Regents to play for TAPPS state championship
Regents is back where it wants to be.
After five straight appearances in a TAPPS state championship game from 2016 to 2020, including a state title three years ago, the Knights will again play for the ultimate prize when they face Argyle Liberty Christian in the Division II final Friday at Waco ISD Stadium.
“It’s never a bad thing, I guess,” Regents coach Tim Phillips quipped earlier this week of getting back to the championship game.
The Knights (12-1) have impressed all season, with their only loss coming in Week 3 to Division I Houston St. Thomas Catholic 51-41, but have really hit their stride the past six weeks.
They’ve posted four shutouts in that stretch and allowed only 14 points, and in their three playoff wins they have an average margin of victory of more than 30.
“We’ve really improved from where we were earlier in the year, especially defensively,” Phillips said. “We moved a lot of kids around and brought in some kids in different positions. Our defense itself has outscored our opponents in the playoffs with 28 points off interceptions or fumble returns.”
Phillips noted the entire defense has played well the second half of the season but lauded the play of linebacker Jacob Wilburn (56 tackles), defensive lineman Wyatt Blazek (59 tackles, eight sacks), linebacker Charlie Griffin (48 tackles, six sacks) and safety Graham Reintjes (35 tackles).
That side of the ball will face a challenge from a Liberty Christian offense that Phillips noted has a few future Division I players at the skill positions.
“When you get to the state title game, the opponent gets really good,” he said. “The Dallas area typically has a ton of talent.”
In 2020, Regents was the first team from the southern part of the state to win a TAPPS Division II title in nearly two decades. But a Houston-area team won the championship last year, and the Knights have the offensive firepower to compete with anyone.
Sophomore quarterback Quinn Murphy is already receiving interest from Division I schools and has thrown for 3,030 yards and 52 touchdowns, and Phillips said the receiving corps of Hudson Powell, Kade Millington, Blake Smith and Roman Patson is the best the program has had in his 10 years leading it.
“When you have four guys like that, it really opens up the run game,” he said. “We’ve had really good balance. We’ve been able to run and throw against really good teams, and the offensive line has really progressed through the year. … Quinn is the first nonsenior to be elected captain since I’ve been here, and that says a lot.”
Most of Regents’ players have been at the school since they were 6 and remember the program’s five straight appearances in the state championship game, with the current seniors being in the program for the 2020 state title.
The long affiliation with Knights football is something Phillips thinks is beneficial and something he hopes will spur another long run of championship game appearances.
“Our kids live and breathe it,” he said. “They go to games in kindergarten and start playing Pop Warner in sixth grade.”
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Regents to vie for TAPPS DII state championship
