North Crowley, head coach Ray Gates secure program defining quarterfinal win over Allen
There’s a new, established superpower in Dallas-Fort Worth football.
North Crowley proved it belongs in the upper tier of Class 6A programs such as Duncanville, DeSoto and Southlake Carroll with a program defining 49-37 win over Allen in the Class 6A D1 regional final on Saturday at Dragon Stadium.
“Every game has its moments and when the moments matter the most somehow this group will continue to find ways to put it all together,” head coach Ray Gates said. “In order to do that you have to be forged in the fire and our guys have been through the fire and so they’re ready and they’re prepared for the moment.”
Gates said there are no moments too big for North Crowley. The Panthers will face either Duncanville (11-1) or Houston Westfield (11-2) in the State Semifinal.
“They believe in each other,” Gates said. “They believe in the staff and that’s one of the most important things in the world is belief. If you can believe in yourself and if you can believe that you have the goods to get it done then good things will happen.”
In 2022, North Crowley was eliminated by Prosper in the regional semifinal. The Panthers defeated Prosper in 2023 en route to punching their ticket to a State Semifinal. Gates said the difference between last year and this year comes down to one thing: growth.
“When you’re building something, it takes time,” Gates said. “We live in a microwave society. We want to put 30 seconds on and ‘ding, I’m ready and have a meal.’ Good stuff takes a while to build and if you put it in a crock pot it tastes a little bit different.”
Running back Ashton Searl led North Crowley (14-0) with 171 yards and 2 touchdowns on 12 carries.
Cornelius Warren III, in his return from an injury in early October, tallied 50 yards and 2 touchdowns.
“When we get both of those guys back it’s thunder and lightning,” Gates said. “It’s a two headed monster. It doesn’t matter who’s back there. When Ashton runs he brings a physical presence to the game.”
Dekoryian West-Davis led the receiving room with 99 yards and a touchdown, and Louisiana Tech commit Mason Ferguson also had a strong showing with 72 yards and a score.
Quarterback Chris Jimerson Jr., a TCU commit, rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown and passed for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Gates said the junior quarterback was fighting through a shoulder injury.
“He’s hurting and he fought through it,” Gates said. “He showed his leadership, he showed guts and grit. We’re just so proud of our guys and the way that they played and finished today.”
North Crowley was shut out by Allen (9-5) in the third quarter but scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to pull away with the win.
“Us versus us,” defensive lineman Sterlin Brooks, a TCU commit, said. “Nobody can stop us. As long as we don’t get in our own way then we’re gonna win.”
The Panthers’ pounce on the Eagles
North Crowley’s defense contained quarterback Dylan Chapman to 56 passing yards in the first half but was susceptible to the home run rushing play. The Panthers gave up two 50 plus yard rushing touchdowns to Caleb Smith and Amir McDowell.
All things considered, North Crowley’s defense was consistent with the exception of those two big plays. Defensive linemen Xavier Coleman, Dacorien Thompson and Brooks made big tackles at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield to limit the Eagles’ production.
“We play fast, we play rough and physical,” Brooks said. “It’s physical in those trenches and that’s where we control it.”
North Crowley offense, which averages 56 points per game, matched to Eagles’ opening score by Smith with a 30 yard touchdown from Jimerson Jr. to West-Davis.
The Panther offense was stymied until the start of the second quarter, when Jimerson Jr. found Ferguson for a 42 yard gain. Warren III rushed for a 26 yard touchdown on the next play.
“He’s a difference maker,” Gates said. “It didn’t matter that he hadn’t played for us in eight weeks. He comes out tonight and has game changing moments. When you have players like that the moment is never too big for them.”
After an Eagle punt, Jimerson Jr. was hit hard and Zina Umeozulu recovered 13 yards shy of the end zone. The North Crowley defense was able to limit the damage and stopped the Eagles in the red zone, forcing a 26 yard field goal that went through the uprights.
North Crowley took over and the Jimerson Jr. and running back Ashton Searl notched 18 yard rushes prior to a 27 yard completion to Dekoryian West-Davis.
The drive culminated with a 30 yard touchdown strike from Jimerson Jr. to Ferguson.
The Allen Eagles had a chance to tie the game with a 41 yard field goal as time in the first half expired but it hut off the uprights.
North Crowley defensive back Camden Hawkins made a stellar play to start the third quarter, intercepting QB Dylan Chapman’s pass. In the return, however, he fumbled right back to the Eagles. The play was inconsequential and Allen was forced to punt.
The next score of the game was a 5 yard run by Quinton House-Hammonds to give Allen a 24-21 lead with 3:35 remaining in the third quarter.
It seemed as if North Crowley was set to punt back to the Eagles to start the fourth quarter, but it was a fake and Searl rushed for 29 yards. Jimerson Jr. capitalized on the momentum, rushing for 31 yards and a touchdown.
“We were looking from the first time we punted it,” North Crowley said. “And I saw how they lined up, and I told coach later that we have the fake there if we need it. We anticipated what they were going to do and I knew in that moment that we needed a jumpstart.”
Allen tried to match North Crowley with a fake punt of its own from its own 11 yard line. It was stuffed, and the Panthers took over; Warren III rushed in for a 12 yard TD to give North Crowley a 35-24 lead.
“That was a huge momentum swing for us, Gates said. “I know they probably felt like the game was slipping away. They were trying to gain the momentum back, but again, our guys stay locked in the moment.”
Allen responded with a 10 play, 77 yard drive that was capped by a 1 yard rush by House Hammonds. The 2-point conversion was no good, and North Crowley quickly seized back the momentum with a 75 yard touchdown run by Searl on the first play of the drive.
Searl has been making plays all season long, and Warren III said he appreciates him powering the ground game during his absence.
“I think we’re the best running back duo out there,” Warren said.
Allen was able to cut the lead again with a 1 yard touchdown from McDowell, but North Crowley sealed the deal with a 36 yard rushing touchdown by Ashton Searl.
Now, the Panthers are preparing for what’s next. Jimerson Jr. said the team will need to focus on recovery during the week. Brooks went down with an injury in the second half but powered through.
“I’m a little banged up, but we ain’t got time for pain,” Brooks said. “We’re trying to go get a ring so we can deal with pain later. Pain is a mental thing. It’s all your mind versus you all time.”
This story was originally published December 2, 2023 at 5:43 PM.
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