North Crowley secures strong victory vs. Allen, sets up semifinal rematch with Duncanville

On a cold, rainy day, North Crowley dominated the Allen Eagles in a Texas high school football Class 6A Division One Regional Final.

The Panthers led from start to finish, securing an 35-7 victory over Allen, the largest high school in Texas and a five-time UIL state champion, on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Newsom Stadium.

“I was more than pleased with our approach and just the way that our kids answered the call,” North Crowley head coach Ray Gates said. “ … They were ready to go. They were ready to step up to the challenge.”

North Crowley will rematch reigning champion Duncanville in the state semifinals. In 2023, Duncanville eliminated North Crowley with a sizable 52-10 victory.

“Of course you want it,” Gates said of the Duncanville rematch. “You want to be up there again and shoot your best shot. And so our kids have been working towards that ever since we walked off the field when they beat us 52 to 10 last year in the fifth round.

“Our offseason was geared toward that. Everything that we did was geared toward that.”

Against Allen, the defense stole the show, dominating from the beginning. Gates said the staff emphasizes a “NASCAR mentality,” which involves starting and staying fast.

Allen tallied 91 total yards, only scoring in the final moments of the fourth quarter.

“I thought the guys flew around,” Gates said of the defensive performance. “I thought the coaches did an unbelievable job of creating a game plan that would allow us to be aggressive and take advantage of all the things that they wanted to do. And so, that was one of our best performances on defense.

“And you’re doing it here in round four in these types of conditions. I couldn’t be more proud of the group and their resolve, defensively.”

The Eagles helped the Panthers with seven fumbles, likely due to the elements. Offensively, North Crowley relentlessly ran the ball. The Panthers tallied 382 rushing yards, with senior Cornelius Warren III stealing the show with 170 yards and a touchdown.

Sophomore running back Kiante Ingram also thrived, tallying 130 yards and two scores.

“These guys come to work every single day,” Gates said. “The offensive line – it starts with those guys up front. They want to be physical, they want to move guys around, and they did that today.”

“When they can do that effectively, and they can communicate with the running backs, they do what they do. God gave them the ability to run fast.”

North Crowley (14-0) set the tone with a nine-play, 75-yard drive capped by a rushing touchdown from quarterback Chris Jimerson. The Panthers failed to score the rest of the first quarter, but the defense stopped Allen with ease.

In the second quarter, the Eagles started a series of blunders with a fake punt attempt that was dropped. North Crowley took over at the 27-yard line, and Ingram found the end one with a 10-yard run.

After an Allen (13-1) snap on a punt was dropped, North Crowley took over at the Eagles’ nine. Ingram capitalized on the field position, adding a four-yard touchdown.

Although a 69-yard run from Ingram got North Crowley back into striking distance, Jimerson fumbled near the goal line to end the Panthers’ drive. Another Allen fumble fizzled a drive, and North Crowley took a strong 21-0 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, wide receiver Quentin Gibson, a Colorado commit, extended the lead and added to his highlight real. He ran a fade route facing fourth down and leaped for the ball while somehow getting a foot down for a terrific touchdown catch.

The Panthers kept scoring in the fourth quarter; Warren III got his team to the red zone with an 81-yard run and capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown.

With four minutes left in regulation, Allen broke the shutout with a three-yard rushing touchdown from Jaden Habric. Neither team scored again, and the Panthers drained the clock in victory formation.

“It’s an honor,” Gates said of the semifinal birth. “It’s a blessing. I couldn’t have scripted this any better when I had an opportunity to come here. God has been really good to us, and he smiled down on our kids and our community.”