Dual-threat QB, stingy defense lead North Crowley by rival Crowley in season opener
Crowley and North Crowley met for the final time at either high school campus on Friday to open the season as the school district plans to open a new football stadium next season.
In the Star-Telegram fan game of the week, North Crowley dominated neighboring rival Crowley, 33-7, from start to finish especially on defense, before a near full house at Eagle Stadium.
“In your first game, you look for execution and opportunities and we were able to take advantage of some opportunities,” said North Crowley coach Courtney Allen. “We wish we could have done a little more, but we’re always glad to come out with a win to start the season.”
Quarterback Quinton Jackson had a lot to do with it as the versatile senior made plays where there appeared to be no play and delivered big when they were needed.
He completed 14 of 20 passes with no interceptions for 221 yards and accounted for all five of the Panther touchdowns, four passing and the other rushing. Three touchdown passes were to Madarrius Brooks.
“He’s a dual threat. He can run it. He can throw it,” said Allen. “He keeps defenses guessing. It’s a plus for us whenever he has the ball in his hands.”
The Panthers (1-0), ranked No. 4 in the Fort Worth-area Class 6A rankings, started out with a bang and never really looked back.
They scored two touchdowns less than three minutes into the game. Jackson threw 40 yards to Malik Moore for the first score that capped off a 5-play 65-yard scoring drive.
Moments later, an errant hike from center was recovered by defensive end Yafniel Pastrana at the Crowley 20. Two plays later, Jackson kept it for a 15-yard score and a 13-0 lead with 9:10 left in the first quarter.
Crowley, which returned all 11 defensive starters, did settle down and threatened to make a game of it midway in the second quarter. Running back Daunte Blake found a hole and burst 35 yards to the North Crowley 27.
Four plays later, on fourth-and-6 at the 23, QB Aiden McCue threw lateral to Micah Womack, who shucked a tackle near the line of scrimmage and ran the rest of the way down the sideline breaking tackles for a touchdown.
On the ensuing drive, Jackson drove his team 68 yards on 10 plays. He threw 13 yards to Brooks who just broke the goal line that gave NC a 19-7 lead just before half.
Jackson threw two more TD passes to Brooks for 53 and 32 yards to put the game away. Brooks caught four passes for 104 yards while Moore had five for 99 yards.
Blake led Crowley with 101 yards on 25 carries.
“They were all over the place,” said Allen of outside linebackers Nicc Oliver and Semaj Burrell. “We have depth on defense. We kept fresh bodies going in. Hence, our defense played stout for the whole four quarters. That can’t be underestimated.”
This story was originally published August 28, 2021 at 12:52 AM.