Thursday night featured a team with something to prove versus one with nothing to lose. One week after moving into the number 10 spot in the area, Duncanville set out to take another step towards proving they are a district championship contender. After leaving district powerhouse, Dallas Skyline, Coach Samples is driving Duncanville to the pinnacle of success in his second year leading the program. Samples’ squad is off to a strong start after week one, sealing a victory against a talented Plano East squad.
The game ended in a 38-23 victory over Arlington-Sam Houston, but the win didn’t come as easily as most expected. The Sam Houston defense shut down the Panther offense leaving them with a scoreless first quarter. A rainy second quarter, however, brought on the speed and tenacity of Duncanville.
Their 10-point deficit dwindled quickly with the Panther’s 24 point second quarter brought on by the feet of quarterback Jaylin Nelson. Sam Houston rallied in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie the game but due to a costly fumble, the Texans fell short 0f the upset in the end.
Senior quarterback, Jaylin Nelson, lead the Panther offense with 15 of 28 completions for 279 yards and 1 TD. Sam Houston’s senior receiver, Damarcus Allen, caught 10 passes for 123 yards. Duncanville will attempt to maintain their perfect record next week against Dallas Skyline. Arlington Sam Houston will have to find a way to limit their turnovers in next week’s matchup with O.D. Wyatt.
Coach Samples is in his second year after leaving Dallas Skyline, not DeSoto. Jaylin Nelson, senior QB, left DeSoto and sat out a year and played QB on the junior varsity last year.