The 2022 football season went down as one of the greatest in Big Country history. Now, it will be fascinating to see what 2023 will bring. Albany and Hawley won Class 2A Division II and Division I state championships, respectively, last season. And that was just part of the story. Albany’s Denney Faith is the longest-tenured coach in Texas high school football. His 344 ... Read More
Baseball & Softball First Look
Will there be a changing of the guard this spring? The Stamford softball team has been the most dominant team in the Big Country over the last two years, winning a Class 2A state championship in 2021 and losing in a one-run heart-breaker in the semifinals of the state tournament last year. Gone, however, is Stamford’s ace pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez, who is now pitching for ... Read More
Basketball First Look
The road to San Antonio begins in November. While many sports fans in the Big Country are more focused on the football playoffs and Christmas shopping as 2022 winds down, high school basketball teams in the Big Country are spending November and December playing non-district games and tournaments in preparation for what they hope will be a trip to San Antonio. The University ... Read More
Football & Volleyball First Look
The University Interscholastic League, which governs high school sports in Texas, announces a new realignment and re-classification every two years. The realignment for 2022-23 and 2023-24 was announced in February. Typically, the changes primarily involve the smaller schools in the Big Country – who is moving up or down in classification and what district will teams be ... Read More
Baseball & Softball First Look
Many years, the Big Country produces only a few, if any, Division I baseball or softball players. Not this year, however. Five Big Country athletes have already signed letters-of-intent with Division I programs. With Stamford pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez having signed to play softball at the University of Texas next year, and pitchers Tate Yardley (Texas Tech) and Blain Palmer ... Read More