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VYPE DFW Football Game of the Week Preview: North Crowley vs. DeSoto (Week 2)
Friday, September 5 – 7:00 PM // Crowley ISD Multi-Purpose Stadium -- Fort Worth, TX
Two of Texas high school football’s heavyweight programs collide this Friday night, as nationally ranked North Crowley welcomes perennial contender DeSoto for a marquee Week 2 matchup.
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NORTH CROWLEY
North Crowley enters the game riding high after a historic 2024 campaign.
Since head coach Ray Gates took over in 2022, the Panthers have steadily risen to national prominence — culminating in last season’s dominant run to the UIL 6A Division I state title. Currently ranked No. 20 in the country and third in Texas by MaxPreps, the Panthers are showing no signs of slowing down.
Despite graduating a talented core — including Chris Jimerson (North Texas), Quentin Gibson (Colorado), Cornelius Warren III (Arizona), and Ja’Brelle Asberry (Incarnate Word) — North Crowley opened the 2025 season with a gritty 22-18 win over Lancaster.
The victory wasn’t as flashy as last year’s 50-21 dismantling of Westlake in the title game, but it was a strong early test passed by a reloaded roster.
Junior QB Hayes Cloutier, a promising three-star prospect, looks poised to lead the offense. He’s quickly developing chemistry with sophomore wideout Damarion Mays — a four-star recruit with offers from blue-blood programs like Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas.
In the trenches, senior offensive lineman John Turntine III (Texas-commit) anchors a unit that should give Cloutier -- as well as tailbacks G'yrell Smith (Jr. RB) and Cam Russell (Sr. RB) -- the time and space they need to operate.
On the defensive side, Gates' squad remains stacked.
Junior DB Elijajuan “Fat” Houston is coming off a breakout season that earned him District 3-6A Defensive Newcomer of the Year. He's joined the by 6-foot-4 three-star safety Aaron Bradshaw (Texas Tech), forming a scary duo in the NoCro secondary.
Up front, 6A-D1 State Defensive MVP Derrick “Big D” Gleason III headlines a punishing defensive line that also features senior standouts DeMorey Beasley and Jurwone Irvin.
Add in linebackers like Avery Dotson and Colorado State-bound cornerback Thomas Cook Jr., and it’s easy to see why the Panthers remain elite on both sides of the ball.
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DESOTO
DeSoto, meanwhile, is looking to rebound after a tough opening loss to Creekside (GA).
Under the leadership of head coach Claude Mathis, the Eagles captured back-to-back 6A-Division II State titles in 2022 and 2023 before falling to Longview in last year’s Region 1 Final.
Despite the early stumble, DeSoto remains a dangerous threat — and Friday’s clash offers a prime opportunity to reassert themselves.
Senior wideout Ethan “Boobie” Feaster will be central to that effort. The USC-commit and returning unanimous all-district selection is a dynamic playmaker capable of changing a game in an instant.
Up front, DeSoto boasts one of the state’s most coveted defensive linemen in junior K’Adrian “Big Juicy” Redmond, who holds offers from Notre Dame, Texas, USC, and more. Junior edge rusher DJ Rumph adds to the pressure, with programs like Michigan, Georgia, and Pittsburgh already showing heavy interest.
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Both teams have something to prove: North Crowley is looking to defend its crown against a familiar powerhouse, while DeSoto is aiming to bounce back and regain momentum. Expect intensity, physicality, and no shortage of big-time talent on display when these two collide.
Willie Gaston of North Shore
THE ARCHITECTS: History being made as minorities lead all Class 6A state final super-programs
As Texas High School football takes center stage this weekend at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, history is being made.
All four head coaches in the Class 6A title games are Black… Duncanville’s Reginald Samples, North Shore’s Willie Gaston, DeSoto’s Claude Mathis and Summer Creek’s Kenny Harrison.
Last season, Claude Mathis was the first Black head coach to win a state title at the highest classification of Texas High School football. A few hours later, Samples became the second as the Panthers knocked off North Shore.
Willie Gaston, who played QB for North Shore over 20 years ago before starring for the University of Houston, was elevated from his offensive coordinator position last spring after coach Jon Kay took a college position at Rice University. The first-year head coach has carried on the success of his predecessors as the Mustangs are in their fifth Class 6A DI state title game in six years. He will face Duncanville and coach Reginald Samples, the winningest black head coach in Texas high school football history with over 340 wins.
“It’s a special moment,” Gaston said. “There is a lot of people pumped up for this. There was a stereotype that minority guys couldn’t coach over the years. This weekend just shows you the growth of minority coaches and how good we have become.”
This week, the Houston TD Club awarded Gaston and Summer Creek coach Kenny Harrison as their 2023 co-Coaches of the Year. It is only the third time in the club’s history to have awarded co-coaches. Gaston and Harrison have led their teams to the top of the Texas high school football mountain this weekend… the coveted state game.
No team in the 105-year history of Humble ISD has ever reached a state final… until now. Harrison and his Summer Creek Bulldogs face DeSoto in the Class 6A DII championship. The history is not lost on Harrison, who grew up playing for Port Arthur Jefferson and SMU.
“It means a lot that all four of us have this opportunity,” he said. “We’re all quality coaches who have built tremendous programs. I’ve followed them for a long time and their successes. I’m excited to be a part of this for black coaches but even, more importantly, excited about the opportunity to win a state championship.”
Mathis, who was a star RB at Texas State, smashed through the ceiling last season, beating Austin Vandegrift 42-17 to win the Class 6A DII title in 2022. He’s back…
“This is just wonderful… this is history,” he said. “The only bad thing is that someone has to lose. We have come a long way in this profession of coaching and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”
While all four are playing to win and fit for championship rings, history is at hand as these four are breaking Texas-sized barriers.