ARLINGTON, TX – The second game of day three of the 2022 UIL Texas High School Football Playoffs on Friday, Dec. 16, featured the Boerne Grey Hounds (15-0) versus the China Springs Cougars (14-1) at 3 p.m. at AT&T Stadium. Boerne jumped out to an early lead, but China Springs shut out the Greyhounds in the second half. The Cougars kicked a field goal as time expired, and China Springs won the instant classic, 24-21.
1st Quarter
The Grey Hounds received the opening kickoff, and their spread offense went to work. On the first play from scrimmage, WR Braden Baize took a wide receiver screen from QB Jaxon Baize 38 yards up the field to China Springs's 38-yard line. Three plays later, the Grey Hounds stalled. A false start on 4th down forced Boerne into 4th and long, and despite completing a pass, the Grey Hounds fell short. The Cougars took over on downs with 10:02 remaining in the 1st Quarter.
China Springs began their first possession at Boerne's 31-yard line. Several hard runs on the ground produced a single first down before the Grey Hounds bore down on the Cougars to force a punt. Boerne took on offense at their 9-yard line with 7:25 remaining in the 1st Quarter.
Boerne took advantage of a missed opportunity by China Springs on the ensuing drive. After pushing the football away from their goal line, Boerne went to pass. Jaxon Baize threw a pass short to one of his receivers, but a Cougar defender deflected it. Braden Baize caught the deflection and then sprinted 79 yards to the house. The 4-play, 91-yard drive gave the Grey Hounds the lead with 6:14 remaining in the 1st Quarter, 7-0.
The Cougars finally moved the ball on their second possession. However, a poor decision to throw the football into coverage resulted in an interception by LB Brendan Levada. Boerne then moved the ball 43 yards on six plays and another touchdown. Jaxon Baize hit Braden Baize for their second touchdown, and the Greyhounds led 14-0 with 3:50 remaining in the 1st Quarter.
2nd Quarter
Boerne's defense forced another 3-and-out and got the ball back at their 24-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Jaxon Baize fumbled the snap. China Springs rushed to jump on it, but Baize managed to snatch it up. Instead of going down, Baize then weaved his way through the defense en route to a 39-yard gain.
The Greyhounds slowed down after the explosive play and kept the ball on the ground. Boerne ran ten more plays before they found the end zone again. RB Tj Dement punched it in from three yards out, and the Greyhounds took a 21-0 lead with 9:31 remaining in the 2nd Quarter.
China Springs finally got on the board with 4:37 left in the first half. After the Greyhounds' touchdown, the Cougars were in real danger of this game getting away from them. China Springs began their drive at their 35-yard line. A heavy dose of ground-and-pound moved the ball steadily down the field before the Cougars' Cash McCollum hit Tristan Exline on a slant for an 11-yard touchdown. China Springs pulled closer but still trailed 21-7.
3rd Quarter
China Springs exploded out of the locker room and looked to get back into the game. Their offense drove the ball 50 yards on five plays before facing a 3rd and two at the Greyhounds' 3-hard line. On 3rd down, the Cougars handed the ball off but fumbled in the backfield. Boerne jumped on the loose ball and took over at the 5-yard line.
China Springs's defense forced a 3-and-out and another punt from the Greyhounds. The Cougars resumed their offense at Boerne's 39-yard line. McCollum hit WR Tre Hafford for 17 yards to Boerne's 22-yard line. Two plays later, McCollum completed another 17-yard pass to Kyle Barton, this time for a touchdown. The Cougars cut the lead to 21-14 with 5:19 remaining in the 3rd Quarter.
The Cougars' defense continued firing on all cylinders as they forced another 3-and-out on Boerne's following possession. After the punt, the Cougars began their drive at the 25-yard line. Tristan Exline took the second play 66 yards to the house. He broke to the edge, and nobody could catch him. China Springs tied the game with 2:41 remaining in the 3rd Quarter, 21-21.
Boerne's offense finally woke up after a slow start to the second half. The Greyhounds drove the football past midfield and into the Cougars' territory at the 32-yard line. After converting a 4th down and long, Boerne tried to get behind the Cougars' defense with a long ball. Baize failed to get enough air under the ball, and China Springs intercepted the football in the end zone. China Springs took over at the end of the 3rd Quarter.
4th Quarter
China Springs failed to get any going from the takeaway. After a short drive, the Cougars punted the ball away to the Greyhounds. Boerne proceeded to push the ball 36 yards in 14 plays. They also took 5:54 seconds to do it. Their strategy was to drain the clock, get into the red zone, and not give the ball back to the Cougars. It almost worked. Boerne completed a pass at China Springs's 15-yard line, but a penalty called it back. Boerne punted the ball away with 3:10 remaining in the 4th.
China Springs controlled their destiny as the game clock wound down to a close. Their final drive began at their 38-yard line. McCollum and Barton broke off two runs in a row that moved the Cougars inside the Greyhounds' 20-yard line. With less than a minute to go, Boerne started using their timeouts.
In a scary moment, McCollum fumbled the snap, but the Cougars jumped back on the loose ball. Out of timeouts, the Greyhounds could only watch and wait as the Cougars drove the ball inside the 5-yard line. China Springs called their final timeout with two seconds remaining in the contest, and like the Brock-Franklin game last night, the state championship came down to a field goal. The snap and hold went off without a hitch, and the kick sailed through the uprights.
China Springs completed the second half come back and won the 4A-Div I 2022 UIL Texas High School State Championship over Boerne, 24-21
China Springs Championship
(Credit: Ryan Chadwick)
China Springs Championship
(Credit: Ryan Chadwick)
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