Fort Worth All Saints defeats Second Baptist, claims TAPPS D2 State Championship
Fort Worth All Saints head coach Aaron Beck, after his team opened the season with a pair of four-point wins over TAPPS Division I powers -- five-time reigning champion Parish Episcopal and then Prestonwood Christian Academy -- knew this could be a special season for the Saints.
“Special” led to a historic record-breaking year for his team, following a 21-3 victory over the Houston Second Baptist Eagles in the TAPPS Division II championship contest on Saturday, December 7, at Waco ISD Stadium.
“I felt after beating those two good teams to start the season, we had the makings of an excellent football team,” Beck stated.
In the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron, Coach Beck said the wet field conditions “played to our advantage” as a steady rain fell before and during the game in its entirety.
“We have a strong, athletic team,” said Beck, whose team capped its first-ever TAPPS state championship. “And I just felt the elements were in our favor with the weather conditions.”
One of those athletes, senior quarterback Gavin Parkhurst, closed out his high school career in grand fashion, accounting for all three touchdowns -- two rushing and one passing -- in leading the offense.
“Give credit to the offensive line,” said Parkhurst. “They did an outstanding job. And our defense was just lights out today.”
All Saints surrendered a 25-yard field goal on the game’s opening possession. The Saints swarming, pressuring defense allowed nothing the remainder of the game.
“Our defense was incredible,” said Beck. “They have been good all year but saved their best game for last.”
The Saints responded with an 11-play 68-yard drive on its initial offensive series, with Parkhurst connecting with Robert Powers on a nine-yard scoring toss. Parkhurst had kept the drive alive, converting a fourth-and-five at the Second Baptist 29-yard line with a five-yard keeper that picked up a first down by inches.
A 32-yard Parkhurst pass completion to Connor McCurdy keyed a nine-play 72-yard second-period march culminating in a two-yard Parkhurst TD run, as All Saints held a 14-3 halftime advantage.
Parkhurst essentially sealed the win with a 59-yard TD burst up the middle on a third-and-one with 1:26 left in the third stanza.
“The O-Line opened a huge hole, and I was able to take it all the way,” said Parkhurst. “And the way our defense was playing, we liked our chances the rest of the way.”
Seniors Dalton Knapp, Jacob Mainord and Blake Robinett led a ferocious All Saints defensive unit that refused to allow Second Baptist into the end zone. When the Eagles had a first-and-goal at the All Saints one-yard line early in the fourth period, a pair of run stops and two incomplete passes kept the no-touchdowns allowed intact.
“We were determined not to let them score,” said Knapp, a Kansas State signee. “ “We practice hard. We play hard. Defense did a great job. Everybody contributed. Winning the championship, my senior year, is just amazing.”
Mainord, an Army signee, echoed those sentiments.
“Unbelievable,” said a jubilant Mainord. “The whole team gets credit. No way we were gonna lose, coming this far.”
Robinett pointed to the defense being “a close-knit group.”
“We are all on the same page,” said Robinett, who said he plans on signing with TCU in February. “Such a special way to go out.”
Parkhurst finished with a game-high 113 rushing yards and two TDs on 15 attempts while passing for another 141 and one score. McCurdy hauled in five catches for 79 yards.
The All Saints defense held Second Baptist to 131 yards total offense, including just 48 in the second half.
All Saints’ 14-0 record was the program’s first-ever unbeaten season in TAPPS competition. All Saints did win seven SPC championships, including 11-0 undefeated seasons back-to-back in 2012 and 2013.
The 14 wins this year were the most ever in team history.
When All Saints standout quarterback Kelden Ryan (Virginia Tech pledge) transferred to DeSoto, in stepped Gavin Parkhurst, who guided Fort Worth Trinity Valley to the SPC 3A crown a year ago after piloting that team to a runner-up finish as a sophomore in 2022.
“I cannot say enough about Gavin,” said Beck. “He came in and did an incredible job in leading this team.”
Parkhurst had a stellar senior season, as he accounted for 60 TDs -- 47 passing and 13 rushing.
A 42-30 to Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian in the 2022 TAPPS Division II state title game was All Saint’s lone other state title game appearance in TAPPS.
After competing in SPC through 2016, All Saints played in TAPPS Division I 2017-21 and then moved down to Division II beginning in 2022.
Houston Second Baptist (11-3), which has not had a losing season since 2006, was making its fifth TAPPS state title game appearance, winning its lone title in 1999. Second Baptist had runner-up finishes in 2021, 1998 and 1996. The 2021 squad fell 33-14 to Dallas Christian.
