‘Mind-blowing’: Remembering North Crowley’s 2003 state championship Cinderella story
North Crowley, after a program-defining victory over defending champion Duncanville, is set to play in the Class 6A Division One state championship versus Austin Westlake on Saturday, Dec. 21 at AT&T Stadium.
It’s the first time the city of Fort Worth will be represented in a football state championship game since 2003, when the North Crowley Panthers won a Class 4A Division One state title. Now, the Panthers are in Texas’ largest classification and hold a Max Preps No. 3 national ranking.
Mike Papas, the head coach of the 2003 state championship team, helped open the school in 1998 and coached at North Crowley until 2009. He said the current success of North Crowley is “mind-blowing.”
Over 21 years ago, long before coach Ray Gates turned North Crowley into a Texas football powerhouse, one of the greatest Texas football Cinderella runs ever set the bar for the Panthers.
From nothing to something: North Crowley’s football history
The North Crowley football program began in 1998 when North Crowley High School opened. Crowley High School was already open, and North Crowley had to pull students from the school.
At first, the football program struggled to field a team. Most of the athletes stayed at Crowley High School, according to Papas. The team ran “half-line drills” because they didn’t have enough players.
Although Papas was “discouraged” by the poor turnout, he stayed the course. He visited former Crowley ISD Superintendent Sidney Poynter’s office. Poynter encouraged Papas, promising him things would be okay.
Eventually, Poynter’s promise was justified, but Panther football went through years of struggles. They had a 13-37 record in the first five years.
North Crowley football had never made the playoffs and posted four straight three-win seasons from 1999 to 2002. In 2003, the Panthers turned things around.
Papas, through tears, said he gets emotional looking back at that team due to their unwavering dedication to greatness and a relentless desire to prepare the right way.
“I tear up watching those tapes because it’s just so inspiring,” Papas said.
North Crowley’s 2003 State Championship: A Cinderella story
Papas knew North Crowley’s 2003 team had a chance to be special and mentioned the talent was there. Although the team had potential, it didn’t translate to the field at first.
The team lost its first three games. They won the fourth but couldn’t extend the streak, losing the fifth. North Crowley took a 1-4 record into week six.
“We felt like going into the season that we had a chance to be pretty good, and we were really disappointed,” Papas said.
The team decided it was time to call a “come to Jesus” team meeting.
“Some of the players called each other out,” Papas said. “After that point in time, there was just a big change. It was a change in the way we practiced. There was a change in the way we approached things.”
Considering the past, the team could’ve easily accepted another losing season. According to Free safety Matt Panfil, there was still a belief inside the locker room that the group could see success.
“We still had a chance to make playoffs,” Panfil said. “We just knew we were a couple of tweaks away from being a great team. But words and actions are different, right?”
From that point on, North Crowley didn’t lose a single game. The Panthers won 10 consecutive games en route to the program’s first playoff birth and a state title.
They started the streak with wins over Stephenville and Aledo, two historically great programs.
North Crowley even suffered a midseason quarterback change, with Casey Stuhlman suffering a compound fracture in his right leg in week eight. Lance Moss, more of a running quarterback who consistently ran the option, took over.
Still, North Crowley thrived with a different offensive style. Papas said that after years of struggles, the team found itself with a “special group of players” who refused to quit.
“I think that we had a group of kids come through that just did not accept mediocrity,” Papas said. “They held themselves to a higher standard. And it wasn’t just a few of them, but it was all of them.”
Semifinal victory vs Texarkana Texas High: A monumental upset
North Crowley’s victory over Duncanville was monumental, as it ended Duncanville’s quest for a three-peat. Although the circumstances were different, North Crowley endured a similar situation in the 2003 season.
North Crowley was set to face Texarkana Texas High, a defending state champion with a 22-game winning streak.
As a massive underdog, the Panthers secured a 17-13 upset victory.
“Cinderella’s heading to the ball, baby,” linebacker Tyson Reich said following the win.
Special teams were a huge factor in the win. North Crowley didn’t have more offensive talent, but they had a versatile, tough team. Linebacker Tyson Reich and Panfil both blocked punts, with the latter setting up a touchdown.
At the time, the team accepted a motto: “Band of brothers.”
Moss said the team had a “magical run” with the help of Papas. Both Panfil and Moss credited Papas as a “great leader of men.”
“We were predicted to lose pretty much every game, but we were a team of destiny that year,” Moss said.
North Crowley proceeded to the state championship. Its opponent, Bay City, was searching for its third state title in its fifth trip to the title game and had been to the playoffs in 24 of 26 seasons.
North Crowley, in its first playoff appearance, didn’t have Bay City’s storied history. But the Panthers had nothing to lose after a monumental semifinal victory.
“(Texarkana) was a huge mountain,” Panfil said. “After that, we felt like we could beat anyone. But we were still grounded and kept our nose down.”
The Panthers played with confidence, securing a 20-6 victory and a Class 4A Division One state championship.
“You saw them all come together,” said Tommy Brakel, North Crowley’s only basketball head coach in school history and athletic coordinator since 2002.
“And how much they believed in themselves. ... They had to battle through adversity and come together.”
The game was played at Kyle Field, home of Texas A&M in College Station. Bay City had five turnovers: Four interceptions and one fumble. Free safety Matt Panfil had two interceptions.
“You have to get your athletes to believe in what you’re doing,” Brakel said. “And I think that’s a similarity that (Gates and Papas) have in those special seasons.”
Senior running back Brandon Martin had 132 rushing yards, which gave him 100 or more rushing yards in all five of the Panthers’ playoff games.
“They just ran so hard, they ran so fast, and they hit people so hard,” Papas said.
North Crowley’s ascent to Fort Worth powerhouse
When North Crowley opened in 1998, Brakel was part of a group dedicated to making North Crowley “Fort Worth’s premier school.”
“It was trying to create a culture where the community was proud of us,” Brakel said. “All of that was extremely important when we first opened the doors here.”
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The 2003 football state title was the first of any kind in North Crowley’s six-year history. Since then, the Panthers have added more accolades with state championship success in boys basketball, powerlifting and track and field.
Since the 2003 title, North Crowley football has endured 14 losing seasons. Courtney Allen, currently the head coach of Mesquite Horn, started a turnaround with two solid seven-win seasons.
When Gates was hired in 2022, he catapulted the Panthers to the top with three consecutive undefeated district titles and deep playoff runs. In 2024, North Crowley’s meteoric rise to the top reached a peak with a win over Duncanville.
The Panthers, however, are still climbing and are looking to win one more game. Now, North Crowley has an opportunity to bring home a football state title in Texas’ largest classification.
“It’s just amazing,” Brakel said. “It’s inspiring to everybody. We are all excited for them and pulling for them. It’s just been a wonderful experience.”
The 2003 championship celebrated its 20-year reunion in 2023. Many players will reunite once again to cheer on the Panthers on Saturday. Both Moss and Panfil will be in attendance at AT&T Stadium to show their support.
“(Gates) is a strong leader,” Moss said. “He has really taken over this program and turned it into a powerhouse. When I was there, we were just a Cinderella team. And now, North Crowley is one of the best schools in the state of Texas.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
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