ON THE ROAD
Pleasant Grove heads out for 4A championship
ARLINGTON, Texas—It all comes down to this.
Pleasant Grove (15-0) takes on West Orange-Stark (13-0) in the Texas Class 4A, Division II state championship game today at 3 p.m. at AT&T Stadium.
The Hawks are seeking their first state title in school history and making their first appearance in the finals, while the Mustangs have the longest active win streak in Texas with 40 consecutive wins. The game marks the fourth straight championship appearance for West Orange-Stark. The Mustangs won the state title last year with a 24-6 victory over Sweetwater.
“West Orange-Stark runs a spread attack that is predominately run based,” Pleasant Grove head coach Josh Gibson said. “On defense, they put all of the guys in the box to stop the Wing-T. They are very good at shutting this type of offense down as they defend against the Wing-T a lot in their region.
“Our kids believe in themselves and in our program. The things that stick out are their work ethic, togetherness and execution. We will play great football at AT&T Stadium. Our kids will continue to handle everything like professionals and embrace the opportunity. I think about the kids and community being rewarded for a lot of investment and that makes me proud. These young men are so deserving of everything they've achieved. We believe this our destiny.” The Hawks average
43.6 points per game and have given up 16.0 points per con-
test, while the Mustangs put up 36.1 points per game and give up a mere 9.2 points per outing.
Pleasant Grove will pit its explosive Wing-T offense and Black Hawk defense against West Orange-Stark's stingy Chain Gang defense and spread offense.
Senior fullback TJ Cole leads the Hawks in rushing with 1,652 yards on 223 carries and a school-record 24 rushing TDs. Bruce Garrett, a sophomore fullback, has totaled 1,029 yards on 111 totes and nine scores. Chauncey Martin is a senior tailback and has carried the ball 96 times for 998 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Sophomore quarterback Ben Harmon has hit on 78 of 123 passes for 1,778 yards and 25 TDs with just six interceptions. Senior receiver Carson Cox leads Pleasant Grove in receiving with 29 catches for 817 yards and a school-record 13 receiving touchdowns.
The Hawks' Cole is second in receiving with 18 grabs for 338 yards and three scores, and senior tight end Xavier Benson is third with 16 catches for 423 yards and five touchdowns.
Mustang quarterback Chaka Watson is a dual threat, and Pleasant Grove's defense will look to wreak havoc on him.
Caleb Porchia, a Hawk senior inside linebacker, leads the team in tackles with a school-record 184 stops. Texas Tech commit and senior outside linebacker Benson brings leadership to the team and is second with 101 tackles.
Junior strong safety Caleb Hemphill is the third leading tackler for the Hawks with 95 stops. Hemphill has six sacks to his credit. Senior defensive lineman Austin Toler has racked up 79 stops to go along with five sacks.
Freshman defensive lineman standout Landon Jackson is the fourth leading tackler for Pleasant Grove with 94 stops. Fifteen of those stops have been for lost yardage, and Jackson has had 10 sacks, six pass breakups, and 18 quarterback pressures.
The Hawks' journey through the playoffs began with a 21-7 win over Tatum in the bi-district round. PG then defeated Aubrey 56-28 in the area round, and beat Celina 33-14 in the regional. The Hawks took another step with a dominating 55-14 victory over Melissa in the state quarterfinals and earned a spot in the state championship game with a 45-14 win against Graham.
West Orange-Stark routed Brookshire Royal 54-0 in its bi-district game and defeated Mexia, 17-3, in the area round. The Mustangs then edged Madisonville 28-26 in the regional and shut out Salado 14-0 in the state quarterfinals. West Orange Stark punched its ticket to the championship game as it defeated Wimberley 30-21.
Pleasant Grove has a overall playoff record of 18-14, while the Mustangs' record is 67-24-1.
The game will be broadcast on KTRG 94.1 FM.
TONIGHT’S LINEUPS
(Numbers in parentheses)
PLEASANT GROVE OFFENSE: WB-Bruce Garrett (2), TE-Xavier Benson (3), TE-Austin Toler (90), WR-Carson Cox (4) , QB-Ben Harmon (10), FB-TJ Cole (15), TB-Chauncey Martin (21), LG-Brock Bingham (55), RG-Hunter Druhan (59), C-Zach Wrinkle (74), OT-Nick Gavriel (77), OT-Drake Fowler (79), PK-Dillon Williams (9). PLEASANT GROVE DEFENSE: CB-Cameron Wells (1), OLB-Xavier Benson (3), ILB-Caleb Porchia (5), FS-Ryan Pickelman (7), SS-Caleb Hemphill (8), CB-Tyler Kelley (13), FS-Chauncey Martin (21), OLB-Jacob Barbour (42), DE-Landon Jackson (40), NG-Drake Fowler (79), DT-Austin Toler (90), P-Ben Harmon (10).