Maybe it was the losses to North Crowley that had prognosticators shook but September’s outlook didn’t look good for Southlake Carroll (7-2) and Aledo (6-3). If you’re familiar with football in Texas, you had to know that these two programs wouldn’t fall to the bottom. Carroll was inches away from a state title berth and back-to-back appearances in the state title game. The Dragons are eight-time champions with three in the 3A classification and five in the 5A classification. In 2024, the Carroll fell short to Austin Vandergrift in the title game. Aledo is “Titletown” as we know it, boasting a record 12 UIL Football Championships. They last hoisted the championship trophy in 2023, with a clobbering of Smithson Valley 51-8. Faltering in Crowley could have derailed their season, but Coach Robbie Jones knew what he had to do as his young team absorbed the opening week loss.
After a thrilling win over Oklahoma Jenks 34-33, the Dragons quickly lost their momentum and fell 40-10 to North Crowley and 56-21 to Allen, both top contenders in their divisions. The Dragons remain undefeated in district play and are poised to cap their regular season against Boswell and with a clear path to yet another district title. After their “Welcome to 6A” moment against North Crowley, Aledo regained its footing but fell to Martin at home, ending a 19-year 136-game winning streak.
Aledo opened the season with losses to North Crowley and Waco Midway but seemingly figured out football at the top of the food chain. The Bearcats were on their way to another state title until a late fourth quarter comeback by Frisco Lone Star upended their title hopes and ended their season. The football powerhouse has had little struggle in district play and aside from the two-score loss to Martin, they look ready to take another deep trek through the UIL Football Playoffs this season.
If you’re going to lose, lose early!
After a commanding state title championship performance, Desoto (7-2) opened the 2026 season in Florida to face St. Thomas Aquinas in a nationally televised game. Things went downhill almost immediately as a few of Desoto’s captains chose not to shake hands with STA’s captains. The gaffe became a teachable moment as fans from both sides called out the young men for the display of poor sportsmanship. The Eagles flew home with a lot to think about following the 38-14 opening loss. Was Desoto doomed after the losing to Florida’s D1 factory? It didn’t help that Pro Football Hall of Famer, Michael Irvin was on the sidelines cheering on his high school alma mater. Desoto came home to regroup but got throttled by Allen, 50-6. Two losses to high profile teams was a sure setback but the team couldn’t dare go 0-3. Then came the greatest test of their greatest test in pre-district play came against Duncanville in the Parrish Classic. The Southern Dallas County corridor is home to champions in Duncanville, Desoto and contenders like Lancaster and Cedar Hill. Any competition between the two is bound to be fierce.
At the Cotton Bowl for a noon kickoff, you can’t mess this up! It was a nail biter but Desoto escaped with the win by one point over Duncanville (5-4). A blocked PAT ended Desoto’s winless ways in pre-district play and the Eagles haven’t looked back since. The reigning UIL 6A Division II champs won’t get to defend their title because they were reclassified earlier this year to a 5A school. Despite issues at quarterback, the Eagles haven’t struggled much behind the efforts of Texas Tech commit SaRod Baker. Baker’s heroics against Southlake Carroll last season turned the football world’s attention to him as the perfect partner to Ethan “Boobie” Feaster‘s remarkable play as a wide receiver. This season, Baker serves as quarterback but takes some direct snaps for rushing attempts as well. How well this holds up in the playoffs remains to be seen, but Desoto has steamrolled its way through district play with the district championship in hand, shaping up to be a tough contender in the postseason.
After coming up short in the title game against Galena Park North Shore, we asked Coach Reginald Samples if he’d return this year. He was very frustrated by the loss but told us he’d think about it. After thinking about it, Coach Samples returned to the sidelines to coach Duncanville through another season. This season put them up against Waxahachie, and North Crowley in the “District of Doom.” Duncanville also had a slow start to their season and left watchers wondering if Coach Samples should have left it all on the field at AT&T Stadium last December following an opening week 26-7 loss to Allen. The Panthers got back on track with a win over Cedar Hill but stumbled against Desoto at the Cotton Bowl.
In district play, Duncanville was no match for North Crowley who blew the gates off the hinges with a double-digit loss, 47-30 at home. Since the loss to open district play, Duncanville has returned to shape but couldn’t clear the cobwebs in Waxahachie. When Indians quarterback Jerry Meyer III went down with a collarbone injury, momentum shifted but Duncanville just couldn’t take advantage of it. There were several big plays and quick strikes, but not enough to top Waxahachie. In his postgame speech to his team, Coach Samples reminded his team that last year, Waxahachie bested them in the regular season but it was Duncanville who won when it mattered in the postseason on their way to the state championship. Duncanville rolled past Red Oak, Lake Ridge, Mansfield, and Crowley and face Skyline to close out the season and prepare for the playoffs.
We’re finishing the season where we started, at North Crowley. The 2026 Panthers team is collecting its fifth straight district championship as they face Red Oak at home. The championship was clinched last week after clobbering Mansfield 72-10. The Panthers have reached 70+ points in their last three games (Lake Ridge, Skyline and Mansfield) and would sure like to hang more than that on Red Oak for senior night. Coach Demarcus Harris has been inserting his “second and third starters” this season and it’s paying dividends, too. The scoring doesn’t stop when the first starters are done for the night. North Crowley is loaded and their depth may be this season’s secret weapon. The game originally slated for Friday night has been moved to Thursday night so we’ll be there for senior night as the Panthers prepare for the ‘new’ season that begins with the playoffs. After experiencing the heartbreak of losing to Allen last year, this team is focused on righting their wrongs and playing their final game of the season at AT&T Stadium.
This year, we learned an important lesson: Get your losing out of the way, early! With losing comes lessons you can build on and prepare you for a long postseason. Pre-district play is an essentially meaningless factor at the end of the season, but choosing a heavyweight bout when you could choose a cakewalk instead means something to teams who plan to be playing late into the calendar year. These teams all took a punch in the mouth and didn’t shy away from tough teams and atmospheres. They let people talk and doubt them but what you see now is the result of championship mettle. This is a good place to celebrate the job their coaches and staff do with their players. Coach Robbie Jones (Aledo), Lee Munn (Southlake Carroll), Reginald Samples (Duncanville), Claude Mathis (Desoto) and Coach Demarcus Harris (North Crowley)each lead their coaching staff and players to achieve high levels of success on and off the field. This is to be commended and with Texas High School Coaches Day on the horizon, we want to shout these coaches out. Stay tuned to our 2026 Coaches Salute, this week in The SMG Report.
Pre-district play spelled doom for these teams, but they made necessary changes and now head into the playoffs as the tough contenders you expect them to be. The regular season ends this weekend but we’ll be back next week with brackets and playoff game updates as soon as they’re available!
