Best of 2022: Recapping the top stories, players and photos in high school sports

As the clock hits midnight on Saturday and rolls into 2023, we can’t forget that 2022 was good to us, especially for a few Fort Worth-area high schools.

State titles, historic runs and video game numbers highlight the high school year.

We wish you a happy new year with the some of the top stories, players and photos from 2022:

Girls Flag Football

The Fort Worth school district along with its partnership with the Dallas Cowboys capped off the inaugural high school girls flag football season on May 18 at AT&T Stadium.

It’s one of the first public school systems in the United States to offer such a program.

Three playoff games took place ending with the championship match between Fort Worth Arlington Heights and Fort Worth Eastern Hills. Heights won the title 21-12.

Paschal and Trimble Tech also won playoff games.

Southlake Carroll dominates

The Carroll Dragons had a pretty good year in athletics.

It started early with girls soccer putting their stamp as the best team in the state. The girls basketball team would reach the regional tournament for the second straight season. Camryn Tade was all-area offensive MVP and Milania Jordan was co-newcomer of the year.

The girls soccer team capped the year off with the Class 6A title in April.

Kennedy Fuller was named state champ game MVP with three goals in the final over Rockwall, all-area MVP and Gatorade Texas player of the year. She would later commit to North Carolina. Zoe Matthews and Hannah Jordan were all-area co-newcomers of the year.

The baseball team ended the spring season with a 6A title over San Antonio Reagan in June. Griffin Herring was all-area MVP and Owen Proksch was utility player of the year as well as champ game MVP.

For the 2021-22 school year, Carroll teams won five state championships and also won five individual state titles and four relay state titles giving them 14 total state champs.

The Dragons would win the UIL 6A Lone Star Cup.

As fall rolled around, Carroll continued its athletic success. The Dragons football team, the No. 1 6A team in the Fort Worth-area, went 13-1 and reached another regional final under Riley Dodge.

Running back Owen Allen finished off his amazing career as the school’s all-time leading rusher, scored a career-high 37 touchdowns and was a finalist for the Landry Award.

The Carroll boys cross country team won its fourth straight 6A state title while the girls finished in second place. It was the 26th straight season that the girls program reached the UIL state meet and 22nd time overall they’ve reached the medal podium.

Carroll team tennis and both the boys and girls water polo teams reached the UIL state tournament. Meanwhile, another basketball and soccer season are underway and the Carroll girls are among the top teams in the state.

Trimble Tech soccer

The Bulldogs boys soccer team reached the state tournament for the first time in program history. They would fall to Frisco Wakeland 3-1 in the Class 5A semifinals, but beat all the odds to get there.

Tech finished with a 26-4-3 record.

Tech got off multiple shots and finally tied it in the 37th minute. Following a free kick, Edgar Munoz chipped it from within the box toward the goal and Daniel Gutierrez just beat out Wakeland keeper Brad Shreve for the score.

James Williams was named all-area coach of the year and all-state 5A coach of the year.

Trimble Tech kept the soccer magic alive for Fort Worth schools as the previous year saw Diamond Hill-Jarvis reach the Class 4A state final. While it was Trimble Tech’s first trip to the boys soccer state tournament, it was the Fort Worth school district’s second straight. Diamond Hill-Jarvis was the first boys or girls program to reach the state soccer semis before falling in the 4A title game against Boerne.

It was the first time a Fort Worth school had played for a UIL championship in the six major sports (football, baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, baseball) since the Dunbar girls basketball team in 2007.

Can FWISD make it three in row this season?

Colleyville Heritage volleyball

The Panthers would reel off 23 straight wins to capture the Class 5A state championship, the program’s first state title. Heritage finished with a 43-7 record, tied for their most wins all time.

The Panthers would beat Frisco Reedy in four sets during the final.

Sophomore Suli Davis and seniors Ella Busey and Reagan Engler were named to the all-tournament team. Senior setter Morgan Howard was voted state champ MVP with 51 assists and 17 digs.

Heritage also won the District 7-5A title with a 14-0 record.

Howard was named all-area MVP while Davis was offensive MVP. Engler, Busey and libero Ava Ash were named to the all-area team. Josh McKinney was coach of the year.

Aledo football wins No. 11

After Aledo started the season with losses against TAPPS D1 champ Dallas Parish and 6A state semifinalist Denton Guyer, people wondered how good this year’s team was and how far the Bearcats could go.

Aledo put any questions to bed after reeling off 14 straight wins capped off with the Class 5A D1 state championship, a 52-14 victory over College Station.

The week before, the Bearcats beat No. 1 Longview 17-14 in the state semifinals, after trailing 14-3.

Junior QB Hauss Hejny accounted for over 300 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in the state final and was voted offensive MVP.

Air Force WR bound Jalen Pope set a Class 5A state champ game record with 228 yards receiving.

It was Aledo’s 11th state title in program history, a UIL record. No other UIL program has 10. Head coach Tim Buchanan won his eighth as a coach, just the fifth to do it in state history.

Arlington Heights: The Yellowjackets football team made noise this season, beating previously state-ranked Colleyville Heritage, played for a district title and won its first playoff game since 2014. They rallied to beat Frisco Independence at Farrington Field, Fort Worth’s first playoff football win since 2016.

History makers: Football at North Crowley, Midlothian, Byron Nelson, Burleson Centennial, Tolar and Glen Rose were among the few that set new marks this fall. North Crowley had its best record all-time and deepest playoff run since 2003, all under first year Ray Gates. Byron was 8-0 for the first time and Centennial reached the fourth round for the first time. Tolar had its best season in 11-man and Glen Rose played in the state semifinals for the first time. Midlothian had its best season since 1984.

Argyle: The Eagles won the UIL Lone Star Cup for the 10th straight year and 12th overall. The Eagles played for a state championship in girls basketball and baseball. Argyle also came in second in boys track and played in the regional final in softball. The boys basketball team reached the regional tournament. The football team, in Class 5A for the first time, went to the state semis. Volleyball went to the third round.

Photos of the Year

All-Area MVPs

Owen Allen, Southlake Carroll, Football MVP

Morgan Howard, Colleyville Heritage, Volleyball MVP

Adam Burlison, Grapevine, Boys Cross Country MVP

Ava Bushaw, Southlake Carroll, Girls Cross Country MVP

Leo Londe, Grapevine, Boys Soccer MVP

Kennedy Fuller, Southlake Carroll, Girls Soccer MVP

Chendall Weaver, Mansfield Timberview, Boys Basketball MVP

Nya Robertson, Boswell, Girls Basketball MVP

Marissa Powell, Aledo, Softball MVP

Griffin Herring, Southlake Carroll, Baseball MVP

Bayley Trang, Southlake Carroll, Girls Wrestling MVP

Karson Tompkins, Midlothian, Boys Wrestling MVP

Notable

Lake Ridge softball, Legacy baseball reach state tournament

Colleyville Covenant’s Emily Smith 3-peats at state cross country

Aledo softball reaches state tourney for second straight season

Timberview falls in boys basketball state championship

Castleberry boys reach soccer regional final

Colleyville Covenant wins boys soccer state title

Grapevine Faith girls win fourth straight soccer title

Keller volleyball plays in second straight state tourney

Timberview girls track reaches state medal podium

UIL water polo has pilot season, Keller, Carroll have success

Midlothian Heritage girls finish state soccer runner-up

Trinity Valley sweeps boys and girls SPC championships

Keller boys soccer plays in regional final

Midlothian’s Tompkins wins wrestling title, Carroll’s Trang goes back-to-back

Covenant Classical wins second straight six man state title

DHJ’s Angel Sanchez medals at state track, wins 4A cross country title

Decatur football goes to state semis, Brock reaches 3A state final

Bob Wager headed to Nebraska

Weatherford Christian wins TAPPS baseball title on triple play

Javien Toviano chooses LSU