ARGYLE, Texas — A special Saturday edition of WFAA's Friday Night Football will feature one of the most intriguing coaches in all of Texas high school football, as Argyle Liberty Christian, led by former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, plays in the TAPPS Division I State Semifinals on Saturday at 5 p.m., against Houston's St. Thomas Catholic High School.
You can watch the game live on our streaming platform WFAA+, which is available on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. You can also watch the game right here on WFAA.com, or our WFAA YouTube channel.
Liberty Christian comes in as the No. 1 seed out of TAPPS Division I District 1, after a 7-0 run through district play and a 9-1 regular season. Last week, the Warriors dispatched of Bishop Lynch by a 63-19 final, to advance to the state semifinals once again. Last year, Liberty Christian won TAPPS Division II, defeating Austin Regents 52-10 in the championship game. Now they've moved up to TAPPS Division I for the 2024 season, and they're looking to claim another title.
St. Thomas went to the championship game a year ago in TAPPS Division I, where they challenged four-time defending champion Parish Episcopal, but ultimately fell 40-29, as the Panthers won their fifth straight title. The winner on Saturday figures destined to play Parish Episcopal in the championship game, as the Panthers are heavy favorites against Frisco Legacy Christian in the other semifinal.
Liberty Christian is led by their own version of The Triplets, as quarterback Quinn Murphy has a 34-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, running back Chase Garnett has 1,244 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, and receiver Jaylon Hawkins has 16 touchdown grabs and just shy of 1,000 receiving yards. The Warriors also feature a punishing defense that gives up just 16 points per game, and is led by Witten's two sons, CJ and Cooper. CJ is a senior linebacker who leads the team in tackles with 98, and tackles for loss with 13. Cooper is a sophomore safety who leads the team with four interceptions. Cooper is one of the top safeties in the country in the sophomore class, rated No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation at his position by various recruiting services.
St. Thomas is led by a pair of junior receivers, Nate Tidwell and Derek Stephenson, who have spurred the offense for the Eagles all season. Wells Grangers, Miles Stewart, and Javaughn Waldron lead the way for the Eagles running game. And Pierce Jacobson and Roy Jenkins both have made plays for St. Thomas this year at quarterback. Liam McCarthy leads a St. Thomas defense that gives up just 19.9 points per game, already amassing 111 tackles on the year, including 25 tackles for loss.
Our Friday Night Football pregame show will begin at approximately 4:50 p.m., with kickoff to follow at 5 p.m. Join Mike Leslie and Glenn 'Stretch' Smith on the call for the TAPPS Division I State Semifinals.
