North Crowley Locks It Down Late, Tops Duncanville 47-30
First half fireworks. Second half lockdown. North Crowley proved it could win both ways, surviving a physical slugfest to knock off longtime power Duncanville 47-30 at Panther Stadium.
The first half was a straight up brawl. Duncanville racked up 94 penalty yards worth of gifted opportunities and converted them into 206 total yards, staying right in the fight against a red hot North Crowley squad. But the Panthers flipped a switch after halftime, shutting Duncanville out the rest of the way and holding the 2025 state finalist to just 73 total yards over the final two quarters.
It was North Crowley’s first crack at District 11-6A, nicknamed the District of Doom after realignment, and head coach DeMarcus Harris didn’t shy away from calling this one a rivalry. This win, he said, was a statement for all of Fort Worth, proof this program isn’t a one hit wonder.
The offense did plenty of damage early to set up that defensive stand. UNT commit G’Yrell Smith was a nightmare all game, racking up 156 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone, finishing with 175 yards on just 16 carries. He called the win personal, and it showed in how hard North Crowley fought in the fourth quarter.
Duncanville hung tough for most of the first half behind touchdowns from Trenton Yancey and Brayden Arnold, plus a pair of scores from Jarius Ingram, one set up by a diving 41-yard grab that put the ball at the two. But North Crowley answered right back. Quarterback Jacob Torres found Damarion Mays on a contested 20-yard touchdown with 19 seconds left in the half, giving the Panthers a 35-28 edge heading into the break despite 13 penalties for 139 yards on the night.
North Crowley carried that momentum straight through the second half. Mays finished with 104 yards on just three catches, Pryce Demerson added six grabs for 70 yards, and running back Kiante Ingram punched in 112 yards on 23 carries to complement Smith’s big night. Torres was sharp running the offense too, going 11 of 14 for 218 yards and three touchdowns while pushing the tempo all game long.
This one carried extra weight. It marked the first meeting between these programs since North Crowley knocked Duncanville out of the 2024 state semifinals on its way to bringing Fort Worth its first 6A state title in 75 years. The rivalry has only grown since, spilling over into other sports, including a memorable North Crowley boys basketball state semifinal run this past season.
North Crowley moves to 4-0. Duncanville falls to 1-3, still searching for answers against a Fort Worth program that keeps proving it’s built to last.
