WACO, Texas – Smithson Valley staved off a fourth-quarter flurry from the Angleton Wildcats and emerged on top 21-14 on Saturday at McLane Stadium in Waco. The Rangers have earned a trip to the 2024 UIL Class 5A Division I state championship game.
Smithson Valley enjoyed a 14-0 halftime lead thanks to two second-quarter touchdowns: a 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cade Spradling to wide receiver Brody Day and a 15-yard scamper from tailback Brad Sowersby with 2:05 left until halftime.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Wildcats (13-2) mounted their charge in the fourth quarter.
During a Smithson Valley offensive possession, the Angleton defense forced a Spradling fumble. The beneficiary was Wildcats defensive lineman Cam Brown, who recovered the Smithson Valley turnover and returned it for a touchdown. Although Angleton missed the ensuing extra point, the Wildcats were finally on the board.
On Angleton’s next possession, running back Travon Waddy punctuated the Wildcats' best offensive drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Angleton attempted and converted its two-point try when quarterback Bryce Duron found Wesley Jackson to knot the game at 14 with 5:08 left in regulation.
But the Rangers kept their poise. Smithson Valley, already at Angleton’s 37-yard line, called a bootleg with Spradling and he did the rest. With under three minutes to go, Spradling found an opening on the left side of the field and ran it in for a touchdown that put the Rangers (13-2) ahead to stay.
Smithson Valley will head back to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for a chance to capture a state championship for the second time in as many years.
The Rangers’ opponent in the Dec. 21 title game will be the Region II champion Highland Park Scots (14-1), a Dallas-area football power that boasts a rich football tradition with six state championships and famous alums like Doak Walker, Bobby Layne and Matthew Stafford.
The Rangers, the Region IV champions, have yet to win a state title in its history.
Highland Park last met a San Antonio-area team with a UIL football state championship on the line in 1947 when Brackenridge defeated the Scots 22-13.
The 5A Division I state championship game between Highland Park and Smithson Valley is the winningest coaching matchup in UIL Texas high school football state championship history — HP’s Randy Allen (460 career wins) vs. SV’s Larry Hill (324 career wins).#TXHSFB #UILState @dctf
— Greg Tepper (@Tepper) December 14, 2024
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on Dec. 21 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Read more reporting and watch highlights and full games on the Big Game Coverage page.