UIL Football Playoffs
Class 5A Division I state semifinals
Wagner (13-1) vs. Alvin Shadow Creek (14-0)
When, where: Saturday, 6 p.m., NRG Stadium, Houston
Next week: Winner plays Denton Ryan-Dallas Highland Park winner in state final.
Throughout their long, historic football season, the Wagner Thunderbirds have been guided by a four-word mantra coach Charles Bruce repeats any number of times in a day.
“Stay hungry, stay humble.”
Four months after starting preseason workouts, the Thunderbirds are riding the momentum of a 12-game winning streak that has landed them in the state semifinals for the first time in school history.
Lest we think they’re just happy to still be playing, the Thunderbirds made it clear this week that they’re not ready to put their bucket down. Not by a long shot.
“We still want more,” senior free safety Kavon Barnes said after a workout. “Stay hungry and stay humble. We’re blessed and happy to still be playing in December, but we’re not through yet. We feel that we still have some good football left in us.”
Kavon’s fraternal twin, Javon, who plays cornerback, expressed his excitement about the Thunderbirds earning the opportunity to play this deep in the postseason.
“It’s been awesome,” Javon said. “We’ve been talking about this since offseason. We’re never satisfied. One game at a time and we’re still hungry and humble.”
Wagner (13-1) continues its banner season against Alvin Shadow Creek (14-0) in the Class 5A Division I semifinals at 6 p.m. Saturday at NRG Stadium in Houston. The winner advances to next week’s state final, scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Denton Ryan (14-0) plays Dallas Highland Park (14-0) in the other 5A Division I state semifinal at noon Saturday at AT&T Stadium.
“We’re not stopping,” senior quarterback Tobias Weaver said. “The goal is to go to state.”
Alvin Shadow Creek, which opened in 2016 and is in Pearland, finds itself one win away from playing for a state championship in its first varsity season. The Sharks rallied for a 25-21 victory over Richmond Foster in the Region III title game last week.
Before eliminating Foster, which competes in the same district as Shadow Creek, the Sharks recorded playoff wins against, in order, Porter (37-30), Cedar Park (21-14) and Georgetown (36-7).
“They’re very athletic and they’re very disciplined,” Wagner coach Charles Bruce said. “You can tell that they’re very well coached. They play hard. They’ve come from behind in several games to win, so it’s going to be a big test for us.”
Asked if his players are still excited to be playing, Bruce said: “Absolutely. They’re still passionate. They’re still hungry. We’re looking forward to the game ahead. Every week, like always, we want to be 1-0. Right now, we’re 0-0. We want to be 1-0 at the end of Saturday.”
Wagner hasn’t lost since it fell to Judson ISD rival Judson 35-28 in the second game of the season. After missing the playoffs each of the past five seasons, the Thunderbirds won their first football district title this year and set a program record for most wins in a season.
Wagner opened in 2005 and played its first varsity season in 2006. It reached the state quarterfinals in 2010, but finished 7-7 after making the playoffs as a fourth-place team. The Thunderbirds advanced to the playoffs five consecutive years (2008-12) under Pete Gibbens, their first head coach. This is Wagner’s first playoff season under Bruce, who succeeded Gibbens in 2013.
The Thunderbirds have been dominant in their first season in the University Interscholastic League’s second-largest classification after dropping from 6A to 5A with the UIL’s biennial realignment this year. The University Interscholastic League classifies schools by enrollment every two years.
Wagner crushed its eight District 13-5A Division I opponents while rolling to the league championship, outscoring them 522-29 and pitching five shutouts. The Thunderbirds were the highest-scoring 11-man team in the state during the regular season.
“I think we still would have had a good team if we were still in 6A,” Kavon Barnes said. “Maybe we wouldn’t have dominated like we have, but we would have had the same team. We started working to prepare for this season as soon as last season ended.”
Wagner raced to a 54-21 victory over unbeaten Mission Veterans Memorial in the Region IV final last week, holding the Patriots to 258 yards of total offense.
Veterans Memorial quarterback Landry Gilpin, who amassed 704 yards of total offense in a wild 62-55 win over Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial in the regional semifinals, finished with a minus-43 yards rushing in 16 attempts against the Thunderbirds.
Wagner opened the playoffs with a 59-7 rout of Harlandale at Rutledge Stadium and pulled away from Corpus Christi Ray for a 56-17 second-round victory in Corpus Christi. The Thunderbirds beat Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 49-14 in the regional semifinals at the Alamodome.
While Wagner dominated Mission Veterans Memorial, the Patriots managed to score more points against the Thunderbirds than any other team this season.
Barnes and his defensive teammates will have the task of trying to contain Shadow Creek quarterback Jamarian George, who sparked the Sharks’ rally from a 21-7 deficit against Foster last week. George ran for three touchdowns as Shadow Creek secured the victory with 18 unanswered points.
“Their whole team is just fast,” Javon Barnes said. “They’re a fast-paced team, faster than we’ve usually been playing . . . it’s going to be a tough matchup.”
A classic dual-threat quarterback, Weaver has demonstrated a deft touch for operating Wagner’s triple-option offense. He has completed 67 of 98 passes, with only two interceptions, for 1,200 yards and 20 TDs and rushed for 1,363 yards and 19 scores.
Weaver, who averaged 11.6 yards per carry, is one of three 1,000-yard rushers in the Thunderbirds’ backfield. Sophomore L.J. Butler is the team’s leading rusher with 1,870 yards and 30 TDs. He averaged 10.9 yards a pop. Senior Karlton Black has run for 1,139 yards and 16 TDs, and has a 13.2 average.
Weaver has been impressed with what he’s seen of the Shadow Creek defense on video this week.
“It’s a lot of athletic guys,” he said. “We’re just going to pair up with them and just out-execute them.”
Wagner’s long playoff run has created a buzz that extends beyond the campus and has added to the holiday spirit.
“The community is helping us, so it’s very exciting,” Weaver said. “We have the whole school behind us. Everybody is just excited to go all the way to Houston.”