Waco La Vega 35, Liberty Hill 21: 2018 4A DI Texas high school football championship recap
The Pirates had simply too much firepower and were too strong defensively for the Panthers to break through.
Donta Stuart asked coach Don Hyde at halftime if he could get in on kickoff return and opened the third quarter with a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The Pirates cruised from there, as Ara Rauls tossed touchdown passes of 90 and 61 yards to Malachi Wright in the third to give La Vega all the separation it needed.
Rauls finished with 178 yards and two touchdowns on 6-of-9 passing while Wright was named the Offensive MVP after catching three passes for 163 yards and two scores.
“We can throw the football – we just don’t,” Hyde said. “If you’re not going to let us run the ball, we’re going to throw it. We talked about that at halftime. They did good job stopping the run, so let’s throw a couple passes and get them off of us. Then you have to decide what you want to do.
“We had a good matchup out there and it was in our favor. We just took advantage of it.”
While it was those three big plays that gave the Pirates a comfortable second-half cushion, star running back John Richards did manage to break off the type of run he’s become known for in the fourth quarter to cap off the big night.