Cedar Hill quarterback Nate Grimm (15) sustained an ankle injury early but fought back from it to lead the game-clinching drive.
File photo by Lester Rosebrock
stuck to its game plan of pounding away at an out-weighed Lancaster defense and the strategy eventually produced a 17-7 Timberwolves victory in the Class 4A Division II state championship game.
In Friday's triple-header finale on Day 2 of Texas UIL state championship games at Cowboys Stadium, Cedar Park (14-2) scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
A 22-yard field goal by
Zach Hancock gave Cedar Park its first lead, 10-7.
Mikal Wilson scored the clinching touchdown on a 14-yard run with three minutes remaining. It capped the Timberwolves' second 14-play scoring drive of the night, this one burning seven minutes off the clock.
"Our O-line just overpowered them in the second half,'' said Cedar Park coach Joe Willis. "That allowed us to run the ball and win the game.''
Cedar Park's offensive line eventually wore down Lancaster in the second half.
File photo by Lester Rosebrock
Cedar Park quarterback
Nate Grimm sustained an ankle injury earlier in the half but returned to lead the drive.
"Nate was hurting pretty bad but he toughed it out,'' Willis said.
Lancaster (14-2) went without a first down in the second half until the game's final three minutes. The Tigers' ground game produced only 47 yards on 23 attempts.
Lancaster coach Chris Gilbert said that while he was proud of his players efforts, he "wished they hadn't made so many mistakes.''
Coordinated shifting by Cedar Park defensive linemen led to a half-dozen Lancaster illegal procedure penalties. But the most costly miscue turned out to be a misguided punt snap that hit an up-back late in the third quarter. The Timberwolves took over at the Lancaster 6 and eventually kicked a go-ahead field goal.
Gilbert said he believed the bad punt snap was caused by a Cedar Park defensive lineman illegally slapping at the ball.
Lancaster opened the game with a 60-yard touchdown drive, capped by quarterback
Demarcus Ayers 27-yard scoring scamper.
Cedar Park equalized with 15 seconds remaining in the opening half on a 1-yard touchdown run by
Ethan Fry. It came on fourth down. Cedar Park overcame two holding penalties on the 84-yard, 14-play drive.
Cedar Park's defense was dominant throughout and didn't allow a first down in the second half until three minutes remained.
File photo by Lester Rosebrock
A nervous start in the first game of the triple-header doomed Daingerfield's bid for a fourth state championship in five years.
The Yeomen of
Cameron Yoe (15-0) took advantage of turnovers by Daingerfield (12-4) on its first two possessions to gain control of the Class 2A Division I state championship game Friday afternoon.
Backed up deep in its end, Daingerfield's first offensive play resulted in an interception by
Zach Riola. Three plays later, the Yeomen took a 7-0 lead on a 9-yard touchdown pass from
Jason Kopriva to
Zach Felts.
Pinned deep again on its second possession, Daingerfield punter Carlos Macias had trouble with a high snap and came up empty on a rushed effort to kick the football.
Edgar Luna fell on the ball for a Yoeman touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
Daingerfield went on to turn the ball over three more times.
The advantage grew to 28-0 on a 31-yard scoring run by
Keaton Denio (22 rushes, 163 yards) and a second Kopriva touchdown pass, this one a 14-yarder to
Colton Shuffield.
The Tigers fought back to make it a two-score game, 35-20, with over eight minutes remaining on
Edwin Mims' 10-yard scoring pass to
Tykeema Wilson.
But Cameron Yoe's special teams, stellar all day, produced the clincher, a 42-yard field goal by
Michael Evan that caught a piece of the left upright but went through with three minutes remaining.
Navasota 39, Gilmer 3
Austin Collins caught two touchdown passes in the first half and broke an 82-yard run for another score in the third quarter to lead the
Navasota Rattlers to the Class 3A Division II state title.
Collins, a senior, sped 52-yards on a screen pass from
Kadarius Baker to give the Rattlers a 7-3 lead. The pair hooked up again in the final three minutes of the half on a 4-yard scoring pass that allowed Navasota (15-0) to take a 26-3 lead.
The clincher was Collins' long distance scoring run. It came three plays after a time-consuming Gilmer possession ended with a fumble at the Navasota goal line.
Gilmer (13-2) opened the scoring with a 29-yard field goal by
Pablin Olivares late in the first period and that's all the Buckeyes could manage against a very good Navasota defense that shut out five opponents this season and limited six more to less than 10 points.
If Navasota needed extra motivation, it got it by the loss of its 1,000-yard rusher. Xavier Creeks suffered a broken leg in a car accident the day before the game. Creek's No. 8 jersey was hung on the Navasota bench and at least one Rattler kissed Creek's helmet after scoring a touchdown.
"We know Xavier is watching and this was for him,'' said Navasota coach Lee Fedora.
