Waxahachie Stuns No. 2 Duncanville With Wild Fourth-Quarter Comeback
WAXAHACHIE – Friday night in Ellis County turned into one of the biggest shockers of the young Texas high school football season. Waxahachie rallied from an 18-point deficit to knock off No. 2 Duncanville, 28-27, snapping the Panthers’ unbeaten start and handing them their first-ever loss to the Indians.
Duncanville Starts Fast — Then Stalls
For much of the first half, it looked like business as usual for the defending state champs. Duncanville turned a 13-9 halftime lead into a commanding 27-9 advantage when quarterback Maximus “The Great” Denson – yes, that’s really his name – launched an 85-yard strike to Ayson Theus, a future TCU Horned Frog, on the first play of the third quarter.
But that would be the Panthers’ final score of the night.
Momentum Swings on Special Teams
Waxahachie immediately answered when Jordan Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 77 yards to the house, cutting the deficit to 27-15. A failed two-point try kept Duncanville ahead by two scores, but the game’s tone shifted.
From there, both defenses took over – seven straight combined possessions ended in punts – until a costly Duncanville sack deep in their own territory forced a short punt.
Kohen Brown made the most of it, returning the punt to the Panthers’ 32-yard line to set up the Indians with prime field position.
Clutch Plays Fuel the Comeback
Facing a 2nd-and-20, Jerry Meyer III kept the drive alive with a 26-yard strike to Taylen Furlough-Strange. The Indians nearly stalled again, but on 4th-and-13, Meyer delivered a clutch 24-yard touchdown to Jordan Thompson-Woods to make it 27-22 after the PAT.
Duncanville’s next possession went nowhere – a personal foul penalty set up a 3rd-and-28 and forced yet another punt. Waxahachie took over with 6:30 remaining and leaned on its ground game.
Furlough-Strange ripped off runs of 11 and 32 yards to set up Nolan Barnard, who punched it in from a yard out for the go-ahead score. The two-point try failed, leaving the door cracked open for Duncanville.
Panthers Come Up Short
With under two minutes to play, Duncanville turned to backup QB Jcoryon Rivers, but the drive stalled on 4th-and-1 when the Indians’ defense stuffed him for a loss. The Panthers got one last snap with five seconds left but couldn’t connect on the Hail Mary, sealing a historic Waxahachie victory.
Special Teams Told the Story
Waxahachie’s first points of the night came on a bizarre sequence in the opening quarter. After Duncanville’s Trenton Yancey hauled in a 77-yard touchdown, the extra point was blocked – and Braylon Davis scooped it up and sprinted 92 yards the other way for two points, giving the Indians a 9-6 lead.
Add in the second-half kickoff return touchdown, and Waxahachie’s special teams accounted for nine points in a one-point win.
What’s Next
Waxahachie (3-0) now owns one of the biggest wins in program history and will carry huge momentum into district play. Duncanville (3-1) will have to regroup quickly as it looks to defend its state crown – but Friday night proved the Panthers aren’t untouchable.
