North Shore beats Duncanville in thriller to capture 6A DI Texas high school football state championship
ARLINGTON, Texas - The North Shore Mustangs are champions once again.
In an electric atmosphere Saturday at AT&T Stadium, North Shore beat Duncanville 17-10 in an instant classic to capture the 6A Division I UIL football state championship. It's the third time in the last four years the Mustangs have defeated Duncanville in the championship game.
With under four minutes left in the game and the scored tied 10-10, freshman quarterback and offensive MVP of the game, Kaleb Bailey, connected with senior wide receiver David Amador on a 40-yard pass in the back of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.
Amador was exceptional for the Mustangs, racking up 76 receiving yards and the clutch touchdown catch. Bailey finished the game with 107 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with 57 rushing yards.
Duncanville had a chance to answer North Shore, and they faced a 4th and 10 with just under two minutes remaining in the game. Quarterback Soloman James rolled to his right under pressure and threw an interception to the Mustangs' strong safety, Jayven Anderson.
The North Shore sideline and fan-base immediately erupted in cheers as the Mustangs had locked up their third state championship in four years.
After the game, Head coach Jon Kay spoke on his team’s resilience against a strong Duncanville squad.
“This was a slugfest and we knew that coming in,” Kay said. “To see two working-class communities go in there and put on a display, I couldn’t be more proud of both programs.”
Bailey was named offensive MVP of the game and Ronald Wilson received defensive MVP honors.
As for Duncanville and head coach Reginald Samples, another fantastic season fell short at the pinnacle. Despite suffering another heartbreaking loss, Samples expressed how proud he was of his team and their storied season.
“I’m always proud,” Samples said. “Sometimes we go right to the end and say ‘we didn’t win the championship’ but it was a great journey. We won five playoff games, we didn’t lose a district game, we had to beat a very good DeSoto team twice which is very hard. I’m very proud of the season we’ve had. This one game does not take away from the effort they made all year long.”
(All photos by Tommy Hays)
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Tommy Hays, SBLive Sports
