ARLINGTON, TX –The second game on day two of the 2022 UIL Texas High School Football Playoffs on Thursday, Dec. 15, featured the Gunter Tigers (15-0) versus the Poth Pirates (14-1) in the 2A-Div I State Championship game at AT&T Stadium at 3 p.m. Gunter's defense shut out the Pirates all day, and Gunter's offense scored early and often. The Tigers win the 3A-Div II State Championship 42-7.
1st Quarter
Gunter received the opening kickoff but did not manage to do anything with the football on offense. In fact, both teams traded punts throughout the 1st Quarter until 4:22 remaining. Gunter fielded a punt from Poth and finally had success on offense. The Tigers went 67 yards on 12 plays and took 3:35 off of the clock.
To keep the drive alive, Gunter had to convert a 4th down at their 42-yard line. RB Ashton Bennet sliced through the Pirates for 12 yards and the game's first touchdown. With 4:22 remaining in the 1st Quarter, the Tigers led 7-0.
2nd Quarter
Poth began the 2nd Quarter with the ball, but Gunter's defense still proved too much for the Pirates to handle. Poth drove the ball 35 yards to Gunter's 41-yard line but stalled there. The Pirates punted the ball away with 10:27 remaining in the 2nd Quarter.
Gunter picked up where they left off on their previous touchdown drive. QB Walker Overman hit Cannon Lemberg in stride, who sprinted to the outside and down the field for 30 yards. It looked like another great start to a potential touchdown drive; however, Lember got caught grabbing at the defender's face mask on the catch-and-run. The penalty killed the momentum, and Gunter punted the ball away.
Gunter's defense locked down the Pirates near Poth's goal line. The Tigers forced another three-and-out and got the ball back to their offense at Poth's 46-yard line with 6:30 left in the half.
The Pirates committed a late hit with targeting, disqualified Poth's LB Jake Gann on the ensuing possession. Gann hit Overman after the quarterback threw the ball away. The penalty moved the Tigers to the 11-yard line, and two plays later, Bennett scored his second touchdown of the contest from 11 yards out. Tigers led with 6:00 remaining, 14-0.
Poth finally hit an explosive play down the sideline on their next possession. QB Zane Raabe hit WR Matthew Bunn 41 yards down the left hash, and the Pirates had life. However, on the next play, Raabe threw a pick to Gunter’s Colin Peacock at the Tigers’ 9-yard line.
Gunter went on a 12-play, 91-yard drive to end the half. The Tigers got the majority of the yards on the ground as RB Brayden Hinton and RB Ethan Sloan, took turns pushing the Pirates deeper into Poth's territory. With 55 seconds to go in the half, Sloan scored from seven yards out to extend Gunter's lead at halftime to 21-0.
3rd Quarter
Poth came out of the locker room and received the 2nd half kickoff. After getting one first down, Gunter’s defense overpowered the Pirates again. Poth had to punt the ball away, and the Tigers took over at Gunter’s 44-yard line.
The Tigers’ momentum built quickly as the Pirates’ defense fell before them. The tough third downs that turned into punts in the 1st half now turned into converted first downs. The Tigers went 56 yards on nine plays before RB Ivy Hellman scored from 21 yards out. Gunter pulled away with 5:32 remaining in the 3rd quarter, 28-0.
Poth drove 22 yards to midfield before stalling. The Pirates faced a 4th down and four yards to go and had no choice but to go for it. They tried to run through the middle of the defense, but the Tigers had none of it. Gunter threw the Pirates back and took over at Poth’s 47-yard line. Three plays and 47 yards later, Hellman scored another touchdown from 11 yards out, and the Tigers increased their lead to 35-0
4th Quarter
Poth forced the Tigers to punt the ball away twice in a row during the 4th quarter. However, Gunter’s defense proved too insurmountable as the Pirates failed to convert on 4th down and threw another interception to Ivy Hellman. With less than 5:00 to play in the contest, Gunter bled the clock and kept the ball on the ground.
Tigers’ RB Kane Bolt added one more 14-yard touchdown with 2:27 to go in the 4th to increase the lead to 42-0.
Poth claimed a moral victory on their final possession. The Pirates drove the ball 82 yards on five plays, capped off with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Raabe to WR Gabriel Salinsky. With ten seconds remaining in the 4th quarter, Poth got on the board, 42-7.
The Gunter Tigers (16-0) defeated the Poth Pirates (14-2) 42-7 and are the 2022 UIL Texas High School Football 3A-Div II Champions.
(Credit: Ryan Chadwick)
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