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North Crowley's Kiante Ingram runs for the ball against Waxahachie on Oct. 9 at Stuart B. Lumpkins Stadium.
North Crowley knocks off Class 6A No. 1-ranked Waxahachie
The biggest game in the state of Texas in Week 7 of UIL football happened at Stuart B. Lumpkins Stadium Friday night.
The matchup pitted two Class 6A-ranked teams — No. 1 Waxahachie vs. No. 3 North Crowley.
Both were 5-0 and tied for first place in District 11-6A.
As much as it lined up to be a battle to the end, it was not.
North Crowley rolled to a 42-17 win thanks to a solid running game, a quarterback that could not miss and a defense that kept South Carolina pledge Jerry Meyer III in check.
The Panthers (6-0, 3-0) had a pair of 21-0 scoring bursts that defined the game.
In the first half, G’yrell Smith ran for two touchdowns and Kiante Ingram had another rushing touchdown.
The Panthers led 21-7 at halftime.
“We had a great week of practice knowing what they were going to line up in,” North Crowley quarterback Jacob Torres said. “We just had to execute and we fought hard. We ran, we passed, and we just set them up for the next play.”
The Indians (5-1, 2-1) had a chance to trim into the lead late in the third quarter. Waxahachie got a stop and forced North Crowley to punt after three straight touchdowns on the three previous possessions.
Waxahachie engineered an 18-play, 89-yard drive that ended in a 23-yard field goal from Kohen Manis with 2:37 left. The Indians moved to the 6-yard line on a pass from Meyer to Jordan Smith, but an incomplete pass on third down set up the field goal.
Six plays later, the Panthers answered.
A pass interference call on an incomplete pass on 3rd-and-1 kept the drive alive. Ingram’s 35-yard score with 42 seconds left in the third quarter extended the lead to 28-10.
North Crowley scored on the next two drives to seal the win.
Torres, who was 11-for-11 passing for 100 yards, threw an 84-yard touchdown to Damarion Mays on the next drive for North Crowley.
Smith’s 60-yard run in the fourth made it 42-10.
Smith ran for 116 yards, while Ingram had 157.
Meyer III threw a touchdown pass to Matthew Scott with 1:54 left for the final points of the contest. Meyer threw for a season-low 112 yards.
The Panthers’ secondary, loaded with Division I talent, made it tough. He was 12 for 28 and his 42.9% completion percentage was his third-lowest in the last two years. In last year's loss to DeSoto, he completed only 38.5% of his passes. As a sophomore, he has a 42.4% completion rate in a close win over Dallas Skyline.
“I feel we were disrespected. We already knew who the No. 1 team in the state was,” said North Crowley cornerback Jerry Outhouse. “We had to come prove it.”
This season, the Panthers have beaten these former state champions or finalists in recent weeks: Aledo, Southlake Carroll, Humble Summer Creek and Duncanville.
How good does that make North Crowley?
“Best team in the nation, I'm telling you,” said Outhouse, a UCLA pledge.
North Richland Hill Richland running back Jayshon Gibson and the Royals will play Birdiville in a key District 6-5A Division I clash this week.
The Top 10 Games to Watch in Week 7 of DFW High School Football
Thursday, Oct. 8
Trophy Club Byron Nelson at Keller at Keller ISD Athletic Complex
Keller is one of the DFW area's surprise teams, with a 5-0 mark and 2-0 in District 4-6A play. The Indians were 5-6 last year and were only 5-5 in 2023. A win here for Carl Stralow’s bunch will secure a winning record. QB Matt McCroskey has thrown for 1,125 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first year starting. The Indians mix in a solid rushing game as well, with 1,379 yards this season. Blake Dyniewski has 11 touchdowns and has gained 873 yards on the ground.
Byron Nelson enters with a 3-2 record and a 1- 1 record in district play. The Bobcats were one of the teams that got a win that was a loss from the Lewisville eligibility issue, so technically saw a 3-game winning streak end last week vs. Keller Central. The Bobcats have won 6 in a row vs. Keller. The last win for Keller vs. Byron Nelson was in 2019. Sophomore Tre Green has 513 yards rushing and has scored 7 of the team’s 12 rushing scores.
Dallas Jesuit at Prosper Walnut Grove at Children’s Health Stadium
There are three teams undefeated in District 6-6A play and because of this game, there will be at most two after the clock hits zero.
Prosper Walnut Grove and Dallas Jesuit are 2-0 in district play, part of a three-way tie with Allen.
Walnut Grove enters with a 5-0 mark, while Jesuit is 3-2.
The undefeated Wildcats have not missed a beat at QB1 with Ashton Gosselin. He has moved into the role to replace now-Argyle quarterback Hayes Hackney and has thrown for 1,259 yards and 11 touchdowns in five games. Linebacker Jack Folkerts, who leads the team with 42 tackles, has picked up a lot of D-I offers lately. That list includes UCLA, Florida State, Texas Tech, Houston, North Texas, Michigan State and Toledo since Sept. 23.
Jesuit has won three in a row.
Friday, Oct. 9
Denton Guyer at Lewisville at Lewisville ISD Stadium
This is a battle of first-place teams in the District 4-6A teams, part of a four-way tie with Denton Braswell and Carrollton Hebron at 1-0 in district play. Lewisville has won 2 in a row and technically has not lost a game on the field this year with the 2-3 mark. The Fighting Farmers have scored 40 and 38 points, respectively, in their last two games and the defense has yielded 15 points in those two games. Devin Robinson and Javar Currington both average more than 10 tackles per game.
The Guyer Wildcats are 4-1 and have won two in a row since losing to No. 1-ranked Waxahachie on Sept. 10. Quarterback Carter Morgan has thrown for 1,355 yards this year, but the Wildcats have had more success in terms of touchdowns by running the ball.
DeSoto at Lancaster at Beverly D. Humphrey Tiger Stadium
The District 8-5A Division I standings have these two at the top of the standings with 2 wins in district play and the winner will be in a good spot to secure that No. 1 seed in the postseason. Lancaster enters with a 4-1 mark, while DeSoto is 3-2.
The Tigers had won four in a row since losing to defending Class 6A Division I champion Galena Park North Shore in Week 1.
DeSoto RB/QB SaRod Baker enters this game with 4,369 yards rushing and 64 touchdowns in his standout career. He had a season-high 4 touchdowns in the last game for the Eagles.
Birdville at North Richland Hills Richland at Birdville ISD Fine Art/Athletic Complex
A week ago, Birdville and Richland were undefeated and were part of a three-way tie for first in District 6-5A Division I. Now, they are both 5-1 and 1-1 in district, part of a four-way tie for second after both getting upset. No. 9-ranked Richland lost in a shootout with Dallas Highland Park, 45-42. RB Jayshon Gibson ran for 271 yards and had 5 total touchdowns in the loss for the Royals. Meanwhile, Birdville lost to Garland Naaman Forest.
The Hawks have a balanced offense with 1,200 yards passing and 1,037 yards rushing.
Mansfield at Duncanville at Panther Stadium
Since 2010, the two have played 10 times and it’s been evenly matched, with Duncanville holding a 6-4 lead. However, the Panthers have won the last four meetings. Both teams enter with 2-3 marks and each is 1-1 in District 11-6A. The key for Duncanville will be to limit Mansfield quarterback Brandon Ellis, who has thrown for 941 yards and 13 touchdowns and is also the team’s leading rusher with 480 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Duncanville has not lost three games since 2016 and hasn’t lost more than four games since 2015.
Flower Mound Marcus at Flower Mound at Neal E. Wilson Jaguar Stadium
An inner-city showdown will mean one team will get its first District 5-6A win. Flower Mound is 4-1, while Flower Mound Marcus is 2-3.
QB Baron Sampson has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in passing this year for the Jaguars. The Maurauders are 13-9 against the Jaguars, but Flower Mound has won the last four meetings. Marcus quarterback Cash Davis has thrown for 1,027 yards — while the rushing attack has picked up 559 yards.
North Crowley at Waxahachie at Lumpkins Stadium
This is the game of the week, something both teams have been a part of this year. The No. 1-ranked team will host the No. 3 team in probably the marquee battle in Class 6A and perhaps the entire state this week. Both teams are 5-0 overall and 2-0 in District 11-6A play and the winner will get a leg up on the hunt for a district title, but it is far from over. Duncanville still looms for Waxahachie late in the regular season. This game will feature plenty of Division I talent on both sides of the ball. The matchup we are looking forward to is this: Jerry Meyer III’s passing attack vs. the North Crowley secondary.
Meyer has thrown for 1,421 yards, 16 touchdowns and completed 70% of his passes for the Indians. The Panthers defense features a pair of Division I commitments in Jerry Outhouse (UCLA) and Elijajuan Houston (Arizona State) and sophomore Braylen Cunningham will be another one, since he has 21 offers.
Longview at Rockwall at Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium (7:30 pm.)
Longview, an East Texas powerhouse, will bring its potent running game to the metroplex. The Lobos have run for 1,220 yards and 20 touchdowns this year and the top four rushers, in terms of total yards, average 7 yards to 11.9 yards per carry. Jacaiden Davis’ 440 yards and 8 TDs pace that offense attack. Longview is 4-1 and the only loss came to Ruston, La., in Week 3. Rockwall is also 4-1 and, like Longview, is 2-0 in District 10-6A play.
The Yellowjackets have won 4 straight since losing to Prosper in the opener. Rockwall has run for 1,512 yards and has 1,222 yards passing this year.
Houston Kinkaid at St. Mark’s School of Texas at Norma & Lamar Hunt Family Stadium
Southwest Preparatory Conference Class 4A champion Houston Kinkaid comes to Dallas for a clash with St. Mark’s. Kinkaid is 3-3 overall, with a loss to Valor Christian from Colorado and in-state foes Houston St. Thomas Catholic and Dallas Parish Episcopal. Dating back to 2004, they have played 20 times, missing games in 2014 and 2020.
St. Mark’s is in the midst of a 15-game losing streak in the series, but won 5 straight from 2004 to 2008.