Whiteface (14-0) vs. Gordon (14-0), 2 p.m. Wednesday, December 18 at Arlington's AT&T Stadium

The only matchup of undefeated teams in the entirety of the 2024 UIL Texas high school football state championships will be the final game of the six-man football season, as defending state champion Gordon looks to establish itself as a dynasty while upstart Whiteface looks to spoil the party.

Gordon’s been wire-to-wire at No. 1 in the state, and perhaps Texas’ most dominant team — the Longhorns have played just 31 of a possible 56 quarters this year, ending 12 of the 14 games by halftime via the 45-point mercy rule. Stryker Reed and Ry Reed are undisputedly the tip of the spear, but this team is deep, fast and loaded for another run.

Can Whiteface make their mark in their debut on the state championship stage? Head coach Clint Linman has championship pedigree — he led McLean to a state title in 2018 and a runner-up finish in 2019 — and that’s rubbing off on the Antelopes. Ethan Kauffman is one of six-man football’s most dangerous rushers, crossing the 3,000-yard mark for the season and scoring 65 touchdowns.

There’s a true good-on-good matchup here, with Gordon’s historic defense taking on the hard-charging Whiteface offense, but the other side of the ball feels like a clear advantage for the Longhorns, who average more than 17 yards per snap.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Gordon

ATH Stryker Reed - The son of head coach Mike Reed can do it all for the Longhorns, running for 20.1 yards per carry, catching four touchdown passes, throwing 11 touchdown passes, returning a pair of kickoffs for scores and coming up with huge plays defensively. He could be six-man football’s all-around best player.

ATH Brayden Walters - The top target in the passing game, Walters has about half of the team’s receptions on the year, with 15 of his 22 catches going for touchdowns. He’s also an animal on defense, making huge plays behind the line of scrimmage and also dropping into coverage.

Whiteface

RB Ethan Kauffman - Is Kauffman the best-kept secret in six-man football? The senior has been the breakout star for the Antelopes, averaging nearly 15 yards per carry and scoring 67 total touchdowns. He’s also the team’s leading tackler and sack artist (9).

ATH Jeremiah Rendon - Six-man football is all about iron man football, and Rendon never comes off the field. He’s the team’s second-leading rusher with more than 1,200 yards and 21 touchdowns on the season, but his biggest contributions come on defense, where he leads the team with eight interceptions. 

PREDICTIONS

THE PICK