Texas
D-FW can claim Texas’ best high school football team in an otherwise down year for Dallas
ARLINGTON — North Crowley showed out on Saturday in its dazzling 50-21 victory over Austin Westlake in the 6A Division I state title game, winning the program’s second state championship and putting Fort Worth high school football on the map in front of 36,120 fans at AT&T Stadium.
Until North Crowley took the field at 7:30 p.m., there was a possibility the Dallas-Fort Worth area might boast only one state champion in 2024. Celina routed Kilgore 55-21 in the 4A Division I state championship to capture the program’s ninth state title and its first under coach Bill Elliott.
But North Texas teams came up short in the next three title games, the region’s worst showing at state since 2021, when South Oak Cliff became the first Dallas ISD school to win a recognized state championship since 1958, but Denton Guyer and Duncanville fell in the 6A state championship games.
Two-time state champion South Oak Cliff missed a last-second field goal, falling 38-35 to third-year program Richmond Randle in the 5A Division II state title game Friday night. It was SOC’s second straight loss in the state championship game.
“The future is still bright,” South Oak Cliff coach Jason Todd said. “We just gotta find out what’s going to get us over this hump.”
Smithson Valley, from the San Antonio area, topped Highland Park 32-20 as the six-time state champion faded in the second half of the 5A Division I state title game Saturday afternoon.
In the second game of the day, eight-time state champion Southlake Carroll extended its title drought to 13 years with a 24-17 loss to Austin Vandegrift in the 6A Division II game.
“It’ll happen one day. I’m excited about what the future holds,” said Carroll coach Riley Dodge, who fell to 0-2 in state title games as a coach.
The Dallas area claimed three football state champions in 2023 with Anna winning the 4A Division I state title and Duncanville and DeSoto sweeping the 6A Division I and II state championships, respectively. The southern Dallas County schools also swept the 6A state championships in 2022, when South Oak Cliff won its second straight 5A Division II state title.
But this year, the rest of Texas didn’t let the Dallas area, a high school football mecca, run the table. Teams from each of the state’s major metros — Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio —- won a title in each division of the UIL’s two highest classifications.
Even before this week’s state championship games, 2024 seemed to mark a changing of the guard. Neither Duncanville, DeSoto nor Houston-area power Galena Park North Shore made it to AT&T Stadium this year. Nor did 12-time UIL state champion Aledo, the juggernaut west of Fort Worth that had won the last two 5A Division I state championships.
But North Crowley did, after knocking off both DeSoto and Duncanville this season. North Texas might not have dominated the competition as it has in recent years, but for a third straight season, the king of 6A reigns in Dallas-Fort Worth.
“When you get to this point, there’s only one team that’s standing that’s hoisting the trophy. And fortunately for us, this year it’s us and we just happen to be from 817,” North Crowley coach Ray Gates said. “We’re elated to be able to bring that type of recognition back to our community, just to let people know that when you talk about this area, when you talk about Metroplex football, you can’t forget about us.”
On Twitter/X: @t_myah
Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Sign up for our FREE HS newsletter.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Quinn Ewers on making the most of his moments as a Texas Longhorn
“That’s the fun part about playing at program like this. Being able to sit back and just understand the pride and tradition that comes with playing here.”
Texas football will be without star receiver Isaiah Bond on Saturday, who was shown in street clothes prior to the Longhorns’ first-round College Football Playoff game against Clemson.
No. 5 Texas (11-2) hosts No. 12 Clemson (10-3) in the third CFP game of 2024, with quarterback Quinn Ewers needing to rely on the Longhorns’ other receivers in their opening round. Bond is dealing with an ankle injury, and was shown on the sideline with a boot during pregame warmups Saturday.
Bond suffered the injury in Texas’ loss to Georgia in the SEC championship game, putting his status into question. Bond has 532 receiving yards with six touchdowns in 12 games this season.
The first-year transfer from Alabama was one of the most sought-after transfer portal recruits in the country last offseason, ranked as the No. 4 overall player and No. 1 receiver of the cycle.
Here’s everything to know about Bond’s injury:
Isaiah Bond injury update
Bond will miss Texas’ game on Saturday against Clemson with an ankle injury, as he was shown in street clothes and with a boot on his ankle during pregame warmups.
The former five-star transfer portal recruit suffered a high-ankle sprain against Georgia in the SEC championship game on Dec. 7. Texas hopes to get back its top receiver in the next weeks of the CFP if it beats Clemson on Saturday.
What is Isaiah Bond’s injury?
Bond suffered a high-ankle sprain against Georgia in the SEC championship game.
Bond was shown with a boot on his foot ahead of Texas’ game against Clemson on Saturday.
The Clemson Tigers are getting set for their first-round matchup against the Texas Longhorns in the College Football Playoff.
It has been a solid season for the Tigers, as they were able to win 10 games and an ACC Title. Even though things didn’t look great at times for the program, they have made the first expanded CFP.
This matchup against the Longhorns will be one of the toughest of the season for the Tigers, as they will be facing one of the best defenses in the country. In addition to having one of the best overall defenses, they arguably have the best secondary and pass defense in the country.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Longhorns are good, but inconsistent at times. They have a very talented quarterback in Quinn Ewers, as his future with the program is certainly up in the air.
As the two teams get set for Saturday, one impact player who could miss the game is Texas’ wide receiver Isaiah Bond.
Recently, Pete Thamel of ESPN.com, spoke about the likelihood of Bond suiting up in the first-round matchup.
“Bond would need to significantly improve in the next two days to be healthy enough to go,” Thamel said via the Clemson Insider. “Bond re-aggravated his high ankle sprain late in the game against Georgia, and there’s more optimism he’ll be able to return against Arizona State on Jan. 1 if Texas advances.”
Bond being out would be a significant blow for the Longhorns, as he is ranked third on the team in receiving yards behind Matthew Golden and tight end Gunnar Helm. So far this season, the talented wide receiver has totaled 33 receptions, 532 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns.
With an average yards per catch of 16.1, Bond is a really talented receiver with big-play ability.
Since it seems likely that he won’t be playing in this one, that only helps make things easier for Clemson’s defense to focus on the rushing attack. In his potential absence, it will likely be Ryan Wingo seeing a potential increase in snaps, as he is also a big-play threat at wide receiver.
This will be a true home game for Texas, as the game will be getting started at 4 p.m. on TNT this Saturday.
Traffic chaos unfolds during KTLA reporter's live shot
The Glancy Train set continues to attract thousands at Detroit Historical Museum this holiday season
Babylon Bee blasts Southern Poverty Law Center after left-wing group doxxes anonymous writers
SF is the only city where it's cheaper to buy a home now than in 2019
Dallas police identify victim in Saturday morning shooting
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
The biggest Supreme Court decisions of 2024: From presidential immunity to overturning the Chevron doctrine
Trump threatens to take back control of Panama Canal over ‘ridiculous fees’
College students get emotional about climate change. Some are finding help in class
Read Blake Lively’s Complaint Against Wayfarer Studios
Trump announces newest nominations to lead DOJ, regulate US railroads
-
Politics1 week agoCanadian premier threatens to cut off energy imports to US if Trump imposes tariff on country
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25789444/1258459915.jpg "OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change")
Technology1 week agoOpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
-
Politics1 week agoU.S. Supreme Court will decide if oil industry may sue to block California's zero-emissions goal
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25546252/STK169_Mark_Zuckerburg_CVIRGINIA_D.jpg "Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit")
Technology1 week agoMeta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
-
Politics1 week agoConservative group debuts major ad buy in key senators' states as 'soft appeal' for Hegseth, Gabbard, Patel
-
Business7 days agoFreddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23951353/STK043_VRG_Illo_N_Barclay_3_Meta.jpg "Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age")
Technology7 days agoMeta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age
-
News1 week agoEast’s wintry mix could make travel dicey. And yes, that was a tornado in Calif.