Running back Ashton Searl powers North Crowley to blowout playoff win over Keller

North Crowley beat Keller 42-26 and Panther running back Ashton Searl was responsible for 18 of the team’s total at Crowley ISD Stadium on Friday.

He had almost 150 yards rushing and three touchdowns. He was one of the prime examples of athleticism, which Keller head coach Carl Stralow said was an important factor in the game.

“Athletic ability on their team is very high,” he said. “Coach [Ray] Gates does a great job getting them to play as hard as they possibly can, which is a testament to him and his coaching staff.”

North Crowley’s wide receiver LaMarcus Davis pulled his own weight in the win too.He finished the night with two receiving touchdowns; one for 65 yards and another for 31 yards.

The other touchdown was another passing play. This time, quarterback Chris Jimerson Jr., a TCU commit, connected with wide receiver Dekoryian West-Davis for six yards.

Another big part of the Panthers’ success was their ability to convert on fourth down. Jimerson’s pass to West-Davis was a fourth-down play on North Crowley’s first offensive drive.

Their next drive also had a fourth-down conversion, which was executed via a fake punt that moved the Panthers 26 yards down the field. That drive ended with one of Searl’s touchdowns.

Stralow said Keller was dealing with some injuries, so starting younger players led to some mistakes as a result of inexperience. However, he credited North Crowley with having a complete program.

“They’re well-coached, they play hard and they’re very athletic,” he said.

Keller was able to get to the red zone, but North Crowley consistently stopped them, forcing them to settle for two field goals in the first half.

Keller didn’t reach the end zone until the third quarter via a 6-yard passing play from quarterback Beckham Robinson to wide receiver Drew Roberts.

The duo would connect again for 56 yards, which made it a 42-19 game after failing the 2-point conversion.

Running back Cameron Rayford also joined in on the scoring with a garbage-time 3-yard rushing touchdown that made it 42-26 after the extra point.

In the second half, the defense stepped up and held the Panthers to just one touchdown.

“I was proud of how we played in the second half,” said Stralow. “I wish we would have played like that in the first half.”

The Indians also gave up some penalties on third downs that would have forced the Panthers to punt and on fourth down that would have forced a turnover on downs. Instead, North Crowley got new life that often ended with a trip to the end zone.

The Panthers took advantage of the opportunities given and laid the pressure on the Indians. Now they’ll advance to round two of the playoffs.

“We played a very good football team today that’s probably gonna go on a long run.”

The next step on that run will be Odessa Permian, which beat Pebble Hills 26-13 in its first round matchup.

North Crowley will go into the game 11-0 on the season facing Odessa Permian, a team that is 7-4 this year.