Fort Worth high school football teams off to good starts, other area squads are 3-0
For nearly four decades, Fort Worth North Side suffered much heartache on the football field. The Steers made the playoffs in 2019, the first time in 40 years.
From 1973 to 2016, the team hadn’t started a season 3-0.
Then North Side began 3-0 in 2017 and again in 2020, when it won seven games overall. The Steers made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020, a first since the 1970s.
Turn the page to another football season and here are the 3-0 Steers once more. They have wins over Dallas Roosevelt, Saginaw and Wilmer-Hutchins.
“I have new members on my coaching staff, quite a few guys that worked extremely hard and have done a good job putting the kids in a great position,” North Side coach Joseph Turner said. “Another thing is our experience. We came up short in some opportunities last year, but now the boys are dialed in and winning some games.
“We start fresh every year and we’re not looking ahead too hard into the future, but it’s great being competitive. That was one of my goals when I took the job. Now we’re competing with some good football teams.”
North Side isn’t the only Fort Worth ISD school to have a 3-0 record.
Arlington Heights, Paschal, Carter-Riverside and Wyatt are also 3-0.
“There’s still a stigma around us so when we beat those teams, you can see it in their eyes walking across the field, shaking their hands ... they can’t believe they got beat by a Fort Worth ISD team. They take you for granted so it’s a gratifying feeling to be recognized,” Heights coach Phil Young said.
Heights has wins over Joshua, Frisco Panther Creek and Waco University.
It’s the first time the Yellowjackets are 3-0 since 2014.
Heights almost picked up its first loss, but came out on top 29-28 over University in Week 3. The Yellowjackets trailed 14-0 before making a goal line stop just before the half.
They scored with 30 seconds left and converted the ensuing two-point try.
“We’ve played three good teams, high quality and high caliber,” Young said. “We’re more mature and experienced and you can see that even when they get ready before the game. In two of those games, we were behind at halftime. There’s no panic, we just make adjustments. So there’s a difference in maturity and a growth physically and mentally.
“Last four to five years, we haven’t been here and the kids haven’t experienced it. So to go from 2-0 to 3-0, there’s an excitement from the school, the kids, campus, teams, students and administration.”
Paschal and Carter-Riverside are off to their best start since 2015.
Wyatt is off to its best since 2017.
All three teams had to win close games in Week 3.
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Paschal’s Chris Gee scored with 21 seconds left to beat Dallas Kimball, 27-21. Wyatt beat Dunbar, 16-13 while Carter-Riverside edged out Dallas Adamson, 24-21.
“It’s great. A shoutout to all the head coaches and assistant coaches for putting in the work,” Turner said. “It doesn’t go unnoticed.”
“We Fort Worth coaches know that we have good coaching staffs and we take a lot of pride beating teams outside the district,” Young added.
Four more FWISD teams are 2-1: Trimble Tech, Southwest, Eastern Hills and Western Hills.
The district has a 24-18 record among its 14 football teams.
“In my 33rd year with FWISD, this is one of the best starts to a football season that I can recall,” athletic director Lisa Langston said. “Super proud of our coaches and our kids. It’s a wonderful feeling and we’re seeing the results from the hard work our student athletes put in during the summer months. To get started so well, they had to prepare and come in great shape and our kids took advantage of the opportunities in the summer.
“Coaches are working hard to raise a level of expectations for the kids and ourselves as a district.”
Four other teams with a Fort Worth address are 3-0: Boswell, Lake Country, Temple Christian and North Crowley.
North Crowley snapped the longest drought. The Panthers haven’t been 3-0 since 2005.
They’re coming off an impressive 28-20 win over state-ranked Lucas Lovejoy.
“I’m super excited for our community, super excited for our kids,” said North Crowley coach Ray Gates after the game. “It’s the first time we’ve been 3-0 since 2005 and I can’t tell you the last time we beat a ranked opponent in the state. So it’s a great win for North Crowley and our community.”
Overall, 26 Fort Worth-area high school football teams are still undefeated through three weeks: Argyle, Arlington Heights, LD Bell, Boswell, Byron Nelson, Southlake Carroll, Carter-Riverside, Burleson Centennial, Fort Worth Christian, Glen Rose, Granbury, Keller, Lake Country, Mansfield, Midlothian, Mineral Wells, North Crowley, North Side, Paschal, Richland, Temple Christian, Mansfield Timberview, Tolar, Weatherford, Weatherford Christian and Wyatt.
Seven teams are 3-0 for the second straight season: Keller, Byron Nelson, Argyle, Carroll, Mineral Wells, Richland and Weatherford Christian.
After North Crowley, the longest drought snapped came from Mansfield (2011), followed by Bell (2012).
This story was originally published September 14, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
