Shrinking enrollment hasn’t stopped DeSoto from building a dynasty in Class 6A.
When the three-time state champion meets Houston C.E. King on Saturday at AT&T Stadium, it will appear in its third 6A Division II state title game since 2022. DeSoto made it back to state, despite tuning in 5A numbers during the last UIL realignment cycle.
Most schools in larger classifications would beat those in smaller ones, but school population and football success do not always directly correlate. This year’s state qualifiers are proof of that, and DeSoto is a particularly good example.
The program opted up to 6A and has continued to beat teams from schools with much larger populations, challenging the argument that bigger schools have an advantage, especially in Class 6A, where there is no ceiling.
High School Sports
DeSoto, which in 2025 turned in an enrollment of 1,932, upset eight-time state champion Southlake Carroll 57-44 in the 6A Division II state semifinals last weekend. Carroll turned in an enrollment of 2,762.
Including Carroll, 11 of DeSoto’s 12 wins this season came against schools with larger populations. DeSoto beat Waxahachie, which turned in an enrollment of 3,075, 40-17 in district play and shutout Skyline, with an enrollment of 3,573, 56-0. The Woodlands College Park, which fell to DeSoto 56-34 in the regional semifinals, turned in an enrollment of 3,191.5. That is about 1,300 more students than what the three-time state champion has.
Duncanville, Frisco Lone Star and South Oak Cliff — the Dallas-area’s other state finalists — also beat larger schools to get to AT&T Stadium.
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In the 6A Division I state semifinals, Duncanville beat Allen, the state’s largest school, 31-9. Allen turned in an enrollment of 6,798 and Duncanville turned in an enrollment of 4,214. Allen has been the state’s largest school for many years but has not won a state title since 2017.
Melissa, which will be moving up to Class 5A Division I, turned in an enrollment of 2,203. But in the 5A Division II state semifinals, Melissa fell 35-17 to South Oak Cliff, which turned in an enrollment of 1,601.
Aledo, a 12-time UIL state champion headed to Class 6A, fell to Frisco Lone Star 56-52 in the 5A Division I state semifinals. Lone Star has 477 less students, according to the most recent enrollment numbers, but it took down a program that won back-to-back state titles in 2022 and 2023.
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