ARLINGTON — Anna High School won its first state football championship after defeating Tyler Chapel Hill in the UIL 4A Division I state championship game at AT&T Stadium on Friday.
Anna’s Coyotes dominated the first half, holding Chapel Hill’s Bulldogs to just 19 yards before halftime and keeping them out of the endzone as they tried to rally in the second half, preserving a 26-0 victory.
“I was told that air-raid offenses could not win a championship because they couldn’t play defense,” Anna’s head coach, Seth Parr, told the media during a postgame press conference. “I also wanted to prove that there is wrong. We did win.”
Anna struck quickly, matriculating the ball down the field as running back Edward Chumley capped the game’s first drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown. The Bulldogs struggled to move the ball, and the Coyotes capitalized on excellent field position.
After settling for a field goal to go up 10-0, Anna’s Jabari Finnie returned a Chapel Hill punt 74 yards to the Bulldogs’ eight-yard line, and Chumley punched in his second score of the day to add to the lead. The Coyote defense continued to dominate and set up its offense with a short field. Quarterback Ziondre Williams made the Bulldogs pay with a 13-yard completion to Chumley for his third touchdown of the first half as Anna opened up a 24-point lead.
Things kept getting worse for Chapel Hill as the half wound down, giving up a safety on a punt deep on its own end of the field to trail 26-0 at the break.
Chapel Hill tried to respond early in the third quarter, driving deep into Anna territory before fumbling the ball as quarterback Demetrius Brisbon Jr. attempted to scramble on a fourth-and-18. The Bulldogs’ offense moved the ball much more easily in the second half, gaining 187 yards but failing to put up any points despite reaching the red zone.
Chumley was named the game’s Offensive MVP after running for 71 yards and scoring all three touchdowns, while linebacker CJ Miller earned the Defensive MVP with 15 tackles. Williams added 170 passing yards.
Brisbon Jr. finished the game with 76 passing yards, and running back Rickey Stewart ran for 66 in the losing effort for the Bulldogs.
The championship is the culmination of a three-year process that began when Parr took over the program in January 2021, changing the culture and mentality along the way.
“The new coaching staff really brought their A-game when they came into town,” Anna senior Jamison Adams told the media. “They changed the whole culture of town. We went from being a losing town to 7-3 and then 13-1 last year, then to win the state championship. Four years ago, I don’t think we would have ever envisioned this. I think everyone just bought in.”
