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BIG COUNTRY PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Skylar Stone, QB/SS, Sr., Stamford -- He stands 5-foot-11 and weighs just 165 pounds, but Stamford quarterback Skylar Stone has found adequate compensation in two key areas: speed and toughness.

Our Big Country Player of the Week displayed both Friday, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 32 seconds to play in a 32-29 win over defending Class A Division II state champion Munday.

Stone finished with 102 yards rushing and three TD's on just 12 carries and was 8-of-16 through the air for 165 yards and another score. He also recorded nine tackles (five unassisted) and an interception from his safety spot.

"The most impressive thing about it was that he played both sides of the ball and even when he was tired he found a way at the end of the game to get it in the end zone," Stamford coach Wayne Hutchinson said. "It showed that he has great character and that he will never say die."

Stone's 4-yard touchdown run with just 12 seconds remaining put the Bulldogs over the top on their final drive -- erasing a 29-26 deficit Munday created with a 15-point fourth-quarter rally.

Fully recovered from the broken collarbone that forced him to miss half of last season, Stone scored on runs of 1 and 29 yards in the first half to go with a 40-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cash McMeans.

"It was a challenge for us," said Stone, who is certified black belt in Taekwondo. "But we felt really confident about everything and we knew we were going to go out there and win it."

Big Country top 10

Josh Bridges, QB, Sr., Cisco -- He defined "dual threat" in top-ranked Cisco's 47-22 win over No. 3 Early, rushing 17 times for 152 yards and one score.

Bridges was 5-of-9 passing for 112 yards with one touchdown, and his 23-yard interception return in the first quarter opened Cisco's scoring.

Colton Brewer, RB/SS, Sr., Eastland -- How's this for a game?

In Eastland's 41-20 whipping of Hico, Brewer rushed eight times for 81 yards and two scores. He also caught six passes for 70 yards and two more scores. Defensively he was in on nine tackles, broke up a pass and recovered a fumble.

You can take a breath now, Colton.

Cade Hollandsworth, MLB, Sr., Big Spring -- Was an absolute terror in the Steers' 20-14 win at Snyder, collecting (brace yourself) 28 tackles.

Among Hollandsworth's stats were 10 solo stops, three of which were behind the line of scrimmage, and multiple big hits.

Tyler Newberry, QB, Sr., Merkel -- Accounted for 319 total yards and three scores in Merkel's dominating 28-7 win over Jim Ned.

Newberry, a 6-foot-1, 205-pounder, produced 198 yards and two scores on 18 carries. Through the air, he finished 6-of-10 for 121 yards and a touchdown.

Just how good is Merkel? Friday's home game with Ballinger should answer that question.

Cecil Fuentes, RB/LB, Sr., Ranger -- Handed in a John Riggins-like effort in Ranger's 21-14 win over Rotan, pounding out 190 yards and two scores on 39 carries.

He also played his share of defense, gathering eight tackles (two for loss), and had two punt returns for a total of 37 yards.

Bradley Lee, QB, SR., Bangs -- Rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-19 win over Comfort, and was 4-of-12 for 82 yards and two more scores.

Lee accounted for 254 of Bangs' 350 yards in total offense and added a pair of 2-point conversion runs for good measure.

Jonathan Stiles, RB/LB, Sr., Jayton -- Was all over the field in the Jaybirds' 71-32 six-man win over Lueders-Avoca, notching 23 tackles (nine solos), with one forced fumble and one interception.

Offensively, Stiles rushed just six times, but produced 115 yards and three scores. He also caught a 71-yard touchdown pass.

Manuel Garza, WR/DB, Sr., Colorado -- Caught five passes for 145 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown with 4:39 remaining in a 27-25 victory over Reagan County.

On the other side of the football, Garza collected nine tackles (six assisted) with two pass breakups from his safety spot.

Trey Horton, WR, Sr., Goldthwaite -- Came up huge in the Eagles' 24-12 win over Collinsville at Pennington Field in Bedford, collecting seven catches for 189 yards, including a 65-yard scoring pass.

Yes, that's a receiver from ground-oriented Goldthwaite having a huge game -- not a running back.

Jarred Moylan, QB, Jr., Eastland -- Shredded Hico, hitting 19 of 32 throws for 252 yards and three touchdowns.

This is was a nice season-opening win for Eastland, which finished 2-8 a year ago and hasn't seen postseason play since 2005.

honorable mention

Ethan Coffman, RB/DE, Sr., Winters (102 yards rushing, one TD, four tackles vs. Christoval); Colby Smith, RB, Sr., Clyde (144 yards rushing, three TDs vs. Wichita Falls Hirschi); Jerimy Allgood, RB, Sr., Brookesmith (212 yards rushing, 3 TDs, 40 yards passing, one TD, 15 tackles and two sacks vs. Rising Star); Troy Steele, OL, Sr., Merkel (graded out with a 92 percent blocking success rate vs. Jim Ned); Edgar Gutierrez, OL, Jr., Merkel (graded at 83 percent vs. Jim Ned); Matt Ritchey, QB, Jr., Big Spring (136 yards passing with one TD and 51 yards rushing with two TDs vs. Snyder); Monte Anderson, RB, Jr., Big Spring (103 yards rushing on 12 carries vs. Snyder); Wyatt Walton, G, Sr. Clyde, (graded out at 98 percent vs. Hirschi); Clint White, QB, Sr., Colorado (81 yards rushing and one TD vs. Reagan County); Phillip Ramirez, OL, Sr., Eastland (graded at 89 percent vs. Hico, allowing no sacks in 32 pass attempts; had 10 knockdowns and two pancakes); Caleb Harrison, QB/LB, Sr., Jayton (15 tackles, 231 yards passing with three TDs, 94 yards rushing with two TDs vs. Lueders-Avoca); Sidney Parker, WR, Sr., Big Spring (five catches, 127 yards, one TD vs. Snyder); Robert Medina, RB, Sr., Cisco (118 yards rushing vs. Early); Cash McMeans, LB/TE, Sr., Stamford (two unassisted tackles, 11 assisted tackles, one forced fumble, one recovered fumble, one TD reception vs. Munday); Corbin Benner, C, Clyde, Sr. (graded out at 100 percent vs. Hirschi); Hayes Hall, LB, Jr., Anson (16 tackles, two for loss, one sack, 20 yards rushing, 15 yards passing vs. Hamlin); Derek Ferguson, WR, Sr., Brookesmith (four catches, 103 yards, three scores vs. Rising Star); Brad Wills, RB, Soph., Clyde (95 yards on 13 carries with one TD vs. Wichita Falls Hirschi); Taylor Rodgers, RB, Jr., Clyde (15 carries, 100 yards, one TD vs. Hirschi); Devin Rowland, LB, Jr., Bangs (eight tackles, three for loss, one sack, 53-yard TD reception vs. Comfort); Colton Buzzard, QB/DB, Sr., Coleman (143 yards rushing, 82 passing vs. Olney).

-- Evan Ren

To be considered for Big Country Player of the Week, athletes must be nominated by their coaching staffs. Coaches are invited to submit nominations to Evan Ren via e-mail at rene@reporternews.com, or via telephone at (325) 676-6711. Deadline for nominations is noon each Monday.

Big Country Player of the Week recognizes players outside the Abilene city limits who are within the newspaper's circulation area. Players from Abilene High, Cooper, Wylie and ACHS are not eligible.

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