Every year the state championship brings new eyes to Texas high school football. Whether you’re a hardcore or casual fan, this is a week when all eyes are on AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Allow us to provide some guidance based on what you’re looking for out of your football. Are you someone who always roots for the underdog? Do you prefer games with a lot of scoring, or defensive slugfests?
Read along for the games we think would most appeal to you, and visit this page for game previews, players to watch and details on how to watch and buy tickets.
For the fans of the underdog
Watch Hamilton in Class 2A Division II vs. Joaquin
Hamilton’s one of the unlikely success stories this season. The program is playing in its first-ever state championship game and has had only seven seasons of nine wins or more in its more than 100-year-old history … you read that right.
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Before last season, the last time the program reached 10 wins was 2004 so it cannot be overstated what head coach Ryan Marwitz has done in his four seasons. In Marwitz’s first season, Hamilton’s seven wins was the school’s highest since 2007. People could be in for one of the more unlikely title runs in recent Texas high school football history.
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For fans of offense
Watch Frisco Lone Star in Class 5A Division I vs. Smithson Valley or C.E. King in Class 6A Division II vs. DeSoto
Frisco Lone Star averages over 45 points per game this season, has not been held below 28 points and has three of the most exciting offensive talents headed to AT&T Stadium this week in Davian Groce, Karece Hoyt and Trey Wright.
Head coach Jeff Rayburn’s team is going to spread the field, throw the ball vertically and run the ball with effectiveness. Combined with a defense that can make plays, you have arguably the most exciting team in the state championships.
C.E. King is averaging over 50 points per game and has taken the Houston area by storm with quarterback Timothy Potts and running back Dionne Sims. Potts and Sims, a Rice signee, might be the most explosive 1-2 punch at the state championships. Both burst onto the scene this season to lead an offense that’s scored over 60 points four times.
For college football fans
Watch Galena Park North Shore vs. Duncanville in Class 6A Division I
This one shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s followed the sport over the last 10 years.
Since these two teams first faced each other in the state championship in 2018 and in every game since, the field has been littered with future college football talent. Keelon Russell, Denver Harris, Colin Simmons, Devin Sanchez, Jaquinden Jackson and Dakorien Moore are just a few of the alumni of this modern rivalry.
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Landon Barnes, KJ Ford, Trenton Yancey, Kaleb Maryland, Aubrey Johnson and Abdus Kone are some of the featured names in this year’s game.
Just know that any time you watch these two go at it, you’re almost certainly watching future playmakers on Saturday. Both teams have at least 20 combined players with Division I and FBS offers.
For fans of swagger
Watch South Oak Cliff in Class 5A Division II vs. Richmond Randle
This one’s not close. If you love watching a team have fun while playing, South Oak Cliff is for you. Whether it’s players enjoying playing hard-nosed and physical or coaches wearing matching all-white jumpsuits or black jackets, SOC moves differently and isn’t afraid to show it.
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For fans of dynasties
Watch Carthage in Class 4A Division II vs. West Orange-Stark
Carthage head coach Scott Surratt is the state’s all-time leader with a remarkable 10 championships as a head coach. He is undefeated in state championship games and has more titles than playoff losses. It doesn’t get more dominant than that.
The sentimental twist this year is that he’s aiming for his second title with his son, Jett Surratt, at starting quarterback.
For “old school” football fans
Watch Shiner in Class 2A Division II vs. Muenster or Joaquin in Class 2A Division I vs. Hamilton
Do you long for the days where no one passed the ball and everything was won within the hashmarks? When offenses only cared about three yards and a cloud of dust? Then you’d be a fan of Shiner and Joaquin, which run the Veer and Slot-T offenses, respectively.
And don’t believe Joaquin can’t play from behind because of its offense. The team overcame a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter last weekend in the state semifinal against five-time state champion Refugio.
For fans who want small schools with big talent
Watch Gordon in Class 1A Division I vs. Rankin
It’s always worth checking out at least one of the six-man games during state championship week. It’s a unique game with its own rules, strategies and rabid following. The attendance could be two to three times bigger than the populations of both towns combined, and this year you’ll even see future FBS talent on the field.
Gordon’s Stryker Reed and Ry Reed aren’t related, but they’re both rated as three-star recruits, according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, and are committed to play for Air Force and Army, respectively, while holding offers from UTSA and North Texas.
Gordon won an 11-man football game during the regular season against Class 2A Division I Thorndale, who finished the year 8-4.
For fans who want to see the next great running back
Watch Richmond Randle in Class 5A Division II vs. South Oak Cliff, Carthage in Class 4A Division II vs. West Orange-Stark and DeSoto in Class 6A Division II vs. C.E. King
If you’re a fan of 1990s football, let these three running backs take you back to the golden era of the position.
Richmond Randle’s Landen Williams-Callis is one of the top running backs in the 2027 recruiting class and has eclipsed 3,000 yards rushing this season, after recording over 2,000 for Randle’s 2024 title team as a sophomore bell cow.
Texas A&M signee KJ Edwards is the third-ranked running back in the nation, according to 247Sports, and became Carthage’s all-time leading rusher this season. He’ll likely top 2,000 yards in the state title game against West Orange-Stark.
No one in Texas has had a better playoff run than DeSoto junior SaRod Baker, who’s rushed for over 1,500 yards in the playoffs alone. His recruitment has taken off as well, with reported offers from Ohio State, Oregon and Colorado coming in over the last week.
For fans of old powers returning to glory
Watch West Orange-Stark in Class 4A Division II vs. Carthage
West Orange-Stark is back at AT&T Stadium for the first time since 2017. The program has made nine state championships, won two and is the winningest program in Texas high school football history, winning over 78% of their games.
Head coach Hiawatha Hickman was an assistant under legendary former head coach Cornel Thompson, who led WOS to two state titles in 2015 and 2016.
Hickman has turned the program around in his fourth season after going 5-6 in his first two.
For fans of sentimental storylines
Watch Newton in Class 3A Division II vs. Wall
Newton head coach Drew Johnston has a chance to win his first state championship as a head coach after serving as an assistant under his father, W.T., during Newton’s 2017 and 2018 title runs.
During that run, W.T. Johnston led one of the best pound-for-pound teams in Texas all while battling a rare graft-versus-host lung disease, stemming from a double lung transplant in 2015.
After he died in spring 2019, Drew was promoted to head coach, leading the team to a 74-15 record.
For fans of the next big thing
Watch Yoakum in Class 3A Division I
Learn the name Germarquis Robinson. Yoakum’s freshman running back already touts offers from Texas State and UTSA. Yes, you read that right, a freshman. Robinson leads the team with over 1,500 yards rushing and ran for over 300 yards against Fairfield in the area round.
If Yoakum wins its first state championship, Robinson will likely play a major role. You’re going to see his name a lot more over the next three years.
On Twitter/X: @IshmaelRJohnson
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