The 2025 UIL State Championships are taking place this weekend at AT&T Stadium, with each of Texas high school football’s top contenders securing their spot.
The event sets the stage for a story of history, revenge, and first-time triumphs. From Richmond Randle’s relentless running game to North Shore’s suffocating defense and C.E. King’s breakthrough moment, three programs now stand just one win away from making their seasons legendary at AT&T Stadium.
The historic season for Richmond Randle continues. The Lions earned their spot in the Class 5A Division II state championship game with a 40–16 victory over Boerne in the semifinals at the Alamodome. In the win, Randle’s star running back, Landen Williams-Callis, rushed for 201 yards and five touchdowns.
Randle head football coach Brian Randle says belief is what makes the difference for this year’s team.
“The boys truly believe in what we’re doing here,” said Randle. “We’re really trying to build a program that’s going to last. When you look at North Shore, De Soto, South Oak Cliff, you want to create something that’s going to last, and the difference between this team and last year’s championship team is they don’t want to let last year’s team down; they want to build on the foundation that last year’s group laid while at Randle High School.”
With every winning team, it’s important to balance confidence with urgency as the Lions prepare for a rematch against South Oak Cliff.
“We get what we allow in life,” said Randle. “If you go out there and you allow South Oak Cliff to push you around, then you are allowing it. You can’t be scared, you have to play fast, physical, be fearless, and go out there and do what we do. We’re a good quality football team. We don’t have to go around and beat our chest to let everybody know; we let our play speak for itself. Just focus on playing football and none of the extras.”
While the Lions have a star in Williams-Callis, their offensive line takes pride in supporting his success.
“Our offensive line takes pride in creating holes to give Landen the best chance of making a successful run,” said senior right tackle Nicholas Ortiz. “The offensive line is like a family; we’re always going to have each other’s back and push each other to succeed.”
While Randle relied on an explosive offense to get back to familiar championship territory, another Houston-area powerhouse reached the final by making defense the boldest statement of all.
North Shore’s defense stepped up significantly as the Mustangs secured their spot in the Class 6A Division I state championship game with a 28–6 win over Lake Travis in the semi-finals at W.W. Thorne Stadium in Houston. According to MaxPreps, North Shore held Lake Travis to just 65 total yards of offense.
“It’s always amazing to hold a team under 100 yards, but honestly, it wasn’t a surprise for us,” said senior North Shore middle linebacker Omari Demerson. “We just did what we were coached to do and played North Shore ball.”
A tough defense is just one of many reasons why powerhouses like North Shore and Duncanville continue to compete deep into December.
“Both programs value team chemistry, player development, and accountability,” said Gaston. “The kids put in a tremendous amount of work in the off-season, we have playmakers who step up in big moments, and there’s strong buy-in from the school and community. When you consistently do the little things right over time, it puts you in a position to be playing meaningful games in December year after year.”
While defense may have sent North Shore back to the championship stage, one program is chasing something it has never achieved before.
The C.E. King Panthers secured their spot in the Class 6A Division II state championship game with a 58–41 win over defending champion Austin Vandegrift in the semi-finals at Baylor’s McLane Stadium. According to MaxPreps, C.E. King quarterback Timothy Potts led the Panthers by passing for 179 yards and two touchdowns while adding 230 rushing yards and three more scores on the ground.
“I started to believe this team was championship-ready when we beat Atascocita,” said Potts. “But when we beat Vandegrift, and I received the player of the game award, it truly started to feel real.”
This senior class, leading C.E. King has long demonstrated signs of greatness. As freshmen, the group lost only one game in a matchup against North Shore.
“Their success is not unexpected,” said C.E. King head football coach Cory Laxen. “They experienced success at a young age, and now they’re all back playing together on varsity. They understand how to be successful, and that’s contagious to the younger kids. So, when you put all that together with great leadership, coaching, and culture, with kids who have really bought in, that’s immeasurable to what that has done for our football team.”
Each week brings a new challenge, and over the past three weeks, the Panthers have faced situations they’d never encountered before. Still, Laxen believes the approach remains straightforward.
“You still have to go out and execute; you can’t let the moment be bigger than it’s supposed to be, and you have to understand that the game of football isn’t going to change,
Cory Laxen
but the venue might,”
The C.E. King community has fully backed their team after witnessing several milestones this season, first beating Atascocita for the first time in program history, then claiming a share of the 6A Region III District 23 title.
“It’s big to let the community know success is here,” said Laxen. “The community has bought in, they understand what the kids are doing is working, what the coaches are doing is working. When you compare the stands to previous years, it becomes clear that the people have bought into the vision and culture. Winning brings supporters, so that’s what you want to do.”
Three teams. Three paths. Now, one destination where legacies will be either defended, rewritten, or created for the first time.
The Class 5A Division II state championship features a rematch of last year’s title game between Richmond Randle and South Oak Cliff. Randle won that game 38–35 to earn its first state championship. The two teams will face off again on Saturday, Dec. 20, at AT&T Stadium at 11:00 a.m.
The Class 6A Division I state championship is the sixth meeting between North Shore and Duncanville. The last matchup was in 2022, when Duncanville won 28–21. The teams will face off on Saturday, Dec. 20, at AT&T Stadium at 3:00 p.m.
The Class 6A Division II state championship marks C.E. King’s first appearance in school history. The Panthers will face DeSoto on Saturday, Dec. 20, at AT&T Stadium at 7:00 p.m.
