If there’s one Cade Klubnik knows how to do, it’s to win.
Clemson’s five-star quarterback signee out of Westlake (Texas) finished out his high school career on a high note. He led Westlake to its third straight state championship in a 40-21 win over Denton Guyer (Texas) on Saturday night.
But, it wasn’t all pretty.
Klubnik was a little erratic in the first half and Westlake went into the locker room at halftime down 14-13.
They faced adversity, but Klubnik and his teammates didn’t back down from sending their head coach and their senior class out as winners. After an uneven first half of play, Klubnik rallied back with a huge second half, finishing 14-of-21 for 280 yards and four passing touchdowns.
“He’s such a leader,” Westlake head coach Todd Dodge said of Klubnik. “He is such a great player.”
They went into the locker room and got back to the basics. They were playing in their third consecutive state championship for a reason and there was still work to be done.
“Coach Dodge just let us know we can’t play any worse than that,” Klubnik said postgame. “I take all the ownership in the first half. I was kind of all over the place, not making some throws, with the pick and stuff. I just had to put trust in my teammates.
“We just went out and we played like we’re in a place that we always dreamed of playing — the state championship — we just had so much fun with it, let loose in the second half, and just played like us.”
Klubnik never lost in his high school career. He went a perfect 27-0.
What a way to go out for Clemson’s future quarterback, who will officially enroll on Jan. 9, 2022.
“You couldn’t have written it up any better” Klubnik said. “You just couldn’t have. It means the world.”
.@ClemsonFB QB signee, Cade Klubnik, meets with @SCMerrifield after securing the UIL State Championship 6A Division II Title! 🏆@uiltexas | #UILState | #UILonBally | @CadeKlubnikQB pic.twitter.com/DVrxntePnS
— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) December 19, 2021
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