Avoca
Avoca, TX · Education
The Abilene Reporter-News
AISD picks firm to evaluate schools, all instructional facilities
The Abilene ISD School Board recently approved Huckabee , a prominent Texas-based architecture and planning firm, to assess school facilities as part of the district's routine facility evaluation. Huckabee has worked with Abilene ISD prior to this to complete facility evaluations and has aided in the development of multiple AISD schools, including the LIFT Career Technical Center . Huckabee was approved at a Sept. 3 AISD School Board meeting to conduct a comprehensive facility condition assessment for all AISD instructional buildings. More: Three things to do this weekend in Abilene Sept. 11-13 The purpose of the assessment is to get a clear picture of AISD's facility conditions and identify major infrastructure needs. More: West Texas Fair and Rodeo returns to Abilene Data from the assessment will be used by AISD's long-range facility planning committee as they evaluate the district’s current and future facility needs and develop recommendations for the Board of Trustees. The committee is to meet monthly during the 2026-27 school year Sept. 22, and it will include AISD staff members, parents and local community members. Prior to the meeting, the district received four professional proposals that were evaluated and ranked according to price, vendor quality, approach, past relationship
The Abilene Reporter-News
Albany, De Leon climb ARN’s Big Country High School Football Rankings
The start of a new Texas high school football season has finally arrived with teams throughout the Big Country ramping up regular-season action in the thick of their non-district schedules. More than a thousand teams throughout the Lone Star State will kick off Week 3 of the 2026 Texas high school football season Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 10-12. That poses the question – Who are currently the Big Country’s best 11-man and six-man high school football teams? The Abilene Reporter-News will be analyzing the area’s top teams with our Big Country-area high school football rankings – an area Top 10 and an area Six-Man Top 5 – to be posted weekly throughout the 2026 season. Selections within the ARN’s Big Country high school football rankings are based upon on-field results, team success, statistics and area coach feedback. Here’s a closer look at the breakdown of our Big Country area power rankings heading into Week 3 of the 2026 Texas high school football season: ARN’s Big Country High School Football Rankings – Top 10 Rankings (Sept. 8) 10. Abilene Cooper Cougars (0-2) Previously ranked: 3rd Up Next: at San Angelo Central Bobcats (2-0), 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, at San Angelo Stadium
ktxs.com
Abilene High tops Cooper for fifth straight win in crosstown showdown
ABILENE, Texas — Abilene High kept its grip on the city rivalry Friday night, beating Cooper for the fifth straight time in the Crosstown Showdown. Abilene High’s head coach said he saw progress, particularly on defense and special teams. “I mean, I saw our team kind of take another step, too, in our progression of where we want to go with our defense. Played a really good game. I thought we had a good plan,” he said. “We cleaned some things up from the week prior, and then we made some plays in special teams as far as blocking the extra point. We secured all the kicks, and then offensively, we took another step forward.”
bigcountryhomepage.com
KCBD
Estacado’s Ward speaks on Friday night’s matchup vs. Sweetwater
LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - The Estacado Matadors (1-0) are heading to Sweetwater’s, where they will look for their second consecutive win at the historic Mustang Bowl. Last year’s 46-21 win came against an injury-depleted Sweetwater team. However, EHS head coach Eric Ward says it’s important his team stays ready for Friday night’s contest.
BigCountryHomepage
Abilene High and Cooper are ready for another Crosstown Showdown
ABILENE, Texas (BCH Sports) – The Abilene High Eagles and the Cooper Cougars are set and ready to meet for the 66th time on Friday night at Shotwell Stadium. Cooper leads the series with a total of 36 wins, but Abilene High is riding a 4-game winning streak against the Cougars. The Crosstown Showdown is […]
kbst.com
Forsan Looks to Build on Overtime Victory at Roscoe
FORSAN — The Forsan Buffaloes will try to carry the momentum from their dramatic season-opening victory into tonight’s road game against the Roscoe Plowboys. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Roscoe Collegiate High School. Forsan enters the non-district matchup with a 1-0 record after defeating Coahoma 22-20...
The Abilene Reporter-News
Big Spring Pathway cancels football game against Coleman
Editor's note: this story has been updated with more info and comments from Big Spring Pathway. Less than a week after the Big Spring Pathway Warriors kicked off their high school’s inaugural season of Texas high school football, the team’s schedule for the rest of the 2026 season has been thrown into flux. Less than 96 hours before kickoff of its Week 2 non-district matchup against Coleman, Big Spring Pathway (0-1) announced it was canceling its game against the Bluecats, which had been scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, at Hufford Field in Coleman. The Warriors played their first varsity game last Friday, Aug. 28, a 50-6 loss to the Munday Moguls at Scruggs Field in Munday. Big Spring Pathway’s path forward, however, is full of uncertainty. Coleman Independent School District officials confirmed the scheduling change to The Reporter-News on Tuesday afternoon. Matt Stepp of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football was first to report the news on X . Big Spring Pathway athletics director and head football coach Keegan Clark confirmed that the team’s upcoming Week 2 game against Coleman had been canceled due to player safety concerns following a number of early-season injuries. “We have just had the misfortune
brownwoodnews.com
Early High School announces 2026 Homecoming Court
Early High School has announced its 2026 Homecoming Court ahead of its Friday, Sept. 11 homecoming game against the Ballinger Bearcats. The Homecoming Court consists of Queen candidates Jordan Rutherford, Kayleigh Torrez, and Grey Pruett, along with King candidates Brayden Moya, Angel Marquez, and Tanner Gammon. Junior Duke and Duchess...
GoSanAngelo | Standard-Times
'He told us to stay calm,' San Angelo Central QB Micah Smith's leadership lifts team to win over Abilene
Late in the fourth quarter, the San Angelo Central high school football team held the ball leading Abilene 28-23 facing a crucial 4 th -and-1 situation. The Bobcats called a timeout to consider kicking a field goal and take an eight-point lead. Instead, the offense marched back onto the field. Senior quarterback Micah Smith had full command as they lined up for the attempt. When time on the clock dwindled, Smith drew the defense offsides with a hard count and launched the ball to wide receiver Gavin Johnson in the end zone. The pass was tightly contested and ultimately fell short, but the Bobcats still got the first down. More: King leads the West Texas high school football Week 1 standout performances More: San Angelo Central and Wall cross country take gold in Brownwood It was not the play at the end of the game, but it turned out to be the play that won the game. “Not every team can go on two,” Smith said. “It takes a team with a certain level of maturity to do something like that.” Central took down longtime rival Abilene 28-23 in the 100 th meetup between these two teams. With the win,
KLST/KSAN
VIDEO: Central Bobcats look back on last week’s season-opening win at home
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — The San Angelo Central Bobcats talked about last week’s season-opening win at home against Abilene High during Tuesday’s Media Day. In the 100th meeting between the Bobcats and Eagles, Central held off Abilene 28-23 in a non-district matchup at San Angelo Stadium. It marked the first Week 1 […]
bigcountryhomepage.com
Abilene High finds good in Week 1 defeat to Central
ABILENE, Texas (BCH Sports) – Head coach Mike Fullen and his team are back to work this season after losing to San Angelo Central on Friday night. The Eagles were slow out of the blocks, and their comeback attempt came up five points short. Abilene High showed a lot...
ktxs.com
Big Country football: Clyde, Wylie and Albany highlight Week 1 action
ABILENE, Texas — Abilene High’s season opener ended with a late push that came up just short Friday night, as the Eagles lost 28-23 to San Angelo Central. Central seized control early, scoring 21 of the game’s first 24 points to build a first-half lead. Abilene High responded behind quarterback Tristan Beal, who threw two touchdown passes one to Jaden West and another to John Rangel to keep the Eagles within reach.
The Abilene Reporter-News
Week 2 Big Country high school football schedule, scores (Sept. 3-5)
After almost eight months away from the gridiron, high school football teams throughout the Big Country are ready to put on their pads and take the field for the start of a new season. Dozens of six-man and 11-man teams across the Big Country and greater Abilene area will kick off Week 2 of the 2026 Texas high school football season Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 3-5. The second weekend of the season in the Big Country will be headlined by a number of longtime regional rivalries – like Abilene High versus Abilene Cooper and Brownwood versus Stephenville – and major non-district showdowns – like De Leon versus Stamford and Tuscola Jim Ned versus Llano. Here’s a complete look at every game featuring Big Country squads this week during Week 2 of the 2026 Texas high school football season: This post will be updated with scores throughout the week as games kick off and finish! More: ARN’s 2026 Preseason All-Big Country High School Football Super Team More: Vote for Big Country Athlete of the Week for Aug. 24-30, presented by City National Bank More: Big Spring Pathway cancels football game against Coleman Big Country-area high school football schedule, scores – Week 2 (Sept.
The Abilene Reporter-News
ARN’s 2026 Preseason All-Big Country High School Football Super Team
As summer winds down and a new school year begins, teams throughout the Lone Star State are gearing up for the start of the 2026 Texas high school football season. The Big Country and Abilene area’s top high school football players and teams will kick off the 2026 season with Week 1 starting Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 27-29, and look to leave their mark on the gridiron this year. The Abilene Reporter-News is recognizing the top returning high school football stars from across the Big Country with spots on the ARN’s 2026 Preseason All-Big Country Football Super Team , which seeks to honor the area’s most talented and prominent players. Selections were determined by a combination of stats, individual awards/accolades and overall team success from the 2025 Texas high school football season. Here’s a closer look at all the athletes who earned spots on the Abilene Reporter-News’ 2026 Preseason All-Big Country Football Superteam: 2026 Preseason All-Big Country Football Super Team First Team – Offense Quarterback – Trot Jordan, Stephenville, Sr. Jordan was named the MVP of District 4-4A DI after guiding the Yellow Jackets to a 4A DI UIL state title, leading the Big Country in passing with 3,241 yards and 45