6A-Division I: North Crowley 50, Austin Westlake 21

North Crowley: The Panthers were absolutely dominant in a rout of Westlake to win their second straight state title, rolling up 640 yards of offense behind a slew of offensive playmakers. North Crowley had a historically good season against a brutal schedule as the Panthers got regular season wins over two-time defending 6A-Division II state champion DeSoto, Denton Guyer who made the regional final, regional semifinalist Crowley. In the playoffs North Crowley defeated three straight unbeaten teams in Coppell, Allen and Duncanville before taking down Westlake.

Looking ahead to 2025, Coach Gates will have to replace a senior class that could sign as many as a dozen players to Division I football scholarships, but NCHS has plenty of pieces to build around as well. Considering the number of lopsided results North Crowley played in, several young guys saw extensive time. What will be interesting is Coach Gates has assembled an elite coaching staff and there’s no doubt there will be a few that have the opportunity this off-season.

 

Austin Westlake: After stunning the state with a dominant 35-10 win over Galena Park North Shore in the state semifinals, the Chaparrals simply ran out of magic in the final TXHSFB game of 2024 Westlake’s vaunted defense was simply over-matched by the Panthers team speed.

Expect Westlake to again be a highly ranked team in 2025 as you know head coach Tony Salazar will have a fantastic defensive unit. QB Rees Wise is back for a third season to lead the offense and that will be a great building block for 2025. The big question for the Chaps is which playoff path do they take? An upset loss by Austin Bowie late in the year pushed them into Division I, if the Chaps go the Division II route they’ll jump to the front of the line as one of the favorites in 2025.

 

6A-Division II: Austin Vandegrift 24, Southlake Carroll 17

Austin Vandegrift: The underdog Vipers were thought to be in the midst of a rebuild after a tough end to 2023 where they went 10-1 and lost a stellar senior class. Instead Drew Sanders’ squad got better each and every week, pulling impressive upsets in the third and fifth round to land in their second state title game in three years. This time Vandegrift made it count as their defense totally took away Carroll’s running game and some timely throws from junior QB Miles Teodecki gave the Vipers enough offense in a slugfest type win.

Many thought 2025 would be a year Vandy got back into the statewide conversation, so fresh off a state  title the state of the Vipers is quite positive! QB Teodecki returns and his favorite target WR Brock Chilton will be back after missing the playoffs, LB CJ Mooring who transferred in from Klein Cain in the off-season will be the unquestioned leader of the defense. Vandegrift, much like Austin Westlake is a team that could slide into ether playoff bracket, although the Vipers enrollment is towards the bottom end in 25-6A so they are a likely Division II team, but as we saw in 2023, there’s crazy things that can happen, especially in that district.

Southlake Carroll: The Dragons had won three playoff games by a touchdown or less and the magic simply ran out Saturday in the 24-17 loss to Vandegrift. However, Riley Dodge’s squad deserves a ton of credit for getting to this stage of the playoffs considering the injuries they had specifically at the running back position. Carroll reinvented themselves into a pass-first offense and it brought them to the brink of  a ninth state championship, but Vandegrift’s defense had the answers in a stellar performance.

The Dragons are a candidate to be the number one team in the state in the preseason next year as Coach Dodge welcomes back a loaded team led by QB Angelo Renda, WR Brady Boyd (TCU commit) and they get back RB Davis Penn, a Baylor commit who missed the final five games with an injury. DB William Chen will anchor a strong defense that returns some stout playmakers on the defensive line as well.

 

5A-Division I: Smithson Valley 32, Highland Park 20

Smithson Valley: The Rangers finally got long-time head coach Larry Hill the one thing missing from his resume and that is a state title and they did it in a fashion befitting of a Coach Hill squad. Tough running game, physical defense and flawless execution in the kicking game. Trailing early 14-6, DB Julian Colunga’s interception return for a score completely flipped the game and QB/LB Cade Spradling showed why he’s maybe the state’s quintessential iron-man football player leading SVHS at QB and also playing a tremendous game at LB.

The number one question this off-season will be the status of Coach Hill, he’s been at this for 32 seasons at Smithson Valley and with the one thing missing from his resume no one would be surprised if he decided to ride off into the sunset. But coaches like Reginald Samples at Duncanville have hung around after winning state in the twilight of their career as well. The biggest question for Smithson Valley on the field will be the loss of a stellar senior class that led the Rangers to a pair of title game appearances and the school’s first title, expect the build to center around junior QB Ty Knutson and senior DL Justin Roberts. Smithson Valley has graduated heavy before and they always seem to reload so there’s no reason to think history won’t repeat itself in 2025.

 

Highland Park: The Scots after a hot start saw their offense totally stymied in a 32-20 loss to Smithson Valley, after scoring two quick touchdowns the Highland Park offense ground to a halt and became one dimensional averaging just two yards per rushing play. Sophomore QB Buck Randall was put into obvious passing situations too many times and the Scots defense simply got worn down in the defeat.

Legendary head coach Randy Allen is just thirty wins short of Phil Danaher’s state record for wins for a TXHSFB head coach and he’s indicated he’ll continue to coach as long as he’s physically able to and Coach Allen has shown no signs of slowing down. Bringing back Buck Randall for his junior season will be big and he’s got several capable receivers who return to the fold as well. Highland Park always graduates heavy so don’t expect much of a drop off in 2025, in fact there’s a good chance the Scots end up being a better team next year.

 

5A-Division II: Richmond Randle 38, South Oak Cliff 35

Richmond Randle: The Lions are an incredible story, bringing home a state title in just their third season, considering head coach Brian Randle is coaching at the school named for his father, the layers to a cool story just add on. Randle’s special teams were key with two kick return scores and a recovered muffed punt, but with South Oak Cliff on the verge of seizing total control of the game in the second half, the Lions bowed up and made a couple of massive stops.

Randle’s defense which allowed 14-points or less in 15 of 16 games this year will suffer some heavy losses, especially along the defensive line, but the linebackers will be strong led by state defensive MVP Ryan Mallory, getting Noriel Dominguez for 2025 (ruled ineligible in 2024) will be a big add for the Lions on that side. RB Landen Williams-Callis will just be a junior so Randle fans get to watch him for two more seasons, while QB Tyler Skrabanek returns to lead the offense as a senior. TE Mason Mixon emerged during the playoff run and will be back as well for the Lions, so don’t be surprised if this is top five team once again in 2025.

 

South Oak Cliff: Despite outgaining Randle 464-211 in total yardage, little things kept the Golden Bears from winning their third state title in four years. The two kick return scores were massive, a muffed punt was big, but the Golden Bears offensive struggles late in the game were catastrophic. A short Randle punt gave SOC the ball on the Lions 44 with 3:36 left and the Golden Bears could only move 17 yards running seven offensive plays before missing a fire drill field goal as time expired.

As good as SOC was in 2024, they should be even better in 2025 with eight starters back on both sides of the ball. Due to the Golden Bears playing in a lot of blowouts, a lot of young guys get quality varsity reps so depth is solid. South Oak Cliff will be especially lethal in the trenches in 2025, the one big question will be replacing Carter Kopecky at QB, but the Golden Bears have done good work in development of signal callers who can operate their offense.

 

4A-Division I: Celina 55, Kilgore 21

Celina: The Bobcats capped off a perfect season with a dominant title win over Kilgore as a huge third quarter burst broke open the game. QB Bowe Bentley led an offense the operated on an absurd level of efficiency scoring on their first eight drives of the game. The defense adjusted well to Kilgore’s speed and after the first two drives of the game forced three straight punts and picked off two passes.

Bentley returns to lead Celina for a repeat run in 2025 and the Bobcats should be considered a favorite in what may be their final season as a 4A program. RB Logan Gutierrez who split time at RB will likely take over as the feature back full-time operating behind what will still be a strong unit up front. Celina’s defense will be led by DB Luke Biagini who had an interception return for a score in the state title game.

 

Kilgore: The Bulldogs looked up for the fight early in the game, but Celina’s lethal passing game simply torched the Kilgore secondary, this was despite Kilgore doing a decent job against the run. Offensively, Kilgore as the season wore along became more and more reliant on the pass and the lack of consistent running game seemed to really show itself starting in the second quarter.

Clint Fuller’s squad finally got over the Chapel Hill hump in 2024, but the 2025 Bulldogs will look much different as the defense will be hit hard by graduation losses. Kilgore on offense expects to still pack plenty of punch with the return of QB Kayson Brooks, ATH LaKeylon Graves and RB’s Isaiah Watters and Rayshaun Williams.

 

4A-Division II: Carthage 28, Waco La Vega 14

Carthage: The Bulldogs brought head coach Scott Surratt a tenth state title home to Panola County as no head coach has won more rings than Surratt and he’s not close to being done it appears. RB KJ Edwards was the star of the show for a Carthage offense that had some real struggles in this one, La Vega’s defense had something to do with that but Carthage also didn’t help themselves with key drops. QB Jett Surratt’s two second half touchdown passes to WR Junior Henderson put the game out of reach, while Carthage’s swarming defense was absolutely electric.

The Bulldogs will have among the best offensive units in Texas in 2025, with the return of Surratt, Edwards, Henderson and RB Bennie Smith. The Carthage defense will be solid in the secondary, but LB’s DeQuives Beck and Carson Crawford will be the headliners, the big question mark for the Bulldogs will be replacing key graduation losses along the defensive line. Don’t be surprised if CHS is once again considered the favorite in 4A-Division II come 2025.

 

Waco La Vega: Playing a brutal non-district schedule where the Pirates dropped games to Celina, West Orange-Stark and Stephenville, Don Hyde got the Pirates back to the top of the heap in Central Texas, but Carthage’s smothering defense was just too much in the end. La Vega’s defense, which didn’t get much talk in the pre-season kept the Pirates in it until the very end as they held one of the state’s best offenses in check for the better part of three quarters.

A pair of four-year starters in RB Bryson Roland and OL Eythan Thompson will be very hard to replace, but Coach Hyde has building blocks back in QB Kourtney Parr and WR Jabarie Thornton. You know Don Hyde’s squad is going to play tough defense and he’ll tinker with things early, but by the end of the year  he’ll have La Vega playing elite defense. The Pirates early in the year flew under the radar, but there won’t be anything like that in 2025 after this run to a title game.

 

3A-Division I: Columbus 48, Malakoff 14

Columbus: The Cardinals were emphatic in their dominance in their first state title appearance as QB Adam Schobel was the maestro of a historically good offense, RB Grayson Rigdon capped off an incredible career in six-man and eleven-man football with his fourth state title and the much-maligned Columbus defense led by Jon Schobel played their best game on the biggest stage. It was a complete victory for a team that suffered some key losses on the field and suffered through tragedy off the field as well in 2024.

The Cardinal lose a historically good senior class led by QB Adam Schobel, who is off to TCU after four incredible seasons piloting the Cardinals attack. Jon Schobel and Grayson Rigdon are also gone, but the cupboard isn’t bare. WR Braylon Fisher will just be a junior but he’s established himself as one of the state’s top playmakers on the outside and the Cardinals will bring back all five offensive lineman who started in the state title game. The defense has a lot of holes to fill and there’s the big hole at the QB spot that has to be accounted for going into 2025.

 

Malakoff: The Tigers saw their state leading 31-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of Columbus, as Jamie Driskell’s beat up squad just ran out of gas in this one. QB Mike Jones took an absolute beating in this one, but showed the grit and heart of a champion staying in the game until the bitter end. The Tigers defense many times had tight coverage on Columbus WR’s but the throws were just better. RB Jason Tennyson was clearly limited and Columbus knew it and they forced Malakoff into obvious passing situations which isn’t their strength.

Malakoff will take some heavy hits with graduation losing offensive leader QB Mike Jones and defensive leader LB Parker Poteete. RB Jerrion Hall will return for his senior year, he’ll be counted on to provide leadership for a team that’ll return just seven starters total in 2025.

 

 

3A-Division II: Gunter 28, Woodville 0

Gunter: After getting a big scare in the state semifinals, there was no such scare for the Gunter Tigers who dominated Woodville to win their third straight title and fifth in school history. Gunter put on a defensive masterclass allowing just 147 yards and scoring a touchdown on defense and special teams. Leading just 7-0 at halftime, Mitchell Gage’s kickoff return touchdown to open the second half basically put the game out of reach.

2025 will likely be Gunter’s last in 3A-Division II as the Tigers are all but assured to move up in the 2026 realignment, but it’s going to be hard to list anyone but the Tigers as a favorite for a possible four-peat. However, this was a big senior class and nearly every key offensive contributor was a senior, junior RB Jay Campiti will likely be the main cog in the offense in 2025 as he showed plenty of flash in a supporting role this year.

Woodville: It was a magical run for the Eagles who played in their first state title game in school history, but the moment was just too big for the offense was simply couldn’t block Gunter all night. Woodville’s defense played very well holding Gunter to just 214 yards and allowing only two scores, but the offensive troubles and special teams were Woodville’s undoing.

There should be optimism for Woodville with the return of QB Luke Babin who had a monster sophomore season, more of the offense will be on his shoulders now as a junior especially as Woodville tries to develop a new feature back. Replacing two-way monster RB/DE Tayvion Hunter will be quite tough as well.

 

2A-Division I: Ganado 30, Stamford 28 3OT

Ganado: It was a show-stopper to open the day on Thursday and Ganado found a way to win despite missing a chip-shot field goal at the end of regulation. QB Bryce Ullman was unbeaten when he started for Ganado this year and after coming up short in the state semifinals, this veteran squad found way.

Ganado will have to replace a record setting senior class, much of the offense in 2025 could revolve around RB Logan Bures who is just going to be a junior. WR/DB Austen Pena, who made a great catch for the game winning two-point play is also back and he showed some outstanding toughness on both sides, but this is a squad that will be likely taking a step back after a great senior class walks the stage.

 

Stamford: The Bulldogs return to the Big Country with heartbreak after coming up just short of a perfect season and winning head coach Wayne Hutchinson his third state title. The trio of QB Christian Duran, RB Kaston Vega and WR/DB Cle’ Whitfield led the Bulldogs the entire way as all three played well in the title game, they just came up a bit short in a game that featured two outstanding teams who were evenly matched. The game ended with Stamford having 328 yards and Ganado 325 yards.

Much like Ganado, Stamford is going to suffer some heavy graduation losses with a plethora of three-year starters graduating. WR Brayden Jimenez and DB C’nai Whitfield both made some big plays in the state title game and they’ll return, but this will be a bit of a rebuilding season on 2025 for Coach Hutchinson and his staff.

 

 

2A-Division II: Muenster 36, Shiner 29

Muenster: The Hornets brought home their second state title in school history winning an absolute dog-fight with a Shiner squad that was up to the test. Junior QB Casen Carney was the star of the show and his six-yard scoring run with 40 seconds left in the game proved to be the game winner. He led Muenster with 161 yards on the ground and four scores and he added 171 yards through the air.

Carney returns for an encore senior season to lead the MHS attack and his sidekick Nolan Peele is also returning. Junior DE Garrett Hess also returns for a Muenster defense that should be much improved as well, a repeat isn’t out of the question for Muenster in 2025.

 

Shiner: Shiner went toe to toe with Muenster for 48 minutes and despite allowing a touchdown with just forty seconds left, Shiner had a realistic shot late to tie or win the game. A couple of key injuries really hurt Shiner’s cause as they lost RB Quincy Jones on offense after his 78-yard TD run, he came back in on defense, but he never had another carry on offense. WR/DB Jarvis Williams, who caught a touchdown pass and had an interception on defense left the game in the second quarter with an injury as well.

Don’t be surprised if Shiner is back as the Comanches lose just five total seniors from this year’s team. The key piece to replace will be QB Carson Schuette who led the Comanches the past two seasons and guided Shiner back to statewide relevance after struggling in 2023.