How has North Crowley QB Chris Jimerson Jr.’s rise created a Texas football powerhouse?
With four years of varsity experience, North Crowley senior quarterback Chris Jimerson Jr. has compiled an extensive Texas high school football resume.
The North Texas commit has been a pillar in the Panthers’ rapid ascent to the top. He has played 46 varsity games in his high school football career, and the Panthers have improved every season.
With North Crowley set to face Austin Westlake in the Class 6A Division One state championship on Saturday at AT&T Stadium, Jimerson’s legendary career will end.
“Being able to play the last game of Texas football means a lot,” Jimerson said. “At the same time, I have been getting emotional throughout the week just knowing that this is my last high school game.”
Jimerson’s statistics as North Crowley’s signal caller are absurd. He has thrown for 8,879 yards, which is more than five miles of total distance, and 126 touchdown passes.
Jimerson has been effective on his legs, too, tallying 2,218 yards and 21 scores. When it comes to quarterback records at North Crowley, it would be easier to list which ones he hasn’t set.
“Passing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing from a quarterback position, completion percentage,” North Crowley head coach Ray Gates said. “Just about every record that we have.”
Jimerson’s play has been a game-changer for the Panthers. His leadership and work ethic, however, have been just as important for North Crowley’s success.
“You can always tell who the guy is because of the way the other guys respond to him,” Gates said. “And he had that type of command and control with his peers. He is unbelievable.”
Gates mentioned that Jimerson Jr. will do “wonderful things” throughout his college football career with North Texas.
“And it won’t surprise me - whenever they give him the reigns to that program - that he elevates them in a similar way to what he has done here,” Gates said.
Freshman to phenom: A rise to Texas football stardom
Jimerson, who currently has a 5-foot-11, 175-pound frame, hasn’t let his size affect him. He uses speed and agility to his advantage with an ability to get out of the pocket and make plays.
When Gates was hired in 2022, he knew North Crowley already had a young, talented quarterback. But he was taken back by a then-sophomore Jimerson’s smaller frame.
“I was like, ‘Is that him?’” Gates said. “And then he started whipping the ball around the field and moving. We could see it instantly. The guys around him have played with him for a very long time.”
Even before Gates arrived, Jimerson made his presence known as a freshman. In his first game as a varsity quarterback, he threw for 219 yards and five touchdowns, leading the Panthers to a 48-3 victory over Hurst L.D. Bell.
Although he had quick success, Jimerson also had a lot to learn.
“My freshman year, I could say that I really couldn’t read defenses like that,” Jimerson said. “But each year, I could see myself improve and get better.”
In his sophomore year, his first full season as the starter, and his first year with Gates as his head coach, Jimerson passed for 2,059 yards and 26 touchdowns. Jimerson and the Panthers set a program record with 12 wins in a single season.
“He has improved every year in every aspect of the game,” Gates said. “From his knowledge to his play and also his work ethic – the responsibility and the accountability of the position.”
As a junior, he made a massive jump in his play. Jimerson passed for 3,092 passing yards and 40 touchdowns. The Panthers set another school record with 14 wins. North Crowley fell to Duncanville, the eventual state champion, 52-10.
Jimerson’s elite season earned him Star-Telegram Player of the Year honors.
Gates said when you come across a special player like Jimerson you “savor the moments.”
“This kid has just been resilient through the course of his career,” Gates said. “He is taking the coaching. He has been on the highs and the lows, but he has always come back with the same mindset of trying to find ways to improve, which ultimately makes this team better.”
For North Crowley linebacker Jonathan Cunningham, a Texas signee, going against Jimerson in practice has sparked North Crowley’s defensive growth.
“Going against him, that is how we get better,” Cunningham said. “We compete every day. I learn things from him because of how he reads a defense. It’s helped me develop my game.”
With Jimerson’s first three years being so productive, how could he raise the bar? Was there room for him to grow?
Jimerson wanted to take his game to the next level. He stuck to his same routine, adding an emphasis on leadership.
“Just being a leader and trying to be the best for my teammates,” Jimerson said.
Jimerson and North Crowley skyrocketed to newfound levels of success. He passed for 3,470 yards and 54 touchdowns. The Panthers had their best season to date, earning national attention with a win over DeSoto.
“He has been able to find a way to get better,” Gates said. “When you have incremental growth, at some point in time, it becomes exponential.”
In three years as North Crowley’s primary quarterback, Jimerson has led the Panthers to a 41-2 record. During that time, the Panthers have claimed three consecutive undefeated district championships and set school records for wins every year.
“He’s been doing it for a very long time,” Gates said. “He is a veteran in this program. That guy – he has played on the stage in big games. He is the leader of our offense. We trust in him. We put the game in his hands, and we let him be him.”
Most recently, Jimerson passed for 185 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions to eliminate defending champion Duncanville in the state semifinals and secure revenge for the loss to end his junior season.
“I kept seeing his game improve,” Cunningham said. “And look where we’re at now. He is taking us to state.”
After a legendary career, Jimerson has one game left, regardless of the result. He has accomplished nearly everything in Texas football, but a championship will check off the last box.
He has an opportunity to end his career with a championship alongside the nation’s No. 3 ranked team.
“We can’t let somebody come here and take something special that we’ve built,” Jimerson said.
.jpg)