4. Pearland equals DisneylandCompared to the large and rather ominous credentials of the nation's top-ranked team Trinity (Euless, Texas), upstart Pearland appeared something out of a Disney production. The Oilers had never been to a Texas 5A Division I title game and after a stunning upset over Katy the previous week, their magical season seemed destined to go poof. But Dustin Garrison rushed for 121 yards and three scores and Trey Anderson completed 17 of 23 for 202 yards and another TD in a stunning 28-24 victory, snapping Trinity's 28-game win streak before more than 43,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium. Pearland was No. 5 and Trinity No. 11 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 final rankings.
Also in Texas, Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) became just the third school in the storied Texas state history to win a fourth state football title in a row with a 27-7 triumph over Ryan in the 4A Division I game before more than 20,000 fans at Texas Stadium. Where the previous three titles were won with a high powered offense, this one belong to the defense, which didn't allow a first down until the third quarter. Texas Tech commit Michael Brewer threw for 211 yards and rushed for 81 more and two scores for Lake Travis, which joined Sealy (3A, 1994 to 1997) and Celina (2A, 1998 to 2001) as the others to win four straight UIL championships.
Pearland came in as the underdogs.
Photo by Kyle Dantzler
