North Crowley’s defense makes timely stops to defeat Lancaster in Jerry Jones Classic
Ahead of the season opener, North Crowley head coach Ray Gates said a team goal was to cement the program as a house hold name in Texas high school football.
At the Jerry Jones Classic at the Ford Center at The Star, North Crowley, the No. 1 ranked team in the Star-Telegram’s Class 6A rankings, was aggressive in a 29-21 win over Lancaster. Although the offense struggled at times, the defense set the tone with timely stops.
“That shows that we can play when it matters most,” Gates said. “Today was a lot of bend but don’t break. We have flashes in there of what we wanted to do. We’ll clean up everything from the film. Our guys will show up ready to go.”
Under a massive spotlight on national television, North Crowley delivered with a win representing Fort Worth with 817 on its helmets.
“We have tremendous growth, and our super superintendent has an unbelievable vision for what he wants to do athletically and academically in our district,” Gates said. “So to be able to put that on the map – people know who we are now. People will understand where we’re coming from – out of Fort Worth.”
Gates said there were plenty of positive takeaways from the game, although the team will focus on the negative in order to make improvements.
“We just wanted to make sure that our kids stayed-even keeled in all the moments, so we can make the necessary adjustments,” Gates said.
In North Crowley’s first two drives, the Panthers turned the ball over on downs in the red zone, electing not to attempt a field goal. The defense had its back, and defensive lineman DeMorey Beasley recovered a fumble.
The Panther offense took advantage of the second chance with a four-yard rushing touchdown from running back Daniel Bray, a transfer from Abilene Cooper.
Beasley was rewarded for the recovery with a 2-point conversion attempt that he converted.
Following a 68-yard touchdown drive from Lancaster, North Crowley’s offensive aggressiveness paid off. On fourth-and-long, quarterback Chris Jimerson Jr. found wide receiver Quentin Gibson for a 14-yard score.
After, North Crowley forced a fumble in the red zone and recovered. Gates said the defensive stops near the goal showed resolve, especially considering the odds favor the offense.
The Panthers took over and started marching down field with two minutes remaining in the half.
Jimerson Jr. threw a pass that was kicked up in the air by a receiver, and Lancaster linebacker Dyland Sandles intercepted it. He had a wide open lane to the end zone, but the play was blown dead due to an inadvertent whistle.
Lancaster would’ve cut the North Crowley lead to three points. Instead, North Crowley received an extra chance and capitalized. Jimerson Jr. found Gibson for his second score of the day on a three-yard pass.
To start the second half, Lancaster moved on from the missed call and got back on the scoreboard with a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Carter Jones to Ja’Quavius Pipkin.
Following another North Crowley turnover on downs, facing fourth-and-long, Lancaster had another scoring chance. The Tigers needed three yards for a first down on the Panther’s four-yard line, but the North Crowley defense stuffed the run and forced a turnover on downs.
In a 17-play, 98-yard scoring drive, Gibson added to an already incredible game with a 21-yard touchdown, his third of the day. Gibson finished with seven catches for 76 yards and the three scores while Kevin Moore hauled in five passes for 107 yards.
Jimerson said he expects Gibson to have a breakout season.
“(Gibson) is one of the players where if the ball is there, he is going to go get it every time,” Jimerson said. “Me and him have had that chemistry since the ninth grade. We’ve been playing with each other, and I’ve seen him grow every year.”
Jimerson, the games’ Most Valuable Player, finished with 17 completions on 28 attempts for 214 yards and had 56 yards on the ground on eight carries.
Lancaster added an 11-yard quarterback keeper touchdown from Jones to create a one-score ballgame with 1:23 remaining. But the Tigers were unable to recover the ensuing onside kick as North Crowley’s Jeramie Cooper pounced on the ball at the Lancaster 49.
North Crowley running back Cornelius Warren III, on third-and-long, broke free for a 37-yard gain to put away the game. Warren was the work horse for the Panthers picking up 129 yards on 20 carries.
The North Crowley offense was balanced picking up 253 rushing yards on 43 totes and 214 in the air for 467 total. The Panthers were plagued with 11 penalties for 82 yards.
In week two, North Crowley will head to DeSoto to face the defending Class 6A D1 State Champions on Friday. Lancaster, on the same day, will face Aledo at Bearcat Stadium.
This story was originally published August 31, 2024 at 5:13 PM.
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