ARLINGTON - First time was the charm for the Westbrook Wildcats, which made their state championship debut by upsetting the May Tigers, 72 – 66, to win the 1A Division I State Championship on Wednesday at AT&T Stadium.

Westbrook (11-4) relied on star athlete Cedric Ware to make history for the Wildcats. The electric running back was named the game’s MVP on both sides of the ball after rushing for 304 yards and seven touchdowns while also completing his only pass for a TD.

He was responsible for five touchdowns to get Westbrook the lead in the first half, including a 56-yard heave to Aiden Sullivan to take a 46-44 lead with four seconds left in the second quarter.

May (14-1) came out swinging in the third to claim a 60-52 lead, but that didn’t last for long.
The turning point came after a Ware seven-yard touchdown. Westbrook attempted the on-side kick and caught the high bounce off a May player. The Wildcats took full advantage with another Ware touchdown to go up a score. He tacked on one more for good measure late to make it appear like Westbrook had the title locked up.

May, though, wasn’t done. The Tigers drove down the field with under a minute left and faced a 4th down with 11 seconds left. It appeared as though May tied the game up when the Tigers looked to have completed a pass in the endzone, but a Westbrook defender knocked the ball out just before he could complete the catch to secure the victory.

Kaden Halk helped May stay in the game with 20 carries for 171 yards and three touchdowns, 48 yards and one touchdown receiving, and remained a force on defense with 8.5 total tackles with 7 being solo.

Ware finished with 14 tackles – 10 solo – and a sack.

WESTBROOK

MAY