North Crowley overcomes slow start, pulls away from Byron Nelson to win bi-district title

North Crowley has high expectations and hopes to make a deep playoff run.

The bi-district matchup for the Panthers, however, was far from an easy victory. Byron Nelson brought the firepower, playing competitive first-half football with North Crowley not meeting its standards.

Ultimately, the Panthers overcame the slow start to pull away for a 56-21 victory in a Texas high school football opening round contest on Saturday, Nov. 16 at Crowley ISD Stadium.

The game was tied 21-21 at the half, but the Panthers, a state title contender, made adjustments and scored 35 unanswered points while playing through windy conditions.

“At halftime, it was just coming in and settling them down,” North Crowley head coach Ray Gates said. “I didn’t bark. I didn’t bite. I just told them that we’re going to flush the first half. We had everything that we needed in order to be successful.

“We weren’t being us. We weren’t playing fast. We weren’t being explosive. We weren’t tackling, and it really wasn’t much of what they were doing more than it was what we weren’t doing. ... We made the adjustments.”

North Crowley (11-0), No. 1 in the Star-Telegram’s 6A area rankings, will face Odessa Permian (8-3) in the area round at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22 at Crowley ISD Stadium.

After the game, Gates told his team they “weren’t ready to play.”

“Our walk-through this morning wasn’t very good,” Gates said. “We restarted the entire walk-through. Our focus wasn’t there. Our energy wasn’t where it needed to be. If you do this long enough, you know the signs. I expected it to be a dogfight in the first half. ...

“But you need these games. You need to know how to win these games. And you need to build off these games, and talk to your kids about the importance of not taking any opportunity for granted.”

To start the game, North Crowley’s Ja’Brelle Asberry set the tone on Byron Nelson’s first play, forcing a fumble. Running back Cornelius Warren then took over, converting on fourth down and following it up with a three-yard scoring scamper.

After a defensive stop, North Crowley quarterback Chris Jimerson Jr. hit wide receiver Kevin Moore in the end zone, but he couldn’t hang on, and the ball fell to Byron Nelson’s Dylan Kelly for an interception.

The Bobcats capitalized, and quarterback Grant Bizjack, facing pressure on 4th down, found Anthony Sexton on a quick pass for a four-yard touchdown to tie the game in the second quarter.

It then seemed North Crowley would punt on its own 21, but the coaching staff made an ultra-aggressive call and went for a fake. Malachi Releford took off, gaining 33 yards, and Warren followed it up with a 39-yard touchdown.

Bizjack, however, kept finding ways to respond. He first notched a five-yard score and, after a 59-yard breakaway touchdown from North Crowley’s Daniel Bray, tied the game before the half with a two-yard rush. The Bobcat signal-caller led his team with 203 total yards.

The game was tied 21-21 at the break.

When the Panthers stepped back on the field, they played with higher intensity and started to break down the Bobcat’s defense with passes. Byron Nelson’s offense also struggled, failing to score again after North Crowley adjusted to take away dump off passes.

Jimerson tallied only 28 passing yards in the half but started the second with 21 and 36-yard completions to star wide receiver Quentin Gibson, who had a fantastic second half to finish with 174 total yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions.

“I thought (Jimerson) did a really good job of settling down in the second half,” Gates said. “Just trusting his reads -- we were able to make a couple of big plays in the passing game in the second half.”

The Panthers finished the drive with a seven-yard rushing score from Kiante Ingram, who Gates said provided the Panthers’ “biggest spark.”

North Crowley linebacker Jonathan Cunningham’s sack then forced a punt, and North Crowley got the ball back in prime position at the Bobcats’ 33 for another easy touchdown drive capped by an Ingram rush.

The Panthers’ defense forced a three-and-out and ended a third quarter of dominance with Warren’s third touchdown run. Warren, a UNLV commit, finished with 123 yards on 18 carries.

In general, Gates said he expected more from his running game. However, they did enough to keep North Crowley afloat in a half where expectations and standards weren’t met.

“We’ve got to be able to run the ball,” Gates said. “And that was our emphasis going into this.”

The Panthers then notched a fourth down stop to continue the offensive onslaught; Jimerson hit Gibson on a deep ball for a 45-yard touchdown.

The game’s last score was a quick pass from Jimerson to Gibson, who maneuvered around the defense for a 61-yard touchdown. North Crowley’s Aaron Bradshaw put the finishing touch on an elite second-half showing with a one-handed interception.