Texas high school football 2023 state championship preview: Players to watch and more
The Texas high school football UIL state championships start Wednesday.
The teams remaining are set to play at the grandest stage of Texas high school football: AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Here’s a breakdown of all the title games, including storylines to know, players to watch and more.
Wednesday
The first two games of the day will involve Class 1A six-man football. First, Gordon (14-0) will take on Westbrook (13-1) in the Class 1A D1 State Championship at 11 a.m. Oglesby (13-0) will play Benjamin (14-0) in the Class 1A D2 State Championship at 2 p.m.
All four programs are averaging more than 55 points per game in the 2023 season. Surely, the state championship week will start off with some high scoring, six-man battles.
Tolar (14-1) will then face Timpson (15-0) for the Class 2A D1 State Championship at 7 p.m.. The Rattlers are making their first appearance in a state title game.
Tolar, a high school approximately 40 miles west of Fort Worth, is looking to continue it’s “snake farm” frenzy. The Rattlers thoroughly defeated Stratford 35-7 in the state semifinal.
Tolar rushed for 264 yards as a team, and Rattler quarterback Isaac Blessing completed 3 of 5 passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Tolar will continuously “pound the rock” and will be patient for opportune times to throw.
Blessing leads Tolar with 77.9 rushing yards per game. He’ll be in a production battle with Timpson quarterback Terry Bussey, a five-star prospect committed to Texas A&M. Busses averages 116.5 rushing yards per game and has thrown 24 passing touchdowns.
Thursday
The opening game on Thursday will be Mart (15-0) vs. Albany (15-0) at 11 a.m. Both teams are entering the Class 2A D2 State Championship with undefeated records.
Mart is led by junior running back JD Bell, who averages 155.7 rushing yards per game. In the state semifinal against Chilton, Bell rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.
Albany’s ground game is led by senior running back Adam Hill. He averages 166.8 yards per game and tallied 167 yards and three touchdowns in the state semifinal against Sunray. The big question: Which ground game will have the upper hand on Thursday?
In the afternoon slot at 3 p.m., Franklin (14-1) will defend it’s Class 3A D1 State Championship against Malakoff (15-0), the team that eliminated Brock in the state semifinal.
Franklin has cruised through the playoffs, winning every game by 22-points or more. The Tigers, however, will be a tough opponent in the battle of Class 3A D1 big cats.
Malkoff’s defense was effective against Brock and made timely plays, forcing four turnovers. Two of them were fumbles that were returned for touchdowns.
To close out the Thursday games, El Maton Tidehaven (14-0) will take on Gunter (15-0) in the Class 3A D2 State Championship at 7 p.m.
Gunter will attempt to defend the state championship the school won it 2022. The Tigers thrashed Poth 42-7, securing a commanding victory. Will 2023 be the year the school goes back-to-back?
Gunter’s defense has been solid all season, forcing seven shutouts and four games of 7-points or less. The quarterfinals and state semifinals, however, were a different story. Gunter allowed 33 points to Jacksboro and 17 points to Canadian but still won both games by three scores.
Against Canadian, Gunter’s junior running back, Brock Boddie, paved the way to victory with 121 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Friday
The Class 4A D1 State Championship between Tyler Chapel Hill (13-2) and Anna (14-1) will kickoff the Friday games at 11 a.m. The Anna Coyotes defeated Decatur in the semifinal to make their first ever state championship appearance.
Anna’s offense has been on fire in the last four weeks, averaging 41.5 points per game. Wide receiver Sean Steens was a force against Decatur, tallying 90 yards and a touchdown.
They’ll face a tough Chapel Hill team looking to make amends for a 35-0 loss to Boerne in the 2022 semifinal. Running back Ricky Stewart, a junior, averages 186.5 yards per game and gained 220 yards and scored three touchdowns in the semifinal win over Davenport.
The next game, kicking off at 3 p.m., is the Class 4A D2 State Championship between Belville (15-0) and Gilmer (12-3). The Gilmer Buckeyes nearly put up 80 points against Glen Rose en route to a 79-42 semifinal win.
Both offenses are incredible, which could lead to a shootout style of a game. Bellville averages an unreal 53 points per game. In 15 games in 2023, the Bellville Brahmas haven’t scored less than 30 points.
Gilmer has steadily improves in its journey to the state championship. Gilmer suffered a 63-28 loss to Pleasant Grove in early October. In a way, the Buckeyes avenged the loss; Carthage took down Pleasant Grove in the quarterfinals and Gilmer bested Carthage in the state semifinal.
The final Friday contest will be the Class 5A D1 State Championshio between Aledo (15-0) and Comal Smithson Valley (14-1) scheduled for 7 p.m. The Aledo Bearcats are looking for their 12th state championship in Robby Jones’ first year as head coach of the storied program.
Aledo has won a state title in four of the last five years. Smithson Valley, a team that secured an 49-21 win over Veterans Memorial to advance to the championship, stands in the way in the Bearcats writing another chapter of their immense, championship gold filled legacy.
Jones said Aledo’s starting running back, Raycine Guillory, is questionable to play. That didn’t seem to bother the Bearcats in a 43-7 semifinal win over Forney. Hawk Patrick-Daniels stepped in and rushed for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
Linebacker Davhon Keys, an LSU commit, also handled some rushing duties. Keys, the Star-Telegram’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, ran for 36 yards and four touchdowns on only seven carries.
Saturday
The final day of the Texas high school football state championships begins with the Class 5A D2 State Championship between Port Neches-Groves (14-1) and South Oak Cliff (13-2) at 11 a.m. The South Oak Cliff Bears are looking to win their third consecutive state championship.
The contest will be a rematch of the 2022 final, which saw South Oak Cliff defeat Groves 34-24 to win the gold. The Bears scored 29 unanswered points in the comeback victory.
South Oak Cliff defeated Frisco Emerson 36-24 to reach the 2023 final. Running back Danny Green Jr., who averages 91 rushing yards per game this season, powered the Bears past the Mavericks with 162 yards and two touchdowns.
Groves bested Liberty Hill with an 105 yard performance from running back Isaiah Nguyen, who averages 139 yards per game. The Bears are in for a hardfought game. Will they bring another championship to Dallas ISD?
The afternoon slot provides another high stakes rematch. Duncanville (13-1) will attempt to defend its Class 6A D1 championship against Houston North Shore (15-0) at 3 p.m.
Duncanville and North Shore have competed in a state championship game in four of the last five seasons with the 2020-2021 season being the exception after a Duncanville loss to Southlake Carroll. The juggernauts have matched up in three consecutive seasons, creating an intense Texas high school football rivalry between the biggest and the baddest.
Duncanville got the best of North Shore in 2022 and is looking to go back-to-back following a 52-10 semifinal win over North Crowley where running back Caden Durham, an LSU commit, tallied 224 yards and five touchdowns.
Durham leads the offensive onslaught with 135 yards per game. Junior wide receiver Dakorien Moore, also an LSU commit, has been a force and averages 95.6 receiving yards per game. Will Duncanville go back-to-back or will North Shore reclaim their title as state champion?
The final game of the 2023 season will be DeSoto (14-0) vs. Humble Summer Creek (14-1) for the Class 6A D2 State Championship. The DeSoto Eagles’ offensive line paved for the team to total 442 total rushing yards in a 45-38 semifinal win over Southlake Carroll.
Running back Deondrae “Tiger” Riden Jr. was the forefront of the ground attack, rushing for 254 yards and two touchdowns. The Southlake Carroll Dragons forced four turnovers but it wasn’t enough to get the upper hand.
DeSoto is looking to defend its Class 6A D1 State Championship. In the 2022 title game, DeSoto defeated Vandergrift 42-17 in a dominant showing.
Summer Creek cruised past Steele with a 38-14 victory in its semifinal game. The Bulldogs are led by running back Lloyd Avant, who averages 148 yards per game and has scored 30 total touchdowns. Another player to watch is Kordell Rodgers, a 6-foot-3 tight end who leads the team with 13 receiving touchdowns.
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