Tag: Area football

by Brandon McAuliffe

BCP Week 3 Six-Man Roundup

Shutouts are very uncommon in six-man football, and last week there were only 24 of them statewide. Four involved teams from the Big Country.

Area teams were 3-3 in such games with Blanket topping Lingleville 46-0, Robert Lee taking Santa Anna down 60-0 and Jayton blanking Chillicothe 56-0.

Throckmorton was the only area team to be on the wrong end of the scoreboard in such a game that didn’t feature two Big Country squads. The Greyhounds were kept off the board in a 46-0 loss to Lubbock Home School.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

Yellow Jackets sting Wylie 41-28 (w/ photo gallery)

Facing their third consecutive road game to start the season, the eighth-ranked Stephenville Yellow Jackets marched into Bulldog Stadium and used a dominant defensive performance to take a 41-28 win over Wylie on Friday night.

Stephenville’s defense forced five turnovers in moving to 2-1 on the season, while Wylie dropped to 0-3.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Bulldogs host Yellow Jackets in search of first win

STEPHENVILLE (1-1) AT WYLIE (0-2)

7:30 p.m. Friday at Bulldog Stadium, Abilene

What it means: This is the continuation of what has become a fun rivalry in recent years. The Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets have played seven times in the past eight seasons, with the only gap in that timeline coming in 2013. The teams met in the playoffs in 2012, when Stephenville scored a 59-28 win in the Class 3A Division I state quarterfinals, and the past four meetings had all been district contests, with Wylie taking three of those games. The Jackets hold a 4-3 advantage in the series, winning the 2017 matchup 33-20, but neither team has won more than three games in a row.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 3)

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 Evan Ren’s Twitter polls for each matchup.

For those interested in voting, polls go up on Monday night each week and close Thursday evening.

Disagree with our picks or the Twitter consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

BCP Week 2 Six-Man Roundup

After a series of shocking results in the opening week of the season, this past weekend was devoid of such upsets.

One of the early season surprises has been the Aspermont Hornets, who have knocked off Newcastle (66-18) and Jayton (76-38) in succession to open 2018.

The matchups last week we were looking forward to were Eden-Rotan, Lometa-Blanket and Loraine-Bronte, all of which were expected to be close affairs. Unfortunately, the Eden-Rotan matchup was washed out by the severe weather that hit the Big Country last week.

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN: Big Country picks Week 2

LAST WEEK: 33-19, .634        

SEASON TOTAL: 33-19, .634

Whenever perennial powerhouses Cisco and Wall square off, it’s a candidate for the spotlight, and this year is no exception. 

Friday, the Big  Country Preps Game of the Week heads south, when the Loboes (1-0) visit Wall (0-1) with a fair amount of intrigue attached. 

The Hawks, who are coming off a 27-21 loss to No. 3 Class 2A Mason, haven’t started a season at 0-2 since 2008.  Yet Friday, they’ll be confronted with a Cisco team fully capable of pushing them down memory lane. 

This is too high-profile to ignore. People want to know just how good this Cisco team is and with Wall being a proven commodity, this is a great measuring stick.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 12: Evan, Daniel discuss Week 1 football results

The first week of the high school football season in the Big Country saw its share of thrilling finishes and surprising outcomes.

In this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast, Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood forego a guest to discuss all the action and excitement of the season’s opening week.

by Brandon McAuliffe

BCP Week 1 Six-Man Roundup

The Big Country’s six-man teams posted a sub-.500 record on the opening weekend of the season, going a combined 16-21.

Among the biggest developments in what was an abnormal week for this area was the shocking end to one of the longest winning streaks in the state — regardless of classification.

That was by defending Class 1A Division II state champion Strawn in the Jayton Jaybird Classic , where the Greyhounds were knocked off 51-18 Saturday by McLean, now the top-ranked in Division I.

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 5-4A Division I: Week 1 Report

Argyle 45, Stephenville 35 — The top-ranked Eagles put Stephenville  in some uncomfortable situations Friday night, but they couldn’t put the Yellow Jackets away until a fourth-quarter field goal made it a two-score game late.

Argyle bottled up running Krece Nowak like few teams have, holding the senior standout to 56 yards on 16 carries, and the Eagles limited quarterback Cole Stanley to just 13-of-37 passing. But the new Stephenville signal caller hit enough big plays to keep his team in the game, finishing with 304 yards and three touchdowns through the air.

The Jackets, who also got a defensive touchdown from Colton Accomazzo, may see 0-1 on their record, but there’s little reason to be discouraged by their opener. A competitive showing on the road against an elite team shows the type of group they have, and with some improvement, they’ll be a dangerous team come playoff time once again.

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 2-4A Division I: Week 1 Report

Mitch McLemore

Midland Greenwood 21, Big Spring 12 — Coach Mitch McLemore’s Steers looked good in their opener, holding a strong Greenwood offense to just three touchdowns while putting up 355 yards of total offense.

Most of that production came through the air, where sophomore quarterback Ethan Cortez hit on 16 of 27 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. That Big Spring’s quarterback play was so solid against a talented and experienced defense is a good sign for the Steers going forward because this is a team with a lot of skill talent around that position.

Mark my words: Big Spring’s losing streak, which hit 26 games with Friday’s loss, is coming to an end in the near future — perhaps even this week at Sweetwater.

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 1-4A Division II: Week 1 Report

Snyder 27, Littlefield 14 — The Tigers did exactly what they needed to do Friday in their season-opening win at Littlefield, executing well enough on both sides of the ball to get out with a comfortable win over an outmanned Wildcats squad.

It wasn’t always pretty, but Snyder shut out the Wildcats over the first two periods and led 27-7 in the fourth quarter before Littlefield tacked on a window-dressing touchdown with about a minute to play in the game.

J.J. Burns had a big game for the Tigers, rushing for 123 yards and a touchdown on just 17 carries to get coach Cory Mandrell’s squad off to a positive start in 2018.

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 4-3A Division I: Week 1 Report

Tripp Jones

Brock 41, Brownwood 10 — This game told us two things: First, the Eagles are every bit as good as advertised and second, the Lions have some work ahead of them if they hope to contend in the hyper-competitive District 5-4A Division I.

Brock not only went into Gordon Wood Stadium and handed Brownwood a loss, but coach Chad Worrell‘s squad dominated the Lions from start to finish, taking a 14-3 lead into halftime before finding its offensive stride in the second half.

Running back Toby Morrison rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Tripp Jones hit five of nine passes for 165 yards and three scores. But perhaps most impressive was the job Brock’s 10-1 defense did in limiting the Tommy-Bowden led Brownwood offense to just 155 total yards.

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by Daniel Youngblood

District 13-3A Division II: Week 1 Report

Shay Easterwood

Ballinger 20, Brady 19 (OT) — The Bulldogs just missed earning their first win of the Shay Easterwood era Friday, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort or confidence. In fact, after answering Ballinger’s touchdown in overtime following four quarters that had yielded a 13-all stalemate, Brady elected to go for two and the win.

The Bulldogs didn’t end up converting — Kelton Bernard was tackled by Ballinger’s Cooper Bean to end the game — but the effort against what is widely expected to be an improved Ballinger squad would seem to validate Easterwood‘s talk of improvement over the offseason.

Brady, which got 65 yards from  Ryan Decker and 61 from Bernard on its way to a 228-yard rushing day, couldn’t snap its now 15-game losing skid in Week 1. But the Bulldogs will get another chance this week at Haskell, and any team that sleeps on Easterwood’s squad is likely to end up regretting it.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Preseason Position Rankings: Kickers/Punters

After recognizing the top offensive and defensive players throughout the Big Country, it’s time to honor the specialists.

We conclude our eight-part preseason position rankings series by naming our top three punters and kickers to watch this fall.

We hope you enjoy this list and that you have enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kickoff the 2018 season.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Preseason Position Rankings: Quarterbacks

A week into our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we’ve finally gotten to the gunslingers.

To complete our look at the best offensive players in the Big Country, we’ve ranked our top-10 quarterbacks with a list of others to watch in 2018.

Enjoy the list and let us know what you think about it in the comments section below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 11: Evan, Daniel catch up with Dublin coach Bob Cervetto

When Bob Cervetto took over the Dublin football program, the Lions hadn’t won a playoff game in almost five decades. In the  seven seasons since, Dublin has twice reached the area-round in football and experienced a higher degree of athletic success during the winter and fall seasons.

This week, the always-upbeat Cervetto took some time to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about his positive outlook on coaching and life, the state of the Dublin athletic program and what keeps him coming back each year on this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.

Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss the Big Country’s most intriguing storylines heading into the 2018 high school football season.

by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Preseason Position Rankings: Running Backs

As we wind down our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we’ve finally arrived at the Big Country’s top ball-carriers.

After breaking down this year’s crop of receivers and tight ends yesterday, we move now to the area’s top running backs, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch in 2018.

Read and enjoy, and let us know who you’re most excited to see run this fall in the comments section below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Preseason Position Rankings: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

We’re now past the halfway point in our eight-part preseason position rankings series, and it’s time to look at the Big Country’s top pass-catchers.

After starting the offensive portion of our series Sunday with the big boys up front, we now shift our attention to the playmakers on the edges, ranking our top 10 wide receivers/tight ends with a list of others to watch in 2018.

Enjoy the list and feel free to share your thoughts on our selections in the comments section below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Preseason Position Rankings: Linebackers

After taking a look at the area’s top defensive linemen on Thursday, it’s now time to examine those who will backing them in 2018.

Continuing with Big Country Preps’ eight-part preseason position rankings series, here’s our top-10 linebackers to watch this fall as well as a list of the others we’re expecting big things from.

Disagree with our selections or feel we left someone out? Let us know in the comments section below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 10: Al Pickett joins guys to talk “Brother’s Keeper” movie, more

Al Pickett
Al Pickett

In his more than 30 years as a part of Abilene’s sports scene, Al Pickett has done a little bit of everything. In addition to serving as the sports editor of the Abilene Reporter-News for 15 years, Pickett has been the play-by-play voice for numerous local high school and college teams, hosted his own radio show, “Let’s Talk Sports,” and authored five books about sports in Abilene and Texas.

Pickett, who is both the founder and a member of the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame, took some time this week to talk about his career in sports journalism, seeing his book “Brother’s Keeper” being made into a feature film and what his future holds on this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.

Also in this episode, Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood discuss the situations each of the area’s seven 11-man coaches taking over new programs face in 2018.

by Daniel Youngblood

Adversity, brother have shaped WR Cooley

If all you know about Big Spring senior Jeremiah Cooley is that he’s a gifted athlete, you’re missing the best parts of his story.

If all you know about his brother, Michael Felton, is that he’s a junior high coach for the Steers, you’ll soon learn why.

Cooley, a Hurricane Katrina survivor, has been through a lot to get where he is today. And perhaps no one is more responsible for shaping him into the young man he’s become than Felton, who — at 25 years old; he’ll turn 26 next month — is legal guardian to Cooley and his other five siblings.

That arrangement, born about a year ago of circumstances beyond either’s control, has at times been a turbulent one. But the two have found a groove off the field that could help Cooley achieve his lofty goals on it.

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