Texas football Friday title games: Jarrod Heard leads Guyer to title

ARLINGTON, Texas — Life without Jerrod Heard will be an adjustment for coach John Walsh and the Wildcats of Guyer (Denton).

But Heard, a senior quarterback verbally committed to the Texas Longhorns, went out with a bang, leading Guyer to a second straight Class 4A Division I state title.

Guyer defeated Brennan (San Antonio) 31-14 in the late game of Friday's UIL State Championship tripleheader at AT&T Stadium.

Heard, a gifted open-field runner, accounted for all but 69 of his team's 313 yards, throwing for one touchdown and running for two more.

Nothing came easy for Guyer (14-2) offensively. Brennan's defense anchored by linebacker Grant Watanabe, a Colorado pledge, came into the game with nine shutouts, allowing an average of 3.4 points per game.

Miscues by Brennan (15-1) figured in two Guyer scoring drives. A muffed punt led to the game's first score, Heard's 14-yard touchdown pass to David Haynes.

A Brennan offside penalty on a punt gave Guyer a new set of downs that resulted in Brad Grems' 20-yard field goal for a 17-7 Wildcats lead. Sandwiched on either side of the field goal were touchdown runs of 4 and 28 yards by Heard.

Both Brennan touchdowns came on runs by quarterback Da'shawn Key, an 11-yarder in the second quarter that tied the score and another from 37 yards with 5:51 left that cut the Guyer lead to 24-14.

A 33-yard run by D.j. Breedlove with 2:42 remaining was the Guyer clincher.

Three state title games remain to be played Saturday.

In Friday's other title games:

Argyle 38, Fairfield 33

Ian Sadler displayed a few of the many ways he can find the end zone, something he's done 38 times this season, to lead Argyle to the Class 3A Division II state title before the largest attendance of the day -- 22,071.

Sadler, a versatile wide receiver orally committed to Texas Tech, broke a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown and also scored three times on runs after taking a shotgun snap. His last touchdown, a three-yarder with 6:54 remaining, turned out to be the game-winner.

When Argyle needed a momentum-shifting play early in the third quarter, Sadler raced 41 yards on a fake punt to set up his own short scoring run. The 5-10, 190-pounder finished with 109 rushing yards and 73 more on four pass receptions.

Fairfield had one last chance and drove from its 13 to the Argyle 11 in the final minutes, but on fourth-and-4, running back Larry Rose was stopped two yards short by Micah Capra and Nick Ralston.

Rose, The Associated Press' Class 3A offensive player of the year, was the logical selection in a critical situation. The senior rushed for 260 yards and two touchdowns. His 54-yard touchdown run in the first minute of the fourth quarter gave Fairfield its last lead, 33-31.

Argyle kicker Cole Hedlund, an Arkansas pledge, extended his national record for career field goals with No. 56, a 44-yarder in the second quarter.

The state title was the first for Argyle.

Carthage 34, Kilgore 23

Blake Bogenschutz rushed for 100 yards, threw for 185 more and even recovered an onside kick to lead Carthage to victory in the Class 3A Division I state final.

The 6-0, 180-pound senior, a verbal commitment to University of Texas at San Antonio, accepted the game offensive MVP trophy from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Bogenschutz appeared a little dazed by it all: "It was just an unbelievable way to finish the season.''

East Texas was assured a state champion going into the game. Carthage and Kilgore are separated by only 43 miles.

With Carthage (15-1) clinging to a 14-10 lead, Bogenschutz tipped the scales firmly in his team's favor with a 51-yard hookup to Okeeron Rutherford for a touchdown followed by a 49-yarder on the next possession to Tevin Pippin to set up another score.

Kilgore (14-1) reduced an 18-point deficit to five on fourth-quarter touchdown runs by Benny Colbert and Kevrin Justice, the latter with 3:40 remaining. Bogenschutz foiled Kilgore's onside kick with a sure-handed recovery and Carthage was able to add an insurance score in the final minute.

Justice, a junior, led Kilgore rushers with 94 yards on 21 carries.

The state title is the fourth in the last six seasons for Scott Surratt's Bulldogs.