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THE WRAP: Recapping the 2024 TAPPS Football State Championships; Liberty Christian, All Saints flourish
Over the course of this past weekend, the TAPPS football season reached its thrilling conclusion, with audiences filling the stands to witness the private school division's finest going head-to-head.
Following some exhilarating competition, it's time to review what went down at Waco ISD Stadium, and who ultimately took home the banner.
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Liberty Christian Warriors (TAPPS-D1 Champs)
In a battle between the traditional power of Parish Episcopal and the new power of Liberty Christian, fans witnessed a brand new rivalry being born.
The Panthers returned to Waco ISD Stadium with the precedent of having won each of the last five championships. However, that didn't matter much to Liberty Christian.
Both squads lived up to the billing throughout the first half, as it was a close 14-10 score by the end of the opening quarter, with LCS having the narrow advantage.
Quarter No. 2 told a similar back-and-forth story, with the Warriors heading to the locker-room with a 24-17 lead.
However, the third quarter unquestionably belonged to Liberty Christian.
Coach Jason Witten and company went on to score 21 unanswered points, putting the game out of reach for the defending TAPPS-D1 champs and ultimately resulting in a 45-24 victory in the team's D1-debut.
This marked back-to-back championships for the Argyle private school, as they have now conquered both the TAPPS-I and TAPPS-II stages.
Liberty Christian finishes their stellar year with a record of 12-1 and have firmly established themselves as THE private school program to beat for the foreseeable future.
All Saints Episcopal Saints (TAPPS-D2 Champs)
Under the direction of head coach Aaron Beck, the Saints entered their noon matchup against Second Baptist on Saturday with a 13-0 record, with the goal of completing the perfect season.
While the Eagles took their opening drive down the field and take an early 3-0 lead, those would be the only points they'd score for the entire contest.
All Saints Episcopal would then march all the way to the SBS 8-yard line, where senior QB Gavin Parkhurst would connect with junior tight end Jake Powers for their opening touchdown.
Later, in the second quarter, the Saints found themselves in the red-zone yet again, and would capitalize via a QB-keeper on the goal-line by Parkhurst, bringing the score to 14-3.
It became a defensive battle for the remainder of the contest, aside from the moment when Parkhurst broke open for a 59-yard rushing score near the end of the 3rd quarter.
That would be all she wrote, as ASE would take home the 21-3 win, and cap off their season with a TAPPS-II championship.
This marks the first time since 2016 that All Saints claimed a title -- even more impressively, they did so in undefeated (14-0) fashion.
VYPE Coaches Corner : All Saints Football Coach Aaron Beck
All Saints football is off to a hot start to their season now 3-0 with big wins over Parish Episcopal, Prestonwood Christian in the 1st two weeks of the season.
VYPE's Matt Malatesta talked with Coach Aaron Beck about All Saints 3-0 start and more, check out the full interview below!