Glen Rose 56, Godley 21 — Judd Connally threw for 196 yards and four scores and rushed for 192 yards and two more TDs to lead Glen Rose (1-5, 1-0) to its first win of the season.
Godley (2-4, 0-1) was led by Adam Pempsell, with 192 yards rushing and two TDs.
Glen Rose will face Hillsboro on the road next Friday; Godley will host Benbrook on the same evening.
Brownwood 42, Lampasas 39 — Judson Coalson threw for 295 yards and five scores as Brownwood knocked off previously unbeaten Lampasas at Gordon Wood Stadium.
The Lions finished with 428 yards in total offense to improve to 4-3 and 1-0.
Let by Bryson Roberts, who threw for 126 yards and four TDs, the Badgers slipped to 6-1 and 0-1.
Brock 41, Saginaw Eagle Mountain 13 — Holt Frazier threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns, and Bryer McDonald ran for 90 yards and two scores to lead the Eagles to a comfortable win over the Knights.
Charles Hibbler (2-96 receiving), Davis Lee (3-50) and Casen Christenson (4-38) all had receiving TDs for Brock (6-0, 1-0), which shut Eagle Mountain out in the second half after going to halftime up 28-13.
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.
Monahans 37, Snyder 33 — Trailing 27-23 at halftime, the Loboes outscored the Tigers 14-6 in the fourth quarter to rally for a thrilling win.
Majestic Williams accounted for four total touchdowns to lead Monahans (1-6, 1-0), including a 23-yard scoring run to put the Loboes ahead in the game’s final minute. That was the third TD run for the senior running back, who also caught a touchdown pass.
Hawley 32, Anson 26 — Aiden Romo threw for 214 yards and four scores to lead Hawley (4-2, 1-0) to a huge win over previously unbeaten Anson in the district opener for both clubs.
Hunter Teichelman led Anson (5-1, 0-1) with 314 yards passing and two scores.
Anson will face Stamford (3-3, 0-1) in a crucial matchup next Friday; Hawley will travel to Olney on the same evening.
Jim Ned 56, Comanche 3 — Cash Gwinn threw for 283 yards and three scores and Aiden Ellis rushed for 90 yards and two more TDs as Jim Ned (5-1, 1-0) won the district opener for both schools.
After building a 35-3 halftime lead, Jim Ned ended any hopes of a Comanche miracle with a 21-0 third quarter.
Comanche (3-3, 0-1) was led by Cooper Welch, who threw for 120 yards.
Hamlin 49, Winters 0 — Javier Ramos threw for 117 yards and two scores while Isaiah Hutchings and Cade Jones both added rushing TDs to lead Hamlin (5-1) to its fifth straight win since a season-opening loss to Anson.
Winters, which had won two of its last three starts, fell to 2-4.
Photos by Carter Pirtle, PressPassSports.com
AMARILLO — Facing off with Amarillo Palo Duro with sole possession of the District 2-5A Division II lead on the line, the Wylie football team spent most of Friday’s game trying to dig out of an often two-score hole.
After finding themselves down 14-0, 21-7, 28-14 and 35-21 and trimming the deficit to a touchdown each time, the Bulldogs finally leveled the score at 35 with just under two minutes remaining in the game. But Raymond Johnson IV’s third touchdown run of the night, which came with 53 seconds to play, proved too much to overcome in a 42-35 Dons victory at Dick Bivins Stadium.
The outcome dropped Wylie (4-3 overall) to 2-1 in district play — a half-game behind Palo Duro (5-1, 2-0), the only remaining undefeated team in District 2-5A DII.
After rushing for more than 300 yards in each of their first two district games — and three of their first six games overall — the Cooper Cougars seemed to be settling nicely into an identity as a power run team.
But anyone who thought the ground game was the only trick in the Coogs’ book learned differently in Friday’s 66-16 home win over Lubbock Cooper.
Sure, CHS got its yards on the ground — 249, to be exact — but it was a record passing performance by senior quarterback Jaden Carrillo that had Shotwell Stadium abuzz as coach Aaron Roan’s squad cruised to a surprising 50-point win over the Pirates.
CISCO — Entering Friday’s district opener with an explosive Stamford team, the Cisco Loboes knew they would have to control the football and keep the SHS offense off of the field to win.
Not only did they achieve that, but the Loboes also managed to hurt Stamford through the air in a 30-20 win in the Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
Colby McIlroy threw for 126 yards and one score and rushed for 62 yards and another TD to lead Cisco (5-1, 1-0 District 4-2A DI), which notched its fifth straight win following a season-opening loss to Clyde.
CLYDE — Having a drive where a team needs to gain at least 30 yards to convert a first down is usually something that can derail an offense’s momentum in a football game.
If it happens twice in a game? That’s a recipe for disaster.
Despite the odds being against them, the Clyde Bulldogs overcame two possessions where it needed a least 35 yards for a first down with a fourth-quarter rally to beat Breckenridge 22-14 at Bulldog Stadium to open District 6-3A Division I play on Friday night.
Photos by Susanna Jackson, HubCityPreps.com
LUBBOCK — Ethan Joyner ran for 178 yards and two touchdowns, and Symanni Strahan ran for a pair of scores and received for another to help Abilene High run away from Lubbock Coronado for a 35-6 win Thursday at Lowrey Field.
Led by those two, the Eagles rushed for 258 yards as a team, while limiting the Mustangs to 184 yards of total offense to improve to 5-2 on the year and 3-0 in District 2-5A Division I play.
AHS also won the turnover battle 3-1 in shutting Coronado out for the game’s final 33 minutes.
Over the past 20 years, the Wylie football program has been blessed at the outside receiver position, fielding a parade of talented wideouts with the size and speed to cause matchup problems for opponents.
After graduating Gage Heighten — and his 747 yards and 10 touchdowns — from last year, the Bulldogs were going to need a new weapon to emerge on the outside this season if they hoped to continue that tradition.
Enter junior Blaze Ruffin, who has lived up to both his first name and his last in his first year as a starter for WHS.
Blaze, the son of Wylie boys basketball coach Gregg Ruffin, from whom he inherited his height at 6-foot-3, also brings with him the speed one might expect from someone so named. The combination of those attributes, along with a tireless work ethic, have made the junior one of the area’s most explosive pass-catchers in 2025 — a most welcome development for coach Clay Martin and his offensive staff.
Week 7 is upon us, and that means most of our area six-man teams are kicking off district play this week.
While most Big Country district openers are expected to have lopsided results, there are a handful of intriguing matchups, headlined by our Game of the Week between District 13-1A Division II playoff hopefuls Gustine and Blanket.
Let’s go ahead and dive into that one and the area’s other top Friday matchups in this week’s Six-Man Lookahead column. And make sure you check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for more information on your favorite team(s).
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Abilene Christian Schools volleyball coach Arnett McClure was optimistic heading into Thursday’s TAPPS District 1-3A showdown with Fort Worth Covenant Classical that his team could get an upset win and have a shot to tie for the district championship.
His belief stemmed from a five-set loss two weeks ago to the Lady Cavaliers on the road.
Instead, it was Covenant Classical that took a 25-14, 25-14, 25-14 straight-sets win at Panther Gym to wrap up the district title.
More often than not, a football team’s season is defined in some manner by injuries. A key physical setback involving a star — or, worse, several breaks/tears/pulls to multiple players — can completely alter dreams that appeared oh, so promising back in August.
Then again …
If you’re the Hamlin Pied Pipers, you just call on the “next man up” and keep on rolling.
By halftime of the Pied Pipers’ season-opening game against Anson, coach Jason Botos had witnessed four starters being helped to the sideline by the school’s training staff. The post-game diagnosis list included a torn ACL, a broken collar bone, a broken ankle and a significantly damaged shoulder.
Not surprisingly, the final score — Anson 49, Hamlin 6 — showed the immediate toll injuries can take. What happened thereafter, however, showed a team forged amid the school’s first playoff appearance in half a decade in 2024 still hungering for that kind of success. And, injuries or no injuries, this feisty bunch plans to play to — and perhaps through — mid-November once again.
More than anything, quarterback Tyler Jackson just feels comfortable running Hico’s offense.
The senior gained confidence during the Tigers’ state-qualifying 7-on-7 campaign and learned from playing the position the past two years.
But the game has slowed down now for Jackson, who is a key reason why Hico is entering district with a 4-1 record and averaging 40 points per game.
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games, in addition to the results of our weekly fan polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Sunday night each week and close Thursday evening.
Disagree with our picks or the fan poll consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
LAST WEEK: 31-6, .838
SEASON TOTAL: 282-72, .796
A football season just doesn’t seem complete without at least one visit to Chesley Field in Cisco for our Big Country Preps Game of the Week. That opportunity is now as the Loboes (4-1) play host to Stamford (3-2) in the District 4-2A DI opener for both clubs on Friday.
This is a high-profile matchup featuring two of the most storied programs in the Big Country, so it’s a natural for our spotlight game.
Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Wednesday 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.
A year ago, it took the Wylie and Wichita Falls Memorial volleyball teams three matches to decide which of those two would ultimately hoist the District 4-5A crown.
On Tuesday, the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Mavericks resumed one of the region’s best budding rivalries, writing a new chapter that was every bit as riveting as the three that preceded it.
In repeating a little history from the first meeting last year, Wylie rallied from an 0-2 hole to knock off Memorial in five sets, claiming a thrilling 22-25, 26-28, 25-20, 25-23, 15-13 victory at Bulldog Gym to grab a leg up in this year’s district title race with the first round of league action in the books.
It was rollercoaster of a match that kept those in attendance on the edge of their seats from the first serve to the final point and left WHS coach Shay Cox needing to catch her breath and collect her thoughts after its — thankfully, triumphant — conclusion.
With three quarters of the 2025 volleyball season in the books, the Wylie Lady Bulldogs find themselves in a familiar position: contending for yet another postseason berth.
No surprise there — in each of her previous 11 seasons as Wylie’s coach Shay Cox guided her team to the playoffs. Heading into a home match against Wichita Falls Memorial at 6 p.m. Tuesday, this year’s Lady Bulldogs are 27-7 overall and 3-0 in District 4-5A. Memorial (25-5) is also 3-0 in district, so the winner of the critical battle will take the pole position as league favorite down the stretch of district play.
While the fact that Wylie is prominent, yet again, isn’t unusual, how the Lady Bulldogs became so this fall is a little unorthodox — for title-vying sports teams in general and for Cox’s program in particular.
While Week 6 was heavy on high-profile matchups, it didn’t deliver many competitive games.
All but a handful of area games were decided by 30 points or more, including all of the matchups featured in last week’s “Six-Man Lookahead” column.
It’s time now to take a look back at how those games played out, and which players throughout the Big Country Preps coverage area shined brightest in Week 6. We hope you enjoy this rewind and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for updated standings, scores and upcoming matchups.
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.
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we offer fans the chance to pick the winners of all games involving our local and area football teams. The results of these weekly polls, which will close at 5 p.m. each Thursday, will be included in our weekly Pick ‘Em Panel.
Here are the games for Week 7:
Continue reading “WEEK 7 FAN POLLS … Pick this week’s 11-man winners!”
Abilene High 24, Amarillo High 21 — Ethan Joyner ran 112 yards, while Brayden Henry ran for 111 yards and passed for 34 yards and three touchdowns to help the Eagles rally from a 21-0 second-quarter deficit to secure a thrilling win over the Sandies.
Down 21-7 at halftime, Abilene High (4-2, 2-0) tied the game with a pair of third-quarter touchdown passes from Henry. Elisha Batendji then hit a 40-yard field goal with 5:10 remaining in the fourth quarter for what proved to be the winning points.
Wylie 29, Abilene Cooper 22 — After allowing 22 points and 232 yards rushing in the first half, the Bulldogs shut the Cougars out in the second to score a hard-fought win over their crosstown rivals in our Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
Jadin Karleskint passed for 246 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a team-high 76 yards to lead Wylie (4-2, 2-0), which also got productive efforts from Blaze Ruffin (3-119, 1 TD receiving) and Julius Laine (17-71, 1 TD rushing; 2-36, 1TD receiving).
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Amarillo High football (91 images)”
All of District 8-2A Division II was idle on Friday, with district play opening next week.
Here’s a quick look at the approaching matchups:
Goldthwaite 65, Hubbard 0 — The Eagles rolled up 424 yards in total offense, whle holding Hubbard to 40 in an easy district win.
Blake Howard threw for 213 yards and four scores and added one rushing TD to lead Goldthwaite (3-2).
Hubbard fell to 2-3.
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.
Haskell 56, Seymour 42— Haegen Pinkerton passed for 221 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 182 yards and three more scores to lead the Indians to a three-touchdown win over the Panthers.
Brazos Bendle added 60 yards and two TDs on the ground and 37 yards and another score receiving for Haskell (1-1, 3-3), which also got receiving touchdowns from Zakeem Billington (2-62), Colton Gober (1-48).
Brownwwood 62, Ingleside 0
The Lions (3-3) rolled up 548 yards in total offense to reach the .500 mark for the first time this year.
Trent Buffington rushed for 111 yards and two TDs while Carson Noe and Grant Gray threw two touchdown passes each to lead Brownwood, which had built a 55-0 lead by halftime.
Limited to only 36 total yards, Ingleside fell to 2-4.
Glen Rose (0-5), idle — The Tigers were open yesterday but will see action again next Friday when they play host to Godley.
Glen Rose’s record could be deceiving. The combined record of the Tigers’ opposition thus far is 20-5 and four of those losses were by a combined 26 points (four scores).
Levelland 41, Snyder 14 — The Tigers trailed just 14-7 at halftime, but the Lobos came out the break with 20 unanswered points in the third quarter to pull away for a lopsided win.
Aedyn Claxton passed for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns and had a team-high 67 rushing yards for Snyder, which got receiving touchdowns from Kason Rinehart (5-85 receiving) and Andres Martinez.
San Angelo Grape Creek 49, San Angelo TLCA 12 — TLCA was the lone district team to see action on Friday, falling to its archrival Grape Creek in league play.
TLCA fell to 0-5 with the loss and will open district play at home against Sweetwater next Friday.
Fort Stockton 42, Big Spring 21 — Gerry Diaz threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns, hitting Nikki Sotelo seven times for 146 yards, to help the Panthers pull away for a three-touchdown win over the Steers.
Nick Almendarez added 151 yards on the ground for Fort Stockton, which outgained Big Spring 515-428 and won the turnover battle 2-0.