BEST of the BEST: 2025 DCTX All-State Championship Team
Stephenville Yellow Jackets' linebacker Hudson Butchee, DeSoto Eagles wide receiver Ethan Feaster headline the 2025 All-State Championship Team.
Honorable Mention: Legend Howell (DeSoto)
Howell was the engineer of the highest-scoring 11-man football team of the State Championships. The senior completed 19-of-25 passes for 280 yards and four touchdowns.
Carthage’s all-time leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns saved one of his finest performances for last. Edwards ripped off an 87-yard touchdown on the opening play from scrimmage, a sign of the blowout 49-21 win over West Orange-Stark that was to follow. He finished with 12 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 12.8 yards per carry.
Barnett is an SMU wide receiver commit who lined up at quarterback most of the afternoon. But I’m putting him as an All-State team running back because the senior tied a Class 3A State Championship record with five rushing touchdowns, finishing with 193 yards.
Honorable Mention: Mikail Trotter (South Oak Cliff)
Trotter toted the rock 11 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 13 yards per carry. His 40-yard rushing touchdown at the end of the first half was one of the weekend’s best highlights.
Feaster had a fitting end for what DeSoto head coach Claude Mathis described as the best wide receiver to ever come through DeSoto. The USC signee caught 10 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
Slinkard showed out in a losing effort. The senior tied a Class 3A record with three receiving touchdowns, all of which came in the second half as Grandview attempted to storm back against Yoakum.
Honorable Mention: Keymian Henderson Jr. (Carthage)
Henderson, a Mississippi State signee, finished with four catches for 126 yards and a touchdown. His 77-yard receiving touchdown was the longest of the weekend.
There was legitimate talk in the media pressbox of Brian Swanson winning Offensive MVP for South Oak Cliff’s 35-19 victory over Richmond Randle. He paved the way for an SOC rushing attack that racked up 241 yards on 7.5 yards per carry.
Jenschke, a longtime pillar on Wall’s dominant offensive line, saved one of his best performances for last against a stout Newton defensive front.
Doty drew a daunting assignment against Kilgore defensive tackle Cam Christian and didn’t allow him to get a tackle for loss.
Hebert more than held his own against Duncanville's superstar edge, Landon Barnes. The Ole Miss signee, who was unblockable all postseason, finished with two tackles and a sack that only resulted in a two-yard loss.
Morales was the leading 11-man football rusher of the entire state championship weekend with 197 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. He also had one of the longest punt returns at 62 yards, and even completed a nine-yard pass.
Honorable Mention: Bode Ham (Jayton)
Ham broke the Class 1A State Championship record with 13 touchdowns in a 99-54 victory over Richland Springs. The senior ran for 430 yards and 10 touchdowns and threw for 118 yards and three touchdowns.
Nunn was the leader of a North Shore defensive line that harassed Duncanville QB J’Coryon Rivers all afternoon. The Louisiana Tech signee totaled seven tackles and two sacks, helping hold Duncanville to seven points.
Walterscheid was the Defensive MVP for a Muenster squad that posted the first shutout in a Class 2A State Championship since 2007. He stuffed Shiner’s best chance to score with two backfield tackles that forced a 4th-and-28. Walterscheid finished with eight tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
Honorable Mention: Luke York (Hamilton)
York had a whopping 12 tackles as an interior defensive lineman and recovered a fumble as Hamilton’s defense held Joaquin’s Slot-T attack to seven points.
Spellmeier had seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack, completely disrupting Kilgore’s offense in a shutout victory.
Woods, an SMU commit, was the captain of a Smithson Valley defensive front that sacked Lone Star QB Trey Wright six times. Woods had two sacks, forced two fumbles and also had two pass breakups as Lone Star tried to find a rhythm with screens.
Honorable Mention: KJ Ford (Duncanville)
The Florida signee showed out in his final game in the Duncanville threads. His pass rush forced North Shore to punt the ball on its first six possessions. Ford finished with six tackles and a sack.
Butchee was the star of Stephenville's 10-0 win over Kilgore, the lowest scoring state championship since 1991. The senior led the Yellow Jackets with 10 tackles. He set the tone for the ball game with an interception on the opening drive and a forced fumble on the very next defensive play.
Smithson Valley’s leading tackler on back-to-back state championship teams closed his career in style with 11 tackles, a sack and the game-sealing pick-six.
Phillips was the captain of a virtuoso defensive performance for South Oak Cliff. The Baylor signee led the team with 13 tackles. He also had 2.5 tackles for loss, one of which came on a 4th-and-goal, and had a red zone interception.
Sisson had 13 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss as Wall limited a Newton team that had won every playoff game by an average of 52.2 points. His biggest contribution may have been the blocked punt on special teams that went for a touchdown, which proved the difference in a one-point win.
Honorable Mention: Bret Bauman (Hamilton)
The senior linebacker tied for a team lead of 16 tackles as Hamilton held Joaquin’s Slot-T offense to seven points a week after the Rams put up 37 on the state’s No.1-ranked defense (Refugio).
Williams tied for the team lead with 11 tackles and also blocked a punt that he returned for a touchdown in Carthage’s 49-21 win over West Orange-Stark.
Guillory led North Shore with 10 tackles and also stopped one of Duncanville’s best scoring chances on its first drive with an interception in the red zone.
Honorable Mention: Damarion Ross (DeSoto)
Ross slammed the door shut on any Sheldon C.E. King thought of a comeback attempt with a 94-yard pick-six at the end of the first half.
After an injury-plagued postseason in which he didn’t practice for a month, Hess tied a Class 2A State Championship Record with three touchdown receptions. He also helped Muenster pitch the first shutout in a Class 2A State Championship since 2007 with five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
Honorable Mention: Hunter Haug (Smithson Valley)
Haug earned Offensive MVP with five catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. But he's our All-Purpose pick for locking down Lone Star’s Division I wide receivers on defense as well, including a forced fumble in the second half.
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