Unranked Water Valley Crashing the Party in State Semifinals

WATER VALLEY, TX — We’re down to the last four football teams in Class 1A Division I, and three were expected to be here.

There’s No. 1-ranked Gordon, No. 2 Abbott and No. 3 Whiteface.

Then there’s unranked Water Valley.

Despite a 2-7 season last year in 11-man football, the Wildcats figured to be an immediate contender again in six-man, but they’ve exceeded expectations with the farthest playoff run in program history.

If there was any doubt how good this year’s group is, they laid it to rest last week with a 70-38 win over a Westbrook team that had played in three straight state finals.

Next up is a meeting with Whiteface for the right to play in AT&T Stadium for the state championship.

Water Valley (11-2) and Whiteface (13-0) will play at 2 p.m. Saturday in Lamesa.

Last week’s win was a defining moment for Water Valley, especially after the Wildcats quickly fell behind 16-0.

They rallied to take the lead by the end of the first quarter and never looked back.

“There are no words I can use to explain how important it was,” Water Valley head coach Aaron Whitmire said. “I told the boys before the game, ‘It’s not about making school history or chasing gold balls, and it’s not for your moms and dads or uncles or whoever. It’s about what we’ve earned to get to this point.’ …

“Throughout the season, we’ve had to face adversity, and they didn’t flinch or falter. They kept grinding, and it paid off. It was a huge win, and the kids played well and I’m very proud of them.”

Water Valley showed off its balance in the game as its top rusher, Anthony Quintana, was limited to only 29 yards.

While Westbrook slowed him down, it opened up opportunities for everyone else.

Quarterback Landon Lacy threw for 212 yards and four TDs, and he ran for 105 yards and three more scores.

Boston Wiese had six catches for 104 yards and two TDs, along with two TD runs. Gunnar Brooks had seven catches for 69 yards and two TDs.

“We knew going in against Westbrook that we weren’t going to be able to line up in the power formation and pitch the ball to Anthony 45 times. We knew that was impossible. They’re big and strong and physical, and there’s no way that could be part of the game plan,” Whitmire said. “We wanted to get our kids in space and let them be athletes, and we were able to capitalize on that.”

Lacy has been outstanding in directing Water Valley’s offense this year. The junior gunslinger has thrown for 1,463 yards and 35 TDs with only two interceptions. He also has 774 rushing yards and 19 TDs.

Quintana has 900 rushing yards and 17 TDs, and he also has 25 catches for 437 yards and 10 TDs.

Wiese has 599 rushing yards and 16 TDs, and Gunnar Brooks has 32 catches for 575 yards and 11 TDs.

It’s tough to stop a team with that type of balance.

Defensively, Wiese has been a beast with 178 tackles, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and three interceptions.

Brylan Naylor has added 117 tackles, five sacks and three forced fumbles.

Brooks has been a ballhawk in the secondary with nine interceptions.

Though Whiteface is undefeated and ranked No. 3 in the state, this is the Antelopes’ first trip to the state semifinals as well.

Whiteface hadn’t had much success through the years before its recent run, which included a 9-3 record in 2022 and an 11-1 mark last year.

The Antelopes’ offense is powered by Ethan Kauffman, who was a second-team all-state running back last year.

“They have a really good running back, and they’re very similar to Westbrook in the fact that they don’t throw the ball a whole lot,” Whitmire said. “They’re very explosive. They’ve got a lot of team speed. They’re not real big, so we match up size wise. But they’re one of, if not the fastest team we’ve played all year.”

One of these teams will be making its first appearance in the state final Dec. 18 against an undefeated powerhouse in defending state champion Gordon or Abbott.