The final day of the Texas (UIL) high school football state championships concluded the 2024 season on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The concluding day showcased the Class 5A Division I finals along with the Class 6A Division I and II finals, bringing together thousands of fans. Notably, the last game attracted an impressive 36,120 attendees, making it the most well-attended of the twelve championship games.
Overall, the three games played on Saturday drew a total of 81,113 fans.
Below are recaps and final scores from each of Saturday’s state finals.
Fort Worth North Crowley 50, Austin Westlake 14
For the first time in 76 years, Fort Worth has clinched a state football championship in UIL’s top classification.
Chris Jimerson Jr. has played a distinctive role as the quarterback for North Crowley.
A North Texas signee, he played varsity football for four years, serving as a three-year starter for the Panthers.
In his final game, Jimerson led the Panthers to a resounding 50-21 victory over Austin Westlake, securing the school’s second state championship. The team amassed a remarkable 640 yards of total offense, marking the second-highest total in 6A final history and placing them as one of only three teams to exceed 600 yards in a 6A championship game.
The record for this category belongs to Allen’s 2013 team, which generated 670 yards against Pearland. Jimerson impressively threw for 299 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 63 yards and another score.
“All props to my O-Line and my receivers for making plays,” Jimerson stated. “It feels real good to put the ball out there and know that receivers are going to get it. It relieves a lot of stress off of me just knowing I don’t have to go make a play every time. We have a lot of weapons.”
Just how deep is the talent for the Panthers?
Running back Cornelius Warren III, who recently decommitted from UNLV following a coaching change, rushed for 217 yards without receiving the Offensive MVP title. Even Jimerson did not receive that accolade.
That recognition went to Colorado signee Quentin Gibson, who recorded 7 catches for 181 yards and 3 touchdowns. Gibson dazzled with impressive catches, including a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the game — a flea flicker setup involving Warren and Jimerson to find Gibson wide open, allowing him to traverse the field in a mere 15 seconds.
As he crossed into the end zone, he pointed to his ring finger, heralding the game’s outcome.
Gibson wrapped up his season as the all-time DFW leader for touchdown receptions in a single season with 36, surpassing the previous record held by current Seattle Seahawk Jaxon Smith-Njiba, who had 35 during his 2019 season at Rockwall. This record stood until tonight.
Additionally, Gibson eclipsed Cee Dee Lamb‘s record from Richmond Foster, who had 33 in 2015.
Gibson, who celebrated with the Deion Sanders touchdown dance following his second touchdown, now ranks fourth all-time in UIL history for most touchdown receptions in a single season.
North Crowley finished the season with a perfect 16-0 record and an impressive 42-2 mark over the past two years. This season, they triumphed over nationally ranked DeSoto and Duncanville, both part of the District of Doom.
This represents a remarkable turnaround for a program that had faced challenges for many years since it began varsity football in 1998. The Panthers claimed a state title in 2003 yet endured losing seasons from 2006 to 2019.
Before Ray Gates took over as head coach, North Crowley’s historical record stood at 83-160.
Under Gates’ leadership, the Panthers have achieved a remarkable 42-2 record and are poised to be the highest-ranked public school when the Top 25 poll is released next week.
“I couldn’t have scripted this any better,” Gates expressed. “So much has come together for us to achieve what we did in such a brief span.”
North Crowley is the first Fort Worth school to secure a state title in UIL’s highest classification since Arlington Heights won in 1948.
A significant turning point came late in the second quarter. With North Crowley leading 14-7, Westlake found themselves in the Panthers’ red zone. Running back Grady Bartlett attempted a run, but the ball was jarred loose, although the officials initially ruled he was down by contact. Given the stakes of the state finals, video reviews were invoked.
The decision was reversed, transferring possession to North Crowley at the 5-yard line.
North Crowley then executed a 95-yard drive over 12 plays, consuming 6:28 off the clock, ending with a 44-yard touchdown from Gibson, which shifted the momentum from a potential 14-14 tie to a 21-7 advantage.
“That’s the interesting aspect about using replay in high school football finals,” remarked Westlake coach Tony Salazar. “It’s beneficial when the call benefits your team and disadvantageous when it doesn’t. However, they saw the evidence and you have to accept it and move forward. Our challenge was not responding on defense after that decision and finding a way to reclaim possession for our offense.”
Spring Branch Smithson Valley 32, Dallas Highland Park 20
In terms of wins, one of the most accomplished coaches in Texas high school football has added a significant milestone to his decorated career.
Larry Hill successfully led Smithson Valley to their inaugural state championship Saturday morning, securing a 32-20 victory against Dallas Highland Park before an audience of 18,746 at AT&T Stadium.
Hill has previously steered the Rangers to the semifinals on eight occasions and to the finals four times, including a run last year, but had yet to taste victory in the season finale.
The showdown featured two of Texas football’s winningest coaches: Highland Park’s Randy Allen, standing at No. 2 in all-time wins and Hill, who ranks No. 9.
“In my career, it is always the game someone else gets to win, and you begin to wonder if you’ll win it ever,” Hill reflected. “I’ve been to the finals five times now, and they are always quality teams or they are not in the finals. It’s a storied program, and there is no one I have more respect for than Randy Allen. The way he coaches and the way his staff runs the program, the way the kids play hard with class and the winning tradition. Before he retires he will be the winningest coach in the history of Texas high school football. He’s a friend; he’s someone I deeply respect … I’m just glad he lost today.”
Hill wrapped up his 32nd season with a state championship that showcased six field goals, a defensive touchdown, and a late rushing score that secured the victory.
The Rangers (14-2) became the first team from the San Antonio area to claim a state title since Cibolo Steele captured the Class 5A Division II crown in 2010.
Highland Park (14-2) initially drew first blood with a 49-yard touchdown pass from Buck Randall to Cannon Bozman in the first quarter. Trent Amaya contributed two field goals to keep Smithson Valley within striking distance.
A 73-yard touchdown from Randall to Benton Owens widened the Scots’ lead to 14-6 with 2:19 remaining in the half. However, Highland Park’s hopes of a two-score cushion were dashed when Julian Colunga intercepted a pass intended for Brandon Lilly and returned it for a 23-yard touchdown.
The Rangers narrowed the gap and then took the lead early in the second quarter when Offensive MVP Cade Spradling connected with Brody Day for a 24-yard touchdown. This marked the first — and final — lead change of the night.
Spradling later sealed the win with a 4-yard touchdown run, with 3:39 on the clock.
Hill expressed admiration for the quarterback/linebacker, who tallied 147 rushing yards and a touchdown, paired with 61 passing yards and another touchdown, while contributing five tackles, which tied for second on the team.
“He’s had other opportunities to win but fell short, and we are happy we are the team that could get it done for him,” Spradling said, reflecting on helping Hill achieve his first title.
Amaya successfully kicked four field goals, tying a UIL record for the most in a championship game. His fifth attempt in the fourth quarter, from 24 yards, could have broken the record but he was unable to convert.
Interestingly, four field goals in a championship game have occurred four times in UIL history, including back-to-back seasons. Last fall, Port-Neches Groves’ Gio Oceguera also made four field goals to aid the Indians in their Class 5A Division II finals victory.
Smithson Valley’s defense was impressive, limiting Highland Park to just 49 rushing yards on 24 carries, forcing them to pass on 35 occasions. Randall managed 216 passing yards with two touchdowns, but faced two interceptions and was sacked three times.
“Smithson Valley controlled the ball; we weren’t able to that, as far as running the football and sustaining drives,” Allen noted. “We had momentum early in the game, and we let it slip away from us. I could never get anything going offensively in the second half to turn the momentum.”
The Rangers had 64 passing yards but showcased a dominant run game, accumulating 297 rushing yards, with Brad Sowersby leading the charge with 152 yards. He and Spradling teamed up for 47 of the 51 carries.
“We didn’t sign anybody (to play in college) a couple of weeks ago, and we aren’t leading in the area or the state in anything,” Hill reflected. “We are just a bunch of grunts playing hard, and they play for an old grunt coach. I think there’s still a place for old-school football.”
Austin Vandegrift 24, Southlake Carroll 17
Another Austin team denied Southlake Carroll the chance for their ninth state title.
Carroll had previously fallen to Austin Westlake in the 2020 state championship game and faced Austin Vandegrift in their second contest on Saturday, which took place in front of 26,247 spectators.
This marks the first state title for the Vipers (15-1), following a runner-up finish in 2022 against DeSoto.
Vandegrift managed to restrict Southlake to a season-low 17 points, resulting in the Dragons (15-1) suffering their first defeat of the season and just their fifth in the last five years.
Vandegrift established a 21-7 advantage in the first half and then fended off a second-half comeback attempt by Southlake. Brendan Fournier not only ran for a touchdown but also caught one for the Vipers, while George Farley delivered an 84-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.
Farley’s remarkable connection with quarterback Miles Teodeck — who was honored as the Offensive MVP — became the longest touchdown catch in Class 6A history.
The Vipers effectively rendered Southlake’s offense one-dimensional by shutting down their rushing game, allowing only 53 yards on 17 carries.
As a result, Southlake resorted to throwing the ball 38 times, during which the Vipers intercepted two passes and forced a fumble on a completed pass — all this achieved without their top tackler, Hollister Stephens, who was injured on the opening play and attended the postgame conference on crutches.
Vandegrift’s defense halted a Southlake advance on downs late in the fourth quarter while leading 24-14. Southlake managed to reach the 1-yard line with 2:52 remaining, but a 4-yard loss on a rush courtesy of Adam Scott, followed by three consecutive incomplete passes, sealed the game for Vandegrift.
“What’s remarkable about it is that it wasn’t like, ‘Oh my gosh, we need to stop this,’ because this is the first time we’ve been here,” Scott remarked. “We’ve been doing this all year. Coach prepares us every single week to make those significant plays that we ended up needing, but once we got off the field, it really started to sink in that we have a very good chance to be state champions.”
Southlake coach Riley Dodge expressed that he believed the team required a touchdown on that pivotal drive to close the gap to 24-21.
After Vandegrift punted the ball back, Southlake secured a field goal from Gavin Strange from 47 yards out with just one second remaining.
The ensuing onside kick attempt failed, concluding the game.
“It hurts. You put a lot into it, right?” said Dodge. “These kids put a lot into it. The staff puts a lot into it. Our families put a lot into it. Just trying to view it as giving God the glory for it. Man, we’re very, very blessed to be here and have the opportunity to compete on this level. Obviously, you have to give the glory when you win and offer thanks when you lose, right? Clearly, it stings no matter what.”
Teodecki earned the Offensive MVP title after completing 14 of 17 passes for 248 yards for the Vipers — all while coping with an injured finger during the finals.
