Photos by Pat Carrigan / Championship game coverage brought to you by Ja-Mar Roofing & Sheet Metal
Gunter put on a clinic in the 3A Division II State Title Game.
The Tigers rushed for 297 yards on Thursday afternoon and held a Poth team that was averaging 313 rushing yards per game to just 133 yards on the ground.
Behind those dominant performances on both sides of the ball, the Tigers cruised to a 42-7 victory over Poth for their third state championship in school history.
Gunter running back Ashton Bennett won offensive MVP after rushing for 87 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. His two touchdowns helped Gunter jump out to an early 14-0 lead that it would never relinquish throughout the afternoon.
He said his job was easy running behind the Gunter offensive line.
“I think the biggest thing was the o-line was really getting after it today,” Bennett said. “They were finishing blocks all over the field, and it was really easy to just run behind them.”
Poth found little room to operate against Gunter’s defense all game long. Bennett, who also plays linebacker for the Tigers, said the unity between he and his teammates on that side of the ball was evident.
“It was awesome to see eleven guys playing as hard as they could and doing exactly what coach told us to do,” Bennett said. “Very minimal mistakes. It was just a great team effort.”
From Poth quarterback’s Zane Raabe perspective, moving the ball against the Gunter defense was a tall task throughout the afternoon.
“We knew going into it that Gunter was a great football team on defense,” Raabe said. “We hurt ourselves a little bit, but respect goes out to them. Unfortunately, we couldn’t move the ball, but at least we were able to score one last time.”
The teams opened the game by trading punts, but Gunter found paydirt on its second possession on a 12-yard touchdown run by Ashton Bennett.
ASHTON BENNETT GETS THE PARTY STARTED FOR GUNTER 🏈
@gunter_football 🐅 : 7
Poth Pirates 🏴☠️ : 0@uiltexas | #TXHSFB | 📺: BSSW Extra pic.twitter.com/e5ln9dJ3lX— BallySportsTXHS (@BallySportsTXHS) December 15, 2022
As the half progressed, Gunter began to wear Poth’s defense down as its pistol option kicked into high gear.
“We got our triple option going pretty good there,” Gunter head coach Jake Fieszel said. “And anytime we can get that going, we feel pretty good. It opens up a lot of other things for us.”
Bennett struck again midway through the second quarter on an 11-yard run as Gunter continued to find success on the ground.
On the next possession, Gunter defensive back Colin Peacock stopped a Poth drive in its track, intercepting an underthrown pass by Raabe.
Gunter turned that interception into an Ethan Sloan rushing touchdown 12 plays later after a 91-yard drive and went into the half up 21-0.
The Tigers didn’t let up in the second half either.
Yet again, Poth had to punt on its opening possession and also lost star running back Matthew Bunn to injury in the process.
Ivy Hellman added touchdowns of 21 yards and 11 yards to extend Gunter’s lead to 35 heading into the final quarter of play before sophomore running back Kane Bolt added the final Tiger touchdown in the closing minutes.
Ivy Hellman adds to a MONSTER day for Gunter so far 🤯
@gunter_football 🐅 : 28
Poth Pirates 🏴☠️ : 0@uiltexas | #TXHSFB | 📺: BSSW Extra | @Ivyhellman12 pic.twitter.com/ZwyyCVpr9R— BallySportsTXHS (@BallySportsTXHS) December 15, 2022
However, after not appearing in a state title game for 54 years, Poth wasn’t going to be shut out on its return to the big stage. With just seconds remaining, Raabe connected with Gabriel Silansky for a 30-yard score to give Poth fans something to celebrate after a long afternoon.
But even though his Pirates were on the wrong end of a lopsided scoreline, Raabe said Thursday was the culmination of a lifelong goal for he and his teammates.
“It meant the world,” Raabe said. “It’s a high schoolers’ dream to be out here, and I couldn’t ask for a better way to end my high school football career. It’s just a blessing to be out here with these guys.”
Meanwhile, Thursday capped a perfect 16-0 season for Gunter. It was Gunter’s first title since a 43-22 win over Omaha Pewitt back in 2019.
And with a 49-35 loss to Franklin in last year’s 3A Division II State Title Game still in the memory of his players, Fieszel said it made Thursday’s victory that much sweeter.
“They had it in their mind that they wanted to try and get back; they knew what it took,” Fieszel said. “It takes a lot of work and a lot of dedication and sacrifice, and they finished the job. I’m just extremely proud of them.”
Offensive MVP: RB Ashton Bennett, Gunter
Bennett finished with 87 yards rushing on 13 carries and also scored the first two touchdowns on the afternoon for Gunter.
Defensive MVP: DB Colin Peacock, Gunter
Peacock finished with 4.5 tackles and also had the interception that led to Gunter’s third touchdown.
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