North Crowley Panthers are red hot
By Alex Hinson
FORT WORTH — North Crowley didn't just win Friday night.
The Panthers made a statement.
After falling behind early, North Crowley ripped off 40 unanswered points and dominated Southlake Carroll 40-10 in a Week 2 showdown between two of Texas' top-ranked 6A programs.
The Panthers improved to 2-0, while Southlake Carroll dropped to 1-1.
The star of the night was senior running back G’yrell Smith, who scored four rushing touchdowns and repeatedly found the end zone when North Crowley needed a spark.
“I had to show up for my team and do what I have to do,” said Smith, a North Texas pledge.
But this was far from a one-man show.
North Crowley's defense set the tone all night, forcing turnovers, shutting down Southlake's rushing attack and coming up with huge stops in the red zone.
The Dragons managed just 94 rushing yards on 28 carries, averaging 3.4 yards per carry.
Southlake actually led 7-6 after the first quarter, but everything changed early in the second.
After a bad snap sailed over the Southlake punter's head, North Crowley took over at the Dragons' 18-yard line. Smith quickly cashed in, scoring his first touchdown of the night and giving the Panthers the lead for good.
It was also the beginning of a major change in North Crowley's backfield.
With North Crowley trailing 7-6, head coach DeMarcus Harris made a switch at quarterback, bringing in Jazheel McCradic for starting quarterback Jacob Torres.
The move paid immediate dividends.
McCradic guided the Panthers through a 21-point second quarter, including a 28-yard touchdown pass to Pryce Demerson. Smith added another touchdown run late in the half, and North Crowley went into halftime with a 27-7 advantage.
The Panthers' defense delivered a massive moment before halftime, stopping Southlake Carroll at the 1-yard line with 2:39 remaining in the second quarter.
From there, North Crowley took control.
Southlake's turnovers continued to pile up.
A fumble inside the red zone was recovered by Jordan Herigon, while another Dragons possession ended with Elijajuan Houston stripping the ball and recovering it at the Southlake 1-yard line.
North Crowley then went 99 yards, capped by a 26-yard touchdown run from Smith with 4:33 remaining.
The Panthers weren't finished.
Southlake's next drive ended with the first of two interceptions by sophomore defensive back Braylen Cunningham.
North Crowley briefly gave Southlake another chance when McCradic threw an incomplete pass on fourth down from the Dragons' 19-yard line.
Then came a roughing-the-passer penalty.
The Panthers got a new set of downs, and two plays later Smith powered in from eight yards out with 1:10 remaining to make it 40-7.
Cunningham later added his second interception, once again ending a Southlake drive inside the North Crowley red zone.
The performance even caught the attention of former Cowboys star Dez Bryant, who watched Cunningham's second pick and turned to say:
“That No. 16 is a player.”
Southlake did find the end zone once more, but by then the Panthers had already turned the game into a statement victory.
The Dragons did have some success through the air. Blake Gunter hauled in six catches for 146 yards, while Illinois pledge Brody Knowles was held to just three catches for 44 yards with UCLA pledge Jerry Outhouse Jr. matched up against him for much of the night.
Southlake's Dez Bryant Jr. finished with one catch for 20 yards, but his lone reception put the Dragons inside the red zone before another turnover ended the threat.
For North Crowley, it was a complete performance.
Smith provided the touchdowns.
McCradic provided the spark.
And the defense made sure Southlake Carroll never found its way back into the game.
“Man, my defense is so strong,” Smith said. “I love my defense … they even hurt me at practice. Shoutout to my defense; shoutout to Coach Harris and all my defensive coaches.”
After two weeks, North Crowley isn't just undefeated.
The Panthers are looking like a serious problem.
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There are comers and goers throughout the season in rankings such as this, but never so much as between Week 1 and Week 2. But not at the very top of this week’s Power Rankings.
Lake Travis honored their fallen team member then dominated Weiss in an eagerly anticipated early season matchup to validate their early top position. Meanwhile, Dripping Springs – originally slated to play the Cavs in Week 1 – also opened its season in convincing fashion against perennial San Antonio powerhouse Harlan to stay locked in at #2. Westlake took advantage of Vandegrift’s rare stumble with an impressive win to climb to the final podium spot at #3.
Lake Travis may beat a lot of teams by similar margins or more this year, so Weiss actually climbed a spot despite their loss to the Cavs. The Wolves lead a pair of fellow 5A teams in Anderson and Bastrop while Vandegrift fell to #7 in advance of this week’s marquee matchup with Liberty Hill. Hutto and Round Rock notched their first wins of the season while Cedar Park routed Clark to round out the Top 10.
Bowie slipped four spots to #11, just ahead of Liberty Hill, Cedar Ridge and Hays, while Rouse’s first win of the season injected them into the Rankings at #15. Similarly, Vista Ridge’s bounce back win over Bowie led to their debut at #16, followed by Wimberley, the highest 4A team on the list after LBJ’s shutout loss to La Vega dropped the Jags to #19. Georgetown settled in between them at #18 after the Eagles’ home loss to Rouse while Legacy Ranch closed out the rankings at 20.
St. Michael’s dominant win over Hill Country School of Austin, combined with Regents’ tough loss against SPC power Kinkaid, was enough to flip-flop the Warriors and the Knights in the private school rankings. Hyde Park, St. Andrew’s and Brentwood Christian all notched wins to hold-serve.
Hard to believe but this week marks roughly the ¼ season mark already. On to Week 3!
VYPE Austin Top 20 Combined Class 4A-6A
*Last parenthesis indicates most recent game result
1. (1) Lake Travis Cavaliers (6A) 1-0 (W 38-21 @ #5 Weiss)
2. (2) Dripping Springs Tigers (6A) 1-0 (W 42-7 vs. SA Harlan)
3. (4) Westlake Chaparrals (6A) 2-0 (W 35-10 vs. Trinity)
4. (5) Weiss Wolves (5A-1) 1-1 (L 38-21 vs. #1 Lake Travis)
5. (6) Anderson Trojans (5A-1) 2-0 (W 40-30 vs. #18 Pflugerville)
6. (10) Bastrop Bears (5A-2) 1-1 (W 28-18 @ Killeen Chaparral)
7. (3) Vandegrift Vipers (6A) 1-1 (L 38-7 vs. SA Johnson)
8. (8) Hutto Hippos (6A) 1-1 (W 67-41 @ Judson)
9. (9) Round Rock Dragons (6A) 1-1 (W 49-37 @ Temple)
10. (11) Cedar Park Timberwolves (6A) 2-0 (W 68-7 vs. SA Clark)
11. (7) Bowie Bulldogs (6A) 1-1 (L 40-37) @ Vista Ridge
12. (12) Liberty Hill Panthers (5A-2) 2-0 (W 63-29 @ #17 San Marcos)
13. (15) Cedar Ridge Raiders (6A) 2-0 (W 42-35 @ Copperas Cove)
14. (16) Hays Hawks (6A) 2-0 (W 54-0 vs. Seguin)
15. (NR) Rouse Raiders (6A) 1-1 (W 45-33 @ #13 Georgetown)
16. (NR) Vista Ridge Rangers (6A) 1-1 (W 40-37 vs. #6 Bowie)
17. (19) Wimberley Texans (4A-2) 1-0 (W 28-3 vs. Fredericksburg)
18. (13) Georgetown Eagles (5A-1) 1-1 (L 45-33 vs. Rouse)
19. (14) LBJ Austin Jaguars (4A-1) 1-1 (L 57-0 vs. Waco La Vega)
20. (21) Legacy Ranch Wranglers (5A-2) 1-1 (L 59-45 @ Tivy)
On the Radar: Lago Vista 2-0, McCallum 1-1, Glenn 1-1, Cedar Creek 2-0, Hendrickson 1-1
VYPE Austin Top 5 Private Schools
*Last parenthesis indicates most recent game result
1. (2) St. Michael’s Warriors (TAPPS D1) 3-0 (W 45-6 @ Hill Country School of Austin)
2. (1) Regents Knights (TAPPS D2) 1-1 (L 58-21 @ Kinkaid)
3. (3) Hyde Park Panthers (TAPPS D2) 1-1 (W 45-21 @ Ozona)
4. (4) St. Andrew’s (Southwest Prep) 2-0 (W 35-14 vs. Sacred Heart)
5. (5) Brentwood Christian (TAPPS FL) 2-1 (W 63-61 @ Bishop Dunne)
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