After a month and a half of highly competitive action, teams throughout the Big Country have hit the halfway point in the 2025 Texas high school football season.
Many of the Abilene area’s most efficient passers, electric receivers and elusive rushers have started to separate themselves as some of the Lone Star State’s premier offensive playmakers.
The Abilene Reporter-News wants to recognize many of the Big Country-area’s top offensive players at the midpoint of the season and ask the question: Who should be the ARN’s Readers’ Choice Big Country Football Offensive MVP halfway into the 2025 Texas high school football season?
We want to hear from you to find out who should be the ARN Readers’ Choice Big Country Football Midseason Offensive MVP.
Two dozen of the area’s top running backs, wide receivers and quarterbacks have been selected as candidates, who are listed below in alphabetical order.
The Midseason Offensive MVP poll will be open for one week, beginning on Monday, Oct. 13, and lasting until voting closes at 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 20, when a winner will be announced online shortly afterward.
Here’s a closer look at every finalist for the 2025 ARN Readers’ Choice Big Country Football Midseason Offensive MVP award:
Who should be the Midseason Big Country High School Football Offensive MVP halfway through the 2025 season?
Athletes listed in alphabetical order below.
M’Aujehl Aboso, Abilene High
Aboso has made a name for himself as one of the most reliable receivers in West Texas through the first half of this season with 29 catches for 513 receiving yards and six touchdowns for Abilene High.
Breylon Billington, Albany
Billington sets the tone for Albany’s relentless running game as the Lions’ primary rusher, recording 356 yards and six touchdown runs on 60 carries.
Jaden Carrillo, Abilene Cooper
Carrillo has been the engine that makes the Cougars’ dynamic offense go, throwing for 767 yards and eight touchdowns on 62-of-107 passing and rushing for 462 yards and 11 touchdowns on 84 carries.
Judson Coalson, Brownwood
Coalson has been the lynchpin in Brownwood’s revamped offense, tallying 855 yards and nine touchdowns through the air on 52-of-87 passing.
Peyton Ewing, Abilene Cooper
Ewing has enjoyed a breakout start to the season with 611 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground off 70 carries.
Cash Gwinn, Tuscola Jim Ned
Gwinn has started to find his rhythm in the Indians offense and is positioning Jim Ned as a 3A DI regional title contender after throwing for 713 yards and seven touchdowns on 45-of-99 passing.
Brayden Henry, Abilene High
Henry, the Big Country’s most dynamic offensive playmaker, has done a bit of everything for the Eagles so far this year – rushing for 423 yards and four touchdowns and throwing for 504 yards and nine touchdowns on 36-of-60 passing.
Tyler Jackson, Hico
Jackson has Hico off to one of its best starts in years thanks to his big arm and elusiveness out of the pocket, throwing for 840 yards and seven touchdowns on 42-of-59 passing and running 30 times for 480 yards and four touchdowns.
Heston Jobe, De Leon
Jobe, one of the area’s most efficient passers, has the Bearcats poised to make a push for a district championship and a deep postseason run after throwing for 1,053 yards and seven touchdowns on 73-of-117 passing.
Trot Jordan, Stephenville
Jordan has guided Stephenville’s high-powered offense well so far this year and he has the Yellow Jackets’ passing attack humming after throwing for 1,238 yards and 15 touchdowns on 72-of-107 passing in the first half of the season.
Austin Joslin, Coahoma
Joslin was tapped in as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback after a Week 1 injury and has thrived as the captain of Coahoma’s offense with 781 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air on 54-of-104 passing.
Julius Lane, Abilene Wylie
After a season-ending injury last season, Lane has bounced back to become one of the Big Country’s leading rushers in 2025 with 529 yards and 10 touchdowns on 97 carries.
Tyler Mackey, Cross Plains
Mackey has been tough to slow down in the Buffaloes’ running game this year, rushing 68 times for 552 yards and seven touchdowns.
Easton Malone, Merkel
Malone has cemented himself as one of the Big Country’s breakout offensive stars in 2025, throwing for 1,247 yards and 20 touchdowns on 79-of-122 passing and rushing for 361 yards and four touchdowns to lead the rejuvenated Badgers.
Zyler McClendon, Stephenville
McClendon has been the Yellow Jackets’ workhorse out of the backfield, racking up 753 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 76 carries.
Colby McIlroy, Cisco
McIlroy has the Loboes primed for another deep playoff run and has excelled thus far as Cisco’s signal caller, tallying 584 yards and seven touchdowns on 34-of-59 passing as well as 314 rushing yards and six touchdown runs on 81 carries.
Mason Mueller, Stamford
Mueller has helped put the bite back into the Bulldogs’ potent offense, throwing for 906 yards and seven touchdowns on 77-of-123 passing while running for 299 yards and a touchdown on 56 carries too.
Ethan Rios, Snyder
Rios leads all Big Country-area wideouts in both catches (39) and receiving yards (686), with six touchdown grabs as well for the Tigers.
Marcus Rios, Big Spring
Rios has both flashed his athleticism on the ground – running for 457 yards and three touchdowns on 75 carries – and showed off his ability as passer with 1,018 yards and 10 touchdowns on 54-of-110 passing for the Steers so far this year.
Blaze Ruffin, Abilene Wylie
Ruffin has become one of the premier deep-threat options throughout the Big Country at wide receiver in Wylie’s explosive offense, catching 22 passes for 517 yards and six receiving touchdowns.
Ladanian Smith, Comanche
Smith has taken over as the Indians’ leading rusher with 554 yards and nine touchdowns on 105 carries so far this season.
Malachi St. John, Anson
St. John might be the Big Country’s most dangerous offensive weapon with 37 catches for 536 yards and five receiving touchdowns as well as a demonstrated ability to get yards on the ground and through the air as Anson’s occasional wildcat quarterback.
Cason Tidwell, Bangs
Tidwell has been a major reason for the Dragons’ success on the ground, tallying 98 carries for 541 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
Braylen Williams, Hawley
The Bearcats have shuffled several quarterbacks in and out of the lineup, but Williams has consistently delivered with 402 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 14 receptions as one of the Big Country’s best deep-pass threats (28.7 yards per catch).
Devan Wright, Clyde
Wright has emerged as one of the Big Country’s premier dual-threat quarterbacks, recording 653 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground as well as 674 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air on 43-of-81 passing.
VOTE HERE
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Vote: Who should be ARN Readers’ Choice 2025 Big Country Football Midseason Offensive MVP?
Reporting by Andrew McCulloch, Abilene Reporter-News / Abilene Reporter-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
