Highland Park 27, Shadow Creek 17: 2018 5A DI Texas high school football championship recap

The Scots three-peat with a suffocating performance against the first-year Sharks.
Texas Football Staff

Highland Park dominates defensively to win third straight state title 

After giving up a 3-yard touchdown pass from Chandler Morris to Sam Morse that made it 14-6 Highland Park late in the first quarter of Saturday afternoon’s Class 5A Division I state championship, Shadow Creek marched right back down the field thanks to a handful of nice runs by quarterback Jamarian George and running back Isaiah Harper.

The Sharks moved inside the Scots’ 5-yard line before George was sacked on third and goal, forcing Shadow Creek coach Brad Butler to settle for a field goal instead of a potentially game-tying touchdown.

The defensive stand from the Highland Park ignited the two-time defending state champs, as the Scots went on to claim their third straight state title with a 27-17 score victory at AT&T Stadium.

“It can help change the momentum and the way things are going,” Butler said. “We talked about it on the sidelines – it’s huge for us to capitalize here. Sometimes it just doesn’t bounce the way you want it to.”

That second quarter possession near the goal-line was one of several times Highland Park disrupted a Shadow Creek drive by relentlessly pressuring George and forcing the senior quarterback out of his comfort zone.

George finished with 87 yards and a touchdown through the air and had 17 carries for 79 yards, but was sacked nine times and threw three interceptions – two of which were a direct result of Highland Park’s pass rush.

Prince Dorbah led the way with four sacks and four tackles for loss while Patrick Turner (two sacks, 3.5 TFL), Grant Gallas (two sacks, three TFL), and Brock Bakich (one sack, 1.5 TFL) combined to dominate the Sharks up front.

 

Morris maintains Highland Park's championship-standard of quarterback play

Last year, former Highland Park quarterback John Stephen Jones etched his place front and center on the Mount Rushmore of Highland Park’s storied gridiron history.

Not only did he bring the Scots their first state championship since NFL veteran Matthew Stafford ended a near-50-year drought in 2005, he followed his 2016 championship by turning in one of the most memorable performances in state championship history while setting numerous records as the Scots went back-to-back with a thrilling win over Manvel.

Randy Allen briefly retired following the season, seemingly putting an end to the most glorious run of Highland Park football since the 1940s.

Then, a few weeks later, Allen decided to return. Maybe he knew something – he had another program-defining quarterback waiting in the wings.

“Winning a state championship is part of being a great quarterback,” Allen said when asked how junior quarterback Chandler Morris compared to Jones. “Until Chandler did that, all these comparisons would’ve been needless. John Stephen took our team to two state championships. Chandler’s had the opportunity to take his team to one championship. Of course last year’s performance (by Jones) was unbelievable, but Chandler did a wonderful job with this football team.”

Morris didn’t post record numbers on Saturday in the Scots’ methodical win over Alvin Shadow Creek, but he didn’t need to in a game that wasn’t a back-and-forth track meet like last year’s classic against Manvel. What he did do was more than enough, and he looked composed, poised and plenty special in his own right in doing so.

A year to the day after Jones’ masterpiece, Morris completed 23 of 35 pass attempts for 262 yards and three touchdowns after impressive showings late in the postseason in wins over Denton Ryan and Tyler John Tyler.

Senior wide receiver Finn Corwin was on the team in 2016 that beat Temple behind Jones and a stellar defensive effort and then caught six balls for 99 yards in last year’s win over Manvel. He said even as a freshman, when Morris was in eighth grade, he knew they’d have a lot of success down the road. That came to fruition Saturday.

“I knew he’d be my quarterback,” Corwin said of that moment four years ago. “That’s when we started our friendship. He’s been around football his whole life. His dad being  (Arkansas coach) Chad Morris, that helps us in every way. He knows how to win and he’s a young guy, but he’s one of the best guys and best leaders I know.”

So how do the two quarterbacks who have now produced a Highland Park three-peat compare? Corwin couldn’t put it in specifics, but knew how he felt about playing with each.

“They’re the two best quarterbacks I’ve ever played for, I know that,” Corwin said. “I’m really fortunate to say I played for John Stephen last year, who was, you know, John Stephen. And this year I’m playing for Chandler Morris, who’s Chandler Morris. It’s unbelievable. I can say I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world to call them both my friends and go play with both of them.”

Oh, there might be one comparison Corwin could make between the two. Even though he played his final high school game on Saturday, he expects to see Morris back on the same stage a year from now to match Jones’ back-to-back and give the Scots a fourth consecutive title.

“Oh, yes sir. Scotties find a way,” he said.

- Adam Boedeker

 

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