Last Thursday, Southlake Carroll erased a 27-0 deficit to beat Jenks (Oklahoma) 34-33 in the StateLine Showdown. In its season opener, the North Crowley Panthers blanked Aledo 26-0, giving the historic program a very rude welcome to 6A football. This week, the Panthers welcome the Dragons for another tough test of 6A football titans. Next week, the Panthers host Houston Summer Creek in a grueling pre-district schedule and warmup to district play in what has been dubbed the “District of Doom.”

“It’s the District of Doom because we’re in it!”
-Coach Demarcus Harris

Playmakers from the StateLine Showdown will be looking to continue their dominance as they matchup against North Crowley’s defensive backfield. The Dragons faced a very good Jenks team who could have spoiled coach Lee Munn’s debut with the Dragons. In Crowley last week, Braylen Cunningham took a poorly thrown pass to the house in a scoring barrage that sealed a dominant 20 point first quarter and buried the Bearcats. Senior quarterback Jacob Torres was good in his debut (11-21, 188) with the varsity Panthers but will have to be stellar matching up against Hudson Tomcheck and Brody Knowles, should the game come down to an airfight. The Dragons are usually good on the ground but were held to a meager 32 yards against Jenks. Their ground game better have an answer for Antonio Smith who disrupted Aledo’s momentum on multiple drives.

North Crowley running backs G’Yrell Smith and Kiante Ingram are the 1-2 punch that will wear down a defense and punish the secondary, setting up big plays over the top. Demarcus Ware, Jr. may have something to say about that. North Crowley boasts its own formidable air attack. Torres found Damarion Mays for 55 yards and in the biggest scoring play of the night, launched a 65 yard bomb to Kade Smith right before halftime.

North Crowley’s defensive backfield will have its hands full facing Knowles, who is joined by Easton Nied, Blake Gunter, Brooks Biggers and Dez Bryant, Jr. Like his father, Bryant Jr. endured a questionable overturned that looked much like a touchdown. This showdown at Crowley Multi-Purpose Stadium is sure to draw a capacity crowd much like last week’s matchup against Aledo. These 6A powerhouses sit atop early season rankings and with the football fans all over the state tuned in, this game won’t disappoint. North Crowley is loaded with ball hawks who tackle receivers before they can run after the catch, if they allow a catch at all. The Panthers proved they can pounce on a poorly thrown pass with an interception or “Pick-6”. Hard hitting safeties Jerry Outhouse, Jr. and Elijajuan Houston are intrusive thoughts roaming in the minds of receivers and the defensive backfield. Any catches allowed come with the potential for brutalizing takedowns. The Dragons will have it hard finding ways to move the ball against North Crowley’s stingy defense.

North Crowley 2026 Football Preview

The storylines leading into this game are too good for pre-district play! Like Aledo the last time the Dragons were in Crowley, they left with huge wins. The Dragons defeated trounced Denton Guyer before falling to Desoto in the 6A-D2 semifinal. First year coaches Demarcus Harris and Lee Munn are both leading programs whose hopes for deep playoff runs must survive a grueling gauntlet to open their 2026 seasons. If either program will reach its preseason goal of playing in December, there’s a good chance they may meet again.

North Crowley hosts Southlake Carroll this Friday at Crowley Multi-Purpose Stadium. Game time is 7 PM and tickets are available here. If you can’t attend the game, the game will be streamed here.