| After three failed attempts on the biggest stage in Texas, Duncanville finally broke through. The Panthers claimed the Class 6A Division I state championship with a 28-21 victory against North Shore, which had beaten Duncanville in three previous matchups (2018, 2019, 2021). North Shore (15-1) was seeking its sixth title, but the Mustangs came up just short. Quarterback David Amador was stopped just inches short on a fourth-and-4 run with 1:04 remaining and the Duncanville defense stood tall at their own 15-yard line and put the game on ice. "I couldn't be prouder of them," North Shore coach Jon Kay said of his players. "Just so happy that they understand, again, if you're going to get in the ring, you've got to be prepared for something like this. I think the one thing I love about our kids more than anything — they don't fear failure. They've got the courage to get in there and mix it up. You can't say that about everybody." Three weekend takeaways No titles for Houston: For the first time since 2016, the Houston area finished without a state football title. The Mustangs (15-1) were the only local squad to reach Arlington after Katy was eliminated by Vandegrift in the semifinals. Since the last time the area was shut out, Cy-Fair (2017), North Shore (2018, 2019, 2021), Shadow Creek (2019), Katy (2020) and Paetow (2021) have all reached the mountaintop. Looking to the future: While North Shore came up short this time around, there is plenty of optimism for the future. Several key players will be returning next season, including sophomore quarterback Kaleb Bailey, who was injured in the fifth game of the 2022 campaign and never returned. He led the Mustangs to a state title as a freshman and is already receiving Division I offers. Thanks to our readers: Saturday's state championship game officially put a bow on our high school football coverage for the year. I would like to thank all of our readers for following along as we aimed to bring you the sharpest, most in-depth and wide-ranging coverage of the Houston area. I would also like to thank our staff writers — Rob Tate, Dennis Silva, Marcus Gutierrez, Jack Marrion, Ted Dunnam and Al MontaƱo — for all of their hard work over the past several months. We are excited to bring you even more coverage of high school athletics in 2023. Follow all our coverage at houstonchronicle.com/highschoolsports. |
No comments:
Post a Comment