Euless Trinity coach Steve Lineweaver joked that quarterback Denarius McGhee would need to have his arm iced down after throwing a whopping 13 passes Saturday.

McGhee completed just nine of them in the 21-14 Region I final win over Arlington Bowie, but they were enough. Christian Matthews, Bowie's quarterback, threw 39 passes.

Passing offenses have taken over high school football's upper levels. It's rare to see a successful Class 5A team that doesn't get more yards through the air than on the ground.

Yet here stands Trinity, only one win away from playing for its second state title in three years. The Trojans don't just run the ball, they run over people.

Trinity averages 243 rushing yards a game, compared to 110 passing yards.

Those numbers were skewed Saturday because of Bowie's wicked-fast defense, but Trinity still rushed for more yards (187) than it passed for (107).

For those that think spreading the field and throwing 40 times a game is the only way to go nowadays, Trinity is a defiant throwback to the days when the team that ran the ball best almost always won.

"I'm of the adage, 'It's not what you do, it's how well you do it,' " Lineweaver said. "Not that we did all that well against Bowie. But I still think we're getting closer to balance."

For balance, Trinity needs only to look at its Division I semifinal opponent, Plano.

Plano averages 175.5 yards per game on the ground and 230 per game through the air. But it wasn't always that way.

Plano had always been a running team through its storied history. For decades, running the option was the only option if you wanted to play there.

This season, Plano has added a downfield passing attack as good as any you'll see in Southlake or Highland Park.

Not only does Plano have an accurate, left-handed flinger in quarterback Carson Meger, the receiver corps led by Kris Lott, Grant Davis and Nate Christian is one of the area's best.

Even with the personnel to open up the offense, Plano practically stumbled into modernizing its offense.

"It happened for us in the off-season when most of those [offensive] guys were playing basketball," Plano coach Gerald Brence said.

"They weren't around early in the winter, and we just kind of focused on our defense. We were running the scout team and running everybody else's offenses. We took what we liked from other teams and blended it with our stuff."

Personnel is also at the heart of Trinity's offensive philosophy. Trinity always seems to have huge linemen for its backs to run behind. This year's team seems to be big everywhere. Trinity practically dwarfed Arlington Bowie on Saturday.

Trinity has the kind of size most coaches drool over. It's been well-documented how much speed is treasured in football, but coaches are equally delighted to see large-framed freshmen show up the first day of school.

Even though Trinity could be mistaken for a college team when it steps off the bus, Lineweaver is almost envious of the Bowies and Planos.

"These guys that are doing the balance thing, they're doing the right thing," Lineweaver said. "We're kind of a prisoner to our own success."

ERIC KAYNE / DMN

Euless Trinity's Samir Baker (left) tries to elude a tackle by Arlington Bowie's Andre Robinson on Saturday.

When a team is as accomplished at running the ball as Trinity is, it can be tough incorporating other ways of moving the chains.

No matter how big and powerful a team is, good teams will find a way to defend a one-dimensional attack. Bowie used its speed and wiry strength to slow down Trinity's running game. McGhee's passes, although few, were critical to sustaining drives.

Now it's Plano's turn to stand in the way of the Trinity freight train. While Plano will prepare for Trinity's passing game, it doesn't take a genius to know that stopping the run will be the biggest challenge.

"It's their identity," Plano's Brence said. "It's what they do, and they do it well."

Class 5A Division I state semifinal: Euless Trinity (13-1) vs. Plano (13-1), 7 p.m. Saturday, Texas Stadium.