Canadian comes up short in state semifinal loss to Gunter

ABILENE — For the seventh time in eight years, Canadian met Gunter in the Class 3A Division II state semifinals for football. Unfortunately, for the fifth time in that span, the Tigers came out on top.

The Gunter defense was stifling for most of the night, quarterback Walker Overman made big plays when needed, and for the second year in a row the Tigers broke the hearts of all Canadian fans with a 38-17 win. The victory sends Gunter to the state championship next week while ending the Texas Panhandle's chances for a state title in 2023.

"I wouldn't have wanted to (played this season) with anyone else," quarterback Camren Cavalier said. "These are my friends, my brothers and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else. I'm blessed to be able to do it with them. I'm thankful to the lord for bringing me to Canadian."

Canadian got the ball to start the game and did what they always do. The Wildcats moved the ball quickly and effectively as Camren Cavalier hit Preston Neumeier for a 42-yard touchdown in the blink of an eye.

Gunter responded just as quickly, however, with Brock Boddie rushing it in from 11 yards out to tie the game at 7-7. A 36-yard field goal by Emiliano Hernandez put the Wildcats back on top before the end of the first quarter.

Gunter's defense then began doing what no team all season had previously done and found a way to slow Canadian down. Meanwhile, the Tiger offense remained quick and deadly as Walker Overman hit Cannon Lemberg for an 18-yard TD to put them in front. A three-yard TD plunge by Brayden Hinton before the end of the half made it 21-10 in favor of Gunter.

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Overman scored the lone TD of the third when he broke loose down the left side of the field for a 12-yard touchdown in which he bounced off two defenders twice his size. He did it again in the fourth quarter for a 15-yard TD to all but put the game out of reach.

Cavalier later found Luke Flowers for a 42-yard TD to cut the deficit to 35-17, but it was too little, too late as Gunter went on to get the victory. A field goal by Preston Tarpley gave the game its final score.

Cavalier finished 46 passing yards shy of becoming the fourth player in state history to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Sunray's Armando Lujan became the third 24 hours earlier after Allen's Kyler Murray (yes, that one) and Sulpher Springs' Tyrik Rollison. However, Cavalier does stand alone in one regard.

Former Levelland and West Texas A&M quarterback Nick Gerber's single-season total touchdown record of 82 was tied by Lujan on Thursday, but Cavalier broke it with 83 on Friday. While he'd surely have given the record up for a win, his name will forever be etched in Texas history.

"That's absolutely awesome," head coach and Camren's father Andy Cavalier said, fighting back tears. "Camren's a special kid. I'm thankful I get to coach him. He's a good one."

Gunter will play Tidehaven in the Class 3A Division II state championship next week at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

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Gunter 38, Canadian 17

CHS 10 0 0 7 — 17

GHS 7 14 7 10 — 38

First Quarter

CHS – Preston Neumeier 42 from Camren Cavalier (Emiliano Hernandez kick) 9:22

GHS - Brock Boddie 11 run (Preston Tarpley kick) 7:05

CHS – Hernandez 36 kick 0:19

Second Quarter

GHS – Cannon Lemberg 18 from Walker Overman (Tarpley kick) 8:28

GHS – Brayden Hinton 3 run (Tarpley kick) 4:01

Third Quarter

GHS – Overman 12 run (Tarpley kick) 6:48

Fourth Quarter

GHS – Overman 15 run (Tarpley kick) 11:08

CHS – Luke Flowers 42 from Cavalier (Hernandez kick) 7:59

GHS – Tarpley 26 kick 1:54

TEAM STATISTICS

CHS GHS

First downs 18 14

Rushes-yards 33-125 51-285

Passing yards 249 120

Comp.-att.-int 17-32-0 10-17-0

Punts-avg. 6-40.3 4-34.8

Fumbles-lost 1-1 0-0

Penalties-yards 8-65 5-75

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING

CHS – Camren Cavalier 25-93, Luke Flowers 6-24, Slayden Dickinson 2-8

GHS – Hayden Ferrell 1-4, Jace Martin 7-24, Brock Boddie 18-120, Walker Overman 16-84, Brayden Hinton 7-46, Easton Overman 1-4, Canon Lemberg 1-3

PASSING

CHS – Camren Cavalier 17-32-0, 249

GHS – Walker Overman 10-17-0, 120

RECEIVING

CHS – Preston Neumeier 3-54, Luke Flowers 5-92, Max Dumbauld 1-0, Junior Cervantes 5-83, Julian Dominguez 1-17, Camden Cook 1-7

GHS –Kane Bolt 1-13, Cannon Lemberg 5-86, Colson Wood 1-15, Boston Standridge 1-12, Brock Boddie 1-(-1), Dylan Tokarz 1-(-4)

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Canadian High School football team falls in state semifinals to Gunter