North Crowley defeats No. 1 DeSoto and shows no fear in upsetting the reigning state champion

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DESOTO – Nationally ranked DeSoto is considered both the team to beat and the program few want to play against in Texas.

It's ironic, but over the last two years, the odds of being embarrassed on the field by DeSoto have been higher than the odds of pulling off an upset against a team that entered Week 2 of the high school football season on a 23-game winning streak.

This is likely why many programs in Texas have chosen not to play the defending Class 6A Division II state champions with three straight wins before their district games.

North Crowley couldn't have cared one bit about these chances.

One of the brave souls scheduled to face No. 1 DeSoto (1-1) in a non-district game, No. 5 North Crowley (2-0) put on a fearless performance to defeat the champions 57-51 on Friday night at Eagle Stadium.

“The pre-match talk was, we're Buster Douglas, 37-0, taking on Mike Tyson. Never been knocked down. And on February 11, 1990 in Tokyo, Buster Douglas knocked Mike Tyson down in round 10,” said North Crowley coach Ray Gates. “We knew it was going to be four quarters, and we knew we had to take their punches and throw our own. And we did that.”

Although DeSoto scored with 25 seconds left in the game, Daniel Bray's 63-yard touchdown run with 7:50 left in the fourth quarter and North Crowley's successful 2-point attempt afterward secured the win. But it was Quentin Gibson who had the game of his life at a crucial moment for North Crowley. The senior had seven pass catches for 180 yards and four touchdowns.

Cornelius Warren complemented Gibson's performance by running in a 66-yard touchdown run with 10:55 left in the fourth quarter to give North Crowley, which missed its next 2-point attempt, a 49-44 lead. Warren finished the game with 16 carries for 152 yards and three touchdowns.

Senior quarterback Chris Jimerson Jr. threw for 177 yards and four touchdowns on a night when North Crowley played to win. The rising 6A state power made 4 of 6 2-point attempts in a game that featured 10 lead changes.

North Crowley showed no fear from the start. After DeSoto botched the game's opening kickoff, North Crowley recovered the ball and set up Jimerson for a 35-yard touchdown pass to Gibson with 11:48 left in the first quarter.

“I knew I was going to make a play like that as soon as I stepped on the field for the innings,” Gibson said.

DeSoto defeated Georgia 5A state runner-up Creekside 70-0 last weekend. The powerhouse totaled 453 yards on offense and held Creekside to 25 yards rushing and 97 yards passing.

Like his players, Gates didn't shy away from the challenge of competing against the overpowering program and used DeSoto when many others didn't. North Crowley, a 2023 Class 6A Division I semifinalist with goals of becoming a perennial power like DeSoto, started Week 2 with a 29-21 win over 6A newcomer Lancaster in the fourth annual Jerry Jones Classic a week earlier.

Over the next two weeks, North Crowley will face two other state-ranked 6A teams, Denton Guyer and Rockwall. These tough matchups are part of Gates' master plan.

“We have to get over the hump,” Gates said. “And how are we going to get over the hump if we're not playing the best in the country? If we're not playing the best in the state?”

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