Texarkana Pleasant Grove Runs By Wimberley in Ground and Pound 4A DII State Championship

ARLINGTON, TX — The Texarkana Pleasant Grove Hawks won their 15th game of the season and second State Championship in three years.

Senior running back KJ Hicks returned the opening kickoff to the house to set the tone, and Pleasant Grove never looked back. 

Wimberley, who lost their final three games of the regular season before making their run to AT&T Stadium, would tie the game, but they were eventually worn down.  PG's three-headed, wing-t offense was too much to handle. 

Pleasant Grove's other senior running back, Bruce Garrett, came back after missing most of their semifinal game against Midland Greenwood with a vengeance.  He racked up an incredible 254 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries.  His performance landed him the Offensive Player of the Game award. 

In addition to his kickoff return touchdown, Hicks had 88 yards on 19 carries.  The third running back in the fold, junior Logan Johnson, had 49 yards on 9 carries. 

When it was all said and done, PG had 397 rushing yards.  Quarterback Ben Harmon had an up and down game passing.  Wimberley picked him off early in the second quarter, and he finished 2 for 6 for 40 yards.  

He had a big 4th down conversion that turned into a touchdown.  Up 21-14, Harmon missed an open throw on 3rd and 9 from the Wimberley 29.  He came back on the next play and hit Antonio Watkins who raced towards the left pylon and dove in.  That TD pass put them up two possessions with under a minute to play in the third. 

Wimberley's defense played well enough for them to win, but the offense could not capitalize on PG turnovers or sustain drives. 

The Texans forced back to back turnovers in the second quarter, but the offense ended up punting despite getting the ball in good field position.  

Star running back Moses Wray was shut down by Pleasant Grove's tremendous defensive front.  The sophomore finished the game with just 31 yards on 8 carries.  Wimberley had just 37 yards on 21 rushes as a team. 

4-star defensive end Marcus Burris was named the Defensive Player of the Game.  He was a menace in the run game and rushing the passer. 

He finished with two sacks and a couple batted down passes. 

Wimberley quarterback Cooper McCollum finished 13 of 30 passing (43%) for 215 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He threw his final touchdown pass to Kolby Goforth on a wide receiver screen with 2:00 minutes to play. 

That touchdown made it 35-21, and Pleasant Grove recovered the ensuing onside kick.  With no timeouts remaining, there was nothing Wimberley could do to stop the clock. 

Final Score: Pleasant Grove 35, Wimberley 21. 

You can read a play by play recap of the game here.  It was updated live as the game was happening.