Post by CC_Varmints on Dec 23, 2014 9:24:16 GMT -6
Championship Performances
Ranking the best individual outings at this year's title games
By Greg Tepper and EJ Holland
TexasFootball.com
30. RBs Kevin and JuneBug Johnson, Waskom — The Dynamic Duo out of East Texas combined for more than 200 yards of total offense and one touchdown. Both Johnson cousins averaged more than nine yards per carry. And yes, they are related (cousins).
29. LB Demarco Boyd, Gilmer —He was the Defensive MVP for a reason: he made big plays. Not only did he notch 4.5 tackles, including 2 for a loss; not only did he block an extra point; not only did he manage a sack; he came up with the biggest play of the game, a forced fumble in the backfield that Devin Smith fell on for a touchdown and gave the Buckeyes all sorts of momentum.
28. K Brooks Ralph, Cedar Hill — Just call him Captain Clutch. After missing a 39-yard field goal in the first quarter, Ralph bounced back to knock in a key 44-yarder with 8:30 to go in the fourth and a 25-yarder to win the game with two seconds left.
27. DB Patrick Peek, Aledo —There wasn’t a ton of defense played in Aledo and Temple’s shootout, but when there was, the talented safety was involved more often than not, picking up a team-high 9.5 tackles, including one for a loss, and two pass breakups.
26. LB Paddy Fisher, Katy — Katy completely shut down Cedar Hill’s prolific rushing attack, holding Aca’Cedric Ware and Denvre Daniels to a mere 40 yards on 29 carries. Spearheading the stout defensive performance was Fisher, a junior linebacker with huge upside.
25. WR Kerry Hall, Allen — All the focus was on Kyler Murray, but how about the guy on the receiving end of most of his passes? Hall hauled in nine catches for 129 yards and three scores; he was Murray’s go-to guy.
24. WR Alex Faith, Albany — Albany completed seven passes in its loss to Bremond. Faith, who finished with 108 receiving yards and a touchdown, was on the receiving end of all seven of those passes. Think about that for a second. Yeah, Faith is a beast.
23. QB Jeremiah Crawford, Mineola — It wasn’t the state title game debut that Mineola hoped for, but the future is extremely bright with the sophomore Crawford at the helm. Case in point: his 158 yards and two touchdowns rushing, plus a passing touchdown. It may not have been in a win, but it definitely turned heads.
22. LB Taylor Sweatt, Argyle — Offensive firepower was the talk of the game, but Sweatt made some noise on the defensive side of the ball. The junior linebacker racked up 4.5 sacks, including three for loss and sacked Navasota QB Shelton Eppler three times.
21. RB Charlie Booker, Cy Ranch — Fair Harvard, you’re getting a good one. The Crimson commit was as bruising as advertised, clobbering his way to a game-high 115 yards and two touchdowns. He single-handedly kept the Mustangs in the game in the first half.
20. QB Roshauud Paul, Bremond — Paul was questionable coming into this game and didn’t look like his usual self. Then it was take over time. In the game’s final five minutes, Paul scored on runs of 23 and 35 to complete Bremond’s epic comeback over Albany.
19. ATH Avery Davis, Cedar Hill — Who? Believe it! The sophomore gave a stagnant Longhorns offense a spark, throwing a 61-yard touchdown pass to DaMarkus Lodge and then making the biggest play of the game: a 52-yard run in the final two minutes to set up Brook Ralph’s game-winning field goal.
18. RB Marques Hatcher, Temple — Yes, Chad President is Temple’s star, and he did have a nice game, but the Wildcats leaned on Hatcher when it mattered most. With starter Jeff Carr lost to injury, Hatcher came in and rushed for 173 yards and three touchdowns.
17. RB Taylor Thompson, Ennis — Zoooooooom. The Lions running back put on his afterburners for this one, rushing for a game-high 182 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. That’s more than 10 yards per carry, capped by his 71-yard go-ahead burst in the the third quarter.
16. RB Traion Smith, Cameron Yoe — A powerful runner, Smith bowled over numerous Mineola defenders en route to 124 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. When he gets a full head of steam, brining Smith down is nearly impossible.
15. QB Tanner Schaefer, Canadian — Air Canada took flight in the 2A DI title game against Mason, and it was the junior triggerman that took control. He went a razor-sharp 22 of 28 passing for 232 yards and two scores, hitting six different receivers in the process.
14. WR/DB Deionte Thompson, West Orange-Stark — An Alabama commit, Thompson is a pure athlete who made his presence felt on both sides of the ball with a receiving touchdown and three tackles. And the dude simply played his heart out.
13. DB Roney Elam, Newton — It wasn’t the offensive day he wanted — nor the outcome — but anyone in the building could see what a special player Elam was on defense, notching a team-high 6.5 tackles, including a few “ooooh”- inducing hits.
12. WR Donta Thompson, Ennis — At 6-foot-6, 210-pounds, Thompson has a clear size advantage over opposing defenders. As Cedar Park learned, covering Thompson one-on-one is an impossible task. He finished with seven receptions for 99 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner.
11. RB Rodney Anderson, Katy — Even with the Cedar Hill defense keying on him, you saw what makes the Tigers runner special: the speed, the vision, the power, the patience. He exhibited it all en route to 173 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
10. QB Shelton Eppler, Navasota — Sure, it’s easier when you have Tren’Davian Dickson on the outside. But Eppler is a star in his own right. Only a junior, Eppler showed off his strong arm against Argyle, throwing for 493 yards and four touchdowns.
9. LB Chan Amie, Waskom — Wait, what? Chan Amie? The linebacker? You bet! The defensive MVP was inarguably the most important player for the Wildcats in their victory, running for a touchdown making a game-high 16 tackles, notching 1.5 tackles for loss, forcing a fumble and, oh yeah, notching an 88-yard back-breaking kickoff return for a touchdown (the only special teams touchdown of the weekend).
8. QB Luke Bishop, Aledo — Temple didn’t let electric do-it-all athlete Ryan Newsome beat them. But they forget about Bishop. The dual-threat signal-caller passed for 122 yards, rushed for 196 yards, scored four total touchdowns and came away with the game-winning interception for good measure.
7. RB/LB Thomas Hutchings, Cedar Park —The heartbeat of the Timberwolves was exactly that, making plays all over the field. Whether it was on offense (155 yards and a touchdown for the bruising runner) or defense (5.5 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFL and a forced fumble), Hutchings was everywhere all night, though it came in a losing effort.
6. WR Aaron Sims, Cameron Yoe — High might only be around 5-foot-5, but Sims plays bigger than his size. Mineola simply had no answer for the explosive Yoe wide-out, who finished the game with six catches for 153 yards and three touchdowns and earned the game's Offensive MVP. And oh yeah, he helped the Yoemen to a state record for most points in a title game.
5. ATH Blake Lynch, Gilmer — Does he have a nickname yet? Because “The Terminator” is pretty appropriate. Largely bottled up in the first half, the do-it-all star took over in the second, scoring both the go-ahead and game-winning touchdowns on the ground en route to offensive MVP honors.
4. RB Nick Ralston, Argyle — Referred to as simply “the horse,” Ralston was the true definition of a workhorse in Argyle’s heartbreaking loss to Navasota, rushing for 229 yards and three touchdowns on an eye-popping 54 carries. Is he even human?
3. QB Kyler Murray, Allen — All told, the Eagles’ signal-caller wasn’t spectacular by Kyler Murray standards — only 379 total yards and 5 touchdowns — but it was classic Kyler. Now, the only question is where he ranks in the pantheon of all-time great Texas high school football players.
2. WR DaMarkus Lodge, Cedar Hill — Just call him Superman. When Cedar Hill needed a spark offensively, it let its best offensive player takeover. Without a doubt the best jump-ball wide receiver in the state, Lodge hauled in four passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns — none bigger than his 26-yard grab in the third quarter to give the Longhorns their first lead.
1. Navasota WR Tren’Davian Dickson — Whether you saw him on SportsCenter or Fox Sports Live or on Fox Sports Southwest or in person, chances are you saw the show the junior receiver put on. The stat line — 12 catches, 177 yards, four touchdowns — only tell part of the story, considering his outrageous one-handed touchdown catch (http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view3/20141220/5151215/one-hand-catch-o.gif), his tying touchdown catch in the final minute, his tying touchdown catch in the first overtime, and his game-winning touchdown catch in double-overtime. No star shone brighter than Dickson.