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The Bailey Bros: Kaleb and Jhalyn win state title together, honor late grandmother
HOUSTON – In their lifetime, there hasn’t been much that Jhalyn and Kaleb Bailey haven’t done together.
But with a four-year age difference, the only time that they could have feasibly played football together at the high school level would come this fall. Jhalyn a senior at North Shore and Kaleb just a freshman.
Kaleb worked his way up the ranks this fall into being the eventual full-time starting quarterback for the Mustangs. The freshman guided North Shore through the playoffs ending up at AT&T Stadium on a brisk December afternoon.
It was here they would get to play this game together one more time. And on the sport’s biggest stage.
“It was my brother's last game of his high school career, so we had to give it all we got,” Kaleb, who was the 6A Division I Championship game Offensive MVP, said.
The Championship Game Offensive MVP is freshman QB @unexpectedkb9 … #txhsfb #UILState @NSNationFB @NSSH_Mustangs pic.twitter.com/f0nXxCd6oK
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) December 19, 2021
The duo connected for North Shore’s lone first half touchdown as Kaleb on a play-action call rolled out to his left and tossed a short three-yard pass to Jhalyn, who turned and spun through the air into the end zone after taking a low hit.
North Shore would go on to score 10 more points in the afternoon contest, finishing with a 17-10 victory over Duncanville for the Class 6A Division I State Championship.
“It means everything in the world to me man,” Jhalyn said. “It’s something we’ve been dreaming about ever since we were little kids. We finally came up. We finally got it together and now we’re here.”
As the celebration ensued on the field, wherever you found Jhalyn, Kaleb wouldn’t be too far off.
In the line of players, it was Jhalyn and Kaleb standing side-by-side as they received their gold medals around their necks. Then it was Kaleb helping Jhalyn, who suffered a slight injury in the game, over to a television interview.
“It was wonderful,” Kaleb said. “I love my brother so much and I know that meant so much to him, because we worked so hard for that moment.”
The moment for the Baileys was much bigger than just brothers being state champions but for who they did this for.
This past year, their grandmother Veritta Bailey passed away.
Just hours after the game had ended, Jhalyn from his Twitter account posted a photo of the trophy strapped into a seat on the North Shore bus home and a photo of him and Kaleb. The end of the tweet saying, “we did it for the beautiful angel upstairs”.
“We just wanted to come out and do it for her,” Jhalyn said. “We’ve been grinding every day talking about this one goal we were trying to reach. We finally reached it.
“I’m just happy. I just don’t know what to do.”
BREAKING: @NSNationFB has won its 5th overall State Championship, 3rd in 4 years and 4th since 2015.
IT’S A DYNASTY ON THE EAST SIDE!!! #txhsfb #UILState @MaxPreps @NSSH_Mustangs @unexpectedkb9 @DenvoBandz @Calebflagg_ @KPRC2RandyMc pic.twitter.com/Rg9KG3eoGX
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) December 18, 2021
FINAL: North Shore defeats Duncanville 17-10 for the UIL Class 6A D1 State Title
In a thrilling fight to the finish, the Galena Park North Shore Mustangs defeated the Duncanville Panthers by a 17-10 score. The victory marks the third time that North Shore has posted a championship victory over Duncanville at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. To see photos from the game, visit out instant gallery! To read a full recap, become a VYPE Insider today!
With their heads in the game and a focus on the prize at the end of the four quarters, North Shore entered the field ready to go. Kaleb Bailey found Jhalyn Bailey late in the first quarter for the first score of the game on a three-yard pass. Duncanville got on the board in the second quarter with a one-yard rush from Jordan Crook. The teams went into halftime with a tied game.
Coming into the second half, both defenses played as strong as fans have seen them play all season. Duncanville was able to hold North Shore to only a field goal in the third quarter before being held to a field goal themselves. Late in the fourth quarter, K. Bailey found David Amador for an amazing 39-yard touchdown pass into the end zone for the final score of the game. Forced to punt with only 10 seconds left in the game, it looked like Duncanville was going to be given the opportunity to make a last-ditch effort to force an overtime, but upon an officials timeout for a review on the punt, the Panthers were called for having twelve men on the field. Duncanville was given the penalty while North Shore was given the ball for a victory formation end to the game.
"These kids they respect and understand what it takes to grind through this program. Week after week, practice after practice... it's one of those things that I think, because there's so much invested, it just makes it so much more special," North Shore head coach Jon Kay said during the post-game press conference regarding the Saturday evening victory.