GAMES
RANKINGS
The Liberty Christian Warriors claimed back-to-back TAPPS Titles this past weekend
THE WRAP: Recapping the 2024 TAPPS Football State Championships; Liberty Christian, All Saints flourish
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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.
Some of the stars of 2024-25 Second Baptist Football
THE GRAND FINALE: Examining the 2024 TAPPS Football State Championships
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Liberty Christian-Argyle vs. Parish Episcopal-Dallas (TAPPS-D1)
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
Second Baptist vs. All Saints Episcopal (TAPPS-D2)
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