When the lights come on at Crowley ISD MultiPurpose Stadium this season, marquee non-district matchups with Texas football powerhouses Aledo, Southlake Carroll and Houston Summer Creek take center stage before the North Crowley Panthers head east to face a formidable Duncanville team looking to avenge last season’s state championship loss to North Shore. The Panthers’ season opener welcomes perennial powerhouse Aledo back to Crowley Stadium. The last time the Bearcats were in Crowley, they shutout Fort Worth’s Arlington Heights, ending their historic playoff run. This matchup will be Aledo’s first taste of 6A competition after moving up in this year’s realignment. The Bearcats will leave Crowley tasting sweet victory or licking their wounds. As with each season opener, there will be some summer rust, but don’t expect much. These young men are coming to play and this heavyweight bout is about as big as the lights are bright on a Friday night in Texas.
“…Teams are coming for us and we have a big target on our backs!”
The UIL realignment of 2026 could spell disaster for programs hoping to make a deep playoff run. Sportswriters have dubbed this, the “District of Doom,” with three of its eight teams locks for deep playoff runs. Duncanville is on a mission to get back to the state championship after a heartbreaking loss to North Shore. Waxahachie came up just short in its bid for a berth in the state semi-final, falling 35-27 to Duncanville last season. The Indians and the Panthers are set for a rematch in Waxahachie Friday, October 23rd. Duncanville begins the season near where it left off. Duncanville travels to Allen to put the Eagles’ retooled team to an early test. Duncanville was no match for the Eagles last season as they cruised to a championship berth against North Shore following a 31-9 drubbing of Allen. The rematch and many of their regular season games have playoff implications and season derailing ramifications with a loss. The Panthers are shaking off-season adversity with the return of Jacob Torres who was ruled ineligible by the UIL last season. JJ Meredith, the #1 prospect this season was ruled ineligible by the UIL, dealing a major blow to North Crowley’s “No-Fly Zone” secondary. Charles Baggarly (Star-Telegram) blew the doors off the clandestine dealings between the UIL and Euless Trinity head coach Aaron Lineweaver which led to Meredith’s eligibility decision.
What spells doom for others could spell destiny for the Panthers. Their regular season schedule reads like a postseason bracket, but the Panthers are showing no fear heading into the new season. Each test is a tune up for the postseason, which features the opponents on the path through the playoffs. Rounding out their regular season schedule is a clash with their in-district rivals at Crowley, upstart challengers, Waxahachie, and Lake Ridge before settling into clashes with Skyline, Mansfield and Red Oak.
With the Panthers poised to retake their place atop 6A football in Texas, their regular season is a gambit unlike any other.
The Panthers’ shocking loss to Allen last year signaled the end of an era for the program, which sprinted to preeminence in Texas’ largest classification. From the outside looking in, the program seemed to have fallen as fast as it rose to dominance, outpacing programs from all over the state. This team is different from last year and many players are already expressing the difference. Starting Quarterback Jacob Torres praised Coach Demarcus Harris‘ creation of a leadership council. These team leaders led workouts and increased on and off-field accountability among players.
Senior Center Tre Tate recounted the reality check the team faced last season as a teachable moment. “I think we were coming off a 16-0 season, state championship…everybody already told us we were the best, everybody said we didn’t have to work as hard and we didn’t think we needed to work as hard as we did to get to the state championship last year because we were already better than everybody. But now we understand that teams are coming for us and we have a big target on our backs and we understand that we have to work harder than anybody else to maintain that.” Senior OLB Avery Dotson says the team is playing like a family. “This year feels like we’re moving like a unit and last year I don’t feel like we were moving like a family. This year, we’re moving like a unit and we’re moving fast!”
“It’s the “District of Doom” because we’re in it!”
-Coach Demarcus Harris
With the departure of Coach Ray Gates, the program begins the year with 1st year head coach Demarcus Harris, who pledges to continue the winning tradition that began with Coach Gates. Harris is more than the ‘next man up.’ He is the man for the job and has built on the rapport and relationship he has with the players. At media day, confidence was at an all-time high as the players laid out expectations for themselves and the program. The program faced its share of ups and downs before they ever put pads on. adversity mounted again when senior transfer John Meredith III was ruled ineligible, leading to his decision to reclassify and suit up for the Texas Longhorns this year.
“Everybody around the program’s got a chip on their shoulder, but it’s made everything great. It’s made practice great. It’s made summer workouts great and it’s made everything unbelievable!”
-Coach Demarcus Harris
“This year, we’re moving like a unit and we’re moving fast!”
Leadership at North Crowley doesn’t begin or end on the field. It extends to every facet of life, as Coach Harris demands his players do all things well. There are no little things, there are vital things. How the young men carry themselves, take care of themselves and each other is a lesson bigger than the game of football. When the Panthers take the field, they take the field as a unit with a single goal. With an offseason focus on reflecting and rebuilding, the program regained its strength with a familiar face at the helm and look poised to once again be the team to beat. The Panthers are hungry and this team is playing with a chip on its shoulder and its sights set on seeing the field at AT&T Stadium in December. This season will bring no shortage of tests of will and grit, but each game promises to be a matchup football fans in Texas won’t want to miss!
Follow North Crowley Panther Football and keep up with all the gameday and player stats on www.MaxPreps.com.
