Defensive Battle for State Title Looms for No. 1 Mason

MASON, TX-- Mason Puncher head coach Kade Burns somewhat jokingly said he hasn’t seen his family since Friday night, but with good reason. He’s preparing to coach in the Class 2A Division I state championship this Thursday.

The no. 1-ranked Mason Punchers (15-0) take on no. 6-ranked New Deal (15-0) Thursday for the right to be named the best in the state. It’s the culmination of a year-long process -- really more like four years, the last time Mason was in AT&T Stadium was 2014. With that long of a wait between appearances, you can bet the whole town of Mason, population 2,238, will be on hand.

“I know the town’s excited. I think they sold the 1,000 tickets the UIL allotted us in less than two hours,” Burns said. “They’ve got two fan buses and they’re filled up. They’re getting another. That shows the excitement they have for the football team this year.”

It’s also exciting for the players. Growing up in a small town where the Dallas Cowboys reign supreme, getting a chance to step on the same field as the famed team is a dream come true. Being able to finish your high school career at the world famous state championships is just as special for seniors like Otto Wofford.

“It’s really exciting. It’s been a dream,” Wofford said. “I’ve always dreamed about this. Finishing out my senior year, there’s no better way to finish it than at AT&T Stadium.”

There’s also no better way to make your third state championship appearance than against a stout team like the New Deal Lions. The Lions, much like the Punchers, have used an explosive offense and stingy defensive play to get to their first-ever state championship game.

“We like competition. We would rather have a good, close game than beating someone 60-0 in the state game,” junior Klay Klaerner said. “Especially in that atmosphere. We’re ready to go out and show everyone what we’ve got.”

Competition is what the Punchers will get. There’s no two ways about it. New Deal boasts the highest scoring offense in the state with an average of 49.4 points per game. The key for Mason will be using their defense, which is allowing a state best 6.8 points per game, to stop Lion QB Jett Whitfield.

The senior gunslinger has posted incredible stats in his final high school season and is a true dual threat QB. With 2,248 yards passing, 1,934 yards rushing and 62 total touchdowns, you can say without a doubt that this offense goes as Whitfield does.

“I don’t think you can stop that guy. I mean he’s got 4,000 yards of total offense this year,” Burns praised of the opposing QB. “[He has] great upper body and lower body strength, runs the ball really well, really accurate when he throws the ball. He breaks two or three or four or five tackles every snap when he runs it.”

As Klaerner said, the Punchers love a challenge and they’re ready for the one Whitfield and the Lions will give them.

“We’ve just gotta make sure we contain him, make sure he doesn’t get outside into space,” Klaerner said. “We’ve also gotta watch him throwing too because he’s got a couple threats there. But mainly we’ve gotta keep him contained and not let them break anything big.”

A chunk of Whitfield’s success can be chalked up to 6’5” receiver D.K. Blaylock. The Iowa State commit is by far the QB’s favorite target with 51 catches for 1,161 yards and 20 touchdowns this season.

However, even with both team’s averaging over 40 points per game, don’t expect a barn burner. The two school’s take pride in their defense.

New Deal is averaging 13.4 points allowed per game in the playoffs with 49 of those 67 points coming in a shootout with Panhandle. Most impressive on their resume was a 64-6 throttling of Stamford in the area round.

Meanwhile, Mason’s defense has constricted offenses all postseason. The Punchers are allowing an average of 8.4 points per game and haven’t allowed a team to score more than two touchdowns since week 1 against Wall.

“It’s exciting because we know it’s gonna be a close game,” Klaerner said. “Both teams have a good defense. It’s gonna be a low scoring game, so every drive for us is gonna matter. Every drive on defense is gonna matter. So, we’ve just gotta make sure we do our jobs and get stops when we need them.”

Mason and New Deal will kick off the second day of state championship week in Arlington. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 21.