Gunter head coach Jake Fieszel had a simple message for his team nursing a 7-0 lead over Woodville at halftime: if they got one big play on offense, defense and special teams, they’d win their third-straight Class 3A Division II State Championship.
He didn’t have to wait long to see if his words sunk in. Senior Mitchell Gage took the first kickoff of the third quarter 96 yards to the house.
“We all went out there hyped up,” Gage said. “It was really all the blockers. All I had to do was run. It was wide open.”
Big play for special teams? Check.
On the next offensive drive, senior quarterback Preston Tarpley hit wide receiver Cash Rumage on a 59-yard touchdown pass. Rumage finished the afternoon with two catches for 73 yards and a score, earning the game’s Offensive MVP.
Big play for the offense? Check.
In the fourth quarter with a 21-0 lead, senior running back and corner Brock Boddie stepped in front of a Woodville pass and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown. It was the Tigers’ second non-offensive touchdown of the game.
Big play for the defense? Check
Those plays by the senior class, combined with Defensive MVP Hayden Farrell’s 11 tackles and three sacks, are how Gunter went back-to-back-to-back.
“Our senior class just willed us to a bunch of victories this year, especially through the playoffs,” Fieszel said.
But keeping the praise for this senior class to its on-field heroics sells them short. Because more important than the touchdowns, interceptions and kickoff returns was the leadership they displayed during a 1–2 start to the season. Fieszel worried the first losses for the program in two years would rattle his group. The seniors didn’t let that happen.
“We talk about it a lot in practice and film sessions, to protect the brotherhood,” senior captain Garrin Goetz said. “Look at the guy next to you and know that you have their back.
The 28-0 win over Woodville mirrored Gunter’s 2024 season: a shaky start turned around by the seniors. The road may have been bumpier, but it ended the same way - with Gunter hoisting the championship trophy.
BOX SCORE
| TM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodville | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Gunter | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
| Team | Qtr | Clock | Score | Type | Play | Drive | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GUN | 2 | 10:06 | TD | PASS | C.Harpole 18 yd reception thrown by P.Tarpley (PAT KICK by P.Tarpley GOOD) | 3/29/0:41 | 7-0 |
| GUN | 3 | 11:46 | TD | KO | M.Gage 96 yd kickoff return (PAT KICK by P.Tarpley GOOD) | 14-0 | |
| GUN | 3 | 08:57 | TD | PASS | C.Rumage 59 yd reception thrown by P.Tarpley (PAT KICK by P.Tarpley GOOD) | 4/71/1:02 | 21-0 |
| GUN | 4 | 06:48 | TD | INT | B.Boddie 62 yd interception return (PAT KICK by P.Tarpley GOOD) | 28-0 |
| STATS | Woodville | Gunter |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yds | 147 | 205 |
| Pass Yds | 93 | 121 |
| Rush Yds | 54 | 84 |
| Penalties | 4-25 | 4-39 |
| 1st Downs | 9 | 10 |
| 3rd Downs | 4-17 | 4-12 |
| 4th Downs | 1-2 | 0-0 |
| Total Plays | 61 | 49 |
| Avg Yds/Play | 2.4 | 4.2 |
| Avg Yds/Completion | 10.3 | 13.4 |
| Avg Yds/Rush | 1.4 | 2.5 |
| Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg) | 84 (2.6) | 100 (3.1) |
| Red Zone | 0-0 | 1-1 |
| Time of Poss | 26:58 | 21:02 |
| Turnovers (Def Pts Off) | 2 (7) | 1 (0) |
| Fumbles-Lost | 3-0 | 0-0 |
| Sacks (Def Yds) | 2 (16) | 6 (30) |
| TFL (Def Yds) | 4 (20) | 11 (40) |
Woodville Passing
| # | PLAYER | C-A | YDS | TD | I | C% | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | BABIN,L | 9-23 | 93 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 55.7 |
Woodville Rushing
| # | PLAYER | ATT | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | HUNTER,T | 17 | 42 | 0 | 11 | 2.5 |
| 26 | BARLOW,D | 7 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 1.9 |
| 7 | TOLAR,G | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| 10 | RIGSBY,K | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 15 | WILLIAMS,Z | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 32 | LEDOUX,T | 2 | -1 | 0 | 1 | -0.5 |
| 13 | BABIN,L | 9 | -13 | 0 | 13 | -1.4 |
| 7 RUSHERS | 38 | 54 | 0 | 13 | 1.4 |
Woodville Receiving
| # | PLAYER | NO | YDS | TD | LNG | TGT | YAC | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | RIGSBY,K | 3 | 18 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 0 |
| 4 | MCDANIEL,K | 2 | 28 | 0 | 23 | 7 | 13 | 0 |
| 7 | TOLAR,G | 2 | 26 | 0 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 0 |
| 32 | LEDOUX,T | 2 | 21 | 0 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 RECEIVERS | 9 | 93 | 0 | 23 | 22 | 36 | 0 |
Gunter Passing
| # | PLAYER | C-A | YDS | TD | I | C% | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | TARPLEY,P | 9-15 | 121 | 2 | 1 | 60 | 158.4 |
Gunter Rushing
| # | PLAYER | ATT | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BODDIE,B | 15 | 51 | 0 | 13 | 3.4 |
| 33 | FARRELL,H | 3 | 18 | 0 | 7 | 6 |
| 22 | CAMPITI,J | 5 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 3.4 |
| 13 | TOKARZ,D | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 2.5 |
| 8 | GAGE,M | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 12 | TARPLEY,P | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| TM | TEAM | 2 | -9 | 0 | 0 | -4.5 |
| 6 RUSHERS | 34 | 84 | 0 | 13 | 2.5 |
Gunter Receiving
| # | PLAYER | NO | YDS | TD | LNG | TGT | YAC | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | RUMAGE,C | 2 | 73 | 1 | 59 | 2 | 32 | 0 |
| 9 | HARPOLE,C | 2 | 24 | 1 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 2 | OVERMAN,E | 2 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 15 | 1 |
| 13 | TOKARZ,D | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
| 8 | GAGE,M | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| 7 | BOLT,K | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 6 RECEIVERS | 9 | 121 | 2 | 59 | 14 | 72 | 2 |
Woodville Defense
| # | Player (Starter) | TotTk | Solo | Sack | TFL | Int | BrUp | QBH | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | J.Hyder | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | J.Traylor | 11 | 2 | 1 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | C.Johnson | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | T.Hunter | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | M.Menafee | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 54 | D.Koenig | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | L.Calhoun | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | S.Bolden | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | A.Williams | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | A.Dailey | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | L.Harris | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Z.McDaniel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | T.Ledoux | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 55 | W.Walsh | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | J.Kelley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 58 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Gunter Defense
| # | Player (Starter) | TotTk | Solo | Sack | TFL | Int | BrUp | QBH | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | J.Graham | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | H.Farrell | 11 | 4 | 3 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | B.McDaniel | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | C.Balak | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | C.Doty | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | M.Thornhill | 5 | 1 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | J.Campiti | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | B.Boddie | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | K.Bolt | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | M.Gage | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | D.Puga | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 50 | L.Ballard | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | E.Overman | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | B.Rodriguez | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | J.Waggoner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | T.Wright | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | R.Brackeen | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 61 | G.Goetz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 99 | J.Grahams | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 79 | 27 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
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