These players cemented their status as the best of the best with outstanding performances during State Championship Week.

A Note: There are far more players deserving than spots available for this superlative team. Let us know who we snubbed in the comments.

Quarterback – Bowe Bentley (Celina)

Bentley played about as perfect as perfect gets to bring Celina it's first state championship since 2007. He had five incompletions and five touchdown passes, and one of those incompletions was a dropped out route in the end zone. Kilgore alternated between four defensive fronts and swapped personnel on the front seven three different times, searching desperately for an answer that never came in a 55-21 loss.

"I'm a defensive guy, I think I'm pretty good at what I do," Kilgore head coach Clint Fuller said. "But crap, you've got to tip your hat to the kid. He's got it all."

Honorable Mention – Adam Schobel (Columbus): Schobel piloted the Columbus offense to seven touchdowns on its first seven drives, stomping a Malakoff team who entered the night on Texas High School Football's longest win streak (31 games) by a 48-14 margin. He's signed to TCU.

Running back – Cornelius Warren (North Crowley)

Warren faced an Austin Westlake defense allowing just 12 points per game with a defensive-minded head coach in Tony Salazar and left the Chapparals grasping for air as he bounced run after run to the outside. He finished with 23 carries for 217 yards, announcing himself as one of the most intriguing unsigned 2025 prospects.

Running back – KJ Edwards (Carthage)

TXHSFB fans found out why Carthage calls their junior running back 'Lightning,' - this dude's electric. Edwards broke a defensive slugfest wide open with an 86-yard touchdown late in the second quarter against Waco La Vega. He finished with 188 yards and two scores. 

Honorable Mention – South Oak Cliff's Mikail Trotter and Damond Williams: Trotter and Williams had back-to-back touchdown runs over 75 yards that erased a 10-point deficit for South Oak Cliff against Richmond Randle.

Wide Receiver – Quentin Gibson (North Crowley)

QforSix ended a historic senior season with seven catches for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Gibson broke NFL player and Rockwall legend Jaxon Smith-Njigba's Dallas-area record with 36 touchdown receptions on the season. Gibson also had the best touchdown celebration, hitting the Prime dance in honor of his future head coach at Colorado.

Wide Receiver – Keilan Sweeny (Richmond Randle)

Sweeny was the only player in state championship week with a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in Richmond Randle's instant-classic victory over South Oak Cliff.

Honorable Mention – Brock Boyd (Southlake Carroll): Boyd's 13 receptions were the most of any player in state championship week. He finished with 178 yards and a touchdown in Southlake Carroll's 24-17 loss to Austin Vandegrift.

Offensive Line – Keyon Hemphill-Woods (Columbus)

Columbus High School head coach Matt Schobel joked (kind of) that the Offensive MVP should've gone to one of the offensive linemen instead of his son, Adam. Hemphill-Woods, a sophomore left tackle, was the standout of a unit that blocked for seven touchdowns on the first seven drives.

Offensive Line– Henry Fenuku (North Crowley)

North Crowley's offensive fireworks were only possible because of the Missouri signee clearing space for a 200-yard rushing performance from Cornelius Warren.

Offensive Line – Emeka Ugorji (South Oak Cliff)

The Stanford signee paved the way for two 100-yard rushers and had the critical block on quarterback Carter Kopecky's 22-yard TD run.

Offensive Line – Eythan Thompson (Waco La Vega)

Thompson, a Houston signee, closed out a fantastic high school career as a four-year starter for Waco La Vega. He was integral to 2,000-yard rusher Bryson Roland's season.

Offensive Line – Braeden Nelson (Gunter)

Nelson, a two-time First Team All-District tackle, closed out his Gunter career by winning three straight state championships.

Defensive Tackle – James Morrow (Carthage)

Waco La Vega head coach Don Hyde referred to Morrow as one of the best nose guards he's played in a long time. Morrow's impact reaches far beyond his five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, as he ate up double teams that freed up other defenders for six sacks.

Defensive Tackle – Derrick Gleason (North Crowley)

Gleason's forced fumble early in the second quarter as Westlake drove inside North Crowley's ten-yard line to tie the game was hidden inside an otherwise lopsided affair. The offense broke the game open only because Gleason and the defense gave them the opportunity to.

Honorable Mention – Amin Elahmadi (Highland Park): Elahmadi led all Highland Park defenders with 11 tackles from the interior defensive line, and even added a pass breakup.

Edge – Carson Crawford (Carthage)

Crawford could've won an Oscar on Friday afternoon the way he was Everything Everywhere All at Once. The edge defender had nine tackles, four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Crawford even made his presence felt on offense with a 24-yard jump-ball catch. He turned heads from recruiting writers with his athleticism and size (6'4, 205).

Edge – Hayden Farrell (Gunter)

Farrell went feral in Woodville's backfield, tallying 11 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He was the Defensive MVP on a Gunter unit that pitched the week's only shutout.

Linebacker – DaQuives Beck (Carthage)

Beck and Crawford (mentioned above) must've seen a 'For Sale' sign in Waco La Vega's backfield, because they lived there on Friday afternoon. Beck led Carthage with 10 tackles and also had 3.5 tackles for loss, earning Defensive MVP.

Linebacker – John Schobel (Columbus)

John took care of some Family Business on Thursday night, winning Columbus High School's first state championship with his uncle, head coach Matt Schobel, and cousin, quarterback Adam. John, a TCU signee, had ten tackles and three sacks.

Honorable Mention – Ryan Mallory (Richmond Randle): Mallory began his career at Richmond Randle hoping to be a running back. Now, he's stopping them instead. The junior earned Defensive MVP honors with 12 tackles and two TFLs.

Defensive Back – Scott Buchanan (Austin Vandegrift)

Southlake Carroll threw the ball 37 times (and did gain 351 pass yards), but was held to a season-low 17 points because Buchanan and the Vipers' defense bowed up in the red zone. Buchanan won Defensive MVP with seven tackles and two pass breakups.

Defensive Back – Cain Hayden (Ganado)

Hayden was the passing game's biggest factor on both sides of the ball. He led Ganado wide receivers with six catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns, but took home Defensive MVP honors because of his two interceptions.

Honorable Mention – Ethan Rucker (Celina): Alright, I'm kind of cheating by putting Rucker at defensive back. The senior caught QB Bentley's first two touchdown passes and finished with three catches for 95 yards. But he also played defense for the first time all season and halted Kilgore's passing attack after two scores on their opening drives.

All-Purpose – Cade Spradling (Smithson Valley)

What Spradling did on Saturday is almost unheard of at the 5A level. He had 25 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown, teaming up with running back Bradley Sowersby to keep the ball away from Highland Park's offense for over 30 minutes of game time. Once the Scots finally did get possession, Spradling showed up at outside linebacker to terrorize them. He tied for second on Smithson Valley with five tackles, adding a sack as well.

Honorable Mention – Bryce Ullman (Ganado): Ullman earned Offensive MVP honors with 220 total yards and three touchdowns at quarterback, and he also had the game-winning interception in triple overtime. 

Kicker – Trent Amaya (Smithson Valley)

Smithson Valley winning its first state championship in program history was a historic moment for the school and a record-tying moment for its senior kicker, Trent Amaya. Amaya's four field goals matched Todd Tschantz (Lake Highlands, 1981), Benigno Heredia (Canadian, 2015) and Gio Oceguera (Port Neches-Groves, 2023) for the UIL record.

Punter – Caden Klement (Muenster)

Klement had the punt of the week in Wednesday night's Class 2A Division II State Title. His 45-yard boot downed Shiner inside the one-yard line with just over five minutes remaining in the game. Then, Klement made a third-down stop at linebacker to give Muenster the ball back for the game-winning drive.