by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie bounces back from loss to Abilene High with run-rule win over WF Memorial

The Wylie baseball team bounced back from Friday’s 5-0 loss to Abilene High in a major way Saturday afternoon, pounding out 12 hits — seven for extra bases — in a 14-2 home win over Wichita Falls Memorial.

With a turnaround of less than 24 hours between Friday’s District 4-5A opener and Saturday’s matchup with the Mavericks, the Bulldogs weren’t afforded any time to dwell on the loss to the Eagles or the two-hit shutout they faced at the hands of flamethrowing right-hander George Ferguson.

But the immediate return to the field proved beneficial, as Wylie pounded out five first-inning runs on its way to the run-rule victory. Coach Grant Martin’s team would tack on seven more runs in the fourth, making an easy winner of Dylan Regala, who took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, before surrendering pair of runs on a couple of hits and two walks.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Missed opportunities cost Abilene High in 3-2 softball loss to Wolfforth Frenship

Trailing by one with runners on second and third and no outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Abilene High softball team looked poised to rally for a walk-off win over Wolfforth Frenship in its nondistrict finale Friday at the AHS softball field.

But a series of unfortunate events left the Lady Eagles with a 3-2 loss on a frustrating night where missed opportunities were a recurring theme.

AHS had a runner gunned down at the plate in the first inning and failed to cash in on a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the fourth, which left the game tied at 1-1 until the top of the sixth, when the Lady Tigers scored a pair of runs to set up the seventh inning’s dramatics. Down 3-1 in their last at-bat, the Lady Eagles didn’t flinch, getting a leadoff single from Jazlynn Johnson-Burns and an RBI double from Avah Reyes around a Leilani Valero walk to narrow the gap to one, but the rally would end there due to an out on the basepaths and back-to-back strikeouts with the bases loaded.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Clutch hitting, Ferguson’s gem lift Abilene High to win over Wylie

With temperatures approaching 90 degrees on Friday afternoon, Abilene High and Wylie took to the field for their hottest baseball games of the season in a District 4-5A tilt at Blackburn Field.

The Eagles saw junior pitcher George Ferguson throw a complete game two-hitter on a season-high 110 pitches as they improved to 2-0 in district play with a 5-0 win over the Bulldogs, who fell to 0-1 in district.

Ferguson battled through cramps on the hot day as he struck out 14 in an effort that coach Brad Harman simply called gutsy.

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by Daniel Youngblood

CLASS 2A DII BOYS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Steed, Gaylor help Lipan avenge title game loss to Martin’s Mill

SAN ANTONIO — Just under a year ago, the Lipan boys basketball team sat dejected in a postgame press conference, reeling from a 55-43 loss to Martin’s Mill in the Class 2A Division II state championship game that kept the Indians from claiming their third straight title.

No one took the loss harder than then-junior Darius Steed — the elder-statesman on a young LHS team, who vowed at the time that he’d go immediately to work to fix the mistakes he made that contributed to that loss and the feelings of disappointment he felt after it.

On Thursday, the 6-foot-7 senior post player made good on his word, dominating the paint and glass as the Indians avenged that defeat with a 47-34 win over the Mustangs at the Alamodome. The victory marked the sixth state championship for the Lipan boys program and the third in four tries for Steed, the lone senior on the Indians roster.

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by Daniel Youngblood

CLASS 1A DII BOYS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Jayton routs Kennard to complete rare three-peat

SAN ANTONIO — The top-ranked Jayton Jaybirds made history Thursday, blasting Kennard 78-45 in the Class 1A Division II championship game to become the first Class 1A boys basketball team since the early 1980s to claim three consecutive state titles.

The Jaybirds, who were making their fourth straight trip to the Alamodome and sixth since 2019, overwhelmed the state-rookie Tigers, closing the first half on a 14-4 run to build a double-digit lead they would only add to the rest of the way.

The victory made Jayton the first program ever to complete a three-peat on the hardwood while also claiming back-to-back state football championships. And in the process, it further established the senior trio of Bode Ham, Sean Stanaland and Colt Gentry as one of the most successful group of athletes in the history of Texas high school sports.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Late surge lifts Dallas Carter over Brock in Class 4A DII state semifinals

ARLINGTON — Amarion Hunter scored 16 points, Terrell Jackson added 14 and a tenacious Dallas Carter defense recorded eight steals as the Cowboys defeated Brock 52-44 in the Class 4A Division II state semifinals Tuesday night.

The victory improved Carter’s record to 30-6 and earned the Cowboys a trip to San Antonio on Friday for a chance to win the state championship. They will play LaMarque, which beat Houston Wheatley 68-67 in the other semifinal game.

The loss snapped a 12-game winning streak for the Eagles, who finished with a 28-10 record.

A sellout crowd at the Arlington ISD Athletic Center saw a great basketball game for most of the evening. But, in the end, it was the end of periods that sealed the Eagles’ fate.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Top-ranked Jayton rallies from early hole to knock off Whitharral, earn fourth straight state trip

LUBBOCK — The top-ranked Jayton boys basketball team had its mettle tested by Whitharral in its Class 1A Division II state semifinal matchup against the Panthers on Monday at Frenship Memorial’s Panther Pit.

But the Jaybirds showed the type of resolve you’d expect out of a two-time defending state champion, rallying from eight points down in the second quarter to grind out a 41-36 win and earn their fourth straight trip to the state title game in San Antonio.

In a game that saw four ties and 10 lead changes, coach Ryan Bleiker’s squad pulled ahead for good in the final two minutes of the third quarter, before holding off WHS in the fourth to improve to 28-3 on the year. The Jaybirds will now await the result of Tuesday’s matchup between Milford and Kennard to see who they will play for the championship at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Alamodome.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: And yet another Gaylor takes our weekly accolade

A week after Lipan’s Court Gaylor took our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award, yet another Lipan player has done the same thing. 

And by sheer coincidence, her last name is Gaylor as well. 

This time around it is freshman guard Sydni Gaylor, Court’s Younger sister, who has taken the accolade after leading the LHS girls to a Class 2A Division II state title in San Antonio on Thursday. 

Helping the Lady Indians to a 42-35 over perennial power Martin’s Mill, Sydni finished with 23 points and was voted by attending media as the game’s MVP. 

And the good news (at least for Lipan) is, this kid is only a freshman. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Jim Ned outlasts Wall in slugfest in District 6-3A softball opener

EULA — For the second straight season, the District 6-3A opener between the Wall and Jim Ned softball programs was impacted by the girls state basketball tournament in San Antonio.

In 2025, Wall delayed the scheduled game by one day because of the Jim Ned girls basketball team playing for a state championship. Following the season, the decision was made to push back district play by one week to avoid having the situation repeat itself — only to see the basketball season get pushed back by one week. Returning the favor from last season, Jim Ned coach Erica Jones was more than willing to push the game to Saturday.

After the massive rainstorm early Saturday morning rendered Jim Ned’s field unplayable, the programs were faced with a dilemma — find another field or postponement.

Ultimately, they moved the game to Pirate Field and played after Eula’s softball tournament concluded, and Jim Ned fended off No. 12 Wall 13-10 in an offensive slugfest under the lights. Runs were scored in every half-inning of the contest except for the top of the third.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Munday holds off Water Valley to earn first state semifinals appearance since 1985

ABILENE — With four trips to the region quarterfinals or deeper since 2019, including regional semifinals appearances in 2023 and 2025, the Munday boys basketball team has been knocking on the door of a state run for most of coach Adrian Daniel’s eight-year tenure at the school.

On Friday, the Moguls finally banged that thing down.

Facing the same Water Valley squad that eliminated them in a 46-40 heartbreaker last season, Munday stood tall against the Wildcats on Friday, overcoming a pair of extended runs to earn a 52-47 victory at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum.

The win advanced the Moguls to the state semifinals for the first time since 1985, matching the program’s deepest run since Munday Dunbar fell to Crane Bethune in the Prairie View Interscholastic League title game in 1961.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Gaylor, late run propel Lipan past district rival Graford, into state semis

MINERAL WELLS — Court Gaylor scored 29 points to lead Lipan to a 51-40 victory over District 11-2A rival Graford on Friday night before a loud, sellout crowd at the Mineral Wells High School Gymnasium.

The win gave the Indians a three-game sweep of their nemesis this season and bumped their record to 37-1. They’ve now won 35 straight games.

Still, what set off the biggest celebration in the Lipan stands was affirmation that Coach Brent Gaylor’s squad remains in the hunt for the school’s third state championship in the past four years — and the fourth since the 2017-18 season.The Indians will play undefeated Gruver (23-0) at a neutral site early next week, with the winner going to San Antonio for the state title game on Thursday.

Graford finished its season with a 30-5 record.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: First-quarter run against Lubbock Cooper Liberty sends Brock to the state semifinals

CLYDE — When the boys basketball teams from Lubbock Cooper Liberty and Brock met in tournament play over the Christmas break, the Patriots held on for a 53-52 win after the Eagles closed the game on a 10-3 run.

Friday brought a rematch in the Region I-4A Division II championship game, and the two squads went toe-to-toe for 28 minutes of action at Clyde’s Bulldog Gym. But it was the other four minutes that made the difference as Brock claimed a 56-42 win.

Brock junior guard Eli Paez hit a career milestone in the first quarter when he sank a free throw for the 1,000th point of his career. He finished with a game-high 17 points as the Eagles rode a strong finish to the first quarter to the victory and into next week’s state semifinals.

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by Evan Ren

CLASS 3A DII GIRLS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Wall shuts down Nacogdoches Central Heights to win state title (box score included)

The Wall Lady Hawks pose with their state championship trophy after defeating Nacogdoches Central Heights for the 3A DII title at the Alamodome on Friday.

SAN ANTONIO — Under state championship pressure in front of a large crowd at the Alamodome, the Wall Lady Hawks called on an old friend to help them defeat Nacogdoches Central Heights 49-34 for the Class 3A Division II title on Friday. 

Their buddy: half-court defense — the same defense that limited 20 of their last 25 opponents to 40 points or less. It was again the key to a Wall win, holding Central Heights to a dismal 11-of-51 tally (21.6 percent) from the floor. That’s the same Central Heights team that defeated newly crowned 3A DI state champion Hitchcock (51-50) earlier this year.

Jewels Johnson had nine points and 10 rebounds and McKenzie Lopez had 11 points and four boards to lead Wall (37-3), which never trailed from the opening tip to the final buzzer. Johnson earned game MVP honors, adding three assists and three steals to her stat line. 

Central Heights finished at 32-6, led by Peaches Gallien with 15 points. 

“We preached (defense) all year,” Wall coach Silas Crisler said. “We preach it, preach and preach it. Because we know that offense won’t travel with you every single time.

“We want to be the toughest team in Texas and we showed that today.” 

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by Evan Ren

CLASS 2A DII GIRLS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Freshman leads Lipan past Martin’s Mill for state title (box score included)

SAN ANTONIO — The combination of great team defense, a dominating effort on the glass and an eye-popping performance from a ninth-grader lifted the Lipan Lady Indians to the Class 2A Division II state title on Thursday.

Freshman Sydni Gaylor scored a game-high 23 points while Kynzi Callaway and Skylar Harrison added seven points apiece to lead Lipan (35-5), which handed perennial power Martin’s Mill a 42-35 defeat at the Alamodome. It was the fourth state championship for Lipan in 12 state tournament appearances. 

Martin’s Mill (30-6) was led by Kara Nixon with 17 points, Teeley Salazar with seven and McKenna Wise with six.

“Win or lose, I was not ready for this season to be over,” Lipan coach Amber Branson said. “These girls are the most joyful kids I’ve ever been around. 

“And all glory goes to God, because they love each other, they love their friends, but they love Jesus even more and it shows every day..” 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

AISD TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: Local, area teams have solid showing on opening day of action

On the opening day of the Abilene ISD Invitational Tournament, Abilene High and Cooper both picked up a pair of wins while Wylie split its two games as offenses took advantage of a howling wind that was blowing out at all three ballparks during nearly all of the dozen games that were played on Thursday.

In addition to the success of the three local schools, Wall picked up wins over Arlington Sam Houston and Copperas Cove with Brock and Brownwood going a combined 1-3 — the lone win coming by Brock against Wylie.

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by Evan Ren

CLASS 1A DI GIRLS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Eula falls to Broaddus in rematch of last year’s title game (box score included)

SAN ANTONIO — Entering Thursday’s Class 1A Division I girls basketball state championship game with Broaddus, Eula coach Josh Fostel was concerned with two key areas — turnovers and rebounding.

As it turned out, the Lady Pirates performed reasonably well in both areas (minus-2 in turnovers and minus-5 in rebounding). Unfortunately for Eula, an unforeseen disparity at the foul line proved fatal, as the Lady Pirates were just 4 of 11 at the stripe in a 52-42 loss in the Alamodome. Broaddus, by comparison, was 15 of 29 while winning its second straight state title, both of which have come against Eula.

Kaylynn Quinney scored a game-high 22 points and Jaila Mitchell added 12 more to lead Broaddus (36-5), which overcame an early 10-4 deficit to get the win. Eula (36-3) got 18 points from Emma Damron and nine from Kamryn Franklin.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Lady Hawks edge Paradise in state semifinal thriller (box score included)

COMANCHE — Throughout the playoffs and much of the season, the Wall Lady Hawks have been able to put the opposition away with big runs, spurred on by its defense. And in Tuesday’s Class 3A DII state semifinal against Paradise, that seemed to be the case when Wall built a 12-point lead by the 6:31 mark of the fourth quarter. 

There was just one problem: Paradise didn’t get the memo. And by the 3:11 mark had cut the gap to 1 in what eventually became a nail-biting 54-51 Wall win at the Comanche ISD Special Event Center. 

Jewels Johnson scored a game-high 23 points and Kennedi Graves tossed in 15 more to lead Wall (36-3), which now advances to face Nacogdoches Central Heights (32-5) in the state championship game at 1 p.m. on Friday in the Alamodome in San Antonio.  

Paradise (33-5) was led by sisters Jayci and Hartley Barnes with 14 points apiece.  

“I told the girls that I’m speechless,” Wall coach Silas Crisler said. “Paradise is a great basketball team and (PHS coach Mike) Barnes does an excellent job. 
“They really fought. We had them down by 12 and then we had then down by seven with two minutes to go, but they kept fighting and throwing punches.” 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: New Home slips past Roscoe 66-61 to end Plowboys season in regional semis

SNYDER — After narrowly escaping their first matchup against New Home with a  65-59 win in a tournament game in December, Roscoe coach Russell Best and his Plowboys knew they’d be in for a fight in Tuesday’s Region I-2A Division II semifinal.

The second meeting proved no less competitive than its predecessor, but this time it was the Leopards who prevailed, ending Roscoe’s campaign with a thrilling 66-61 victory in front of a packed and boisterous crowd at Tiger Gym.

The Plowboys erased a nine-point fourth quarter deficit to tie the game at 58 with 4:25 to play, but Zack Armes’ last of eight 3-pointers kicked off 8-2 run in the final 2:12 to lift New Home to the win in a contest that saw four ties and seven lead changes over its duration.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Luft, Preston power Ira past Robert Lee into showdown with top-ranked Jayton

ABILENE — Ira and Robert Lee entered Tuesday night’s Region II-1A Division II semifinal at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum unranked and knowing that the winner would have a tall task with top-ranked Jayton waiting for them in the regional final.

Robert Lee entered the game having won its first two playoff games this season by a combined 100 points, while the Bulldogs followed an 18-point win over Strawn to open the playoffs with a 74-72 win over Benjamin in overtime on Friday.

Tuesday night, it was Ira who jumped out to a fast start and cruised to a 51-30 win as Hudson Luft scored 29 points and Noah Preston added 16 more to send the Bulldogs to the regional championship game for the first time since 2011, when they lost to Bronte. Ira has never made it to a state semifinal.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Eula finds shooting touch in third quarter to earn berth in championship game

ABILENE — Eula senior Emma Damron didn’t pull any punches when she said that the Lady Pirates didn’t play their brand of basketball in the first half of Monday night’s Class 1A Division I state semifinal matchup against Spur at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum.

The third quarter, however, saw the Lady Pirates turn things around in a hurry in a 48-34 win over the Spurettes, propelling Eula to its second consecutive state championship game as the Lady Pirates look for the first title in school history. Eula will play the winner of Tuesday’s game between Broaddus and Dodd City at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Alamodome in San Antonio for the title.

Damron, playing with five stitches above her left eye after suffering a big gash in Eula’s regional championship win over Hermleigh on Thursday, scored just nine points on Monday. But she made several crucial plays on the defensive end as EHS turned a two-point halftime deficit into a 15-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Nazareth holds off furious Gordon rally to advance to state championship game (box score included)

SNYDER — With Nazareth leading Gordon 16-5 after one quarter and seeing that lead expand to 28-13 late in the second, it wasn’t difficult to think that the Swiftettes were on the verge of dominating Monday’s Class 1A DII girls state semifinal. 

Nazareth coach Eric Schilling, however, knew better. He fully expected the top-ranked, unbeaten Lady Longhorns to make a run and that’s exactly what happened as the Swiftettes escaped the Western Texas College Coliseum with a 48-46 win. 

Kambri Cleavinger scored 20 points and Lexi Ramaekers added 14 more to lead Nazareth (32-6), which advances to the state championship game where it will meet either Saltillo or Nueces Canyon on Thursday at 1 p.m. in San Antonio’s Alamodome. 

Gordon finished its campaign at 34-1, led by Faith Garnett with a game-high 23 points. Marley Jackson and Stoney Bauer added nine and eight points respectively. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Lipan PG Gaylor nabs honor with pair of strong playoff performances

Entering the week at 35-1 and ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, the Lipan Indians have won 33 straight games since suffering their only loss of the year to Class 4A Dallas Roosevelt in mid-November.

At the heart of that success has been standout point guard Court Gaylor, who performed at a high enough level in LHS’ first two playoff games to claim our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. 

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by Mike Lee, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Goldthwaite girls capture unlikely 3rd straight regional basketball title

Photos contributed by Terry Thompson

Jayden Stewart passes to a teammate against Burton.

GOLDTHWAITE — Expectations surrounding the Goldthwaite Lady Eagles weren’t that high this season, even though they were the two-time reigning Region IV girls’ basketball champions.

After losing seven seniors from last year’s Region IV winner, Goldthwaite did return two all-state players in juniors Kenley Howard and Rylee Greenway. A third junior, Angelica Oosthuizen, missed her entire sophomore season because of a knee injury.

But the remaining varsity spots had to be filled with players who had never played on the varsity. A 2-7 start had some locals just hoping for a playoff berth.

Once the playoffs were made with a 20-12 regular-season record, a bidistrict win followed by an area loss to state-ranked Port Aransas seemed to be Goldthwaite’s ceiling.

But last Friday, Goldthwaite beat Burton, another state-ranked opponent, 42-31, giving the Lady Eagles (24-12) their third consecutive regional championship.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Stanaland’s block, overtime run lift No. 1 Jayton to epic win over second-ranked Gordon

ABILENE — In what felt in both environment and quality of play like a state championship game, the top-ranked Jayton Jaybirds outlasted the No. 2 Gordon Longhorns for a 47-42 win in overtime Friday night at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum.

The matchup, which was being played for the second straight year in the Region II-1A Division II area round, was tight throughout with eight ties and 10 lead changes — six of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime.

But a key defensive play at the end of regulation and a 7-0 run in the extra period were enough to lift two-time defending state champion Jayton to a thrilling victory in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd of partisans for both squads.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Top-ranked Gordon girls ride second-quarter run to 46-36 win over Jayton, earn trip to state semis

ABILENE — A 13-0 run spanning the final 6:45 of the second quarter and and first 30 seconds of the third provided the difference for the top-ranked and undefeated Gordon Lady Longhorns in a 46-36 win over No. 14 Jayton in the Region II-1A Division II championship game Friday night at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum.

The first game of a highly anticipated and strongly attended doubleheader between the two schools’ basketball programs, Friday’s matchup was tied on four occasions in the first 10 minutes — the last at 14-all with 6:45 to play in the opening half. But Gordon went into halftime on a 10-0 run and opened the second half with a 3-pointer to take a game-high 13-point lead that it would defend the rest of the way.

The victory improved coach Matt Garnett’s squad to 34-0 and earned the Lady Longhorns a trip to the state semifinals, where they’ll take on 24-time state champion Nazareth early next week at a time, date and site to be announced.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Wall uses big second-half run to eliminate Coahoma (box score included)

BIG SPRING —If the rankings are correct, the Wall Lady Hawks are not only the top Class 3A team in the state, but they’ve now beaten two of the top three teams in the span of three days.

Their latest victim: The Coahoma Bulldoggettes, who entered Friday’s Region I-3A DII championship ranked second by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, only to fall 56-42 to the Lady Hawks. 

Four Wall players scored in double-digits at the Dorothy Garrett Coliseum, with Jewels Johnson and Kathrine Lewis leading the way with 14 and 12 points respectively.  Kenzzie Covert and Brynlee Graves added 10 each as the Lady Hawks improved to 35-3. 

Wall, which  toppled third-ranked Idalou in the regional semis on Tuesday, now advance to face sixth-ranked Paradise (33-4) in the state semifinals.  This will be a rematch of a previous meeting between the two teams, won by Wall, 55-37 on Dec. 30.

Coahoma closed its season at 34-2, led by Addison Schmidt with a game-high 19 points and Bree Lewis with 13.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Riddle’s 3-pointer propels crucial Brock run as Lady Eagles advance to state semifinals

MERKEL — In 2025, it took a buzzer-beating shot for the Brock girls basketball team to beat Lubbock Cooper Liberty 37-36 in the bi-district round of the Region I-4A Division II playoffs.

The stakes were much higher when the two sides met again on the hardwood Friday night at Merkel’s Badger Gym — but the result was the same as the No. 3 Lady Eagles claimed a 37-29 win in the Region I-4A Division II championship game to earn a berth in the state semifinals for the 23rd time in school history as they chase their 10th state championship.

While the state semifinals are no longer part of the state tournament in San Antonio, Brock coach Alex Stephenson said he doesn’t care where the Lady Eagles play Dallas Lincoln in the early part of the week.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Cisco girls hold off Collinsville rally to advance to Class 2A DI state semifinals

SAGINAW — Pearson Hearne scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Cisco to a 54-45 win over Collinsville in the Region II-2A Division I championship game Friday night at Eagle Mountain High School.

The victory improved the Lady Loboes’ record to 35-2 and earned Cisco a trip to next week’s 2A DI state semifinal game against Panhandle at a neutral site. A victory there would propel the Lady Loboes into the state championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, with a chance to win the first state title in school history. Collinsville finished 34-4.

Hearne did most of the heavy lifting for the Lady Loboes in the first half, scoring nine points in the first quarter and seven more in the second. Her offense and a tenacious Cisco defense helped the team build a 34-25 lead at intermission. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Baseball Position Rankings: Utility Players

After recognizing the Big Country’s top pitchers, catchers, infielders and outfielders, we wrap up our baseball position rankings series with the area’s multi-position standouts.

For the final installment in our five-part series, we take a look at the top utility players, ranking our top-10 with others to watch in 2026. 

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through these lists and are as excited as we are that baseball season is underway.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Damron plays through pain, helps Eula to regional title win over Hermleigh

BIG SPRING — Long-time Eula basketball coach Josh Fostel may have never envisioned himself as a boxing “cut man.” But after standout senior Emma Damron was tripped up and face-planted in the third quarter, the EHS mentor was quickly pressed into service.

His efforts paid off — so much so that Damron (despite leaking blood out of a nasty gash over her left eye) led the Lady Pirates to a 58-44 win over Hermleigh in the Region II-1A DII championship game at Dorothy Garrett Coliseum.

Damron, with Fostel periodically toweling the blood from her face and adjusting her bandage, finished with a game-high 27 points to lift the Lady Pirates (37-2). They will now advance to face either Spur or Bordon County in the state semifinals.  

Hermleigh closed its season at 34-3, led by Kolbie Campbell with 13 points and Syreah Callaway with nine.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Baseball Position Rankings: Outfielders

For the fourth installment of our five-part baseball position rankings series, we shift our focus from the infield dirt to the outfield grass.

After highlighting the Big Country’s top pitchers, catchers and infielders earlier this week, we now do the same with the area’s best outfielders, ranking our top 10 with others to watch in 2026.

We hope you enjoy our list.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Waco Live Oak Classical tops No. 2 Abilene Christian in title game for second straight year

ROBINSON — The Abilene Christian girls basketball team’s bid for its first state championship since 1979 came to an end Thursday with a 56-48 loss to Waco Live Oak Classical in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Class 3A state title game at Waco Robinson High School.

For the second straight year, the top-ranked Lady Falcons used a big first quarter to grab an early lead and held off a spirited effort by the Lady Panthers the rest of the way to secure a single-digit win for the championship.

After racing out to an 11-4 first-quarter lead on its way to a 47-39 win that ended a Cinderella run for ACS last season, Live Oak sprinted out to a 19-11 advantage after the first quarter Thursday, leaving the second-ranked Lady Panthers to complete a comeback that never quite materialized in finishing as the TAPPS Class 3A runner-up for the second consecutive year.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Baseball Position Rankings: Infielders

After ranking the top pitchers and catchers on the Big Country baseball scene the past two nights, we now turn our attention to the infield.

For the third installment in our five-part position rankings series, we list our top-10 infielders in the area with a list of others to watch in 2026.

We hope you enjoy reading through our rankings.

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