise past the Lady Rebels.

With those results, both Abilene High and Wylie are headed to the area round, where the Lady Eagles will face off with El Paso Ysleta and the Lady Bulldogs will play Canutillo next week.

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Wylie routs Tascosa in series opener; Amarillo High too much for Abilene High

Opening the playoffs on opposite ends of their district’s seeding spectrum, the Wylie and Abilene High softball teams found opposite results in their respective postseason openers on Friday at Lubbock Cooper.

Wylie, District 4-5A’s No. 1 seed, had little trouble with Amarillo Tascosa in a 10-2 victory in Game 1 of a best-of-three bi-district series, while fourth-seeded Abilene High ran into a buzzsaw in a 5-0 loss to Amarillo High.

Both the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Eagles will conclude their first-round series on Saturday back at the Lubbock Cooper softball field for Games 2 and 3, if necessary.

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