Duncanville Reverses Fate Against North Shore, Earns State Title

Duncanville defeats North Shore in the Class 6A Division I State Championship Game.

© 2022 Miss Ari Photography

Arlington - The Duncanville Panthers have completed a perfect season with a Class 6A Division I State Championship victory.

After losing to Galena Park North Shore High School in some of the more heartbreaking football showdowns in recent years, Duncanville defeated the Houston powerhouse 28-21 Saturday night.

The Panthers took an early 14 point lead over the Mustangs of North Shore, highlighted by an 88 yard rushing touchdown by Keelon Russell.

North Shore would quickly add two scores to tie the game at 14. Duncanville seemed to always have an answer for a North Shore run. A short touchdown run put the Panthers up 21-14 with just over 90 seconds remaining in the first half. A defensive lapse and a costly penalty allowed North Shore to score and inevitably tie the game at 21 right before halftime.

Duncanville’s junior running back Caden Durham scored on a 9-yard touchdown run out of the Wildcat formation on fourth-and-1. This would prove to be the only score in the second half and gave Duncanville a 28-21 lead with just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Both teams tightened up defensively in the second half. The difference in the game, however, was North Shore’s inability to score again on the Duncanville defense. There was no bigger defensive stop Saturday night than North Shore quarterback David Amador being stopped a half-yard short of a first down on a fourth-and-4 run.

Without any timeouts remaining and on the Duncanville 12 yard line, North Shore was unable to penetrate the Duncanville defense for that crucial half yard.

The stop was the final page in a story of redemption. After several moments of angst, while the referees reviewed the play- confirmation that North Shore had indeed fallen short of the first down sent the Duncanville sideline and fans into a collective frenzy.

Duncanville Coach Reginald Samples can now boast a State Championship, along with his many accomplishments and record number of wins. Samples is the first Black coach in Texas to win 300 games. He has a long list of athletes to attribute their success to his coaching and mentorship - many found their way to the field to embrace the celebrated coach.

Coach Reginald Samples earns first State Title in career.

© 2022 Miss Ari Photography

As the Panthers were crowned State Champions Saturday night and awarded their medals, the Samples family surrounded the beloved coach.

“I’m still in a daze,” shared Samples. “I know one thing - I’m going to enjoy this.”

When asked if this win will put the finishing touches on his career, Samples smiled and emphatically shared that retirement is not on his mind.