Jackson Parrish of Denton Ryan runs down his competition in the last 50 meters of the 5A boy's 800-meter race. Parrish wins the state title with a final time of 1:52.27.
Olivia Raymond
Gavin Hecke of Prosper Rock Hill places fourth in the 5A boys' pole vault with a final jump of 14-9.00.
Some of the stars of 2024-25 Second Baptist Football
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The Liberty Christian Warriors
Just as it was detailed a week ago, in the TAPPS State Semis Preview, Liberty Christian has been an absolute juggernaut on the private school football scene over the span of the past three seasons.
This team already conquered TAPPS-D2 in 2023 (14-0), and now has its sights on taking the D1-crown, following their 63-0 trouncing of St. Thomas last Saturday to improve to 11-1 on the year.
Naturally, it stands to reason that the Jason Witten-led Warriors is loaded with talent, as they feature a laundry list of imminent collegiate athletes.
They had a lengthy Signing Day, with running back Chase Garnett (South Florida), WR Jaylon Hawkins (San Diego State), LB C.J. Witten (Rice), WR Quinton Brown (Boise State), and DB Nick Blevins (Army-West Point) all putting pen to paper Thursday morning.
Of course, Liberty Christian's star-power isn't limited to those who have already signed.
Junior QB Quinn Murphy (Baylor-commit) has been an architect behind-center, to the tune of 2,779 passing yards and 39 touchdowns through the air, while adding on 196 more yards and 4 scores on the ground.
Liberty Christian's defense (14.7 points allowed/game) is further-bolstered by the likes of Madox Sekyere (Sr. LB), Cade Violi (Jr. LB), Andrew Michaels (Sr. DL), and Cooper Witten (So. DB), among others.
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While the Warriors did defeat them earlier in the season (35-27), that won't stop the five-time reigning TAPPS Champs, Parish Episcopal, from putting up a fight in the ultimate rematch.
The Panthers (9-4), under the direction of coach Daniel Novakov, have climbed their way to the top by way of high-scoring affairs -- defeating St. Pius X (76-27), Prestonwood Christian (61-55), and most recently Legacy Christian (42-7) to reach this point.
Purdue-signee Sawyer Anderson (Sr. QB) has performed brilliantly as the team's signal-caller.
Having thrown for 4,830 yards with a whopping 47 touchdowns, and rushing for 415 more with 6 TDs, Anderson has been a genuine difference-maker in Parish Episcopal's hot-streak this Fall.
Of course, he has trio of studs in the receiving corps -- namely Michigan-commit Jaylen Pile (59 rec, 1,312 yards, 19 TDs), Ouachita Baptist-commit Carson Darby (72 receptions, 1,556 yds, 16 TDs), and 2023 first-team, all-state recipient Bryson Fields (67 rec, 1,052 yds, 6 TDs).
While the run-game isn't always the primary focal point of the offense, junior tailback Marcus Hanish (1,284 all-purpose yards, 15 total scores) has a more than dependable weapon for coach Novakov to utilize.
Defensively, senior DBs Drayson "DC" Crane (120 tackles, 6 TFL, 2 sacks) and Nick Wheeler (116 tackles, 11 TFL, 2 INTs, 2 sacks) have proven their versatility as athletes and leaders for the group.
Additional key figures for Parish's defense include Guy Stern (Sr. DB), Adam Roth (Sr. LB), Landry Sattler (Sr. DL), Juju Mayfield (Jr. DB), and Jesse Richardson (Jr. LB).
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These battle between these two TAPPS heavy-weights will take place at Waco ISD Stadium, this Saturday at 7:00 pm.
The Parish Episcopal Panthers
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
They're back!
After being denied entry to the big game over the past few seasons, Second Baptist is returning the TAPPS State Final for the first time since 2021, on the heels of their 35-16 win against district rival FBCA last weekend.
Now, can they win it all, just as they did back in 1999 when the Eagles won their first-ever title?
Don't put it past coach Beck Brydon and company to do so.
In his second year with the team, former Regents HC Brydon has turned a traditional state power into something more.
Their resiliency throughout the Fall has been palpable, as SBS has battled through injuries, criticisms, and doubters in order to advance to this stage.
We discussed who the stars of this group were in last week's preview, and it's time to reiterate the impact they've had.
Houston-signee RJ Lee (Sr. LT) bulks up the integral foundation that is the offensive line, which also features the talents of Mac Northup (Jr. C), Lucas Mensing (Sr. RG), TJ Walker (Sr. RT), and sophomore H-Back Cash Franz.
This has allowed junior QB Canon Toon to work his magic, whether that be with his arm or his legs.
On the defensive side, juniors Kelvin Baptiste and Isaiah Broughton, as well as senior Gray Gilbert form a solid trio on the D-Line, while Bryce Butler (Sr. LB), Cash Harris (Sr. LB), Ethan Dishman (Sr. DB), and Adam Vessel (Jr. DB) take care of the rest.
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Meanwhile, All Saints has yet to face defeat in 2024.
With coach Aaron Beck at the helm, the Saints have routed Brook Hill (49-21), Fort Worth Christian (49-20), and Regents (42-26) throughout the postseason, bringing their record to 13-0 entering the state championship.
Their offense, which is averaging 44 points a game, can hurt you from any angle.
Senior signal-caller Gavin Parkhurst (Texas State-signee) has been incredibly efficient, both through the air and on the ground, evidenced by his exceptional stat-line (3,203 passing yards--46 TDs, 787 rushing yards--11 TDs).
Joining him in the back-field, behind an imposing O-Line, is senior RB Cole Palfreeman, who has toted the rock 159 times for 771 yards (4.8 ypc) and 11 scores.
Furthermore, Parkhurst has dished the ball to a number of capable hands throughout the Fall -- primarily, Boise State-signee Qumonte Williams (63 receptions, 1,227 yards, 24 TDs), Connor McCurdy (28 rec, 548 yds, 3 TDs), Hudson Reasor (27 rec, 535 yds, 5 TDs), and Bryce Anderson (28 rec, 431 yds, 7 TDs).
The All Saints defense is just as remarkable.
While they've held opponents to just under 20 points per contest, the unit has also registered 33.5 sacks, 24 forced turnovers, and 3 defensive scores this year.
Edge rusher Dalton Knapp (Kansas State) is the rock of the group, with 75 tackles (29.5 for loss) and 12 sacks to his name.
Senior linebacker and Army-West Point-signee Jacob Mainord (100 tackles, 15.5 TFL, 3 sacks) has been equally crucial, alongside TCU-signee Blake Robinett (63 tackles, 17 TFL, 7.5 sacks), Keyon Adkins (96 tackles), and Dean Watkins (67 tackles).
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SBS and All Saints will meet this Saturday (12:00 pm) at Waco ISD Stadium.
The All Saints Episcopal Saints
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