High School

10 things we learned in Texas high school football championship games

From state records to milestone victories, High School on SI highlights performances from the UIL Football State Championships

Cody Thorn

Smithson Valley cocahes celebrate winning the Texas 5A Division 1 state championship game at AT&T Stadium.
Smithson Valley cocahes celebrate winning the Texas 5A Division 1 state championship game at AT&T Stadium. / Photo by Tommy Hays

A week has passed since the final Texas high school football games of the 2024 season were played.

The Texas UIL football championships crowned 12 champions over the four-day event at A&T Stadium. 

As for our Predicting the winners of the 6A-1A Texas high school football playoff championship games, we posted a 7-5 mark. However, going 0-for-3 in picks on the last day was not ideal. Leaned toward experience in title games versus newcomers and that didn't work out.

We recap some of the notable achievements and milestones that occurred.

New Champs 

There were five first-time state champions crowned at the state finals: Ganado, Columbus, Richmond Randle, Spring Branch Smithson Valley and Austin Vandegrift.

Perhaps no championship was more fulfilling than for Larry Hill.

For 32 years he chased an elusive title before securing it with a 32-20 win over Dallas Highland Park on Saturday. 

"I just had a few minutes to soak it in," Hill said in the postgame press conference. "We've been close a lot. Eight trips to the semifinals and four of those onto the state final itself and it's always someone else who wins it. My old dad would say 'Son it is like pitching those washers, you got to be around the hole enough, and one of these times those suckers are going to flip over and roll in there.

He paused and looked up to the ceiling of the postgame press conference.

"And Dad, today it did," he said. 

Getting defensive 

While 6-man football is generally geared toward high-scoring games, the two state champions in Class 1A put themselves in the record books for defense.

Gordon, the Class 1A Division I champion, gave up 108 points this season in 15 games. The 7.2 points per game — and even more impressive considering the Longhorns gave up a total of 70 points between wins in the semifinals (36) and finals (24).

The Class 1A Division II game also featured superlatives from Jayton.

In the 54-8 victory over Oakwood, the Jaybird allowed only 148 yards of total offense — the fourth-best total in the 1A record books. The eight points is the second-lowest point total allowed, tying Gail Borden Country in 2008. The record is 0, set by Richland Springs in 2010. 

What could’ve been 

While each game had a part that made a difference, two stood out more than others.

The first was in the Jayton game on Wednesday. Though the 54-8 outcome shows one play probably didn’t make a big difference, it caused a giant momentum swing.

Jayton held an 8-0 lead early and Oakwood drove down the field and had the ball at the 2-yard line. On third down, Oakwood ran the ball and if they scored and the conversion was good, it would be a tie game.

Instead, a fumble happened and Colt Gentry returned it 73 yards for a touchdown.

On the last game of the weekend, Austin Westlake trailed 14-7 against North Crowley in the second quarter.

The Chaparrals were driving and a run by Grady Bartlett got down to the 5-yard line, but the ball popped out. It was initially ruled down by contact.

If that same play happened in any of the games before state, play would’ve resumed at the 5-yard line. Instead, the play was reviewed and replay showed the ball came loose before he hit the ground.

Five yards away from possibly tying the game turned into a backbreaker. North Crowley drove 95 yards after the turnover and turned what could’ve been a 14-14 tie into a 21-7 lead on the way to the Class 6A Division I title.

Road to glory

North Crowley won the second state title in school history with its 50-21 win over Austin Westlake.

The Panthers were loaded with tough games with a non-district slate that featured Denton Guyer and DeSoto, both Class 6A Division II quarterfinalists. 

In the postseason run, the Panthers beat traditional powers Odessa Permian, Allen and Duncanville.

“The highlight game for us was when we went into DeSoto and was able to capture a victory in a high-scoring game,” North Crowley coach Ray Gates said of the 57-51 win on Sept. 6. “The guys fought in an intense environment. The guys were prepared and ready for the moment. When you can go into and you can beat a team that had a 23-game winning streak at that point, you could possible go out and beat everybody on the schedule. We knew at that point we had something special.”

The win over Westlake capped a perfect season, the fifth time in the past decade that the Class 6A Division I champions finished undefeated. 

Here’s the kicker 

There were some highs and lows when it came to the kicking games during the state title games.

Perhaps the most noteworthy performance came Saturday morning in the Class 5A Division I finals. Smithson Valley’s Trent Amaya made four field goals to tie a state record, previously set in 1981, 2015 and 2023.

He missed a fifth field goal attempt that would’ve given him the record.

In the Class 6A Division II finals, Christian Munguia booted the final points in the Vipers’ 24-14 win over Southlake Carroll.

Kicking a field goal at the Cowboys’ stadium was a little of redemption for the senior, who missed a kick the previous weekend at NRG Stadium, the home of the Texans.

He shared what the kick meant on X following the win.

Big Rig signs off 

Grayson Rigdon capped off his career as one of the best football players in UIL history. 

He proved it with three 6-man titles and went to 11-man Columbus his senior year and won a title there too.

He scored four times in the Cardinals’ 48-14 win over Malakoff in the Class 3A Division I finals. His four scores tied the record for the most touchdowns in a finals and he his 31 touchdowns in the state finals is a state record.

He eclipsed 2,000 yards rushing in the game and became the first UIL player to win four titles.

Tough to beat 

Scott Surratt helped Carthage secure a milestone 10th state title on Friday. 

That moved the Bulldogs into second place all-time among UIL teams. Carthage has been to the postseason all 18 years he’s been the head coach, won 16 district titles and now 10 state titles.

Overall, Surratt is 81-8 in the postseason — so more state titles than postseason losses.

However, this one title was a little different than the others. 

Surratt was asked what it meant to win a title with his son, Jett, being the starting quarterback.

“I don’t know, man,” he said in the postgame press conference. “It’s special, I’m going to tell you that. We’re best friends and you know, he’s a baller. No matter what, if he plays perfect or not, he’s a great leader.”

Jett said “It means everything, you know. I mean I’ve been part of the previous nine obviously but to be the guy, to be the leader and the quarterback is awesome.”

Attendance drops 

For the second year in a row — not counting the 2020 COVID year — attendance didn’t hit 200,000 for the UIL 11-man finals.

In 2016, the event moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington and had 200,000 until 2022. 

Last year, the number was 193,776 and this year was 159,560.

Saturday’s tripleheader had 81,113 fans — below the 106,932 in 2023.

Is pricing an issue? A fan from North Texas weighed in.

Hall of Famers honored 

During the final day of festivities, members of the Texas High School Hall of Fame were honored. 

Inductions will be held in Waco on May 10, 2025 in a private event.

The 2025 class includes:

1969 & Before—Gary Keithley, Alvin 

1970s—Pat Thomas, Plano  

1980s—Brad Goebel, Cuero 

1990s—John C. Norman, Midland Robert E. Lee (now Midland Legacy)

2000s—Robert Griffin III, Copperas Cove 

2010s—Patrick Mahomes II, Whitehouse

Patrick Mahomes
Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) passes the ball against thePittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Dave Campbell Contributor to the Game—David Smoak, TV/Radio personality 

Eddie Joseph/THSFHOF Coach—Jeff Traylor, Gilmer 

Eddie Joseph/THSFHOF Coach—Curtis Barbay, Newton 

The change over 

On the opening day of the state championship featured two 6-man games and the night game was Muenster vs. Shiner in the Class 2A Division II finals. 

Paul Witwer from The San Angelo Standard-Times dived into changing from 6-man to 11-man field. The 6-man field is smaller — 80 yards — and different goal posts that were 10 yards in front of the regulation post. 

Witwer wrote that the field crew needed to paint chalk lines on the AT&T stadium turf ahead of the two Class 1A games.

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Cody Thorn
CODY THORN

Cody Thorn is a veteran journalist who covers high school sports across the state of Texas and Missouri. He is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has covered sports and news since 1999.

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