By Jay Neal
sports@jacksonvilleprogress.com
BULLARD — TAPPS Division III Texas-football powerhouses The Brook Hill School and Waco Reicher Catholic are set to collide in the state championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday at Leo Buckley Stadium in Killeen.
Reicher, coached by Mark Williamson, has won the state title the past two years and has earned nine state titles in school history. The Cougars are 10-3 this year.
The Guard, under the direction of first-year head coach Terry Pirtle, own a 12-1 worksheet, with the Guard’s only loss coming to Argyle Liberty Christian (39-21 on Oct. 2), a TAPPS, Division II school who has also advanced to the state championship game in their classification.
Both teams breezed through their respective state-playoff games. Reicher knocked off Carrollton Christian, Dallas Lutheran and Colleyville Covenant to punch their ticket into the big dance.
The Cougars destroyed Colleyville Covenant, 63-7, in a semi-final affair last week.
Reicher quarterback Matt Hicks ran for three touchdowns in the game and passed for another.
The Guard also had a relatively easy time in putting away Arlington Pantego as Brook Hill rolled out to a 41-15 lead after three frames in route to posting a 54-29 victory over the Panthers.
Brook Hill quarterback Tyler Baker sprinted for 168 yards and passed for 295 yards to lead the Guard to victory last week. Baker ran for 126 yards and passed for 126 yards in the first half alone.
Jacksonville’s Jeremy Chappelle had five catches totaling 143 yards in the game, in addition to penetrating the end zone twice.
Win or lose, Saturday’s game will be the last time that Brook Hill seniors, Zach Cool, Heath Dickey, Justin Northcutt and Chappelle don the navy and orange.
NOTE: For those unable to attend the game, TAPPSTV.com will be videostreaming the contest (http://tappstv.com/).
