Future Texas Longhorn QB leads Lake Travis to second straight state title; Sulphur Springs, Dayton hook up for historic offensive fireworks show in 4A Division II title game.
By John Hillman
MaxPreps.com
Garrett Gilbert passed his way into the record book and his team into its second straight state title. The Texas-bound senior quarterback threw for 355 yards and four touchdowns in leading Lake Travis to a 48-23 win over Longview in the Class 4A Division I championship at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco. Gilbert also rushed for 62 yards and scored touchdowns on runs of 2 and 1 yards.
“It was an incredible team victory,” Gilbert said. “We hit a couple of bumps, but we were able to step up and respond to them.”
Gilbert entered the contest needing 330 yards to better Graham Harrell’s single-season passing record of 4,825 yards. The future Longhorn also broke Harrell’s career record of 12,532, finishing his tenure at Lake Travis with 12,534.
“The record is a cool thing, but that’s not what it’s all about,” Gilbert said. “It’s all about these other guys out here.”
The Cavaliers (16-0) have won 30 consecutive games and captured their second straight state title with the victory over the Lobos (13-3). Lake Travis accomplished the feat despite a coaching change with Chad Morris taking the reins from Jeff Discus for the 2008 season.
“We understood the pressure,” Morris said. “We felt if we could get our kids to buy in to what we were doing then everything else would take care of itself.”
Longview tied the game 7-7 late in the first quarter on Da’Cedric Hunt’s 6-yard run. But the drive proved costly as the Lobos lost their leading rusher, Tyler McCray, on the previous play with an apparent knee injury. McCray never returned to action.
The Cavalier offense moved almost at will the rest of the game, and Lake Travis entered the locker room with a 28-7 halftime lead.
The Lobos struggled against the relentless Cavalier defense in the second half and accumulated most of their yardage when Hunt broke loose on a 76-yard scoring run with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
“We had to try and wear them down,” Morris said. “At the half, we said we’ve got to keep up the tempo, wear them down, and get them.”
Late in the game, it appeared Harrell’s passing record would elude Gilbert. But Longview punted with five minutes left in the game, and the Cavaliers took possession at the Lobo 34.
Gilbert threw three straight incompletions but hit Michael Brewer for 13 yards on fourth-and-10. The 2008 Texas Player of the Year covered the remaining distance with four completions, the last a 1-yard scoring pass to Conner Floyd.
Class 4A Division II: Sulphur Springs 69, Dayton 49
The Class 4A Division II title game generated 118 points, the most in 11-man UIL championship game history, 1,402 yards and 63 first downs as Sulphur Springs defeated Dayton 69-49 at San Antonio’s Alamodome.
Both quarterbacks racked up tremendous numbers. Tyrik Rollison threw for 398 yards with four touchdown passes in a 22-for-29 performance and rushed for 126 more with three touchdown runs for Sulphur Springs (14-2). Cody Green almost matched the effort for Dayton (13-2), completing 23 of 34 attempts for 329 yards and six touchdowns while adding another 94 on the ground.
Early in third quarter, Dayton pulled to within a point at 42-41. But Rollison answered with a 30-yard scoring pass to Rashad Hall, and the Wildcats surprised Dayton with a successful onside kick they recovered at the Bronco 45.
Four plays later, Ryan Young, who finished the game with 234 yards on 28 carries and three touchdowns, took it to the end zone from five yards away, and Sulphur Springs led 58-41. By that time, the Broncos had run out of gas and couldn’t recover.
“We ran out of steam and they were still bringing wave after wave after wave, and we were out of people,” Dayton head coach Jerry Stewart said to the Houston Chronicle.
