It’ll be a matchup of title game debutants on Wednesday night as Tolar battles Timpson for the 2A Division I state title.
Timpson has not only the best player in 2A but one of the best players in all of the state in Texas A&M commit quarterback Terry Bussey. Can Tolar find a way to slow him down and head back to the Snake Farm with a trophy in hand?
Here’s what to watch for in the 2A Division I state title game.
Tolar Rattlers (14-1)
Head Coach: Jeremy Mullins (7th season; 58-29 record)
Distance from AT&T Stadium: 65 miles
2023 Playoff Results
Bi-District: W 57-12 vs. Trenton
Area: W 60-0 vs. Cayuga
Regional Semifinals: W 61-28 vs. Italy
Regional Final: W 42-19 vs. Marlin
State Semifinals: W 35-7 vs. Stratford
Key Players and Storylines
Tolar hasn’t really played in a close game all year. It had one slip up to a talented private school in Dallas Christian, but besides that, its 42-19 win over Marlin in the regional final is tied for its smallest margin of victory this season.
The Rattlers are going to pound the ball early and often. They have a three-headed monster to lead them in dual threat quarterback Isaac Blessing, running back Garrison Nation, and running back Peyton Brown. Both Blessing and Nation are over 1,000 yards rushing on the year.
Brown missed some time due to injury this year, limiting him to just 537 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, but he was an all-state running back a year ago.
Blessing can sling it as well when called upon. He has thrown for 30 touchdowns to just two interceptions on the year. That’ll be important because Tolar won’t want to give Terry Bussey and company any bonus possessions. Matthew Behrens is his top target having caught 32 passes for 731 yards and 10 touchdowns this year.
Defensively, Drake Owens *131 tackles) is Tolar’s top tackler from his linebacker position. In the secondary, Timpson will have to be weary of throwing towards defensive back Clayton Stembridge, who has seven interceptions this season.
The Rattlers also have quite the duo in the trenches in Cash Clark (101 tackles, 12 TFLs) and Hunter Michels (93 tackles, 16 TFLs).
Tolar head coach Jeremy Mullins knows this defense will be up against plenty of athletes when facing the Bears. That’s why he believes his team will need to “play well up front, limit mistakes and play fast” in order to bring a state title back to Hood County on Wednesday night.
Timpson Bears (15-0)
Head Coach: Kerry Therwhanger (8th season; 80-24)
Distance from AT&T Stadium: 188 miles
2023 Playoff Results
Bi-District: W 68-7 vs. Corrigan-Camden
Area: W 58-20 vs. Wolfe City
Regional Semifinal: W 68-7 vs. Honey Grove
Regional Final: W 35-23 vs. Garrison
State Semifinals: W 35-21 vs. Ganado
Key Players and Storylines
Timpson finally broke its semifinal curse. The past three seasons, the Bears had made the state semifinals only to fall short to Shiner twice and Refugio last season. This year, the Bears will finally head to the state title game for the first time in school history.
They couldn’t have done it without playmaking quarterback Terry Bussey. He threw for 204 yards and a touchdown last week and also rushed for 158 yards and another three scores.
JJ Garner has been another one of Timpson’s key playmakers this year. He leads the team in rushing and also filled in for Bussey at quarterback at the beginning of the season, but he’s currently banged up and didn’t play last week.
In the receiving corps, senior Amari Bruton is the clear leader. The 5’11” pass-catcher has no shortage of speed and is coming off a game where he caught nine passes for 101 yards.
A week ago, Timpson trailed 21-7 in the second quarter before Bussey helped them score 28-straight points. He can single-handedly take over a game, so don’t be surprised if that is the case on Wednesday night.
Final Thoughts
Tolar will want to try and prevent this game from turning into the Terry Bussey show on Wednesday night. The Rattlers rushing attack could help as they’ll hope to limit the amount of times Bussey gets his hand on the football.
However, if Bussey and the Bear offense gets rolling early, it could be a tough night for the Rattler defense.
No matter what, it will be a memorable night for at least one of the fanbases as someone is leaving AT&T Stadium with their first-ever state title.
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