GAMES
RANKINGS
RING KING: Duncanville QB Russell sits atop throne Of TXHSFB
Duncanville football has become the BRAND of Texas high school football over the past eights years making State Title runs and having some of the top recruits in the country.
The now back-to-back State Champs sit atop the throne of Texas high school football, with a chance to go back-to-back-to-back with the "Ring King" 4-star quarterback & SMU-commit Keelon Russell leading the charge.
Russell first burst on the scene his sophomore year leading the Panthers to their first-ever State Title and then returned to State as a junior to go back-to-back.
“Honestly it wasn’t anything more than just execution from the start,” Russell said. “This past year, we wanted it more. I feel like we got really humbled during the DeSoto game and just decided we couldn't lose another game, and we did just that.”
The pressure of winning the title is enormous for any quarterback but for the Duncanville QB1 it is multiplied by 10 when looking at how many times they had left Jerry’s World without a ring. For Russell, he takes it as a challenge.
“The pressure is always high being the quarterback, especially here at Duncanville,” he said. “Everybody is watching you, if the team has a bad game they’re going to blame the quarterback and coaches like in colleges but I use that pressure as a challenge to be better.”
Russell committed to SMU in September, deciding to stay home. Since the State Title game, however, more school’s have been pushing to get the star quarterback to flip. Alabama, Florida and Oregon will all receive official visits along with SMU.
“Alabama has been a school I’ve had a great relationship with and they’ve been recruiting me heavily lately, so I’m excited to get out there,” he said. “I also will be visiting Oregon and Florida. Those schools have been going after me for a while, so I’m excited to check them out and check off that last box.”
With some big OV’s quickly approaching, Russell is getting ready to attend the most prestigious Quarterback Camp in the country, the Elite 11 Finals.
“Getting invited to the Elite 11 finals is honestly a blessing," he said. "I’ve been talking about getting there for years so to get the invite was exciting.
“When I get out there, I want to compete and get better... get my name out there. All the top quarterbacks in every draft were Elite 11 guys and that’s where they made a name for themselves.”
After his busy summer, the Duncanville quarterback is ready to get under those Friday Night Lights in his last season wearing the blue and red.
“I honestly really just have a feeling of calmness," he said. "I’ve done this two other times now and I feel like I’m at the peak of my game. I still working hard to get better, but I feel like we’re ready to make another run back to State.”
BREAKING: Shadow Creek LB Anthony Williams commits to TCU
Back on April 4th, Shadow Creek three-star linebacker Anthony “Duece” Williams de-committed from the University of Texas.
His de-commitment led to many in-state programs coming back into the fold, pushing hard to gain his commitment.
Today, one of those in state schools did just that.
Williams pledged his commitment today to TCU, choosing the Horned Frogs over Baylor, Texas A&M, Utah, Florida and others.
TCU had been pushing hard for Williams' commitment as soon as he announced his de-commitment from Texas.
For Williams, however, the relationships the staff has built over the past year made the decision an easy one.
“The coaching staff has been recruiting me throughout the whole process,” Williams said. “Even when I was committed they continued talking with me and recruiting me. For them to do that, even when I was committed, was a big deal to me.”
The Frogs aren’t too far removed from a National Championship appearance two years ago, and with how their defensive players have preformed since coach Sonny Dykes has gotten there, Williams is excited for how he fits in their scheme.
“I think I fit in really well with the scheme they run there,” he said. “In some defensive schemes I’d stay at my normal outside linebacker position. They mentioned being able to play inside as well, which I'm excited for.”
The Shadow Creek linebacker also mentioned that the ability to play in-state also played a big factor in the commitment because his family will be able to see him play.
Now committed, Williams is ready to focus on a big senior year, where he and the Sharks are looking to claim the school’s second State Title.
“I’m looking forward to winning a championship," he said. "We’ve got a new head coach, and the culture feels like it’s moving in the right direction and we all have one goal in mind.”