Tag: Brock Eagles

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brock QB Moody takes this week’s accolade

I suppose we should have seen Brock’s 80-7 rout of archrival Peaster coming last Friday. 

The Eagles have been getting better and more explosive by the week as they adjust to first-year coach Billy Mathis’ offensive scheme, and quarterback Tyler Moody has only gotten more efficient along the way.

Our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week was nearly perfect against Peaster, hitting 11 of 12 throws for 239 yards and five scores. He also rushed five times for 54 yards and an additional touchdown, giving him a direct hand in seven TDs.

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EVAN REN: Cisco boys must clear difficult Lipan hurdle, Brock to get a second shot at Shallowater

The two largest boys programs still alive in Big Country Preps’ coverage area — Brock and Cisco — will both have their work cut out for them heading into this weekend’s regional finals. 

There’s no real surprise there. 

The cupcake tray was emptied four rounds ago and anyone you meet this late in the dance isn’t there by accident. 

Brock (28-2), our lone Class 3A team to retain a pulse, will square off with Shallowater in a rematch of last year’s 53-45 regional semifinal loss to the Mustangs. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. Friday at Angelo State University. Cisco, which is making its first appearance in a regional final since 1996, will tangle with perennial power Lipan in Glen Rose at 7 p.m. 

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WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN: Sans seniors, No. 1 Brock baseball was still state threat

The “What Might Have Been” feature series is Big Country Preps’ effort to celebrate area athletes who have seen their seasons affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The series will continue through June 15. If you have a suggested story for the “What Might Have Been” series, please contact Big Country Preps at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com.

During a time when most coaches throughout the area, state and country are having to wish premature farewells to the seniors on their rosters, Brock’s Hart Hering is thankful to have dodged that most painful of bullets.

The only senior slated to return for the Eagles’ 2020 baseball team, pitcher/utility man Caleb Satterfield, transferred to Pecos for the spring, leaving Hering with a squad full of juniors, sophomores and freshmen.

But if you think that made it any easier to step away from the 8-1-1 start that had garnered Brock the No. 1 ranking in Class 3A from Txhighschoolbaseball.com, you would be mistaken. Ever the competitor, Hering was looking forward to putting his young bunch up against senior-led state hopefuls from Bushland (No. 2), Breckenridge (No. 3) and Wall (No. 7), and he shared those teams’ pain when the University Interscholastic League announced it would be canceling all spring sports in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

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WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN: For Brock’s Tonips and Kizer, more than a game has been taken away

The “What Might Have Been” feature series is Big Country Preps’ effort to celebrate area athletes who have seen their seasons affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The series will continue through June 15 or until the UIL rules that high school athletics statewide may resume. If you have a suggested story for the “What might have been” series, please contact Big Country Preps at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com.

Kelsi Tonips missed much of last season and part of this season with a separated shoulder. Then just as the Brock senior third baseman and pitcher was working her way back into the lineup, the 2020 softball season was suspended indefinitely by the UIL because of the COVID-19, or coronavirus, pandemic.

The earliest athletic contests can return is May 4. The spring sports seasons may not restart at all.

“Softball is not just a game for me. It’s a big part of my life that was taken away abruptly,” said Tonips, who has played since she was 6 years old.

At least Tonips, who signed to play collegiately with Tyler Junior College, plans to play softball again. Lauren Kizer, a Brock senior pitcher and outfielder, plans to attend Texas A&M University and major in public health. This was going to be her final season of competitive softball.

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FEATURE: Brock’s Tyler a junior to be reckoned with

BROCK — She’s only 17. She’s only a 5-foot-7 junior. And she’s been tasked with leading one of the top girls basketball programs in the state through what other schools may have called a “rebuilding” year. 

Yet heading into Friday’s Region I-3A area-round game with Eastland, Brock’s Torrye Tyler has produced some of the best all-around numbers of any player in the Big Country Preps coverage area. 

A 19.9-point scoring average (ranked second by Big Country Preps), combined with 3.7 assists (seventh by BCP) and 3.1 steals (21st) bear witness to how impactful she has been in a 28-7 Brock campaign that has seen this perennial power continue to roll. 

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BCP PLAYOFF FORECAST: Six Big Country teams reach December

LAST WEEK: 8-2, .800

SEASON TOTAL: 483-92, .840

With the overall size of the Big Country encompassing more than 75 communities, one thing is nearly always certain: Somebody in a group that big is going to be good enough to make a run a state championship. 

And sure enough, heading into December, no fewer than six teams in the Big Country Preps coverage area are still alive on the road to Arlington. 

Brock, Hawley, San Saba and Hamlin have all pushed to the regional championship round in their respective classifications in 11-man, while Strawn and Blackwell have reached the state semifinals in six-man.

The task of forecasting it all falls on me, and we’re at the stage where getting it right is a real challenge. 

This column is having one of its best seasons ever on pick accuracy, consistently hitting at more than 80 percent on a weekly basis and currently holding at 84 percent on the year.  So we shall see. 

Here’s a look at this week’s games: 

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GAME STORY: Brock tops Bushland in OT, advances to regional title game

IOWA PARK — It may not have been the prettiest performance in Brock history. But when Cash Jones crossed the goal line of Friday’s 20-17 regional semifinal win over Bushland, nobody wearing blue seemed to mind. 

Trailing 17-14 following a 41-yard field goal by Baylor Gillispie in Bushland’s half of the overtime, the Eagles closed deal by pushing 25 yards in four plays, capped by Jones’ run to the right corner of the end zone.

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EVAN REN: A quick look at what Brock’s Lady Eagles will face in Austin

There is no such thing as an easy draw in the state softball tournament, so when you speak about degrees of difficulty, it’s important to realize that everything is relative at this stage.

That said, the Brock Lady Eagles have an extremely difficult road in front of them in their fourth straight visit to Austin (even by state tourney standards), with third-ranked Emory Rains (33-1) in a Wednesday semifinal matchup and either top-ranked Halletsville (36-1) or No. 5 Danbury (29-5) awaiting them if they reach Thursday’s championship game.  

Rankings aside, Brock might be leading things off with the toughest team in the 3A field. And I’ll give you two good reasons for it. 

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FEATURE: Wall’s Seider switches to catcher and quickly becomes one of area’s best

Many baseball coaches will tell you it’s difficult to build a championship team around a poor backstop. 

Stolen bases, passed balls, poor pitch management and lack of infield leadership are just a few of the problems that can arise with a sub-par player behind the plate. 

The Wall Hawks, courtesy of senior Tanner Seider, have none of the aforementioned issues.

In fact, they’re well ahead of the learning curve. 

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FEATURE: Can Brock’s Lady Eagles hit their way to a state title?

If the old saying that pitching and defense win championships is true, then perhaps its premature to give too much attention to the offensive performance of the Brock softball team. 

Then again, there is another adage that for every rule, there is an exception. And with the current numbers being posted by Brock (31-6), one may be tempted to believe that offensive production alone could push the Lady Eagles all the way to the end of the state bracket. 

Skeptical? Try these stats on for size. 

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FEATURE: Brock’s Nelson a genuine rarity among high school pitchers

It is an accepted norm that successful high school baseball pitchers require high strikeout counts. 

The reason for that is simple: aluminum bats hitting into high school defenses is a recipe for run production, forcing pitchers to take matters into their own hands. 

There are very few exceptions. Yet the Brock Eagles and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor have managed to find one in senior BHS southpaw Cooper Nelson.  

Nelson, a soft-throwing change-up specialist with razor-sharp control, has required only 49 strikeouts through 78 innings to post an 8-2 record and a microscopic 0.81 ERA.  

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GAME STORY: Brock hangs on to beat Clyde in decisive Game 2 (w/ two videos and box score)

With Brock handing Clyde a 10-0 drubbing in Game 1 of their Region I-3A quarterfinal series on Thursday, it may have been tempting for those watching to simply write off the Bulldogs in Game 2.

Brock coach Hart Hering knew better. 

With Clyde facing elimination, the Bulldogs nearly forced a Game 3, falling to Brock 8-6 at Abilene Christian University on Saturday.  

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GAME STORY: Breckenridge stuns Brock behind dazzling effort from Woodward (w/ box score, two videos and photo gallery)

BROCK — For at least three full innings during Friday’s game at top-ranked Brock, Breckenridge starting pitcher Owen Woodward was nervous, his breaking ball was hanging and he wasn’t quite sure if he and the Buckaroos were going to pull off the upset they had in mind. 

But after being staked to 1-0 lead in the third inning, the junior right-hander settled in, his curve developed a nasty snap in the late innings and he finished with a jaw-dropping three-hit shutout in a shocking 3-0 Breckenridge win. 

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GAME STORY: Brock uses big fourth quarter to eliminate East Chambers

SAN ANTONIO — Prior to Thursday’s Class 3A state semifinal with Winnie East Chambers, Brock coach Zach Boxell was concerned enough over a Buccaneer full-court press that he made it a top priority in his game prep. 

The extra effort paid off with a 58-49 Brock win at the Alamodome — pushing the Eagles (33-6) to Saturday’s state championship game where they will meet Dallas Madison (20-15) at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

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EVAN REN: Three keys for Brock and Jayton to win their semifinals

You won’t find cupcakes at a butcher shop. 

You won’t find them at the state basketball tournament either. In fact, the expiration date for easy-to-beat pastries usually doesn’t extend beyond the area round of the playoffs, depending on what the pairings dictate.  

So when I say that Big Country representatives Brock (3A) and Jayton (1A) are in for a real challenge when they open play at the state tournament in San Antonio on Thursday, a shrug of the shoulders and a raise of the eyebrows is expected. 

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FEATURE: Top-ranked Brock heads to state on a mission

For most high school basketball programs, a trip to a state tournament is a historic achievement. For the Brock boys team, it’s almost an expectation.

That’s what happens when you’ve made 12 state appearances in your program’s history, including 11 since 1992 and five since 2012.

But don’t let the Eagles’ businesslike demeanor or tempered reaction to a dominant regional run fool you: There’s nothing easy about what they’ve done this season. And though they are a confident bunch, their sky-high expectations come with a matching drive and work ethic.

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GAME STORY: No. 1 Brock routs Childress for I-3A title, gets back to state tourney

PLAINVIEW — Coming into Saturday’s Region I-3A title game against Childress with four state tournament appearances since 2012 and the No. 1 ranking in Class 3A, the Brock Eagles were expected by most to represent their region at the state tournament next week in San Antonio.

But that didn’t make the achievement of clinching yet another state berth any less satisfying for coach Zach Boxell or his squad.

Bradon Smith scored 20 points and Scott Thomas added 16 to lift Brock to a 58-40 win over Childress at Wayland Baptist University’s Hutcherson Center, improving the Eagles to 33-5 on the year and completing a dominant run through Region I in which the Eagles won each of their first five playoff games by at least 14 points.

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Daniel Youngblood: Region tourneys offer challenges for area’s three survivors

After nearly four months of basketball, just three Big Country boys teams remain.

Brock, Jayton and Eula stand alone as the area’s last remaining survivors, and each now finds itself two victories away from a trip to San Antonio for the state tournament.

The Eagles, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, must survive the field at the Region I-3A tournament in Plainview, while the Class 1A No. 9 Jaybirds and 11th-ranked Pirates will compete in the Region II-1A and Region III-1A tournaments, respectively.

Which, if any, of those teams will still be playing after this weekend? Only time will tell. But let’s take a look at what each group is up against, and what it will need to do to reach high school’s equivalent of the Final Four.

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GAME STORY: Wall girls rally to eliminate Brock (w/ two videos, box score & photo gallery w/37 images included)

PLAINVIEW — In the end, it all came down to how many extra shots were taken. 

Pounding the glass for 14 offensive rebounds, the top-ranked Wall Lady Hawks got 16 extra shots in their 56-49 win over Brock in Friday’s Region I-3A semifinal at Wayland Baptist University. 

That, combined with a 15-7 disparity in turnovers, was a handicap that Brock had no answer for as Wall (31-1) advanced to Saturday’s regional title game. There, they will face third-ranked Idalou (31-5), which closed the semifinal doubleheader with a 41-36 overtime win over Jim Ned. 

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GAME STORY: Brock uses huge third quarter to eliminate Colorado City (w/ two videos, box score and photo gallery)

CISCO — For two full quarters, the unranked Colorado City Wolves played No. 1 Brock to a near standstill at Ray Saunders Gym, heading into the locker room trailing 27-24. 

The third quarter, however, brought a stark reminder of why Brock entered this week sitting atop the rankings, with a backbreaking 20-3 run to put the game out of reach in just eight minutes. 

Bradon Smith scored 19 points and Scott Thomas tossed in 18 more to lead Brock, which then cruised to a 60-47 win. 

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GAME STORY: Brock eliminates Colorado City 36-18 behind big defensive effort

BROWNWOOD — How good was Brock’s defense in Friday’s 36-18 area round win over Colorado City? 

Good enough for the Lady Eagles to score only 36 points, yet dominate the game from start to finish. 

Olivia Lewis, Kasaundra Boxell and Evan Roberts scored seven points apiece and Jessica Leek added six to lift Brock (31-8), which advances to face Nocona (31-3) in the Region I-3A quarterfinals next week. 

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PHOTO GALLERY: Evan Ren’s Top 100 football photos for 2018

FEATURED SCHOOLS: Albany, Anson, Baird, Breckenridge, Brock, Brownwood, Clyde, Coahoma, Colorado City, Comanche, Cross Plains, Dublin, Eastland, Forsan, Hamlin, Haskell, Jim Ned, Merkel, Snyder, Stamford, Stephenville, Wall and Winters.

Photos may be purchased for $7 each by pushing the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery.

DANIEL YOUNGBLOOD: Work never done for hungry Brock Eagles

With the success the Brock Eagles have experienced since starting up their football program eight years ago, the creeping nature of complacency is a natural and constant threat.

When you’ve only once in six varsity seasons lost as many as three games in a year— and you just happened to end that campaign in a state title game — it can be hard not to take that level of achievement for granted.

But if coach Chad Worrell and his Eagles have been spoiled by their success, they have a funny way of showing it.

In fact, talking to Worrell and his players about this year’s run, which has them set to face Malakoff in a state semifinal game at 4 p.m. Friday in Frisco, you might conclude they were the Rocky Balboa in this story — toppling one celebrated opponent after another on the way to their ultimate goal.

If you’ve ever wondered how this program has accomplished what it has in such a short period of time and continues year after to year to be great, it’s in that focus and hunger that you’ll find the answer. 

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Late TD drive lifts Brock over Shallowater in instant classic (photo gallery and box included)

SWEETWATER — The Brock offense isn’t designed to strike quickly, but the Eagles showed Thursday they can when they need to.

Trailing Shallowater 21-17 with less than two minutes remaining in the game, coach Chad Worrell’s team drove 59 yards in 92 seconds, scoring on a 1-yard pass from Takota Taylor to Zakk Young with five seconds remaining to claim the Region I-3A Division I championship with a thrilling 23-21 win.

The final touchdown capped a back-and-forth affair that saw the lead change hands on five occasions, including three times in the final quarter.

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Sudden stardom: Brock’s blue chip TE Cupp hopes to finish wild ride with title

A four-star tight end prospect with an offer list “in the 20s,” Brock senior Baylor Cupp is a well-known name in recruiting circles.

It hasn’t always been that way, however.

In fact, Cupp, who is now ranked as the No. 1 tight end nationally by 247sports.com and holds offers from two of the four teams in this year’s College Football Playoff, wasn’t even sure he’d be playing Division I football after high school this time last year. But a single offer from Kansas in January started a deluge of attention that would only be quelled by his commitment to Texas A&M in April.

That meteoric rise, which saw Cupp climb from the No. 467 prospect in the nation to No. 20 in 10 month’s time, put him on the wish lists of many of college football’s most successful coaches and on fan boards from coast to coast. But it hasn’t changed who he is or the goals he has for his remaining time in Brock.

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District 4-3A Division I: Week 11 Report

Brock 77, Paradise 21 — The Eagles (9-1, 6-0) closed out the regular season with perhaps their most dominating effort of the year, building a 49-6 halftime lead on their way to a 56-point blowout.

Cash Jones (9-152, 2 TDs), Toby Morrison (10-149, 3 TDs) and Hunter Bramblett (10-134, 2 TDs) all had 100-yard rushing games as Brock piled up 573 of its 643 total yards on the ground. Paradise, meanwhile, gained 288 yards, most of which came in the second half.

Coach Chad Worrell’s team had already locked up the district’s No. 1 seed going into Friday’s game, but the victory closed out a perfect run through league play. The Eagles’ reward is a bi-district matchup against Breckenridge at 7 p.m. Thursday at Abilene’s Shotwell Stadium.

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District 4-3A Division I: Week 10 Report

Brock 43, Boyd 15 — Leading 22-15 at halftime, the Eagles (8-1, 5-0) outscored the Yellowjackets 21-0 in the second half to clinch the No. 1 playoff seed in 4-3A DI.

Boyd, now 6-3 overall, came into Friday’s game with a matching 4-0 district record, but after scoring to the tie the game at 15 with 2:43 left in the first half, the Yellowjackets allowed 28 unanswered points the rest of the way.

Brock outgained Boyd 533-327, rushing for 304 while passing for 229. Takota Taylor (5-6-0—124, 1 TD) and Tripp Jones (3-5-0—105) both topped 100 yards passing, while Toby Morrison led the running game with 139 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.

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District 4-3A Division I: Week 9 Report

Brock 58, Ponder 7 — The Eagles (7-1, 4-0) took care of business on the road against the last-place Lions, scoring the first 30 points in a dominating effort from start to finish.

Brock outgained Ponder (2-7, 0-5) by a 399-107 margin, getting a strong game from quarterback Tripp Jones, who completed four of six passes for 100 yards and two scores while rushing three times for 61 yards and another touchdown. 

Takota Taylor, who had been playing QB for the Eagles the past few weeks, had one of those touchdown receptions to go with a TD run, while tight end Baylor Cupp caught Jones’ other scoring pass, and Toby Morrison, Tommy Merrill and Zakk Young all had touchdown runs.

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District 4-3A Division I: Week 7 Report

Brock (5-1, 2-0) — Coach Chad Worrell’s squad had the week off, which could come in handy with a good Whitesboro team coming to town next.

The Eagles have played to the level of their competition some this year, but they’ve been at their best against the best teams on their schedule. If they can continue that trend through Week 8, they’ll likley cruise to an undefeated district title with Pilot Point in their rear view and games against Ponder, Boyd and Paradise coming up.

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District 4-3A Division I: Week 5 Report

Brock 49, Pilot Point 18 — The Eagles passed their first district test with flying colors, beating a solid Bearcat team by 11 more points than Class 3A No. 4 Gunter did in Week 4.

Brock, which outgained Pilot Point 445-211, took control of this one early, pushing out to a 14-3 first-quarter lead and expanding that to 17 points by halftime.

Quarterback Takota Taylor went 6-of-9 passing for 153 yards and two touchdowns, while Tommy Merrill and Toby Morrison led the rushing attack, finishing with 112 and 91 yards, respectively.

With the victory, Brock improves to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in league play heading into next week’s matchup with Bowie (1-3).

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District 4-3A Division I: Week 4 Report

Brock 20, Breckenridge 9 — The Eagles got touchdown runs from Toby Morrison and Zakk Young, and a TD pass from Takota Taylor to outlast a scrappy Buckaroo squad on a wet night.

Breckenridge scored first, and the game was tied at 7 after three quarters, but Taylor gave Brock its first lead early in the fourth with a nine-yard scoring strike to Jesse Hallmark.

After the Buckaroos pulled within 13-9 with a safety, the Eagles put the game away with Young’s TD run — a 59-yarder with 3:49 to play. Morrison led all rushers with 85 yards on 15 carries, followed by Young with 71 yards on five attempts.

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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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Eagles’ 10-1 defense the backbone to Brock’s success

On paper, the 10-1 defense employed by the Brock Eagles can look outdated and completely out of place in a world filled with spread offenses and multiple receiver sets.

After all, the defense, made famous by former Celina and Pilot Point legend G.A. Moore, had originally been designed to stop the offenses of a bygone era — the wing-T, the slot-T, wishbone and flexbone.

The scheme, however, has evolved over time to account for new offensive attacks and is still proving effective through the use of one key ingredient: relentless pressure.

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Brock Eagles in search of redemption

To call the Brock Eagles hungry might be the understatement of the year.

With 19 lettermen and 15 of 22 positions filled by returning starters from a team that fell to Rockdale (45-29) in the Class 3A Division I state championship game, the Eagles feel as though they have some unfinished business in 2018.

On paper, they have the tools to get it done.

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