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THE WRAP: Recapping the 2024 TAPPS Football State Championships; Liberty Christian, All Saints flourish
Over the course of this past weekend, the TAPPS football season reached its thrilling conclusion, with audiences filling the stands to witness the private school division's finest going head-to-head.
Following some exhilarating competition, it's time to review what went down at Waco ISD Stadium, and who ultimately took home the banner.
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Liberty Christian Warriors (TAPPS-D1 Champs)
In a battle between the traditional power of Parish Episcopal and the new power of Liberty Christian, fans witnessed a brand new rivalry being born.
The Panthers returned to Waco ISD Stadium with the precedent of having won each of the last five championships. However, that didn't matter much to Liberty Christian.
Both squads lived up to the billing throughout the first half, as it was a close 14-10 score by the end of the opening quarter, with LCS having the narrow advantage.
Quarter No. 2 told a similar back-and-forth story, with the Warriors heading to the locker-room with a 24-17 lead.
However, the third quarter unquestionably belonged to Liberty Christian.
Coach Jason Witten and company went on to score 21 unanswered points, putting the game out of reach for the defending TAPPS-D1 champs and ultimately resulting in a 45-24 victory in the team's D1-debut.
This marked back-to-back championships for the Argyle private school, as they have now conquered both the TAPPS-I and TAPPS-II stages.
Liberty Christian finishes their stellar year with a record of 12-1 and have firmly established themselves as THE private school program to beat for the foreseeable future.
All Saints Episcopal Saints (TAPPS-D2 Champs)
Under the direction of head coach Aaron Beck, the Saints entered their noon matchup against Second Baptist on Saturday with a 13-0 record, with the goal of completing the perfect season.
While the Eagles took their opening drive down the field and take an early 3-0 lead, those would be the only points they'd score for the entire contest.
All Saints Episcopal would then march all the way to the SBS 8-yard line, where senior QB Gavin Parkhurst would connect with freshman wideout Kasch Carder for their opening touchdown.
Later, in the second quarter, the Saints found themselves in the red-zone yet again, and would capitalize via a QB-keeper on the goal-line by Parkhurst, bringing the score to 14-3.
It became a defensive battle for the remainder of the contest, aside from the moment when Parkhurst broke open for a 59-yard rushing score near the end of the 3rd quarter.
That would be all she wrote, as ASE would take home the 21-3 win, and cap off their season with a TAPPS-II championship.
This marks the first time since 2016 that All Saints claimed a title -- even more impressively, they did so in undefeated (14-0) fashion.
VYPE DFW Football Game of the Week: North Crowley vs. Allen (6A-D1 Region 1 Final)
Everything has gone according to plan for North Crowley this Fall.
The Panthers are firing on all cylinders in every facet of the game, which has earned them the distinction of being ranked as the No. 2 team in Texas (No. 9 in the nation), according to MaxPreps.
Following yet another undefeated regular season -- and their third-consecutive district championship -- coach Ray Gates and co. have steam-rolled their way to the Regional Final, with wins against Byron Nelson (56-21), Permian (72-14), and Coppell (35-24) over the past three weeks.
Now, North Crowley (13-0) has the opportunity to make back-to-back appearances in the state final-four.
The connection between quarterback Chris Jimerson (North Texas-signee) and senior wideout Quentin Gibson (Colorado) has been virtually impossible for opposing secondaries to contain.
If the passing game isn't enough, Cornelius Warren III (UNLV) and Daniel Bray (Utah) are always a threat to score from out of the back-field, behind a formidable offensive line -- anchored by Henry Fenuku (Missouri) --that's allowed the unit to average a ridiculous 57 points per game.
Defensively, the Panthers have limited their opponents to just 17 points a contest, which is a testament to the equally capable athletes they have on that side of the ball -- Jonathan Cunningham (Texas), Ja'Brelle Asberry (Sr. MLB), Gaylon McNeal (Washington State), and sophomore Avery Dotson being chief among them.
NCHS was eliminated in the State Semis of last year's postseason, at the hands of eventual 6A-D1 champion Duncanville. Suffice it to say, they'd love to get the chance to return the favor a week from now.
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However, No. 7-ranked Allen won't just stand idly by and give up a spot in the final-four.
With coach Lee Wigington at the helm, the Eagles (13-0) haven't dropped a game this Fall, either -- most recently outlasting Trinity in a 22-21 nail-biter last Friday -- which advanced them to their first appearance in Round No. 4 since 2021.
The offense's aerial attack has been incredibly sufficient with 2023 Offensive Newcomer of the Year Brady Bricker behind-center, along with the various targets he has in the WR room -- Donnell Gee Jr. (Tulsa-signee), Carter Harris (Sr.), and freshman break-out player Josyah Johnson.
Furthermore, Allen possesses not one, not two, but three explosive running backs -- Jaden Hambric (Jr.), Micah Ellis (Sr.), and Lyndon Spriggs (So.) -- who can keep defenses honest.
But, it can be argued that the most valuable asset towards the Eagles' success in 2024 has been their lock-down defense, which is averaging a mere 11.3 points allowed per game.
Its leading figures include second-team, all-district selections Kai Wheaton (Sr. CB), Mitchell Neu (Sr. LB), and Camden Clark (Sr. S).
This is the best that Allen has looked in years. Can they punch their ticket to the State Final-Four, marking the first time since 2018 they've done so?
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The battle of the undefeated will take place this Saturday (2:00 PM) at Vernon Newsom Stadium in Mansfield, TX. The victor might just become a favorite to reach AT&T.