The eighth week of the 2025 Texas high school football season was chalk full of wild upsets, exciting 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 top performances from many of the Big Country’s best players during Week 8 of the 2025 Texas high school football season (Oct. 16-18):
Big Country high school football top performers – Week 8 (Oct. 16-18)
Players listed below in alphabetical order.
CT Buford, Comanche
Buford snagged a game-high 10 receptions for 93 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Indians’ 55-14 loss to District 3-3A DI rival Sweetwater.
Ethan Camacho, Haskell
Camacho racked up 125 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground in the Indians’ 44-18 victory against Archer City in District 6-2A DII action.
Jaden Carrillo, Abilene Cooper
Carrillo shined in the Cougars’ 56-43 road win over District 2-5A DII rival Plainview, throwing for 203 yards and two touchdowns on 15-of-20 passing while also rushing for 177 yards and three touchdown runs on 17 carries.
Josh Castillo, Abilene High
Castillo rumbled for a game-high 95 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries to pace the Eagles’ ground game in a dominant 73-0 victory against Lubbock High.
Jeremiah Collins, Abilene High
Collins snagged an interception and took it to the house for a 21-yard pick-six touchdown in Abilene High’s resounding 73-0 win against Lubbock High in District 2-5A DI play.
Aiden Ellis, Tuscola Jim Ned
Ellis rushed for a game-high 127 yards and a touchdown in Jim Ned’s dominant 49-7 win against Breckenridge in District 3-3A DI action.
Peyton Ewing, Abilene Cooper
Ewing, Cooper’s workhorse running back, ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries to power the Cougars to 56-43 road win against Plainview in District 2-5A DII action.
Cash Gwinn, Tuscola Jim Ned
Gwinn passed for 186 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Indians to a runaway 49-7 victory over Breckenridge in District 3-3A DI play.
Cole Heutzenroeder, Hico
Heutzenroeder ran for 132 yards and two rushing touchdowns and also caught a 33-yard touchdown pass in the Tigers’ 28-27 loss to District 5-2A DI rival Bangs.
Alijah Iriate, Sweetwater
Iriate racked up a game-high 195 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground in the Mustangs’ dominant 55-14 victory over Comanche in District 3-3A DI action.
Heston Jobe, De Leon
Jobe threw for 240 yards and four touchdowns on 14-of-21 passing and ran for 25 yards and a rushing touchdown to lead the Bearcats to a lopsided 58-0 win against Coleman in District 5-2A DI action.
Zaylon Johnson, Abilene Cooper
Johnson secured eight catches for 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Abilene Cooper’s 56-43 road victory against Plainview in District 2-5A DII play.
Trot Jordan, Stephenville
Jordan threw for 161 yards and four touchdowns on 11-of-18 passing and added 20 rushing yards in Stephenville’s dominant 65-7 victory against Marble Falls in its District 4-4A DI opener.
Ethan Joyner, Abilene High
Joyner tallied 52 rushing yards on five carries, 92 receiving yards on four catches and three total touchdowns in Abilene High’s blowout 73-0 win over Lubbock High in District 2-5A DI action.
Mason Mueller, Stamford
Mueller threw for 136 yards and a touchdown on 13-of-23 passing to help Stamford knock off District 4-2A DI rival Anson in a 28-21 victory.
Chris Ojeda, Eastland
Ojeda ran for 107 yards and a rushing touchdown on 10 carries in the Mavericks’ 70-31 loss to District 5-3A DII rival Brady.
Caiden Ortiz, Sweetwater
Ortiz threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns on 10-of-19 passing and ran for 11 yards and a rushing touchdown to lead Sweetwater to a runaway 55-14 win over District 3-3A DI rival Comanche.
Haegan Pinkerton, Haskell
Pinkerton powered Haskell to a dominant 44-18 win over Archer City in District 6-2A DII play, as the Indians’ quarterback scrambled for a game-high 262 yards and four rushing touchdowns.
Jose Quintero, Sweetwater
Quintero caught five passes for 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the Mustangs’ lopsided 55-14 win against Comanche in District 3-3A DI play.
Reece Rainey, Hamlin
Rainey was an explosive offensive playmaker in the Pied Pipers’ 21-14 overtime win against Roscoe in District 7-2A DII play, rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown on just four carries.
Ethan Rios, Snyder
Rios caught five passes for a game-high 161 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Tigers’ 49-15 loss to Fort Stockton in District 1-4A DII play.
Aiden Romo, Hawley
Romo passed for 161 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bearcats to a dominant 53-6 win against Olney in District 4-2A DI action.
Blaze Ruffin, Abilene Wylie
Ruffin made plays in every phase of the game by scoring a kick return touchdown on special teams, snagging a key interception defensively, catching five passes for 92 receiving yards in the Bulldogs 45-14 loss to Wichita Falls Memorial in District 2-5A DII action.
Joe Salinas, Dublin
Salinas tallied 85 rushing yards and a pair of touchdown runs in the Lions’ 28-21 loss to Tolar in District 5-3A DII play.
Kye Schuman, Cross Plains
Schuman ran wild in the Buffaloes’ 38-14 victory over District 7-2A DII rival Miles, picking up 182 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Jayden Starks, Abilene High
Starks recovered a fumble in the end zone for an Eagles’ defensive touchdown to start the scoring in Abilene High’s 73-0 blowout victory over Lubbock High in District 2-5A DI action.
Alex Teten, Dublin
Teten passed for 161 yards and a touchdown in Dublin’s 28-21 loss to Tolar in District 5-3A DII action.
Cason Tidwell, Bangs
Tidwell powered the Dragons to a nail-biting 28-27 win against Hico in District 5-2A DI play thanks to his relentlessness on the ground, rushing for a game-high 205 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries.
Carter VanZandt, Stephenville
VanZandt led the Yellow Jackets’ relentless rushing attack in a 65-7 win over Marble Falls in their District 4-4A DI opener, running for 86 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 14 carries.
Caden Wilson, Early
Wilson threw for 144 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Longhorns to a 28-3 victory over Clifton in District 5-3A DII action.
Slayden Young, Stamford
Young hauled in a game-high seven catches for 78 receiving yards to lead the Bulldogs to a 28-21 win over Anson in District 4-2A DI play.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Week 8 Big Country high school football top performers (Oct. 16-18)
Reporting by Andrew McCulloch, Abilene Reporter-News / Abilene Reporter-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
