Winning a district championship isn’t merely routine at Harker Heights. It’s a tradition.
For the fourth straight season, the Knights are District 12-6A champions, capping their second consecutive 6-0 run through league Thursday night with a 24-14 victory over Temple at Leo Buckley Stadium.
“We worked for this all season –– since last year. It feels good,” senior receiver Ryan Taylor said after his team celebrated by lifting another coveted gold ball trophy and posing for pictures. “This just comes from everybody working hard, building bonds on and off the field and doing what we need to do.”
Aside from a shiny trophy and plaque that go to the district winner, the Knights (8-2) also will host yet another playoff game. This year, they will battle Cedar Hill at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, at Leo Buckley Stadium.
“It’s amazing. This is always the goal,” senior linebacker Cooper Howard said. “Being part of three of these myself, it feels great to know that I gave my all and this team gave its all.”
Harker Heights outscored Temple 17-0 after halftime, as the defense recorded a second-half shutout for the second week in a row.
Knights junior quarterback Hudson Humble tossed three touchdown passes –– one each to Kristian Nobles, Arshawn Spann and Taylor –– and Oakley Goins added a field goal.
Heights took an early 7-0 lead but trailed 14-7 late in the first half when the defense produced a goal-line stand as time ran out in the second quarter to keep the deficit to just seven.
The Knights took care of business from there, applying pressure from the defensive line and forcing a pair of turnovers –– including an interception by Eric Young III in the second half. The defense held Temple to 218 yards for the game.
“
This is such a special group. It’s hard enough to just win games in 6A, but to consistently win championships, I mean it’s really unprecedented,” Harker Heights head coach Mark Humble said. “It’s really a credit to our kids, our coaches, our parents, our support, our administrative staff.
“We are really going to enjoy it. It’s unbelievable. I’m so happy for our kids. All the way back to the kids 2022, 2023, 2024 and now 2025, Harker Heights has kept this thing rolling.”
Hudson Humble completed 13 of 21 passes for 136 yards. Nobles hauled in five receptions for 70 yards and Taylor, the district's leading receiver, finished with five catches for 45 yards. Running back Jaylen Mason tallied 114 yards on 28 carries and Tauto Hisatake added 79 yards on the ground.
More photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/killeenisd/albums/72177720330159427/
Photos by Todd Martin, KISD Communications