It's only been five years. But the North Shore players and coaches, their fans, their community and high school football fans across the state of Texas will be talking about it forever.
It was quite possibly the most dramatic moment in Texas high school football history — the Hail Mary against Duncanville.
Trailing by one point against Duncanville with three seconds to play in the 2018 Class 6A Division I championship, Mustangs quarterback Dematrius Davis, just a sophomore at the time, took the snap. He dropped back in the pocket, stepped up and launched the ball with his left toe just behind the line of scrimmage toward senior A.J. Carter in the back corner of the end zone.
Surrounded by four other players, including three Duncanville defenders, and a sea of hands, Carter grabbed the ball and tussled it into his possession as he fell to the turf in the back-right corner of the end zone.
Touchdown. State champions.
Five years later, North Shore and Duncanville are set to meet each other on the grandest stage for the fifth time in six seasons Saturday afternoon at AT&T Stadium.
North Shore, Summer Creek and Bellville will all play for state championships this week. Keep up with coverage of those teams, plus much more, on our State Football Central page.
Three things to watch
Mighty Mustangs: The programs are the same. But it's a new year, and there have been changes on each side. Will the result be different this time around? North Shore (15-0) is in search of its sixth state title and fifth since 2015 as it meets Duncanville (13-1) at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Class 6A Division I final. In last year's 28-21 loss, North Shore was missing star quarterback Kaleb Bailey due to a season-ending knee injury. Willie Gaston is no stranger to the rivalry, but this time, he is in the driver's seat as head coach after serving as offensive coordinator. On defense, North Shore needs to slow down a Duncanville offense that averages 51.4 points per game.
Summer is coming: Summer Creek coach Kenny Harrison set the goal early when he took over the program in 2018. State title or bust. Five years later, the Bulldogs (14-1) are one win away from that goal. They will meet DeSoto (14-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday for the Class 6A Division II title. Summer Creek's stout defense will look to slow down DeSoto and create takeaways. The Bulldogs have been ball hawks this season with 14 interceptions and 15 fumble recoveries. Summer Creek is allowing 12.7 points per game, while the Eagles are scoring 51.9.
Jingle Bell run: Bellville is hoping for an early Christmas present in the form of a state title. The Brahmas (15-0) will play for that prize at 3 p.m. Friday against Gilmer (12-3) in the Class 4A Division II final. Look for the Bahamas to run, run and run some more with their Slot-T offense, which features the trio of D.D. Murray, Sam Hranicky and Corian Hood. Those three players have combined to rush for 5,395 yards and 83 touchdowns this year. The Bellville defense will be tested by an experienced Gilmer backfield that features a 2,000-yard rusher. The Buckeyes tallied a state semifinal record of 79 points in their win over Glen Rose last week.
No comments:
Post a Comment