By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
Garrett Gilbert – arguably the top prospect in the state and maybe the entire country – will be a player high school football fans in Texas will be talking about for a long time as his record-setting prep career came to a close on Saturday. Gilbert threw for 356 yards and four touchdowns while adding two more on the ground as Lake Travis turned away Longview to win the Texas 4A-Division I state championship.
Gilbert, committed to Texas, seems to be the prospect the term blue-chip is coined for. Gilbert directed his Cavaliers to their second straight state title and in the process set a Texas state record for career passing yards and single season passing yards in his final game.
Gilbert finished with 12,534 yards, surpassing the state record held by former Ennis standout Graham Harrell (2000-03) by two yards. Harrell is now the quarterback at Texas Tech and is an NFL prospect.
"On the sidelines, I told him he was 34 yards away from the record. I said we're going to get the record. He said, 'Coach, I don't care.' I said, 'I do. I care. We're going to get it.' And we got it,” coach Chad Morris told the Austin American-Statesman.
Gilbert beat his own single-season state record and finished with 4,852 yards this season. As a junior, Gilbert set the record with 4,827 yards.
Gilbert hit favorite target Cade McCrary on touchdown strikes of 26 and 46 yards and also found Chris Aydam and Connor Floyd on touchdown passes. Gilbert also led Lake Travis with 85 yards rushing. Austin Pollard caught eight passes for 145 yards to lead the Cavalier receiving corps.
With the score tied at seven after the first quarter, Lake Travis took over with 21 points in the second to take a comfortable 28-7 halftime lead. Gilbert hit Chris Aydam on a 19-yard touchdown pass to break the deadlock before Andy Erickson scored on an 11-yard run. Gilbert ran another in from 2 yards out before halftime.
Gilbert completed 302-of-438 passes in 2008 for 55 touchdowns compared to just six interceptions. Gilbert also rushed for 23 touchdowns while leading his team to a perfect 16-0 record. With Gilbert, the Cavaliers won their last 30 games dating back to the second game of the 2007 season.
Gilbert would add a 1-yard plunge to give Lake Travis a 34-7 lead to open the third quarter. Following a Longview field goal, Gilbert hit McCrary on a touchdown pass of 56 yards to give Lake Travis a 41-10 lead after three quarters of play.
Longview’s Da’Cedric Hunt rushed for 118 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort. Longview finished the season with a 13-3 record including a loss to 5A-I champion Allen and a forfeit loss to Shreveport (La.) Evangel. The Lobos were hoping to end a 71-year state title drought.
5A-I: Allen 24, Fort Bend Hightower 17
Even without the services of starting junior quarterback Matt Brown, Allen was a team of destiny. Destiny for Allen came via a 5A-Division I state championship with a 24-17 victory over Fort Bend Hightower.
Brown – who accounted for 40 touchdowns this season- was injured in a November playoff game against Coppell and was replaced by fellow junior Tucker Carter. Carter led Allen to victories over Odessa Permian, previously top-ranked Euless Trinity, and Round Rock Stony Point before leading the Eagles to its first ever state championship.
In the title game, Carter completed 21-of-30 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns. Entering the fourth quarter with the tally tied at seven apiece, Carter rattled off two quick scoring strikes to give Allen a 21-7 lead. Carter hit Marcus Thomas from 37 yards out and then found an open Justin Robinson for a 9-yard score. In the first half, Carter drilled Jeremiah Williams on a 3-yard touchdown strike.
Hightower attempted to comeback and cut the lead in half at 21-14 when A.J. Highsmith found Bryce Edwards for an 11-yard touchdown pass.
Carter was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship game, not bad for a player that watched Brown soak up the spotlight all season until the playoffs.
5A-II: Katy 17, Wylie 3
For Katy the 2008 football season was a marathon, not a sprint.
Coming off a state championship in 2007, the Tigers got off to a shocking 0-2 start including a 47-0 loss to The Woodlands on Sept. 5. The Tigers responded with the heart of champions, winning 13 of their last 14 games which culminated in 17-3 victory over Wylie to win the 5A-Division II state title.
Michael Webber rushed for two touchdowns for the Tigers. Webber’s 34-yard jaunt to paydirt in the third quarter gave the Tigers a 17-0 lead. In the second quarter, Webber helped Katy expanded on a 3-0 lead after the first quarter with a 5-yard run just 1:08 before halftime.
Will Jeffrey rushed for 142 yards on 22 carries to lead Katy, which finished 13-3 on the season. Jeffrey was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player for his workmanlike efforts in Katy’s grinding running game.
Sebi Carbajal was the Defensive Most Valuable Player after recording 10 tackles and three sacks for the state champions. Katy held Wylie to 233 total yards and picked off Wylie quarterback Jarod Monk three times.
Wylie would get on the Reliant Stadium scoreboard with a 31-yard field goal from Zac Ohannessian, but it would be all the points the Pirates could muster.
4A-II: Sulphur Springs 69, Dayton 49
In a battle of two Division I-bound quarterbacks, Sulphur Springs and Tyrik Rollison outdueled Cody Green’s Dayton 69-49 to get its hands on the Texas 4A-Division II state championship.
The uncommitted Rollison rolled up 524 total yards and accounted for seven touchdowns for Sulphur Springs. Green, the future Nebraska quarterback, threw for 329 yards and six touchdowns in the final game of his prep career.
Following a first half that produced a combined 77 points giving Sulphur Springs a 42-35 lead, Dayton threw for his fifth touchdown pass of the night when he hit Cameron Lacour on a 50-yard strike. The point after failed, and with 10:01 remaining in the third quarter Sulphur Springs was ahead by just one at 42-41.
From that point, Rollison and Ryan Young helped the Wildcats cease control of the championship game. Rollison threw for two touchdowns and Young added a pair on the ground to help pave the way for Sulphur Springs’ first title in school history.
The 118 combined points was the most scored in UIL state championship game history. Sulphur Springs compiled 778 total yards in the victory while Dayton piled up 624 total yards in a losing effort.
Rollison finished 23-of-29 through the air for 398 yards and four touchdowns. On 22 carries, Rollison rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns. Young would finish with 234 rushing yards on his own along with three touchdowns. Jace Jackson caught nine passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns for Sulphur Springs.
Green and A.J. Dugat made the most of the last time they will be teammates at the high school level. Dugat caught eight passes for 138 yards and three touchdowns while adding 93 rushing yards on just five carries. Lacour rushed for 108 yards on six carries, including a 47-yard touchdown run. Green added 94 yards rushing for the Broncos.
Sulphur Springs finished 14-2 in its first state title season, while Dayton finished 2008 with a 13-2 mark.
Rollison finished with 4,713 yards and 51 passing touchdowns while adding over 1,000 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
Green finished his senior season with 3,195 passing yards while completing nearly 65 percent of his passes for 37 touchdowns. Green also added 1,506 yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground. Dugat finished with 112 receptions for 1,755 yards and 21 touchdowns while totaling 642 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground while averaging 11.1 yards per carry.
