The ninth week of the 2026 Texas high school football season was full of memorable upsets, thrilling comebacks and all-around dominant performances.
The Big Country’s top high school football teams returned to the gridiron this weekend, where several of the area’s biggest stars put on dazzling displays and showed off their playmaking abilities.
Here’s a closer look at the players that shined brightest throughout the Abilene area this weekend.
The following are the many of the Big Country’s top individual performances from the Abilene area’s standout players during Week 9 of the 2026 Texas high school football season:
Big Country high school football top performers – Week 9 (Oct. 22-24)
Players listed below in alphabetical order.
Keaton Anderson, Seymour
Anderson caught fire during the Panthers’ runaway 56-28 win over Archer City, throwing for 387 yards and six touchdowns on 17-of-23 passing and adding 36 yards on the ground off nine carries.
Tristan Beal, Abilene High
Beal played one of his best games of the season in the Eagles’ dominant 48-28 road victory over Lubbock Monterey, throwing for 198 yards and three touchdowns on 15-of-24 passing and running for 59 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 14 carries.
Malachi Bentley, Ballinger
Bentley rumbled for 124 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 19 carries to lead the Bearcats to a 61-28 blowout victory against Christoval in District 4-2A DI action.
Connor Bible, Bangs
Bible rumbled for 140 yards rushing and three touchdown runs to lead Bangs to its second straight win in District 7-2A DI action in a 36-21 win over Brady.
Owen Bishop, Forsan
Bishop let it rip and aired it out from the pocket during the Buffs’ 40-35 shootout win against District 4-2A DI rival Colorado City, throwing for 353 yards and three touchdowns on 31-of-41 passing while also adding 10 yards and a touchdown run on the ground off 13 carries.
Trent Buffington, Brownwood
Buffington ran for 126 yards rushing and a touchdown to lead Brownwood to a lopsided 38-7 win against Gatesville in District 13-4A DII action.
Bryce Burkeen, De Leon
Burkeen tallied a season-high 14 catches for 188 yards receiving and four touchdowns to lift the Bearcats to a 45-21 road win over Anson in District 5-2A DI play. He also ran for 15 yards and a rushing touchdown on three carries.
Tyson Burleson, Snyder
Burleson shined out of the backfield for Snyder on Friday night, running for 145 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 17 carries in a hard-fought 35-16 loss to District 2-4A DII rival Fort Stockton.
Tucker Deal, Tuscola Jim Ned
Deal threw for 244 yards and five touchdowns on 11-of-15 passing to lead the Indians to a 65-0 blowout win against Lamesa in District 2-3A DI action.
Ryder Duncan, Bangs
Duncan passed for 202 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Dragons to a 36-21 victory against District 7-2A DI rival Brady.
More: See Dave Campbell's Texas Football rankings heading into Week 10
More: Preseason Texas Association of Basketball Coaches girls high school state rankings
More: Preseason Texas Association of Basketball Coaches boys high school state rankings
Coy Evans, Forsan
Evans reeled in eight catches for 170 yards receiving and three touchdowns to help lift Forsan to a 40-35 victory over Colorado City in District 4-2A DI play.
Jayden Garner, Hamlin
Garner scored a pick-six touchdown on a 102-yard interception return defensively in the Pied Pipers’ hard-fought 24-23 road loss to Miles in District 7-2A DII play.
Riggs Gray, Brownwood
Gray passed for 166 yards and two touchdowns to help the Lions secure their first District 13-4A DII win of the season in a 38-7 rout of Gatesville.
Rylan Griffith, Santo
Griffith threw for 223 yards and four touchdowns on a nearly perfect 13-of-15 passing, as Santo smoked Hubbard 62-0 in District 8-2A DII play.
Joel Hernandez, Colorado City
Hernandez ran wild during the Wolves’ 40-35 shootout loss to Forsan, accounting for 142 rushing yards and a pair of touchdown runs on 12 carries.
Adan Jergins, Stephenville
Jergins hauled in five catches for 148 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the Yellow Jackets’ 42-20 road win over Jarrell in District 12-4A DI action.
Jadin Karleskint, Abilene Wylie
Karleskint threw for 154 yards and four touchdowns on 10-of-16 passing to lead the Bulldogs to a 42-3 blowout victory against Lubbock Cooper in District 2-5A DII action.
Rush Kidd, Albany
Kidd put on a defensive clinic in the Lions’ 48-0 shutout win over District 7-2A DII rival Winters, racking up a game-high 11 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.
Easton Malone, Merkel
Malone’s big night through the air and on the ground helped the Badgers rout Wichita Falls City View 34-7 in District 4-3A DII play, throwing for 197 yards and two touchdowns on 10-of-17 passing as well as running for 103 yards and a rushing touchdown on 15 carries. He also had 13 tackles for Merkel defensively.
Colby McIlroy, Cisco
McIlroy threw for 206 yards and four touchdowns on a nearly perfect 7-of-8 passing, as the Loboes smashed Abilene TLCA 78-0 in District 5-2A DI action.
More: Check out photos from Windthorst vs. Haskell high school football
More: UIL moving forward with girls flag football pilot program
More: Big Country high school football statistical leaderboard – Week 9
Myles Pierce, Coahoma
Pierce was a one-man wrecking crew defensively in Coahoma’s 48-14 blowout win over District 3-3A DII rival Crane, tallying eight tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks, three QB hurries and a forced fumble.
Haegen Pinkerton, Haskell
Pinkerton accounted for 303 yards and two touchdowns through the air on 18-of-34 passing as well as 123 yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground off 20 carries in the Indians’ 72-34 shootout loss to District 6-2A DII rival Windthorst.
Hud Price, De Leon
Price threw for 269 yards and four touchdowns on a stellar 25-of-36 passing to lead De Leon to a 45-21 road victory against District 5-2A DI rival Anson.
Reece Rainey, Hamlin
Rainey ran for 20 yards and a rushing touchdown on eight carries and also scored a special teams touchdown on an 88-yard kickoff return in Hamlin’s 24-23 loss to Miles.
Andrew Reedy, Early
Reedy scored when he fielded a punt return and took it 77 yards to the house for a special teams touchdown in the Longhorns’ 34-17 loss to Wall in District 3-3A DI play. He also recorded eight catches for 66 receiving yards.
Aiden Rodriguez, Coahoma
Rodriguez ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries to lead the Bulldogs to a runaway 48-14 victory against Crane in District 3-3A DII action.
Landry Sanderson, Goldthwaite
Sanderson rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries to lead the Eagles offensively in their 41-0 shutout win against Cross Plains in District 7-2A DII play.
Slade Tucker, Seymour
Tucker reeled in four receptions for 170 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Panthers’ lopsided 56-28 win over Archer City in District 6-2A DII action.
Carter VanZandt, Stephenville
VanZandt ran for 28 yards and three rushing touchdowns on five carries offensively and racked up 13 tackles defensively to help Stephenville knock off previously unbeaten Jarrell 42-20 in District 12-4A DI play.
Tyler Whitfield, Seymour
Whitfield hauled in five catches for 123 receiving yards and two touchdowns to help Seymour secure a dominant 56-28 road win against Archer City in District 6-2A DII play.
Jagger Wiley, Hawley
Wiley threw for 187 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-23 passing and also ran for 77 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 12 carries to lead the Bearcats to a 38-14 road win over Hico in District 5-2A DI play.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Week 9 Big Country high school football top performers (Oct. 22-24)