Go home State Champions or go home as runner-ups. Teams have worked all season to get to this point, and for four Austin and San Antonio area schools, they will have the chance to raise the trophy and finish on top this week.
Here are the breakdowns.
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POTH VS GUNTER
Thursday, December 15th, 3:00PM | AT&T Stadium, Arlington Texas
For the first time since 1968, the Poth Pirates are in the State Championship game. They will be looking to do what the '68 squad could not -- win it all.
For the Pirates this feels like it's been building since head coach Jeff Luna took over the program. Last season they came up short in the Regional Final against Franklin, but this season they made it through the Regional Finals 12-6 against Tidehaven. In the State Semis, they handled Harmony 51-28 behind 354-yards on the ground -- including quarterback Zane Raabe's 151- yards on the ground and running back Matthew Bunn's five touchdowns.
Gunter will have the edge from "experience" as this squad lost to Franklin in the State Championship game last season. This game will come down to Poth's defense, which is allowing 9.1 points per game, can stop Gunter, which has been putting up 42.5 points per game. But if Gunter can't slow down Raabe or Bunn, who have put up 62 touchdowns together this season, this one could be a barn burner.
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WIMBERLEY VS CARTHAGE
Friday, December 16th, 11:00AM | AT&T Stadium, Arlington Texas
Going into the season, Wimberley seemed poised to have a great season at the quarterback position.
And they did.....just not how they envisioned it.
A few weeks before the season started starter Cash McCollum transferred to China Spring. The Texans had to retool quickly at quarterback and they have done so. Sophomore quarterback Cody Stoever stepped into the starting roll and has been phenomenal for the Texans throwing for over 2,300-yards and rushing for over 1,100, while putting up over 50 touchdowns in the process.
Wimberley comes in winning a thriller against Cuero 42-36 that saw them lean heavily on senior running back Johnny Ball, who had 184-yards on the ground. They will need both players to show up big again against a Carthage defense that is only allowing 12.5 points per game.
The defense will also need to come up big for the Texans. They did last week against Cuero with three second-half turnovers and 24 unanswered points, to lead them back to the State Championship for the first time since 2019. Carthage, of course, is a state power in it's own right and is looking to go a perfect 9-for-9 in State Title game appearances. Their struggles last week against Glen Rose will be all over the film room for Wimberley this week.
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BOERNE VS CHINA SPRING
Friday, December 16th, 3:00PM | AT&T Stadium, Arlington Texas
Speaking of Cash McCollum, Boerne gets the chance to defeat him on Friday as the Greyhounds will face China Spring in the 4A-DI final.
Boerne comes into the game after an absolutely dominate performance against Chapel Hill 35-0. The Greyhounds, who are primarily a passing team, turned to their running game in the win with running back TJ Dement finishing with 180-yards and three touchdowns. Adam Hicks ran for another 75-yards on the ground. '
The most impressive squad was the defense, which shut out a high-powered Chapel Hill offense, forcing five turnovers and stopping the Bulldogs from scoring four different times when they reached the red zone.
The key to the game may just be the brother-to-brother connection of quarterback Jaxon Baize to his brother Braden. Whenever Jaxon needed it, he's been able to find his brother Braden for key plays. Or it could be the Boerne offensive line. All season they have dominated the line of scrimmage and opened up holes for the run game and created time to throw in the passing game.
If China Spring’s defensive front cant get pressure or push, the Greyhounds could be well on their way to their first state title.
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VANDEGRIFT VS DESOTO
Saturday, December 17th, 3:00PM | AT&T Stadium, Arlington Texas
While Vandegrift may have started their season with a 3-point loss on a game-ending field goal, they won a trip to State in the same manner as kicker Hayden Arnold nailed a 37-yard field goal as time expired.
Wide receiver Miles Coleman was the difference for the Vipers in their win against Katy, putting up 183-yards receiving while throwing for two touchdowns on trick plays. Quarterback Brayden Buchanan did what he has done all season -- putting up amazing numbers for the Vipers. He threw for 453-yards and two touchdowns, and one touchdown rushing. The win sends them to the State Championship for the first time where they will be facing a DeSoto team that is back in the State Championship for the first time since 2016.
The Viper defense had to keep its eyes on playmaker Seth Davis in their win against Katy and will have its hands full again with arguably one of the best receivers in the country in five-star Johntay Cook. The Texas-commit has over 1,300-yards and 20 touchdowns on the year and could be the most dangerous man on the field Saturday. Why? Because the Vipers will also have to deal with the Eagles' run game, which put up 434-yards on the ground in their win against Denton Guyer.
For the offense, the keys will be finding success in the run game along with their success in the passing game. Buchanan to Coleman, and the rest of his receiving core, seems like a given. They will get their yards there. But if the Vipers can continue to run the ball well behind the offensive line that includes four-star Clemson-commit Ian Reed, they will have a shot in this one.
The Katy Tiger standoutsBradley Collier (VYPE)