After state title, North Crowley football aims to ‘find another level’
After a historic Class 6A Division I state championship victory, the city of Fort Worth’s first large-class UIL title in 75 years, North Crowley head coach Ray Gates enjoyed the moment.
But after two weeks of celebration, Christmas break ended, the kids came back to school, and Gates turned his attention to the next big thing: the defense of Texas high school football’s most prestigious prize.
“It was time to go to work, and you put a period behind it, and you move forward,” Gates said.
Life as a champion tends to pull you in different directions. The buzz the Panthers generated was unlike anything Texas football has seen, but despite the newfound attention, Gates said the team is hungry and locked in.
“I know everybody will come out this year and they’ll give us their best shot based on who we were last year, and what we did,” Gates said. “And that’s why you go through an entire offseason, putting guys in adverse situations and trying to make them understand that what you did to get to where you are will not sustain you.
“Now, we have to find another level.”
Gates, with his signature style of motivation, is using a new mantra: No pressure, no diamonds.
“You can’t be comfortable and grow,” Gates said. “We want to be in a situation where we are facing that pressure, where we’re pushing ourselves and testing the limits of this group. We have a lot of great football players.
“They are very, very talented. We have everything that we need to be successful, but we have to make sure that we put them in those situations, to bring out the best in them.”
After an offseason filled with change, North Crowley enters the season as Dave Campbell’s Texas Football’s No. 2-ranked team in Class 6A.
Expect new offensive stars to shine
The Panthers graduated several three-year starters who laid the foundation of their ascent, including All-Area quarterback Chris Jimerson Jr. and the National MaxPreps Player of the Year, receiver Quentin Gibson. Losing that senior class is “bittersweet,” Gates said, but at a program like North Crowley, there is always another player hungry for an opportunity.
The Panthers are holding a three-headed quarterback competition among DeMarcus Harris, CJ Alexander and Hayes Cloutier. Whoever wins the job will have an arsenal of talent at his command.
One athlete who stands out is sophomore wide receiver Damarion Mays, a sophomore transfer from Dallas Life Oak Cliff with offers from Georgia, Ohio State, SMU, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
“You don’t find guys as young as him with his type of ability, body control and speed,” Gates said. “Six-foot-3, 185 pounds and runs a 4.5. He has really good hands, and he tracks the ball really well. And coming here has helped him increase his competitiveness. ... And he is starting to get a little bit more vocal. His play is going to speak for itself.”
Gates said the Panthers have another receiver in the “Quentin Gibson mold”: Pryce “Spicy” Demerson.
“A smaller receiver, but he’s impossible to guard, and I’m really excited about him, and what he’s done in camp so far,” Gates said.
The Panthers also have senior Asaiah Smith, who has a lengthy 6-foot-5 frame; sophomore Kade Smith, a dynamic pass catcher who already has offers from SMU and TCU; and sophomore Hayden Green, a 6-3 athlete with a good mix of size and speed.
The receiver room “is probably deeper this year than we were last year overall, and we’re bigger,” Gates said. “And so I’m excited to see what that looks like for us and how we can utilize our skill sets that we have.”
At running back, the Panthers have junior Kiante Ingram, who thrived in the postseason last year. He’ll share touches with G’yrell Smith, a junior Forney transfer. Expect them to complement each other’s playing styles.
“They’re going to bring a lot of what we need — that lightning and thunder to our offense in the run game,” Gates said. “And that’s, that’s what we hang our hat on at the end of the day. It’s an explosive run game.”
The offensive line is young, with four starters graduating, but senior Texas pledge John Turntine III is back to anchor the unit.
“He’s done a really good job of being more vocal,” Gates said. “We put more on his shoulders. … He leads by the way he plays.”
The best defense in Texas?
One of North Crowley’s strengths is undoubtedly in the secondary, with junior Elijajuan Houston and senior Thomas Cook, who have multiple offers to play at the next level.
The talent doesn’t stop there. Senior Aaron Bradshaw, a Texas Tech pledge, is back after a statement run in the 2024 postseason. The Panthers also have junior Jerry Outhouse Jr., a four-star transfer from Brewer.
“[Outhouse] is a big, long, physical guy with great cover skills,” Gates said.
Gates also mentioned the development of Braylen Cunningham, a freshman who already has offers from SMU, Penn State and Texas Tech. He has two-way potential.
“He is one of the best I’ve seen at a young age cover as well as he does in man situations,” Gates said.
The Panthers have more athletes with potential, and Gates will aim for consistent improvement and unity.
“That room is deep,” Gates said. “We still have a lot of things to fix, but the talent and the potential is there to be really good.”
Another dangerous non-district slate
Just like last season, North Crowley has a dangerous non-district slate with Lancaster, DeSoto, Guyer and Rockwall. Although on paper it may seem like the Panthers are young, Gates emphasized that group has played a lot of football.
With the title defense looming, Gates said the team will fight to stay in its position with the same North Crowley playing style: fast, physical and intense.
“It’s not necessarily reinventing ourselves, but understanding that there has to be a certain level of urgency every single week,” Gates said. “If you are going to be state champs again, then you have to show up with the state championship mindset because the team that you’re playing — their energy is going to be high.”
Defending a championship comes with a ton of pressure, but at the end of the day, it’s what the program embraces to take things to the next level.
“The pressure is what we need,” Gates said. “The first four weeks of the season is as big of a pressure as you’ll get, and we’ll come out of that shining. I’m excited about the opportunity we have.”
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