Rangers Hold Off Scots in 5A Title Game

ARLINGTON — From the timely big plays to the punishing key stops, the elements that fueled Highland Park’s remarkable run to state championship game just weren’t there on Saturday.

Instead, the Scots finished as runners-up in Class 5A Division I following a 32-20 loss to Spring Branch Smithson Valley in front of 18,746 spectators at AT&T Stadium.

The Rangers rallied in the second half as the usually opportunistic HP offense struggled to sustain drives and the usually stingy HP defense struggled to get off the field.

The Scots (14-2) were shut out in the second half as their quest for a seventh state championship, and first since 2018, fell just short.

“I love these guys and we had a wonderful season. We beat some outstanding football teams,” said longtime HP head coach Randy Allen. “We came into this game ready to play and excited about the opportunity to win. When that slips away from you, there’s disappointment because they wanted to be champions and they worked extremely hard to get to this point.”

HP scored its only two touchdowns in the first quarter, both on long passes from sophomore quarterback Buck Randall. The first score came on a 49-yard strike to Cannon Bozman that capped an opening 75-yard drive. It was a short throw but Bozman handled the final 37 yards with his feet.

Smithson Valley settled for back-to-back field goals by Jeremy Amaya, the second after being given a shirt field when HP failed on a fake-punt attempt at its own 34-yard line due to penetration by Rangers defender Hudson Woods.

The Scots needed only two snaps to extend the advantage to 14-6 on a 73-yard reception by Benton Owens over the middle late in the first quarter. Owens finished with a game-high eight receptions for 162 yards.

However, the momentum shifted moments later when Smithson Valley cornerback Julian Colunga returned an HP interception 23 yards for a score.

“We’ve overcome things like that before,” Allen said. “That kind of took away of the momentum from us. They did a great job of keeping us backed up.”

The next drive for the Scots ended with a sack and a short punt. The Rangers (14-2) capitalized and took their first lead on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Cade Spradling to Brody Day.

It turned out to be the only lead change of the game. HP continued to move the ball but its next two offensive drives, including one consuming 13 plays and another featuring a long pass to Bozman, resulted in long Sutton Stock field goals.

“I just don’t think we were as crisp and sharp today in execution as we have been in the past,” Allen said. “I give Smithson Valley credit. Their defense played to stop the big play and forced us to sustain drives, and we couldn’t get it done.”

After halftime, Smithson Valley stretched its lead as its power running game continued to wind the clock and its defense forced HP into unfavorable field position.

“Highland Park’s red-zone defense was outstanding,” said longtime Smithson Valley head coach Larry Hill. “They forced those field goals, but eventually we broke through.”

There were some opportunities for the Scots. A sack by Daniel Turner forced a punt deep in Smithson Valley territory. Later, a Spradling touchdown pass was overturned on replay review, and the incompletion prompted another field goal.

HP reached the Smithson Valley 40 late in the third quarter after a 26-yard completion from Randall to Owens, but a fourth-down run came up short.

The Rangers propped the door open again with a 26-20 lead early in the fourth quarter, when they reached the HP 1-yard line before a fumbled snap led to a missed field goal.

Nothing materialized again for the Scots, though, and Smithson Valley gave itself some insurance when Spradling scored on a 4-yard scamper with 3:39 remaining.

That forced HP into desperation mode, with a final drive reaching midfield before four consecutive incompletions ended the threat.

“They were physical up front. That quarterback could run and they could block,” said HP linebacker Jack Morse. “I wish a lot of things could have gone our way, but they were just a sound team.”

Randall finished 18-of-35 passing for 316 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, often throwing under pressure. Bozman tallied 113 in receiving yardage, all before halftime. The Scots managed only 49 rushing yards as a team.

“We gave up a number of explosive plays in the first half,” Hill said. “We had to create a few more explosive plays but we had to find a way to limit their big-chunk plays. Part of that was getting the ball out of his hands quicker, getting up on him and making him uncomfortable, with some guys who held coverage in the back.”

Brad Sowersby led the ground-and-pound attack with 152 yards on 22 carries. Spradling had 147 yards on 25 attempts in addition to posting five tackles at linebacker.

Smithson Valley completed only six of 17 passes for 64 yards, but those connections often came in critical situations.

Meanwhile, HP was just 3-of-12 on third-down conversions, including 0-for-5 with nine yards or more to go. The Scots never ran a play inside the Smithson Valley 20-yard line.

“They figured out ways to stop our offense,” said HP running back James Lancaster, who finished with 36 yards on nine carries. Lancaster was HP’s top rusher this year after missing last season with a knee injury.

“It’s been the greatest season of my life,” he said. “These guys are my brothers. I wish things couldn’t have gone our way but they didn’t.”

On defense, Amin Elahmadi accumulated 11 tackles and Anders Corn contributed 10. Jonathan Boyanaovsky broke up two passes. Jack Morse added two tackles for loss.

A week after a thrilling comeback victory over Denton Ryan in the state semifinals, the Scots couldn’t muster any late magic against the Rangers, who earned their first state championship in program history.

Smithson Valley was the runner-up a year ago after falling to Aledo in the title game. The Rangers were in the final for the fifth time overall. They finished the season with 11 straight wins.

“It’s just a bunch of grunts playing for an old grunt coach,” Hill said. “There’s still a place for old-school football, and these guys epitomize that as much as anybody.”

It marked the final game for dozens of HP seniors, although Randall and Bozman will return as the Scots look to reload for another run in 2025.

“I’m anxious to start getting ready for next year,” Allen said. “These guys are fun to coach. We’ve had a lot of success together. I’m going to miss these guys.”