Birds of Prey: Wall Hawks Take on Newton Eagles for State Championship

While the state berth is cause for celebration, the Hawks cannot celebrate the Gunter win too much, because their opponent, the 14-1 Newton Eagles, have a high-powered rushing offense that has put up over 800 points this season.

“Next game up for sure,” Slaughter said.

Newton is led by freshman quarterback Izayah Foster and two absolute dudes at running back, Kendray Porter Jr. and Deldrick Samuel. As a team, Newton has rushed the ball 468 times for 4,846 yards and 80 touchdowns.

Samuel, a senior, has 1,298 yards and 26 scores, and junior Porter Jr. has 1,829 yards and 29 scores. They both average over 10 yards a carry.

“They are both special players," said Slaughter. “Just an explosive offense like I’m sure when people defend us, you have to do a really good job of making those guys drive the football field. Your nightmare is, first down, good play, second down, good play, third down, 35-yard run. They are insanely explosive. But we’re putting 11 quality players on the field that can play physical. You hope that translates because (Newton is) a unique animal.”

Foster has gone 67-of-104 passing for 1,653 yards and 17 touchdowns with only one interception. So, either he is incredibly smart with the football, or the offense schemes receivers open — probably a little of column A, little of column B situation.

“It reminds a little bit of us a few years ago,” Slaughter said, “A lot of the throws were when it was 11 men within three yards of the ball, and it was time to hit them deep. One of their receivers, (Braylen) Patterson, averages 30-something yards a catch."

Patterson has 19 receptions for 626 yards, an average of 32.9 yards per catch, for five touchdowns with his longest play going for 96 yards. Newton's No. 2 receiver, Cameron Hunter, is averaging 19.2 yards a catch with 329 yards and two scores. The Eagles' running backs, Porter Jr. and Samuel, are also threats out of the backfield, combining for 685 yards and nine TDs.

The Newton defense has a couple of problems for Wall to work through. The Eagles have 34 sacks on the season, and Justin Bray Jr. has eight of those along with 23 tackles for loss, and three fumble recoveries. Kaleb Burnham and Ivan Gatson each have five sacks apiece and 25 tackles for loss combined. So the Wall offensive line has its work cut out for it.

“We know we have to protect (quarterback Landon York). We have to give him time to make decisions and give the receivers time to get some separation,” said Slaughter. “They are very aggressive up front, a ton of man-to-man defense on the back end. They can get after you. A super strong program, no doubt.”

Samuel and Patterson have four and three interceptions, respectively, of the Eagles' 14 total picks. They also have 15 caused fumbles and 18 fumble recoveries.

While the Eagles have a ground-and-pound explosive offense, the Wall defense isn’t a slouch. In the state semifinal against Gunter, Ben Taylor showed up big time. Whether it was corralling Knox Gage for a tackle for loss or jumping on a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, he proved he was a difference maker.

Gunner King’s batted pass on fourth down at the end of the game was a high IQ, unselfish play. Dylan Sellers' forced fumble that extended the Hawks' lead late in the game was pivotal. Jacob Braden led the team with 14 tackles, while Sellers was second with 11. Both Bryson McFarden and Slayton Hallmark had 10, and Kellan Oliver had 9.

The Hawks had a total of eight tackles for loss, two sacks, and seven passes defended.

Also, it wasn’t just the offense and the defense because special teams proved to be just as important. Tyler Klinesmith’s two field goals gave the Hawks an early lead, and Levi King's last-minute punt pinned Gunter at the 2-yard line.

For the season, York has thrown for 3,868 yards and 57 TDs with six interceptions. Brady Neal has crossed the 1,000-yard mark with 1,071 rushing yards and 14 scores. Gunner Garza is second in yards with 297, while York is third with 224 yards.

Wall's passing offense has been stellar, maybe the best in 3A football. Reid Robertson continues to be a true No. 1 receiver with 65 receptions for 1,326 yards and 20 TDs. Oliver has 620 yards and nine TDs, while Jager Thompson and Evan Boehle both have over 500 yards and 14 combined scores.

So the Eagles will have to focus on defending the pass, while the Hawks will defend the run. Braden and Sellers both have over 100 tackles this season. Braden has 156 stops, and Sellers has 126 tackles and eight sacks.

The defenses appear pretty evenly matched. Wall has 144 tackles for loss, and Newton has 130. Newton has 34 sacks and Wall has 35. Where the Hawks have the stat difference is in interceptions with 25 compared to Newton's 14.

Wall and Newton will meet in the Class 3A Division II state final at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

CLICK HERE for all 12 state matchups and when they’ll be played. Also, stay tuned to San Angelo LIVE! for live updates of the Richland Springs and Wall state finals.