Photo credit Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Arlington – Lighting rarely strikes twice in the same place, more less three. Déjà vu, again. Not much has changed between the two teams outside of new players. Yet, they share the same results.
Junior defensive back Jayven Anderson had a game-ending pick, and freshman quarterback Kaleb Bailey’s 29-yard touchdown strike to senior receiver David Amador with 2:53 remaining gave North Shore its third title, 17-10 in four years in the Class 6A Division I Championship on Saturday at AT&T Stadium.
For the third time in four years, North Shore (15-1) has walked out of Arlington with Class 6A Division I title.
“Beating a team three times is about the approach from our kids and our coaching staff,” says North Shore coach Jon Kay. “It’s never been about North Shore beating Duncanville, or program beating a program.”
Anderson picked Duncanville’s quarterback Solomon James’ pass at the Mustangs 49 with 1:49 remaining. Solomon scrambled out of the pocket to avoid the rush and did not see Anderson. It all but sewed up the Mustangs fifth state title in the school history. The other titles came in 2003, 2015, 2018, and 2019.
The Panthers (13-2) stopped North Shore on three consecutive downs, but North Shore purposely let the clock tick down to 16 seconds left before snapping the ball on fourth down. Then Duncanville suffered perhaps its worst setback, not gaining possession of the ball after officials threw a flag for illegal participation (12 men on the field). That gave North Shore a first down while Bailey took the final snap and kneeled to run the remaining time down to zero.
The winning drive benefitted from a personal foul assessed on junior running back Kaleb Kenney for tackling junior defensive back Evan Jackson after signaling a fair catch at the Mustangs 45. Officials’ 15-yard walk-off left the ball on Duncanville’s 39. On the next play, Bailey, who completed 10-of-13 for 107 yards and a pair of scores, dropped back in the pocket and spotted Amador, who had seven receptions for 79 yards, breaking free in the end zone where he made the overhead catch providing the go-ahead touchdown. The strike covered 39 yards and left 2:53 on the clock.
“We were heavy run a lot, so we knew at some point we were going to take a chance at a shot, Mustangs offensive coordinator Willie Gaston said. “It was just a simple play shot, and we knew David Amador is our top receiver.”
The timing of the play call brought Mustangs fans to their feet with thunderous shouts, cheers, and a sigh of relief. With the way its defense played, the opportunity appeared to be a low risk.
The wealth of North Shore’s experience returned on defense and showed from the opening whistle throughout the fourth quarter. An offense responsible for scoring 76 points twice this season and accounting for 622 points suffered at the hands of defensive backs Caleb Flagg, Denver Harris, linebackers Kent Battle, Josh Garrett, defensive linemen Jacoby Brass, Jaylon Joseph, Kris Ross, Ronald Wilson, who controlled the line of scrimmage and held the Panthers high powered offense to 10 points. Ten times during the first half, North Shore stopped the Panthers for loss of yards or no gain.
“I wouldn’t say their defense is the fastest, but they are the most athletic we’ve seen,” Panthers coach Reginald Samples said.
In place of former quarterback Dematrius Davis, now at Auburn University, is freshman quarterback Bailey.
Duncanville, who could not get out of its way, encountered the adversity of a suffocating defense that pressured its offense all evening, found it challenging to respond, facing two potential touchdown drops.
“They did a good job of taking advantage of some of our weaknesses,” Samples explained. “Mater Dei (California and national power) exposed a lot of the same things that happened tonight.”
North Shore’s season did not open as bright as it ended. The Mustangs searched for its identity using four different quarterbacks and six running backs with minor adjustments on defense, where the bulk of its experience returned.
Coach Kay and his staff learned more about the team throughout the season. He challenged his team after the tough loss to arch-rival Westfield, which exposed weaknesses. But that did not hamper the Mustangs; it raised the level of focus.
“We focus on what the kids need to focus on, and not on the outcome,” Kay mentioned. “Too often you focus on revenge or you focus on it being the third time. You start to play scared, you start to play out of character.”
The two teams are meeting for the third time since 2019. North Shore defeated the Panthers 41-36 in 2018 and 31-17 in 2019. Austin Westlake and Southlake Carroll knocked off Duncanville and North Shore in 2020.
By far, this is the best defensive matchup between the two teams. The two previous games watched the teams light up the scoreboard, combining 125 points.
Jackson’s 24-yard punt return to the Panthers 29 highlighted North Shore’s scoring drive in the first quarter. On the first play from scrimmage, defensive end Omari Abor sacked Bailey for a five-yard loss at the 34. However, tailback Xavier Owens’ 23 yard run to the 11 gave North Shore a first down. Bailey’s swing pass to receiver Jhalyn Bailey put the Mustangs on the board 7-0 following junior kicker Carlos Dominguez PAT with 2:55 left in the first quarter.
“The one thing we take a lot of pride in, in our community, is in the grit and the ability to finish and make things when things probably shouldn’t be there,” Coach Kay said.
The Panthers responded with a 14-play, 87-yard frame on the ensuing possession. Running back Malachi Medlock’s 36-yard run coupled with junior receiver Lontrell Turner’s 20-yard reception at the North Shore’s 40 watched James convert a fourth and seven strike to tight end Marcus Vinson at the 27. Still, the Mustangs defense responded with a pair of stops for loss yards until Duncanville benefitted from a pass interference infraction, moving the ball to the 12. Jordan Crook found a hole a few plays later, running into the end zone to conclude a one-yard touchdown, and the Panthers tied the game 7-7 on Armando Benitez’ PAT.
Respectfully, Medlock and Turner’s efforts turned in 114 yards on 22 carries and six receptions for 57 yards.
After both teams settled down, the game turned into a defensive tug-of-war. Anderson, Battle, Brass, Harris, Tai Leonard, Ross, and Wilson led the Mustangs with several stops at or behind the line of scrimmage. Battle and Wilson recorded one sack each in the first half. The Panthers answered with a similar effort, pressuring the ball led by Abor, linebackers Crook, junior Vernon Grant, Donovan McFail, sophomore Colin Simmons, defensive linemen Kaden Seay, and Kristian Whitfield.
The Mustangs made its first drive of the third quarter count. Bailey’s 12-yard run to the Duncanville 18 put Dominguez in position to drill a 32-yard field goal with 5:52 to go in the third quarter. North Shore led, 10-7.
The defensive units continued its surge in the third quarter, with both teams surrendering three points.
“Both defenses dictated the flow of the game,” says Samples.
Like two heavy-weight fighters, the Panther answered when defensive back Da’Myrion Coleman returned the kickoff 36 yards to the 40. On the next play, Medlock ran back through the Mustangs defensive line and down the sideline to the North Shore 17 with 5:33 left in the third quarter. Yet it all vanished when Wilson dropped Medlock for a loss at the 15. Then, Ross deflected a pass on 3rd and eight, allowing the Panthers to settle for a 23-yard field goal from Benitez. That leveled the score 10-10 with 4:23 in the third quarter.
Although the opportunity appeared twice, Duncanville failed to execute when James threw a perfect ball to receiver Dakorien Moore, who dropped it while breaking free from a defender.
At times, the Panther moved the ball well but failed to execute clutch plays when the opportunity presented itself.
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