Duncanville defeats North Shore: Live Texas high school football championship updates recap
Call it an annual rematch: Nationally ranked Duncanville and North Shore will once again battle for a Texas high school state football championship on Saturday in Arlington for the fifth time in six years.
Can the Houston-area powerhouse Mustangs upend Duncanville, the defending champions?
The matchup is the penultimate UIL state championship matchup this week. AT&T Stadium has hosted 12 games from Wednesday to Saturday, three games per day.
Follow SBLive's Buck Ringgold (@Buck_SBLiveOkla) on the ground in Arlington for the latest live updates on the ground for every UIL football championship. The game is being televised by Bally Sports Southwest and can be accessed with FuboTV.
Refresh this post for the latest score and game updates for the UIL Class 6A Division I championship.
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FINAL: DUNCANVILLE 49, NORTH SHORE 33
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LSU commit Caden Durham rushes during the first half of Duncanville's UIL 6A Division I state championship rematch with North Shore at AT&T Stadium on Saturday.
Photo by Tommy Hays
FOURTH QUARTER
-- That should do it. Ka'Davion Dotson-Walkers comes up with an interception for Duncanville. The Panthers will be able to kneel out the clock and take home another state title.
-- The Mustangs continue to fight. The defense forces a three and out to give the ball back to the offense with 2:42 remaining.
-- After North Shore's defense forces a turnover on downs to get the ball back to the offense, five-star Texas commit Colin Simmons causes Kaleb Bailey to fumble. Duncanville recovers and takes over on offense at the Mustangs' 39.
-- North Shore clearly doesn't think this game is over. The Mustangs march down the field and reach the end zone in two plays and 37 seconds. A 50-yard pass from Kaleb Bailey to Deion Deblanc sets up a 28-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Bocard on the next play. (Duncanville, 49-33 | 5:46)
-- Following a 38-yard pass from Russell to Ayson Theus, the SMU quarterback commit runs for a 10-yard touchdown that likely secures the state title for the Panthers. (Duncanville, 49-26 | 6:29)
-- Keelon Russell keeps it himself on fourth down to move the chains for Duncanville. The Panthers have the ball at midfield as the clock keeps ticking, now at 6:50.
-- North Shore chips away at Duncanville's lead with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Kaden Bailey to Chris Barnes. The two-point conversion attempt is no good, so the lead stays at 16 points for the Panthers. (Duncanville, 42-26 | 10:24)
THIRD QUARTER
-- Five-star cornerback Devin Sanchez returns the kick back to Duncanville's 41. That's a big boost for the Mustangs, who need a quick core this drive to keep their hopes alive.
-- That's a big swing. After North Shore fails to make it a one score game, Duncanville gets the ball back and scores on the first play of the drive. Keelon Russell hooks up with Zach Turner for a 75-yard touchdown to push the Panthers' lead back to three scores. (Duncanville, 42-20 | 2:02)
-- No success for North Shore's offense on this drive. Duncanville's offense comes back out at its own 25.
-- The Mustangs defense forces a punt for the third drive in a row. Kaleb Bailey and the offense have the chance now to make this a one score game.
-- North Shore senior defensive back Paul Porter is called for targeting and, as a result, disqualified from the rest of the game. He had two tackles for the Mustangs today. Duncanville receiver Ayson Theus, who was on the other end of the hard hit, walked off under his own power but is still on the sideline.
-- North Shore can't reach the end zone, but the Mustangs put together a long scoring drive to open the second half. They go 13 plays in more than five minutes, and Jonathan Soto boots a 35 yarder for his second field goal of the game. (Duncanville, 35-20 | 5:56)
SECOND QUARTER
-- On to halftime. Duncanville leads by 18 at the break after a dominant first half which included 216 rushing yards and three touchdowns by Caden Durham.
-- North Shore punts the ball away but quickly gets the ball back at its own 31-yard line after the defense comes up with another stop. With zero timeouts and only 32 seconds remaining in the half, scoring won't be easy for the Mustangs.
-- Now the Mustangs defense forces Duncanville to go three and out. Bailey and the offense comes back out at their own 37 with 3:19 left in the half.
-- North Shore responds with a much-needed scoring drive to stop the bleeding. Kaden Bailey finds Chris Barnes in the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown pass. (Duncanville, 35-17 | 5:01)
-- Duncanville is pouring it on the Mustangs. Keelon Russell hits Zach Turner over the middle for a 28-yard touchdown to extend the Panthers' lead. (Duncanville, 35-10 | 6:59)
-- Caden Durham and Duncanville start a new drive at their own 40. Great field position has been a consistent theme for the Panthers here in the first half.
-- Duncanville's defense stands tall after North Shore gets all the way down to the 2-yard line. The Mustangs add three points on a 24-yard field goal by Jonathan Soto. (Duncanville, 28-10 | 8:13)
-- North Shore is finding some success this drive behind the legs of Kaleb Bailey. The quarterback goes for 48 yards to move the Mustangs inside the Panthers' 10-yard line.
-- After North Shore goes three and out, Duncanville extends its lead with another Caden Durham touchdown run. The LSU commit takes a handoff up the middle 92 yards for a score, his third of the game. (Duncanville, 28-7 | 11:29)
FIRST QUARTER
-- The final play of the first quarter is a one yard rush by D'Andre Hardeman to move North Shore to midfield.
-- Just like that, Duncanville goes ahead by two scores on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Keelon Russell to Dakorien Moore. (Duncanville, 21-7 | 1:27)
-- North Shore goes three and out after the Duncanville touchdown. The Panthers offense starts up again at their own 34.
-- After a first down is erased by a penalty, Caden Durham steps up with his second touchdown run of the day. The LSU commit gets loose for a 72-yard run to put the Panthers back in front. (Duncanville, 14-7 | 4:30)
-- Following the touchdown by North Shore, a strong kick return by Ayson Theus has Duncanville starting the drive at its own 41.
-- D'Andre Hardeman takes a direct snap for a seven-yard touchdown run, and Jonathan Soto nails the extra point to even the score for the Mustangs. (Tied, 7-7 | 5:17)
-- On the first play of the drive, Bailey avoids pressure in the pocket and finds an open Terrence Guillory, who scoots down the sideline all the way to Duncanville's 5-yard line.
-- North Shore holds Duncanville to a three-and-out, so Kaleb Bailey and the Mustangs will take over on offense at their own 33.
-- The Mustangs' drive stalls just short of midfield, so they punt it away back to Duncanville. The Panthers offense comes back out at their own 25.
-- North Shore starts its first drive of the game at its own 7-yard line after the return man struggles to haul in the kickoff.
-- That was quick. Duncanville strikes first, reaching the end zone in just four plays and 49 seconds. After Keelon Russell and Ayson Theus hook up for a big gain in the passing game, Caden Durham puts the Panthers ahead with a 29-yard rushing touchdown. (Duncanville, 7-0 | 11:04)
-- North Shore wins the coin toss and chooses to defer to the second half, so Duncanville will begin the game on offense.
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-- Zach Shugan | zshugan@gmail.com | @SBLiveTX
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PHOTO GALLERY
All photos by Tommy Hays.
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PREGAME READING
Saturday at 3 p.m. (CT) | AT&T Stadium, Arlington
Two Texas high school titans meet again.
Last season, Duncanville beat North Shore to win its first title since 1988. A year later? Similarly anticipated. Both boast Power Five talent in most position groups, and Top 10 national rankings.
Duncanville's lone blemish was a district loss to DeSoto. North Shore has won shootouts (twice over Atascocita) and have won defensive slugfests. It held nationally ranked Westlake to just 115 yards of offense in last week's 23-14 semifinal win. In Duncanville, it faces a taller task.
If there were Vegas lines in high school (famously, there is not), the spread would be slim. Who would open the favorite? North Shore is the higher ranked team — No. 9 in the SBLive/SI national Power 25, Duncanville is No. 10.
COACHES
Reginald Samples, 9th year at Duncanville
Willie Gaston, first year at North Shore
UIL STATE PLAYOFF ROAD
DUNCANVILLE — Def. Hutto 63-7 in bi-districts; def. Rockwall-Heath 62-24 in the area round; def. The Woodlands in the regional semifinals; def. Westfield 70-28 in regional finals; def. North Crowley 52-10 in state semifinals.
NORTH SHORE — Def. Deer Park 42-14 in bi-districts; def. Clear Springs 49-21 in area round; def. Cy Fair 45-9 in regional semifinals; def. Atascocita 34-28 in regional final; def. Westlake 23-14 in state semifinals.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
DUNCANVILLE
Caden Durham, running back, sr.
Durham is capable of shouldering a heavy load. He's played in all 14 game, accruing 1,841 rushing yards and 21 touchdown, plus 285 receiving yards — and a 4-star, the nation's No. 6 running back is coming off of a five-TD semifinal.
Dakorien Moore, wide receiver, jr.
The 5-star phenom is slippery in coverage on short gains and long. He's recorded 61 catches for 1,243 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season, missed Duncanville's worst half of the season — a lopsided effort in the loss to DeSoto — and can take over a game at a moment's notice.
Collin Simmons, defensive end, sr.
No quarterback is safe. The hulking 6-foot-3, 225-pound Texas-committed edge rusher is one of the nation's most imposing players. The nation's No. 1 edge and No. 9 overall prospect and No. 2 prospect in Texas has seven sacks and 45 tackles (18 for loss) on the season.
NORTH SHORE
Kaleb Bailey, QB, jr.
Simply put, NS's signal-caller has been spectacular this season, completing 74.1 percent of his passes for 2,965 yards, 33 touchdown and three interceptions, while also adding 650 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on his feet.
Terrence Guillory Jr., wideout/corner, sr.
Bailey's top receiving target and Air Force commit has reeled in 48 catched for 882 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
Devin Sanchez, corner, jr.
The Mustangs boast the nation's No. 1 rated cornerback in its secondary in the 6-foot-2, 170-pound Sanchez. The 5-star being predicted by experts to be favoring Ohio State is making his pick on Jan. 6.
STAFF PREDICTION
Duncanville 35, North Shore 21
-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx
Lead photo by Tom Dendy.
