ARLINGTON – Yoakum’s breakthrough arrived Thursday at AT&T Stadium. The Bulldogs overtook Grandview for a 45-29 victory in the UIL Class 3A Division I state championship game.
Making its third appearance in the championships and its first since 2016, Yoakum captured the program’s first state championship. It overpowered a Grandview team that entered as a two-time state champion making its own third title appearance.
Yoakum wasted little time. After the opening kickoff, senior wide receiver Jace Morales carried the Bulldogs from their own 25 deep into Grandview territory, ripping off gains of 40 and 26 yards. Though that opening drive stalled inside the red zone, junior kicker Alexis Hernandez converted a 21-yard field goal to give Yoakum a 3-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.
Morales and senior wide receiver X’Zavier Barnett repeatedly broke through the line of scrimmage, stressing Grandview’s defense. Later in the quarter, Barnett slipped free on a short pass and turned it into a 45-yard touchdown run, pushing Yoakum’s lead to 10-0.
Grandview showed flashes of its offensive balance behind junior quarterback Mason Landers, who completed passes to senior running back Elijah Dominguez, junior wide receiver Kason Sanders and senior Bleu Hubbard to move the Zebras across midfield multiple times. But Yoakum’s defense delivered several momentum swings, including a drive-stalling tackle that forced punt.
The Bulldogs turned those stops into points in the second quarter. Morales broke through for a 38-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 17-0. Barnett followed with a 50-yard touchdown run to made it 24-0 with less than five minutes left in the half.
Grandview finally answered before halftime. Landers led a crisp drive highlighted by multiple completions to Hubbard driving to the Bulldogs 1-yard line. Hubbard capped things with a 1-yard touchdown with 25 seconds remaining to narrow the deficit to 24-7 at halftime.
The second half opened with more adversity for Grandview. On its first possession, Landers fumbled, and Yoakum recovered at the Zebras’ 35-yard line. Two plays later, Barnett ran through contact and scored on a 24-yard run to extend the lead to 31-7. Barnett literally ran out of his shoes. He lost one on his way to the end zone.
On the return, Morales delivered a 62-yard punt return that electrified the stadium. On the next play though, the Bulldogs got an upset when Morales lost a fumble.
Yoakum’s defense quickly made amends, as a takeaway set up another short field and another Barnett touchdown from xxx yards. It stretched the lead to 38-7 late in the third quarter.
Grandview refused to fold. A reviewed out-of-bounds catch in the end zone by senior wide receiver Brady Slinkard was overturned to a touchdown late in the third quarter. Landers connected with senior cornerback Preston Davis for a two-point conversion. Davis then recovered an onside kick, setting up another scoring chance. The Zebras capitalized early in the fourth quarter as Landers found Slinkard for a 5-yard touchdown run to trim the deficit to 38-21.
Yoakum leaned back into its strength, grinding out rushing yards and converting two key fourth downs. Barnett added his fourth rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter to make it 45-21. It capped a day in which the Bulldogs rushed for 396 yards on 43 attempts and averaged 9.2 yards per carry.
Grandview added a late 11-yard touchdown pass from Landers to Slinkard to cut it to 45-29. However, Yoakum recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock to secure the championship.
Yoakum finished with 405 total yards and six rushing touchdowns, while Grandview totaled 367 yards and moved the ball efficiently through the air, completing 20 of 26 passes for 195 yards. Turnovers and short fields proved decisive. Yoakum scored 14 points off takeaways.
As the final seconds ticked away after Morales took a knee at midfield, the Bulldogs celebrated a historic first title on Texas high school football’s biggest stage.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT – Yoakum senior wide receiver X’Zavier Barnett had a big night. Barnett rushed 17 times for 193 yards with 5 touchdowns, matching a UIL record for TD in a championship game, and won offensive MVP of the game. He has also signed to play football at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas.