Third Time’s the Charm for a Yoakum State Championship

By Steve Thomas
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Updated: December 19, 2025

In their third trip to state, the Yoakum Bulldogs won their first state championship in school history. Behind the rushing tandem of Jace Morales and X'Zavier Barnett, the Bulldogs stampeded over the Grandview Zebras for a 45-29 victory. Morales rushed for 197 and one touchdown, and Barnett rushed for 193 yards and five touchdowns. Barnett's stellar performance tied the record for most touchdowns in a 3A championship game. Barnett was also named offensive MVP of the game.

From the beginning, Yoakum took control. Kicker Alexis Hernandez opened the scoring with a 21-yard field goal. Barnett and Morales gashed the Grandview defense for three touchdown runs over 35 yards. The Bulldogs did not give up a score until 25 seconds left in the second quarter. The Bulldogs then went up 38-7 before Grandview could respond again.

Defensively, the Bulldogs played with a bend-but-don't-break approach. Nearly every time Grandview drove into Yoakum territory in the first half, the Bulldogs' defense thwarted the Zebras. The Bulldogs also disrupted Grandview's offense tallying seven tackles for loss, two sacks, and two fumble recoveries, and interception. Linebacker Colby Jendrzey was named defensive MVP tallying 15 total, tackles, nine solo tackles, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup.

For Grandview, the bright spot was the performance of receiver Brady Slinkard. Slinkard caught three touchdown passes from quarterback Mason Landers, all of which came in the second half. Running back Bleu Hubbard scored the Zebras' first touchdown shortly before halftime. The defense recovered also recovered two Yoakum fumbles, but the Zebras were unable to capitalize.

For Yoakum Head Coach Bo Robinson, the 3A-D1 championship is the product of 51 years of work. Robinson grew up as the son of a high school football coach and played football in high school and in college at the University of Texas. After an injury cut his his NFL career short, Robinson followed in his father's footsteps and began coaching. Now in his 30th season as a head coach, Robinson has finally taken his team to the pinnacle. When asked how he felt about winning a championship, Robinson said, "It feels pretty dang good."