By Adam Sandoval

AFGP Sports Presents:

STATE STOCK RISERS AT THE UIL TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL  CHAMPIONSHIPS

Rising Prospects from 2A Division I, 2A Division II, 3A Division II

SMALL TOWN FOOTBALL

As part of a 3 part story, we cover the prestigious Texas High School Football State Championships.  The mission and goal of The Platform is to #ExposeTheUnexposed and provide adequate coverage of athletes around the country giving them exposure. We start off with some small town football. The lower divisions aren’t games you should just easily pass up during the State Championships. The lights still shine bright inside AT&T stadium no matter what time of day you play. As we crowned Timpson (2AD1), Albany (2AD2), Malakoff (3AD1) and Gunter (3AD2) as state champions, no matter the outcome these young athletes left it out on the field. Some put the state on notice they got next as a few use this moment as their final opportunity to raise their profile on the recruiting trail.

2A Division 1

Chris Nickleberry | 2026 | Athlete | @Cnickleberry2 

Nickleberry earned my Defensive MVP vote from this game. At 5’9” 163 lbs, he is a true ballhawk that had the secondary on lockdown with 5+ PBUs. This stud was flying all over the field to track down opponents making tackles. He was a key factor that helped the Timpson defense hold Tolar to only 7 points the whole game. Timpson is a team that appears to have the returning players to be back at Jerry World next year and I can’t wait to keep up with Nickleberry as the talented Sophomore will progress as the next top prospect to come out of bEAST, Texas.

2A Division 2

Zach Medlock | 2026 | Athlete | 

Medlock was one of my favorites athletes in the 2A Division II title game that caught my eye. His play defined the statement that it’s not about the dog in the fight, it’s about the fight in the dog. Medlock showed no fear on displaying his strength, he showed that he has a nose for the football, by making open field tackles against Albany and he left no doubt that he is a sure tackler. He also hauled in an interception, which was a key stop by Mart’s defense that kept them in the game within reach of Albany through most of the game. Although Mart came up short as the runner-up, they’re a 2A powerhouse that we’ll continue to see in the future.

3A Division 1

Demetrius Lewis | 2024 | DE | @DocRenberg 

Lewis was the most physical player all night for State Champion Malakoff. His explosiveness off of the edge enabled the Malakoff defense to shut down multiple plays designed to run outside the tackles and prevented the offense from running past his side of the ball. He executed very well in crunch time when Franklin was threatening in the red zone late in the game trying to tie it up. Lewis has a stout frame at 6’3”, 225 pounds and he has the skill set to be a factor offensive lining up at tight end for Malakoff. Currently holding offers from UTPB, Graceland, Trinity Valley & ECU, Lewis will make his dominance known on the field at any Division of College football in the near future.