{"id":461987,"date":"2026-10-10T08:00:29","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T08:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/461987\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T08:00:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T08:00:29","slug":"best-team-in-texas-and-more-north-crowley-dominates-waxahachie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/461987\/","title":{"rendered":"Best team in Texas and more? North Crowley dominates Waxahachie"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img alt=\"North Crowley running back G\u2019yrell Smith (3) finds a huge hole in the line to score during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:4 \/ 3\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>North Crowley running back G\u2019yrell Smith (3) finds a huge hole in the line to score during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n<p>WAXAHACHIE \u2014 North Crowley coach DeMarcus Harris<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/high-school-sports\/football\/article\/north-crowley-waxahachie-texas-football-best-team-22463849.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> called it the biggest game in the country.<\/a> MaxPreps agreed, designating Friday\u2019s North Crowley vs. Waxahachie showdown as its national game of the week.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-channels-pixel.ex.co\/events\/0012000001fxZm9AAE?integrationType=DEFAULT&amp;template=design%2Farticle%2Fplatypus_two_column.tpl\" alt=\"\" class=\"x1px y1px vh abs\" aria-hidden=\"true\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/high-school-sports\/football\/article\/texas-high-school-football-rankings-week-7-dfw-22463799.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">With the state\u2019s No. 1 ranking on the line<\/a>, and with the game likely deciding the District 11-6A champion, the highly anticipated battle at a jam-packed\u00a0Lumpkins Stadium didn\u2019t live up to the hype as North Crowley dominated from start to finish.<\/p>\n<p>Running backs\u00a0Kiante Ingram and North Texas pledge G\u2019yrell Smith combined to run for 273 yards and five touchdowns and Jacob Torres completed all 11 of his passes as No. 3 North Crowley crushed No. 1 Waxahachie 42-17 in a matchup of state-ranked Class 6A teams.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>North Crowley (6-0, 3-0 District 11-6A), ranked No. 18 nationally by\u00a0MaxPreps, is looking for its second state title in three years after going 16-0 in 2024. It didn\u2019t just want to just show that it\u2019s the best team in Texas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the country,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MM_onlineOnly\" title=\"CCI Online Only\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/high-school-sports\/football\/boxscore\/2026\/164438\/north-crowley-vs-waxahachie\/\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Full stats, box score, play-by-play<\/a><\/p>\n<p>It was quite a statement from North Crowley, which becomes the clear favorite to win the 11-6A title, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/high-school-sports\/football\/article\/duncanville-north-crowley-football-score-22438357.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">given that it has already beaten three-time state champion\u00a0Duncanville<\/a>. Waxahachie still has to play Duncanville on Oct. 23.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"North Crowley quarterback Jacob Torres (15) and his team mates celebrate their win against Waxahachie in a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:4 \/ 3\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>North Crowley quarterback Jacob Torres (15) and his team mates celebrate their win against Waxahachie in a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s our\u00a0offseason, our boot camp, the way we practice, the way we do things is second to none,\u201d Harris said. \u201cOur community, our kids are tough and hard-nosed. They get after it, so I can lay down at night every night with ease because I know they are going to play hard for me every time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>North Crowley came into the game averaging 221 rushing yards and surpassed that with 299 yards on the ground as\u00a0Ingram ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns and Smith rushed for 116 yards and three scores \u2014 the third 100-yard game of the season for both. If that wasn\u2019t enough, Torres was 11-for-11 passing for 215 yards and an 84-yard touchdown pass to four-star wide receiver Damarion Mays.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverybody preached that this was going to be a big game. We just wanted to come out here and play our game of ball,\u201d\u00a0Ingram said. \u201cMy O-line and my coaches worked so hard to put us in the best position to win. When we come out, here it\u2019s so easy for us. My O-line was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Waxahachie (5-1, 2-1) was looking for its first 6-0 start since 2016. That year, with former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna as its coach, Waxahachie won its first six games before finishing 6-4.<\/p>\n<p>It was an intense game that featured a combined 18 penalties for 190 yards and one break in the action with 6:29 remaining when the teams had to be separated after a shoving match. Both coaches gathered their entire team around them and had a talk before action was allowed to resume, and many of\u00a0Waxahachie\u2019s players didn\u2019t shake hands after the game was over as coaches directed them to the other side of the field, away from North Crowley.<\/p>\n<p>North Crowley dominated the first half and led 21-7 at halftime after\u00a0outgaining Waxahachie 240-95. North Crowley ran for 162 yards in the half as Ingram had 102 yards and a touchdown and Smith rushed for 53 yards and two scores to help North Crowley build a 21-0 lead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Waxahachie finally broke through a tenacious North Crowley defense as quarterback Jerry Meyer III scored on a 28-yard run with 39 seconds left in the first half. Meyer, committed to South Carolina and Waxahachie\u2019s all-time leading passer, was held to 8 yards passing in the half but ran for 75 yards on six carries.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Waxahachie running back Taylor Strange (4) is brought down after a two yard gain during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"eager\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Waxahachie running back Taylor Strange (4) is brought down after a two yard gain during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"North Crowley quarterback Jacob Torres (15) hands off to running back G\u2019yrell Smith (3) during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>North Crowley quarterback Jacob Torres (15) hands off to running back G\u2019yrell Smith (3) during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"North Crowley running back G\u2019yrell Smith (3) breaks to the outside during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>North Crowley running back G\u2019yrell Smith (3) breaks to the outside during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"Waxahachie defensive back Mikel Winbush (13) was called for a face mask against North Crowley running back G\u2019yrell Smith (3) during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Waxahachie defensive back Mikel Winbush (13) was called for a face mask against North Crowley running back G\u2019yrell Smith (3) during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"Waxahachie defensive lineman Sedrick Marsh (10) and linebacker Carmelo Clawson (11) drop North Crowley quarterback Jacob Torres (15) during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Waxahachie defensive lineman Sedrick Marsh (10) and linebacker Carmelo Clawson (11) drop North Crowley quarterback Jacob Torres (15) during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"North Crowley wide receiver Kade Smith (12) breaks away from Waxahachie cornerback Braylon Davis (6) for a gain during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>North Crowley wide receiver Kade Smith (12) breaks away from Waxahachie cornerback Braylon Davis (6) for a gain during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"Waxahachie head coach Lawrence Williams glances to the end zone during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Waxahachie head coach Lawrence Williams glances to the end zone during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"Waxahachie quarterback Jerry Meyer III (3) scampers in the backfield during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Waxahachie quarterback Jerry Meyer III (3) scampers in the backfield during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"Waxahachie quarterback Jerry Meyer III (3) tosses a completion to the sidelines during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Waxahachie quarterback Jerry Meyer III (3) tosses a completion to the sidelines during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"Waxahachie quarterback Jerry Meyer III (3) leads the North Crowley defense to the end zone for the Indians lone score of the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Waxahachie quarterback Jerry Meyer III (3) leads the North Crowley defense to the end zone for the Indians lone score of the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"Waxahachie head coach Lawrence Williams corrects an official as to a players number during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Waxahachie head coach Lawrence Williams corrects an official as to a players number during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"Waxahachie safety Jayquan Snell (2) rests on the bench as his offense plays during the second half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Waxahachie safety Jayquan Snell (2) rests on the bench as his offense plays during the second half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"North Crowley wide receiver Damarion Mays (2) puts on his bling during the second half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>North Crowley wide receiver Damarion Mays (2) puts on his bling during the second half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"North Crowley head coach DeMarcus Harris and Waxahachie head coach Lawrence Williams greet each other at midfield after their UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>North Crowley head coach DeMarcus Harris and Waxahachie head coach Lawrence Williams greet each other at midfield after their UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"North Crowley head coach DeMarcus Harris talks to the team during the two minute warning of the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>North Crowley head coach DeMarcus Harris talks to the team during the two minute warning of the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<img alt=\"Waxahachie quarterback Jerry Meyer III (3) scampers to the sidelines after a nine yard gain (3) during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Waxahachie quarterback Jerry Meyer III (3) scampers to the sidelines after a nine yard gain (3) during the first half of a UIL District 11-6A  game at Lumpkins Stadium, Friday Oct. 09, 2026, in Waxahachie.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Booth\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n<p>It was surprising to see Meyer take off and run, as he came into the game with 12 carries for just 36 yards on the season. But he had little choice, as there were never wide receivers open against a stout North Crowley secondary that features UCLA pledge Jerry Outhouse\u00a0Jr., Arizona State pledge Elijajuan Houston and heavily recruited sophomore Braylen Cunningham (21 offers).<\/p>\n<p>Waxahachie came into the game leading Class 6A area schools in scoring at 53.4 points per game, and ranked third in total offense at 505.4 yards per game. But Meyer finished 12-for-28 for 112 yards and a touchdown and ran for a team-high 96 yards on eight carries, while star running back Taylen Strange had 81 yards on 21 carries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"North Crowley running back G\u2019yrell Smith (3) finds a huge hole in the line to score during the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":461988,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[732,300,27,29,28,130372,92499],"class_list":["post-461987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-article","tag-football","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news","tag-tp-north-crowley-school","tag-tp-waxahachie-school"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=461987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461987\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/461988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=461987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=461987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=461987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}