The Cooldown: Week 17
DFW - Week Seventeen
The 2019 season has come to a close with the conclusion of the UIL State Championships. We still have one football edition of The Cooldown left before we switch our coverage from football to basketball. Let’s recap the 2019 UIL State Championship Games!
2A Division I
Refugio: 28 Post: 7
I picked Refugio to win this game and they won comfortably over Post. Refugio wasn’t as dominate as some of its best teams have been, but the Bobcats still had a good year and I picked the traditional power to beat Post and it paid off.
2A Division II
Mart: 25 Hamlin: 20
Hamlin led this game 14-6 through a quarter before allowing Mart to reel off 19 unanswered points in the second and third quarters. Klyderion Campbell picked off Hamlin quarterback Braydin Warner and returned it for six with 2:06 remaining in the third quarter to give Mart a 25-14 lead.
Hamlin held Mart scoreless the rest of the way and Austin Lozano would catch a touchdown pass from Braydin Warner with 2:22 remaining in regulation. Hamlin couldn’t convert the two-point conversion and wouldn’t have a chance to score the rest of the game.
I picked Mart in this game because of its experience in state championship games and the athleticism advantage Mart held over Hamlin.
3A Division I
Grandview: 42 Pottsboro: 35
Grandview won its second straight state title behind five rushing touchdowns from running back Tremayne Gullatte. I picked Grandview in this game because of quarterback Dane Jentsch. He plays both ways for Grandview and won both offensive and defensive MVP for the second year in a row.
Jentsch will be back for his senior season with two state championship rings and four MVP awards. Of course, Jentsch gave his offensive MVP award from this game to Gullatte, who wasn’t able to play in the state championship game the year before due to injury.
Pottsboro was competitive throughout the game and was an onside kick away from having a chance to tie the game late. Jentsch picked up a first down after Grandview recovered the onside kick and the Zebras were able to run out the clock and win the 3A DI State Championship Game.
3A Division II
Gunter: 43 Omaha Paul Pewitt: 22
Gunter added another state championship trophy to its collection with a 43-22 win over Pewitt. This game was a big change of pace from the Grandview- Pottsboro matchup that preceded it. This game featured more rushing than passing on both sides.
This game was tied at 22 at halftime and Pewitt had some momentum, but Gunter had looked like the better team. It showed in the second half as Gunter held Pewitt scoreless. Pewitt only had 173 yards of offense, compared to Gunter’s 405 yards of offense. The Gunter rushing attack proved to be too much for Pewitt in this one.
4A Division I
Carthage: 42 Waco La Vega: 35
Kelvontay Dixon broke this game open for Carthage in the second quarter. La Vega led 7-0 after one quarter and led 14-7 after the two teams exchanged touchdowns to begin the second quarter. Dixon then caught two touchdowns passes from Kai Horton in the second quarter and led off the third quarter with one more. Mason Courtney added a 54-yard rushing touchdown to make it 28 unanswered points for Carthage.
Jar’Que Walton found the end zone for La Vega a minute later to end the run and cut the Carthage lead to 35-21. Courtney scored his third touchdown of the day early in the fourth quarter to give Carthage a 42-21 lead and put the game out of reach.
Landry Kinne scored for La Vega late in the game, but Carthage won this one comfortably as the offensive duo of Dixon and Courtney was too much for the Pirate defense to handle.
4A Division II
Texarkana Pleasant Grove: 35 Wimberley: 21
Pleasant Grove started this game off with a bang when KJ Hicks took the opening kickoff back for six. Wimberley and Pleasant Grove traded scores in the first quarter and were tied at 14 heading to the second quarter.
Pleasant Grove scored 21 unanswered points, capped by a 31-yard Bruce Garrett touchdown run with 2:51 remaining in the game. Kolby Goforth caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Cooper McCollum with 2:00 minutes left but wasn’t able to score the rest of the way as Pleasant Grove won its second championship in three years. Garrett was named offensive MVP after rushing for 254 yards and three scores. Marcus Burris had two sacks and was named defensive MVP.
5A Division I
Alvin Shadow Creek: 28 Denton Ryan: 22
Shadow Creek executed a 10-play 56-yard drive capped by a Kyron Drones touchdown run to start the game with a 7-0 lead over Denton Ryan. How did Denton Ryan respond? Starburst kickoff return.
Denton Ryan converted the two-point conversion to lead 8-7 midway through the first quarter. Shadow Creek scored the only touchdown of the second quarter on this wild punt return from Randy Masters to give Shadow Creek a 14-8 halftime lead.
The Sharks wouldn’t relinquish the lead for the rest of the night. Drones added a second rushing touchdown to put Shadow Creek up 21-8 in the third quarter. Drew Sanders answered a few minutes later for Denton Ryan with a rushing touchdown of his own to cut the Shadow Creek lead to 21-15 heading to the fourth quarter.
Kelvon Brown found the end zone from eight yards out to give Shadow Creek a 28-15 lead with 3:08 remaining in the game. Ja’Tavion Sanders was on the receiving end of a nice touchdown pass to cut the lead to 28-22 with 1:14 left in the game and Denton Ryan would get one last shot at the end zone to win the game.
It really is a game of inches.
5A Division II
Aledo: 45 Fort Bend Marshall: 42
Fort Bend Marshall tried to exact revenge after losing to Aledo in the state championship game a year ago. Aledo took a 28-20 advantage into halftime thanks to two touchdown receptions from Money Parks.
Jase McCllelan scored his first touchdown of the day in the third quarter when he ripped off a 63-yard touchdown run. Aledo added a field goal a few minutes later to score the first 10 points of the second half and take a 38-20 lead with 15 minutes remaining in the game. Marshall didn’t back down though.
The Buffs answered with a 17-yard touchdown run from Devon Achane just before the end of the third quarter to cut the Aledo lead to 38-27. Jase McClellan added another touchdown to get the scoring started in the fourth quarter, giving Aledo a 45-27 advantage with six minutes left. Devon Achane answered back with a touchdown run of his own and Brandon Tryon caught a touchdown pass from Malik Hornsby with :49 seconds left in the game to cut the Aledo lead to 45-42. Marshall wasn’t able to recover the onside kick and fell just short of winning a state championship.
6A Division I
Galena Park North Shore: 31 Duncanville: 17
This is the game everyone had been waiting for all season long. Unfortunately, the rematch was hampered by injuries and…a suspension? North Shore running back Zach Evans missed the final game of his high school career after coaches sent him back to Houston before the game.
North Shore was also missing star receiver Shadrach Banks with a foot injury. Banks missed the majority of his junior season due to injuries. Duncanville was without star quarterback Ja’Quinden Jackson, who partially tore his ACL the week before. Linebacker Kendrick Blackshire also missed the game with an injury.
Duncanville had to start freshman Chris Parson at quarterback in this game. Parson scored on this touchdown run to give Duncanville its first and only lead of the game at 14-10 in the second quarter. North Shore added a touchdown and Duncanville added a late field goal to tie the game at 17 going to halftime.
Dematrius Davis hooked up with Charles King on a 44-yard touchdown pass to give North Shore a 31-17 lead with 2:33 remaining in the game to give North Shore back-to-back state championships.
Parson played far better than what could have been expected from a freshman starting his first varsity football game. There was plenty of youth for both teams in this game and it could set up a third showdown between the two teams for the 6A DI State Championship next season.
6A Division II
Austin Westlake: 24 Denton Guyer: 0
This game was over before it really got started. It should have been one of the better games of the weekend between two relatively evenly matched teams. That changed when Guyer quarterback Eli Stowers went down with an injury at the end of the Wildcats first offensive drive.
Guyer brought in backup quarterback and freshman Jackson Arnold to replace Stowers. Arnold was only able to complete two of his 11 pass attempts for six yards and two interceptions. Guyer leaned on Kaedric Cobbs, who rushed 28 times for 162 yards. Westlake quarterback Kirkland Michaux passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns to lead Westlake past Guyer.
Cobbs played with the most heart of any player I watched last weekend. In the nine games I watched, no other team had to lean on a player as much as Guyer had to lean on Cobbs. Throughout the game he was encouraging Arnold, despite the Wildcats dreams of winning state being dashed due to an injury. Cobbs put it all in perspective when I talked to him after the game. Check out this incredible quote from this awesome young leader.