One team will leave Lumpkins Stadium as a contender and the other a pretender
There’s no other way to say it, this Friday is one of this season’s biggest regular season games in high school football. The game we’ve been waiting for all year is finally here! North Crowley and Waxahachie are on a collision course to take the reins of district 11-6A dubbed, “The District of Doom.” Though facing high profile challengers, the Panthers remain untested through the first half of the season. Things change this weekend with championship implications on the line. The winner could ultimately take the district crown and keep their playoff destiny in their hands. This marquee matchup is the first between the two programs and promises to live up to the anticipation. Last season, Waxahachie put Duncanville on the ropes but couldn’t knock out the powerhouse who went on to face North Shore in title game. As you can imagine, the Indians are looking forward to their rematch on the 23rd of this month. Two schools on each team’s radar remain Allen, who remains atop all 6A rankings and ahead of both teams in national rankings and Galena Park North Shore, the remaining 6A D1 Champion. For now, the business at hand is at Waxahachie.
This week though, Jerry Meyer III and his receivers face the turbulence of North Crowley’s “no-fly zone” anchored by Jerry Outhouse, Jr. and Elijajuan “Fats” Houston. North Crowley’s hard hitting ball hawks are looking to shut down any momentum Waxahachie can garner in the air. This won’t be an easy feat against a team averaging nearly 300 yards in the air. Meyer is completing 70% of his passes this season and boasts an impressive 142.4 passer rating. The Panther defense stifling Meyer won’t make the night any easier because what they don’t do in the air, Waxahachie can do on the ground. Taylen Strange is having is off to an amazing start with 12 rushing touchdowns through five games, averaging more than 100 yards per game.
On the other side of the ball, the Indians have a very active defense waiting to slow down Kiante Ingram and G’yrell Smith. They won’t have much time to because Smith blazes past the line of scrimmage and into the secondary before players have a chance to react, while Ingram’s second and third efforts make tackles a team effort. Aaron Snell and Sedrick Marsh, Jr. are up to that challenge. Damarion “Champ” Mays and Pryce Demerson will keep JayQuan Snell and Waxahachie’s secondary upfield and on their toes for the duration of the game, but how the Indians plan to keep them out of the end zone remains to be seen. Jacob Torres has proven that he can get the ball in the hands of his receivers whether a post, screen or wheel route out of the backfield. Torres has wheels of his own and can advance the ball with his legs, another layer of defending this tough to beat North Crowley team
The Panther defense is getting white hot at the right time. Early defensive leader Antonio Smith remains a disruptive force in the trenches but Avery Dotson, Jordan Herigon and Brock Lacy are securing the second phase of the defense with precision. The defensive backfield entered the season as one of the most impermeable and invincible squadrons on the field. They are living up to it with pass defenses, deflections and interceptions. If you do happen to catch a pass on these guys, you’d better be much faster than them because a collision is coming. Braylen Cunningham whose two picks against Southlake Carroll held their high flying offense to only 10 points added to his impressive 2026 campaign with a field goal block against Crowley. The block was returned for a touchdown by Zion Miller in a 35-14 rout of the crosstown rivals.
“It’s a big game because we’re in it!”
Coach Demarcus Harris
North Crowley’s preparation for this big game includes simple messaging, “focus!” Coach Demarcus Harris says he feels good about his team but wants them to focus telling The SMG Report, “I feel like every time we line up we have a chance to win. If we focus and execute, we’ll be fine. We can beat anybody in the state or in the country if we focus on ourselves.” One of the talking points of the season has been North Crowley’s excessive penalization. Coach Harris has pledged ‘corrective action‘ to deal with the perceived lack of discipline. In a rivalry game against Crowley, tempers flared and the game got chippy. Players defended each other but were flagged for it. “We play hard, we play fast, we play physical!” Coach Harris is correcting what seems to be a lack of discipline but remains unapologetic about the energy the Panthers bring to the game. “Whoa, whoa, whoa not, go, go go!” is coach Harris’ philosophy. He would rather his team be too intense than not intense enough. The Panthers remain on the prowl and relish away games as less of a distraction.
As far as the big game atmosphere, this season has been nothing short of big games with statewide and national attention. Coach Harris and his team aren’t shrinking back from it saying, “It’s a big game because we’re in it and our kids understand that.” This is as big a regular season matchup as we’ve seen in recent years. Both teams are nationally ranked and each team is working to avenge last season’s third round exit. You don’t want to hear about it, you have to see it for yourself. Tickets are still available but you don’t want to be the one who missed it! Get your tickets, here.
