Allen players celebrate after defeating Duncanville in a nondistrict football game at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen. Allen defeated Duncanville 26-7.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
ALLEN — The trash talk started early for Friday’s monumental showdown between a pair of nationally ranked teams — Duncanville and Allen. It came from one of the best players in Duncanville history.
Former Duncanville five-star quarterback Keelon Russell, now the starter at Alabama, was shown in a video posted by MaxPreps on Friday morning saying he thought his alma mater would win in a blowout.
“I don’t even think that’s a rival to be honest,” Russell said. “Duncanville is going to win by 50 if we can. It’s just about if we’re going to put our twos in the first quarter or second quarter. Allen is Allen. Kyler Murray’s not there.”
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Allen four-star sophomore quarterback Ty Snell also went out on a limb in a MaxPreps interview before the game, predicting a 35-21 Allen win.
Snell got the last laugh thanks to a dynamic performance by the Allen defense, especially senior defensive lineman Beckhem Parker.
Parker had five tackles for loss and three sacks in the second half and Allen had eight sacks and 13 tackles for loss as a team as it stifled the nation’s 10th-ranked team in a 26-7 win at Allen’s $59.6 million Eagle Stadium in the season opener for both teams. It was Allen’s 22nd consecutive regular-season win and Duncanville’s first loss in a season opener since 2021.
Allen players take the field before a nondistrict football game against Duncanville at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Duncanville takes the field before a nondistrict football game against Allen at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Allen quarterback Ty Snell (3) throws a pass during the first half of a nondistrict football game against Duncanville at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Allen linebacker Raiden Johnson (15) sacks Duncanville quarterback Maximus The Great Denson (1) during the first half of a nondistrict football game at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Duncanville quarterback Maximus The Great Denson (1) scrambles out of the pocket away from the Allen defense during the first half of a nondistrict football game at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Allen wide receiver Cylas Siciliano (17) catches a 23-yard pass for a touchdown during the first half of a nondistrict football game against Duncanville at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Allen wide receiver Cylas Siciliano (17) reacts after a touchdown reception during the first half of a nondistrict football game against Duncanville at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
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Allen defensive end Jacobie Wilkerson (9) reacts after sacking Duncanville quarterback Maximus The Great Denson during the first half of a nondistrict football game at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Allen quarterback Ty Snell (3) hands off to running back Lyndon Spriggs (1) for a 1-yard touchdown run during the first half of a nondistrict football game against Duncanville at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Duncanville quarterback Maximus The Great Denson (1) runs the ball as Allen linebacker Raiden Johnson (15) and linebacker Hova Wilford (8) try to tackle him during the first half of a nondistrict football game at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Duncanville wide receiver Trenton Yancey (6) hauls in a 53-yard touchdown reception ahead Allen defensive back CJ Fields (22) and defensive back Dominic Butler (7) during the first half of a nondistrict football game at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
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Duncanville wide receiver Trenton Yancey (6) celebrates his 53-yard touchdown reception with wide receiver Javion Broussard (13) during the first half of a nondistrict football game against Allen at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Duncanville defensive back Riley Lewis (23) intercepts a pass intended for Allen wide receiver Josyah Johnson (11) during the first half of a nondistrict football game at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Duncanville defensive back Malik Hudson (21) tackles Allen wide receiver Zach Williams (2) out of bounds during the second half of a nondistrict football game at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Allen defensive back Trey Roberson (0) intercepts a pass intended for Duncanville wide receiver Trenton Yancey (6) during the second half of a nondistrict football game at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Duncanville head coach Reginald Samples gives a thumbs up to a referee during the second half of a nondistrict football game against Allen at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
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Allen wide receiver Zach Williams (2) jumps into the endzone after a 20-yard touchdown reception during the second half of a nondistrict football game against Duncanville at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Allen defensive end Dara Adeosun (left) and defensive lineman Beckhem Parker (24) sack Duncanville quarterback Maximus The Great Denson (1) during the second half of a nondistrict football game at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Allen running back Lyndon Spriggs (1) celebrates a rushing touchdown with wide receiver Cylas Siciliano (17) during the second half of a nondistrict football game at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Duncanville head coach Reginald Samples greets Allen players after a nondistrict football game at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
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Allen head coach Lee Wiginton greets Duncanville players after a nondistrict football game at Eagle Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Allen.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
“They play so incredibly hard, that’s what’s so fun,” Allen coach Lee Wiginton said of his defense. “What I was really anxious about was could we match their physicality. You go through offseason and you do all these things, but can you match that physicality of their program? They did that.”
Allen, ranked No. 16 nationally, held last year’s Class 6A Division I state runner-up to 163 yards of offense in the Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer Football Classic. That included 65 yards rushing on 33 carries as Allen avenged a 31-9 loss to Duncanville in last year’s state semifinal.
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“It motivated us so much. It’s back-to-back games. We just lost to them, so coming back and beating them and beating them convincingly felt amazing,” Parker said.
These are two prestigious programs, with Allen sending 14 players on to the NFL and Duncanville producing 10 NFL players. Duncanville has won at least 10 games in 10 consecutive seasons, Allen has had double-digit wins in 18 of the last 20 years and they have combined to win eight state titles.
Snell didn’t play against Duncanville last season as he was the team’s backup as a freshman. But the nation’s second-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2029 backed up his pregame prediction by throwing for 163 yards and two touchdowns and running for 46 yards on five carries.
“I knew what our team was capable of,” Snell said. “We knew coming into this week that it was going to be a fight, but at the end of the day with all the preparation that we had, we executed.”
Snell got a big boost from the addition of sophomore wide receiver Zach Williams, a transfer from Bishop Lynch who was a 1,000-yard receiver and second-team MaxPreps freshman All-American last year. Williams had seven catches for 68 yards and a touchdown, and that score came on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Snell with 5:57 left that extended Allen’s lead to 19-7 and ended Duncanville’s hopes of a comeback.
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Lyndon Spriggs sealed the win for good with a 9-yard touchdown run with 1:46 left, and he finished with 61 yards and two touchdowns for Allen. The defense set up both of those late scores, first forcing a three-and-out that was followed by a 19-yard punt that gave Allen the ball at Duncanville’s 21-yard line with Allen clinging to a 12-7 lead, then forcing another punt that was followed by a 53-yard Allen scoring drive.
Duncanville senior quarterback Maximus The Great Denson was playing his first game since Oct. 23, 2025 after he missed the final eight games last year for what coach Reginald Samples called personal issues. Denson threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to four-star Purdue pledge Trenton Yancey with 50 seconds left in the second quarter to make it 12-7, but outside of that completion Allen held Denson to 45 yards.
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