ARLINGTON, Texas — Believe it or not, but Wall head coach Craig Slaughter insists his blood pressure did not rise in the fourth quarter of the Class 3A Division II State Championship Game.

Sure, he could’ve done without Newton running back Kendray Porter Jr. catching a 37-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-15 to cut the lead to one point with less than two minutes remaining. Or the ensuing onside kick that hit off the hands of two Newton players and seemingly rolled forever on the AT&T Stadium turf. 

But Slaughter has coached a lot of football, and he’s never had a team like the 2025 Wall Hawks. Before this season, his career record was 87-90. Even after hoisting the State Championship trophy, he still considers his best coaching job ever to be in 2009 when he went 1-9 at Sweetwater, and his kids still showed up in Week 11 to compete. 

“I’ve gotten my tail kicked more than any coaches that are here this whole weekend (at the UIL State Championships),” Slaughter said. “But I think it’s part of what shaped my career.” 

All those years of hardship allowed him to appreciate how special this Wall senior class is. The trust he had in them left no room for doubt while fending off a furious Newton comeback attempt for a 25-24 win, Wall’s first state championship in program history. 

Those seniors rewarded him time and again on Thursday night. Before Wall got on the bus this morning, Slaughter showed them game film of eight Newton punts throughout the season. Newton had won its five playoff games by an average margin of  52.2 points. But Slaughter was convinced he’d found a chink in their armor. 

“I said, ‘The worst thing they do is punt,’” Slaughter said. “‘When we have a chance, we’re gonna go for an all-out block. I think it’ll turn the game if it happens.’”

That opportunity came with four minutes left in the first quarter, down 8-7. Senior outside linebacker Gavin Sisson, the Defensive MVP with 13 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, made the biggest play of the night when he blocked Newton’s punt. Senior linebacker Dylan Sellers picked it up for a touchdown that proved the difference in the ball game.

But Newton - specifically, running back Kendray Porter Jr. - would not go quietly. The superstar junior finished the night with 33 carries for 165 yards, adding three catches for 48 yards and a touchdown as a receiver. But even after Newton scored a touchdown on the game’s first drive, zapping seven minutes off the clock, Slaughter knew his team had Newton where it wanted them. Porter had carried the ball eight times on one drive. It wasn’t a sustainable strategy.

“‘Fellas, that’s awesome,’” Slaughter said on the headset. “‘That dude ain’t going to carry the ball 50 times that fresh.’”

The Wall defense made Porter earn every yard, refusing to allow the big play that Newton’s offense thrives on. Senior Jacob Braden finished with a game-high 14 tackles. Sellers, who returned the punt block for a touchdown, made a massive tackle on a Newton 4th-and-1 with just over six minutes remaining, keeping the Eagles at bay. 

They needed every stop while the Wall offense, one of the most prolific units in TXHSFB, was held to two offensive touchdowns on the night against the toughest defense they’d faced all year. But senior quarterback Landon York made numerous drive-extending plays by hooking up with his favorite target, Reid Robertson. The senior wide receiver earned the game’s Offensive MVP honors after catching five passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came on third-and-long situations. He also had a 43-yard pass on the game’s first play.

For Robertson and Braden, sitting on the championship podium was a full-circle moment. The pair had sat in the AT&T Stadium stands back in 2013 when Wall made the first state championship in program history. That day, they drove back bummed out. Twelve years later, they’ve finished what that team started.  

“Our cousins and brothers-in-law played in that game,” Braden said. “To go out there and take that next step, get that first one for our program, was huge.”

BOX SCORE

Game Comparison

Wall Passing

Wall Rushing

Wall Receiving

Wall Defense

Wall Fumble Recoveries

Newton Passing

Newton Rushing

Newton Receiving

Newton Defense