Photos by Stan Martin / Championship game coverage brought to you by Ja-Mar Roofing & Sheet Metal
As the officials trotted out the chains to measure the spot of the football, Duncanville head coach Reginald Samples nervously watched on.
With his team trailing 28-21, North Shore quarterback David Amador had just run a quarterback keeper on fourth-and-four at the Duncanville 15-yard line. Amador had gained at least three-and-a-half yards.
The question was, did he gain the full four?
“Fear took over euphoria,” Samples said. “When I looked at the chains and saw where the ball was, I thought they had gotten the first down, but I could tell from the kids’ reaction that it was awfully darn close. I had flashbacks of Hail Mary’s and all that kind of stuff. But when I heard the roar of the crowd, I knew we had a chance.”
After an agonizing wait for both teams, officials ruled Amador had come up just inches short, sealing a 28-21 Duncanville victory in the 6A Division I State Title Game on Saturday evening.
DUNCANVILLE DEFENSE GETS THE STOP BY A HAIR 🤯@uiltexas | @Duncanville_Fb | #TXHSFB | 📺: BSSW pic.twitter.com/D5KC12Wxjc
— BallySportsTXHS (@BallySportsTXHS) December 18, 2022
The win was the first ever state title for Samples in his fifth attempt as a head coach. From a double overtime loss his Dallas Lincoln team suffered to Kilgore back in 2004 to North Shore’s now famous Hail Mary victory over Duncanville in 2018, Samples had suffered his share of gut-wrenching losses on the biggest stage.
On Saturday, he finally got to celebrate a victory after all those close calls.
“I just got very tired of having North Shore rubbed in my face,” Samples said. “It feels great, and I’m sure I’m going to feel better tomorrow”
Three of the four state championships between Duncanville and North Shore have now been decided by just one possession.
North Shore head coach Jon Kay said the one inch that stood between his team and a first down was a perfect representation of the close margins in this budding rivalry.
“I thought it was a war,” Kay said. “It’s a fitting end to this rivalry with Duncanville and North Shore. You got two heavyweights that got in the ring, and it went 15 rounds. I’m proud of both programs and both communities, and we’ll move on.”
Offensively, Duncanville was led by running back Caden Durham, who finished with 104 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Quarterback Keelon Russell also had an 88-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, while the Duncanville defense held North Shore to just 56 total yards in the second half.
Samples said those three positions had given him the most confidence heading into the game. His intuition was pretty spot on.
“There were three things that really gave me confidence that we had the chance to win: quarterback, running back, and defense,” Samples said. “When I fretted a little, I just kept thinking about what is the difference between the past years where we’ve lost and this year. And those three things kept standing out.”
It was Durham who stood out first on Saturday evening as he gave Duncanville an early lead on a two-yard rushing touchdown late in the first quarter. Just 24 seconds into the second quarter, it was Russell’s turn to step up as he torched the North Shore defense on his 88-yard quarterback keeper.
8️⃣8️⃣ YD QB KEEPER FOR THE TD 🤯🤯@keelonfootball turns on the BURNERS to go all the way! 🔥@Duncanville_Fb 🐆: 14@NSSH_Mustangs 🐴: 0@uiltexas | #TXHSFB | 📺: BSSW pic.twitter.com/6yQWYKDnR4
— BallySportsTXHS (@BallySportsTXHS) December 18, 2022
Down 14-0, North Shore flashed its championship pedigree with a furious rally. Mustang quarterback David Amador found Cameron Smith behind the defense for a 43-yard score before he went on a winding 30-yard touchdown run on North Shore’s next possession to knot the game at 14.
Amador had been a wide receiver coming into this season and is committed to play the position at UTSA. But after starting quarterback Kaleb Bailey went down with an injury against C.E. King in late September, Amador switched positions to lead the Mustang offense from behind center.
“He’s probably one of the best receivers in the state,” Kay said. “It was selfless behavior. I can coach my tail off but when your top athletes do that kind of stuff, there is no better coach than that. Just so proud of his grit.”
Buoyed by big kick returns, each team struck again in the final two minutes of the first half. Durham scored his second touchdown of the game on a three-yard run before Amador kept it himself on a read option from six yards out to tie the game at 21 heading into halftime.
After that barrage of North Shore points in the second quarter, Samples said it was important to get his team in the locker room.
“North Shore was doing some things with some formations that was new,” Samples said. “Once we got in at halftime and got on the board and showed the kids what they were doing, we started playing better.”
Better might be an understatement considering the Panthers held North Shore to just 11 yards of total offense in the third quarter. And with its defense shutting North Shore down, Duncanville’s offense took advantage, driving 51 yards on five plays on its third possession of the half.
On fourth-and-one, Durham capped the drive off on a gutsy play call as he beat the North Shore defense around the edge for a nine-yard touchdown that ended up being the game-winning score.
COUNT IT UP, CADEN DURAM!!!!!!!!!
Not 1️⃣… not 2️⃣… BUT 3️⃣ TOUCHDOWNS! @Duncanville_Fb 🐆: 28@NSSH_Mustangs 🐴: 21@uiltexas | #TXHSFB | 📺: BSSW pic.twitter.com/qK5PRIez4K
— BallySportsTXHS (@BallySportsTXHS) December 18, 2022
North Shore finishes the year 15-1, falling just short of its sixth state title in school history. Despite the loss, Amador said it was extremely meaningful to represent the community of North Shore on the state’s biggest stage.
“The community sets the tone for us,” Amador said. “Doing it for the community, it’s big. I take this very serious. It’s very important to me. I don’t want to let my community down, but sometimes it just happens.”
On the other sideline, Duncanville celebrated a moment 33 years in the making for its head coach.
And after such a long journey to get to this point and several close calls along the way, Samples said he needs just a little more time for the events of Saturday night to completely soak in.
“Maybe next week it’ll hit me that I won a state championship,” Samples said. “But I’m going to go home and relax and get up tomorrow and watch the Cowboys.”
Offensive MVP: RB Caden Durham, Duncanville
Durham promised Samples that he would get him a state championship in the build up to the game and he did just that, finishing with 104 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 25 carries.
Defensive MVP: LB Colin Simmons, Duncanville
Simmons was a constant threat in the North Shore backfield, finishing with three tackles for loss and five total tackles.
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