The North Crowley powerhouse era is here. All signs point toward it being here to stay

Fort Worth is a city of football champions again.

North Crowley’s dominant 50-21 state championship win over Austin Westlake on Saturday, Dec. 21, at AT&T Stadium proved a point: The Panthers have the best team in Texas.

“When you get to this point, there’s only one team that’s standing that’s hoisting the trophy,” North Crowley head coach Ray Gates said. “And fortunately for us -- this year it’s us, and we just happen to be from 817.”

In back-to-back seasons, the Texas high school football kingpin is clear and undisputed. In 2023, it was DeSoto. In 2024, it’s the North Crowley Panthers from Fort Worth, which is a historic change of the guard.

Fort Worth has been majorly underrepresented in the UIL’s largest classification. The Panthers’ title is the first large-class UIL championship for Cowtown since Arlington Heights in the 1948 season.

“It feels good to put on for the city,” Texas signee and North Crowley linebacker Jonathan Cunningham said. “We were wearing (for the city) on our back.”

It’s the first championship win and appearance for the city in a classification since 2003, when North Crowley won a class 4A Division I title. Kirkpatrick also won a PVIL title in 1963.

Other than those two championship teams, Fort Worth, the fifth largest and one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas, has sat on the sidelines while other communities have claimed championships.

Especially in recent years, Dallas-Fort Worth football has made its mark as the undisputed top area in Texas football with Duncanville and DeSoto’s dominance. Fort Worth, however, was an afterthought.

It isn’t an afterthought anymore.

“We’re elated to be able to bring that type of recognition back to our community, just to let people know that when you talk about this area when you talk about Metroplex football, you can’t forget about us,” Gates said.

The representation matters at the top of Texas football matters. North Crowley has given young kids and athletes in Fort Worth hope. The Panther’s star players have given the community larger-than-life heroes and role models to look up to.

In an era where some top prospects transfer to private schools or find their way to a more competitive public school, North Crowley gives Fort Worth products reasons not to leave. The 2024 season proves success at the highest level is possible in a Fort Worth public school.

On national signing day, North Crowley had the largest signing class in Dallas-Fort Worth with nine players.

The Fort Worth community understands what North Crowley has done is special. The fan turnouts at the state championship and state semifinal prove that.

First, fans sold out 18,000 seat Allen Eagle Stadium. Next, they packed AT&T Stadium with 36,120 fans while competing with the College Football Playoff teams, SMU and Texas, for fans’ attention.

“You have to start with giving the people something to support,” Gates said. “The 817 is about the city of Fort Worth, not just Crowley and beyond.”

North Crowley vs. Westlake drew 9,873 more fans than Southlake Carroll and Vandegrift. The Vipers were going for the program’s first state title, and the Dragons have a massive fanbase and rich tradition.

The city of Fort Worth needs to cherish and celebrate this North Crowley team.

The Panthers aren’t going anywhere and are set to be a Texas football powerhouse for years to come. It’s important to recognize, however, that this senior class was something special.

Wide receiver Quentin Gibson had one of the best Texas football individual seasons of all time, tallying 2,009 yards and 36 touchdown catches.

Gibson has the fourth most touchdowns in Texas’ history. His three touchdowns in the title game are a tie for the most in 6A championship history.

He set himself to continue his athletic career with the Colorado Buffaloes on the national stage, catapulting from an undervalued prospect to a Texas football hero.

“My senior year has been a movie, with me having nothing and not knowing what I was going to do at the end of the season and now being at Colorado and finding my home,” Gibson said.

Quarterback Chirs Jimerson Jr. ended an illustrious four-year career that saw him lead a North Crowley offense that averaged 50 points per game in the last three seasons. Jimerson, a UNT signee, improved exponentially every single and threw 58 touchdown passes en route to a state title.

It’s truly the end of an era for North Crowley and its 2024 senior class. At the same time, it’s arguably just the beginning of the Panthers’ rise.

There are plenty of rising underclassmen, such as sophomore RB Kiante Ingram and championship Defensive MVP Derrick Gleason, who can inherit the reigns.

Gates has been in control for just three seasons. At the very start, they became a Texas football powerhouse, and the growth has been exponential and consistent.

In 2024, the Panthers ran the table with wins over elite schools that have combined for 24 state championships.

Now, Imagine what can be accomplished in a decade of growth.

“We’re one of the fastest-growing cities in the Metroplex,” Gates said. “They’re building onto our school, brand new facilities. I have five turf fields. We’re building an indoor track complex. We will be the only school in the country with an indoor track complex. When you put those type of resources together, and you have the type of growth we have, this is something that could be special.”

The era of Fort Worth championship football is here.

All signs point toward it being here to stay.