Photos by Stan Martin / Championship game coverage brought to you by Ja-Mar Roofing & Sheet Metal
For the first time in his 17 years as a high school football head coach, DeSoto head coach Claude Mathis can order a state championship ring.
Mathis had taken DeSoto to the state semifinals twice before back in 2012 and 2013, but both times, his Eagles ran into Kyler Murray and the Allen Eagles.
This year, his players were determined to get him a title.
They did just that in a 42-17 win over Vandegrift on Saturday afternoon in the 6A Division II State Championship game.
“This means everything for us,” said Desoto cornerback Caimon Mathis, Claude’s son. “The passion he coaches with, we feed off of it. We could tell it meant a lot to him, and we couldn’t let him down. It was all for him. We’re a brotherhood, and I’m glad we got it done.”
After the game, an overjoyed Mathis could barely contain his excitement.
“Kyler Murray took a couple from me, but I felt that once I got back to the state semifinals, I was never going to let that happen again,” Mathis said. “I can’t describe it; it really hasn’t hit me yet. I’m so excited for our players. Just to see our kids win it and our coaches win it, as much as we put into this game right here, it’s unbelievable. This is something they’ll always remember.”
DeSoto’s players mentioned brotherhood and the family-like bond they have several times in their post-game press conference. For Mathis, those family-like bonds his players talked about have an entirely deeper meaning as he won this state title with his senior sons Caimon and Crimson and sophomore Canden.
“My son Caimon, [opposing teams] always picked on him because he’s the coach’s son, and he went through hell,” Mathis said. “These guys up on stage had his back. This is one family right here, and they took us all in. All I have to say is we’re state champions and that means the world to me.”
Vandegrift hung with DeSoto for two and a half quarters, but the Eagle defense took over in the second half. In the final two quarters alone, the Eagles had four sacks and five additional tackles for loss.
“We just all came together,” DeSoto linebacker Brandon Booker said. “This is our last game of the season and with that, we balled out. We gave it all we got, and it translated to the field. Couldn’t have asked for a better ending.”
While the DeSoto defense was making life miserable for the Vandegrift backfield, the DeSoto backfield kicked into high gear.
Quarterback DJ Bailey finished with 297 yards passing and three touchdowns, while Deondrae Riden Jr. rushed for 187 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries.
THE EAGLES EXTEND THE LEAD 🤩
RB @riden_jr bowls his way in for the TD!! 🎳@FootballDesoto 🦅: 21@VHSFootball 🐍: 10@uiltexas | #TXHSFB | 📺: BSSW pic.twitter.com/fABEDHNFLQ
— BallySportsTXHS (@BallySportsTXHS) December 17, 2022
And with DeSoto firing on all cylinders on both sides of the ball, Vandegrift head coach Drew Sanders said the Eagles eventually proved too much for the Vipers to keep up with.
“DeSoto did a great job of attacking what they felt like they could do,” Sanders said. “I felt like we hung for awhile and played well early, but it kind of got away from us there towards the end. But it wasn’t for lack of effort, our guys gave everything they got.”
After a scoreless first quarter, the offenses came alive in the second period. Viper kicker Hayden Arnold started the barrage of points with a 37-yard field goal to draw first blood for Vandegrift.
The Eagles needed just 53 seconds to answer as Bailey found Johntay Cook, who dusted a Vandegrift defensive back in the flat before racing away for a 43-yard touchdown. Just two minutes later, DeSoto added to its lead as Bailey connected with Tre Wisner for a ten-yard score following a Vandegrift fumble.
42 YD EAGLES TOUCHDOWN 🤯
The @TexasFootball commit turns on the jets for the house call! @FootballDesoto 🦅: 7@VHSFootball 🐍: 3@uiltexas | #TXHSFB | 📺: BSSW pic.twitter.com/ILBcZ2KRoF
— BallySportsTXHS (@BallySportsTXHS) December 17, 2022
With DeSoto starting to inch away, Vandegrift got a big-time response as Alex Witt broke off a 57-yard run before scoring on a one-yard dive three plays later.
For the second time in the game, DeSoto coughed up the ball in the red zone on the ensuing possession, but again, Vandegrift couldn’t turn it into points.
Set up with great field position following the Vandegrift punt, the Eagles quickly motored 44 yards on five plays. Riden finished the drive off on a powerful four-yard touchdown run to give DeSoto a 21-10 lead it would carry into halftime.
Coming out of halftime, Witt delivered the score Vandegrift needed as he broke free for a 20-yard touchdown run that capped off a six-play, 75-yard drive.
But just as the Vipers got back within striking distance, the Eagles soared away. On their next two possessions, Riden scored his second and third touchdowns of the days on six- and seven-yard runs. A 55-yard bomb from Bailey to Cook helped set up that third score as Vandegrift struggled to contain DeSoto’s speed downfield.
Another Vandegrift punt followed Riden’s third touchdown, and DeSoto waisted no time putting the game beyond doubt. Bailey torched the Vandegrift secondary again, delivering a dart across the middle to Wisner, who raced away for a 62-yard score to extend the Eagle lead to 42-17 a minute into the fourth quarter.
Tre WIsner really said: ” BYE BYE” 🏃♂️🔥🔥@FootballDesoto 🦅: 42@VHSFootball 🐍: 17@uiltexas | #TXHSFB | 📺: BSSW pic.twitter.com/3qo4HrbBxo
— BallySportsTXHS (@BallySportsTXHS) December 17, 2022
But despite the loss, Saturday represented a new high bar for the Vandegrift program. The Vipers reached the state semifinals back in 2014 but had never been to the state championship game before.
Vandegrift quarterback Brayden Buchanan said it was the perfect stage to end his Viper career on.
“Obviously this game didn’t end the way we wanted to, but just a tremendous year,” Buchanan said. “An amazing season with this group of guys, making it farther than any Vandegrift team ever has. We definitely cemented a legacy.”
But the story of the day was Claude Mathis.
He had won two state championships as a player at Bartlett in the early 1990s but never one as a head coach.
And as he lifted the state trophy with his players around him, it was everything he hoped it would be.
“I didn’t know it felt this great; I had no clue,” Mathis said. “Oh my God, what a feeling!”
Offensive MVP: RB Deondrae Riden Jr, DeSoto
Riden was the bell cow for the Eagles on the afternoon, rushing for 187 yards and three scores on 32 carries.
Defensive MVP: DL Jason Douglas, DeSoto
Douglas did a great job of making Vandegrift quarterback Brayden Buchanan’s life miserable on Saturday, finishing with two sacks, a quarterback hit, and four total tackles for loss. He was a constant presence in the Vandegrift backfield.
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