North Side defeats Diamond Hill-Jarvis in Battle of the Boot

Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis faces off against Fort Worth North Side during the Battle of the Boot high school football game at Farrington Field in Fort Worth, Texas, Friday, September 4, 2026. North Side won 10-2.

Raul Avila

Southwest HS Advanced Media

FORT WORTH

Rivalry Week continued in Fort Worth ISD as the North Side Steers (1-1) and Diamond Hill-Jarvis Eagles (1-1) faced off in their annual “Battle of the Boot” rivalry game at Farrington Field Friday night.

North Side ultimately prevailed, using a strong defensive performance and a late touchdown to secure a 10-2 victory.

The contest marked the 13th meeting between the two schools since 2004. North Side now has a 12-1 advantage in the series. This time, the Eagles appeared poised to challenge that dominance after opening the season with a convincing 38-6 victory over Dallas A Plus Academy.

The Steers, meanwhile, were looking to bounce back from a week-one loss and secure their first win of the season.

The evening began with a special guest as State Sen. Anthony Rojas performed the ceremonial coin toss before kickoff.

Diamond Hill-Jarvis struck first, recording a safety midway through the opening quarter to take an early 2-0 lead. The score energized Eagles fans and fueled optimism surrounding the program. Last season, the Eagles snapped a 47-game losing streak.

“It means a lot, the new coaches coming in and changing the system,” said Ulisis Martinez, whose son plays for Diamond Hill-Jarvis. “The kids are playing pretty good this year.”

Although the Eagles came up short on the scoreboard, head coach Irwin Garcia said the program’s focus extends beyond wins and losses.

“We are investing in our kids,” Garcia said. “We try to bring the core values that we have in our community. We have a blue-collar, humble, hard-working community, and that is what we want to instill in our kids and our program.”

Those values were evident throughout a physical, defensive battle.

North Side appeared ready to answer the Eagles’ early lead when the Steers reached the end zone later in the first quarter. However, the touchdown was erased by a blindside block penalty.

Both defenses controlled much of the first half, limiting scoring opportunities and delivering key stops in critical moments.

One of the biggest plays of the game came with 3:39 remaining in the second quarter when North Side outside linebacker Taveion Thompson intercepted a Diamond Hill-Jarvis pass, helping swing momentum in the Steers’ favor.

North Side capitalized just before halftime. With only seconds remaining in the second quarter, Chris Morris connected on a field goal to give the Steers their first lead of the night, 3-2.

That slim advantage carried into halftime as the longtime rivals headed to their locker rooms.

The Steers finally put the game away late in the fourth quarter when Howard Blackmore raced 18 yards for a touchdown with 1:07 remaining. The score provided the decisive margin as North Side held on for the 10-2 victory.

“They didn’t quit,” North Side head coach JJ Resendez said. “They had some adversity tonight; we gave up some big plays, but we kept them out of the end zone.”

Fort Worth North Side head coach JJ Resendez during a high school football game against Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis at Farrington Field in Fort Worth, Texas Friday, September 4, 2026. North Side won 10-2. Raul Avila Southwest HS Advanced Media

North Side will look to improve to 2-1 and keep Fort Worth Western Hills out of the end zone when they play Friday at Farrington Field. Diamond Hill-Jarvis will attempt to bounce back the same night against Fort Worth Polytechnic at Scarborough-Handley Field.