ARLINGTON, TX — The 5A Div I State Championship between Frisco Lone Star and Comal Smithson Valley kicked off at AT&T Stadium on Friday night. Lone Star won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half.
FINAL - Smithson Valley 28 Lone Star 6
1st Quarter
Smithson Valley received the opening kickoff and began their first drive at their own 42-yard line. Quarterback Ty Knutson kick-started the Rangers' offense quickly, connecting with several different receivers as Smithson Valley pushed the ball down the field. Smithson Valley pushed the football inside Frisco's 10-yard line before Lone Star finally played some defense. Faced with 4th down and one yard to go, Smithson Valley rolled the dice and went for it. Frisco stonewalled running back Caleb Peagler at the line of scrimmage, and Lone Star took over at their own 4-yard line.
Smithson Valley flexed their defensive muscles early and forced a quick punt. The Rangers took over on offense at Smithson Valley's 47-yard line. Frisco's Macel Dominguez sacked the quarterback to force a 3rd and long, which ultimately led to a 37-yard field goal attempt. Smithson Valley nailed the field goal, and the Rangers took the lead, 3-0, with 3:49 remaining in the 1st quarter.
Following the field goal, Smithson Valley forced the first turnover of the ballgame. Hudson Woods sacked Frisco's Trey Wright to force the fumble. Devon Detoto dove on the loose ball and Smithson Valley took over in Frisco Lone Star's territory.
2nd Quarter
Frisco Lone Star had to lock in on defense following the fumble. Smithson Valley drove to the 15-yard line before the Frisco Rangers forced a 4th down. Then, Christopher Knauls blocked the subsequent 34-yard field goal attempt. The score remained 3-0 with 11 minutes left in the half.
Excellent defense continued on both sides as the half wound down to a close. Neither offense managed to find meaningful success on offense until Smithson Valley's Noah Johnson returned a punt 22 yards deep into Lone Star territory. An excellent catch by Hunter Haug pushed the football to Lone Star's 10-yard line before three straight incompletions brought out the field goal unit. Trent Amaya nailed the 22-yarder to give Smithson a 6-0 lead headed into the half.
3rd Quarter
Lone Star received the second-half kickoff but could not find a way to break through the stingy Smithson Valley defense. Another punt led to a Smithson Valley score. Ty Knutson took a 2nd and 12 snap and launched a pass to Hunter Haug for a 39-yard touchdown. It took over two quarters, but there was finally a touchdown in the 5A-Div I Championship. Smithson Valley extended its lead to 13-0.
Neither team managed to score again in the 3rd quarter.
4th Quarter
Lone Star continued to struggle on offense into the 4th quarter. Smithson Valley forced another turnover with 6:48 to play. Davian Groce coughed up the football, recovered by Jake Stover. Smithson Valley's Stover then fumbled, but the Rangers were able to jump back on it. With the football deep in Lone Star territory, Smithson Valley capitalized with another touchdown. Caleb Peagler punched the ball into the end zone from a yard out to extend Smithson Valley's lead to 21-0, after a successful 2-point conversion, with 4:07 left in the 4th quarter.
Smithson Valley put an exclamation point on their evening when Colton Hornsby picked off Lone Star and took the football 23 yards to the house for a pick six. Smithson Valley slammed the door shut, 28-0, with 3:34 to play.
Lone Star finally scored in the closing minutes of the contest. Trey Wright completed a pass to Logan Brown, who scored from 32 yards out. However, the touchdown came too late as time was nearly out. Smithson Valley kneeled out the remaining time on the clock and claimed victory, and a state championship, 28-6.
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