Duncanville Dominates North Shore in State Championship Rematch

1st Quarter

Duncanville received the opening kickoff and wasted no time jumping on the board. A 28-yard pass from Keelon Russell to Ayson Theus set up a 26-yard touchdown run from RB Casen Durham. The Panthers took a 7-0 lead with 11:04 left in the 1st quarter.

The two teams traded punts before North Shore had a response. The Mustangs began the possession at the North Shore 33-yard line. QB Kaleb Bailey hit Terrence Guillory II on a short pass, then proceeded to watch Guillory II sprint 62 yards down to Duncanville's 5-yard line. In the next play, D'andre Hardeman Jr. punched the football into the end zone from five yards out. The score was tied 7-7 with 5:06 left in the 1st Quarter.

Duncanville scored two more touchdowns to end the 1st quarter. First, Casen Durham hit the seam for a 72-yard touchdown to give the Panthers back the lead. Then, following a North Shore punt, Keelon Russell hit Dakorien Moore for a 39-yard touchdown pass. The Panthers held a 14-point lead entering the 2nd quarter.

2nd Quarter

Duncanville would continue its relentless rampage early in the 2nd quarter. The defense forced another punt by North Shore and handed the football right back to the offense. The Panthers took advantage of another massive Durham run. This time, a 92-yard sprint to the house. This one began to get ugly early as the Panthers led 28-7 with 11:29 remaining before halftime.

North Shore finally responded on offense with a field goal, but the Panthers came right back with another touchdown. Russell hit Zach Turner on a slant over the middle near the goal line. Turner spun around and dragged his defender into the end zone for the score. Duncanville led 35-10 with 6:59 remaining in the half.

North Shore answered with a much-needed touchdown on the Mustangs' ensuing drive. Kaleb Bailey hit Christopher Barnes for a 9-yard touchdown to narrow Duncanville's margin to 35-17 with 5:01 remaining in the 2nd quarter.

Neither team scored again in the 2nd quarter.

3rd Quarter

An inadvertent fair catch erased an electric, 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by North Shore's Christopher Barnes. Instead of the touchdown, the Mustangs began the first drive in the 2nd half at the 25-yard line. 

Whatever halftime adjustments North Shore made at the half worked on the Mustangs' first possession. The Mustangs did not bust out any huge plays or long runs but instead nickeled and dimed their way down the field. North Shore accumulated multiple first downs on the drive until the Panthers had their backs to the goal line.

Duncanville finally stopped North Shore's assault with the aid of a holding penalty on 3rd down. The Mustangs Jonathan Soto nailed a kick from 35 yards out, and his second of the contest, to bring North Shore within two scores. Duncanville led 35-20 with 5:56 left in the 3rd quarter.

The Mustangs were called for targeting on defense on Duncanville's ensuing possession. North Shore's Paul Porter hit Duncanville's Ayson Theus too high on a bubble screen behind the line of scrimmage. The 15-yard penalty and subsequent review saw Porter disqualified for the remainder of the contest.

The Mustangs' defense stepped up after the targeting call, and Duncanville had to punt the ball away.

Later in the 3rd quarter, Duncanville added another touchdown to extend the Panthers' lead. The big play continued to kill the Mustangs as Russell launched a deep ball, and Zach Turner ran under it. Turner scored a 75-yard touchdown to put Duncanville up 42-20 with 1:53 left in the 3rd quarter.

4th Quarter

North Shore responded well to the Duncanville score. The Mustangs drove down the field like its opening drive in the 3rd quarter. Multiple first downs and even a 4th down conversion set North Shore up at the Panthers' 13-yard line. On 3rd and long, Bailey hit Barnes in the flat on a wide receiver screen. Barnes made a man miss and followed a well-timed block to score. A failed 2-point conversion left the score 42-26 with 10:21 remaining in the 4th quarter.

North Shore forced Duncanville into a 4th down and short, and the Panthers rolled the dice. Russell proved too fast for the defense and converted the first down. Duncanville began to chew the clock at the point on its way to another touchdown. Russell scored from 10 yards out to cap off a 10-play, 88-yard drive that took four minutes off the 4th quarter. North Shore trailed 49-26 with 6:23 remaining in the ball game.

Despite the deficit, the Mustangs never gave up. North Shore would complete to big plays in a row to score another touchdown. First, Bailey hit Deion Deblanc deep down the field for a 50-yard gain. Then, Bailey connected to Jaylen Bocard for a 28-yard touchdown. Duncanville led 49-33 with 5:46 left in the 4th quarter.

The Mustangs had two more opportunities on offense to catch up, but a fumble and an interception dashed any hope of a comeback. Duncanville kneeled out the final 1:50 to win the ball game 49-33. The Duncanville Panthers won back-to-back 6A Division I Championships with the win on Saturday. Galena Park North Shore lost its second state game in a row to Duncanville.