No. 1 Waxahachie vs. No. 3 North Crowley is ‘Biggest Game in the Country’

WAXAHACHIE, TX — Who is the best high school football team in Texas? We may find out Friday when No. 1-ranked Waxahachie hosts No. 3 North Crowley.

The two Class 6A powerhouses are both off to 5-0 starts, loaded with Division I college signees and prospects, and each has a claim to why it’s the top team in the state.

Waxahachie has been ranked No. 1 since before the season began, and the Indians have already posted wins over two Top 10 teams — No. 9 Coppell (27-24) and No. 10 Denton Guyer (44-30).

Waxahachie returned seven starters on offense and six on defense from last year’s 11-2 team that was tripped up by Duncanville, 35-27, in the state quarterfinals.

The Indians are led by South Carolina commit Jerry Meyer II at quarterback and Texas A&M signee JayQuan Snell at safety.

North Crowley also reached the state quarterfinals last year with a 12-2 record. The Panthers’ season ended with a 33-21 loss to Allen.

They returned eight starters on both sides of the ball and have earned impressive wins over state powers like Aledo (26-0), Southlake Carroll (40-10), Humble Summer Creek (41-20) and Duncanville (47-30).

North Crowley’s roster includes UCLA commit Jerry Outhouse Jr., Arizona State pledge Elijajuan Houston and sophomore Braylen Cunningham, who has already received 21 offers.

On offense, the Panthers have one running back, G’yrell Smith, who has committed to North Texas, and another, Kiante Ingram, who has already been offered by Ole Miss and Arizona.

North Crowley has a junior wide receiver, Damarion Mays, who has racked up 41 college offers.

The starpower on the field Friday will be off the charts.

“I think it's the biggest game in the country," North Crowley head coach DeMarcus Harris told the Dallas Morning News. "I think it's the top two teams in the state of Texas playing each other. You could put Allen in that conversation also. … I don't know the number of Division I guys that are going to be on that field at one time, but it's going to be a crazy number."

The two teams are both 2-0 in the vaunted District 11-6A standings, where four-time state champion Duncanville is looking like the third-best team.

Despite their resumes, Waxahachie has brought home only one state title, in 1992, and North Crowley has won it all just twice, in 2003 and 2024.

Both teams could win state titles this year as Waxahachie’s enrollment would put it in the 6A Division I bracket, while North Crowley would play in 6A Division II.

Other big-time programs who have an argument for being the state's best team include No. 2-ranked Galena Park North Shore, the defending state champ in 6A D-I, No. 4 Allen and No. 5 Katy.