North Crowley dominates Permian, sets up regional round vs. undefeated Coppell Cowboys
Undefeated North Crowley football (12-0) has been vocal about playing “for the city.”
Although most Texas high school football area-round games were at neutral sites, the Panthers got to stay home in Fort Worth, Texas. In front of the hometown fans, North Crowley delivered a massive 72-14 victory against Odessa Permian at Crowley ISD Stadium on Friday, Nov. 22.
North Crowley, representing the growing community of Southwest Fort Worth, is “collecting trophies.”
“When you have a strong group of people from Fort Worth, you know we’re going to represent the city,” North Crowley head coach Ray Gates said. “Our address is 9100 Hulen Street. Fort Worth, Texas.”
North Crowley defeated Permian 63-10 in 2023 and one-upped themselves with a 58-point victory.
“I thought we had a great week of practice,” Gates said. “I thought our focus was where it needed to be. I knew tonight was going to be a good night for us. The energy was right. Everything just fell in line as far as our routine and how we like to approach things.”
The regional round opponent for North Crowley is undefeated Coppell (12-0), the District 5-6A champion. The Cowboys defeated Lake Highlands 38-10.
“It’s going to be a big-time game,” offensive coordinator Eli Reinhart said. “They have a lot of great players, and they’re very well coached. They’ve got as much offensive firepower as we do, so we’re going to have to score some points. We’re going to have to take care of the football.
“Overall, I think if we go out and execute and do the things we need to do, we’ll be fine. But it’s going to take a great week of practice and preparation to get ready.”
North Crowley had a slow start in the bi-district round vs. Byron Nelson, and they made sure that wasn’t the case against Permian. Quarterback Chris Jimerson Jr. started the game with three completed passes; the latter was a six-yard touchdown from Quentin Gibson.
“It’s big to get off to a fast start against a team that likes to run the football,” Reinhart said.
A pick-six from Elijajuan Houston gave North Crowley a 14-0 lead 97 seconds into the game. After a defensive stop, Gibson caught a quick pass from Jimerson and received a block from Ian Carter that allowed him to reach full speed and notch an 80-yard touchdown.
“We started fast, and that’s what we wanted to do on both sides of the ball,” Gates said.
North Crowley seized the momentum and kept adding to its lead. Running back Daniel Bray, wide receiver Kevin Moore, and running back Cornelius Warren also scored in the half.
In the second half, Gibson notched his fourth touchdown with a highlight one-handed snag and Jimerson added a rushing score.
Gibson finished with 181 yards on five receptions and four touchdowns, averaging 35.2 yards per catch. Jimerson, a UNT commit, passed for 274 yards and five touchdowns on 14 of 18 passing. He also added 65 rushing yards.
Moore was also a key contributor with 86 receiving yards and a touchdown on four receptions. With North Crowley’s starters sidelined, Permian found the end zone twice.
This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 9:23 PM.
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