Texas high school football – likely the state that puts the most emphasis on high school ball – will hold its state championships universally at one place this week, and that place is AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
The state plays six different classifications of football (Class 1A is six-man; 2A is regular, 11-man football, but the smallest classification; 3A and 4A are the classifications of mid-sized schools; and 5A and 6A are the two largest classifications). Each classification, though, is divided in half: 6A, Division I, for instance, is reserved for the largest football programs in the state; 6A Division II is for programs from schools a little smaller.
Like every state, this is based on school enrollment, and the University Interscholastic League (UIL), the governing body of all things Texas high school extracurricular, realigns districts every two years.
Before agreeing to a contract each year to have the games at one central location, there were, for instance, 12 different state championship games taking place at different locations across the state. Now, all of them are the same week, at the same venue: AT&T Stadium.
The games begin with the six-man games (1A, Division I and Division II) on Wednesday and are played the remainder of the week, culminating with the 6A games on Saturday afternoon and evening.
This year, FanDuel Sports Network will broadcast those games on FanDuel Sports Southwest and stream on FanDuelSportsNetwork.com, also o the FanDuel SN app.
To find a TV provider in your zip code that carries FanDuel Sports Network, go to GetMyHomeTeams.com.
Editorializing a bit, The Football Beat is located in Texas, and we love this week. If you’re anywhere near AT&T this weekend, it’s a great time, and not just the biggest classifications, either.
Tickets, just general tickets, can be bought at the stadium each day for $20 each. Tickets are good for all games on that day, and all tickets are general admission. From the UIL website: “All tickets at AT&T Stadium will be digital and available through fans’ mobile devices. There will be no ticket offices open on the day of the games. Tickets will not be sold onsite. All tickets must be purchased through the website or app. … Have your mobile ticket ready prior to arriving at AT&T Stadium. Paper tickets will NOT be accepted at the gates. You can not print out your tickets at home and bring them. All tickets must be shown on your mobile device.”
Tickets can also be purchased on Seatgeek here: UIL High School Football State Championships Tickets 2024-2025 | Authenticated NFL Tickets | SeatGeek.
Also, all parking and concessions are cashless; major credit and debit cards will be accepted, as will mobile pay.
Gates open an hour before the start of the first game of the day.
Parking, by the way, is $25 per vehicle, and lots open 90 minutes before the start of the first game each day. AT&T Stadium does have a clear-bag policy, by the way.
Now, who’s in these games?
Game one on Wednesday is the smallest classification in the state – 1A, Division 2, which is the smaller six-man game. That kicks off at 11 a.m. Wednesday, and it’s Jayton (14-0) against Oakwood (9-5).
The next game kicks off at 2 p.m. Wednesday and is also a six-man game, the bigger 1A, DII game, between Whiteface (14-0) and Gordon (14-0), and Gordon is the defending state champion. And then the first regular, 11-man football contest of the week – the 2A, DII game – is Wednesday night at 7 p.m., and has Muenster (13-2) taking on Shiner (12-3).
Thursday, things kick off with the 2A, DI game, and that’s Stamford (15-0) against Ganado (14-1). The 3A DII game follows at 3, matching two 13-2 teams, Gunter and Woodville (13-2). And the nightcap Thursday night has Malakoff (15-0), with the state’s longest win streak at ANY classification, coming back as defending state champ in the 3A, DI game, shooting for a repeat. They’ll face Columbus (14-1) at 7 p.m.
On Friday, game one of the schedule has nine-time state champ Carthage (14-1) meeting Waco La Vega (12-3). Carthage is 9-0 in state championship games, all under current coach Scott Surratt.
Carthage (13-1) faces Waco La Vega (12-3) Friday, an 11 a.m. kickoff. (Photo by JENNA HAGLER)
Following Carthage-La Vega will be another East Texas team, Kilgore (13-2), attempting to knock off multi-time state champ Celina (15-0); if you’ve ever seen the music video for Kenny Chesney’s “The Boys of Fall,” Celina is featured prominently.
Wrapping up Friday at 7 p.m. will be Dallas-area school South Oak Cliff (13-2) facing Richmond Randle (15-0). South Oak Cliff is back in the title game after losing in it a year ago to Port Neches-Groves.
And on Saturday, the final three games of the week, the teams from the largest classes. In the 11 a.m. game for the 5A, DI championship, it’s Highland Park (14-1) – the alma mater of Matthew Stafford and Clayton Kershaw – taking on Comal Smithson Valley (13-2). Smithson Valley played in last year’s game, but lost to Aledo.
At 3 p.m. Saturday, it’s the 6A, DII game: Southlake Carroll (15-0) meets Vandegrift (14-1), an Austin-area program.
And in the final game of the week, North Crowley (15-0) takes on Austin Westlake in the 6A, DI contest.
