by Waxahachie, TX – The battle of the undefeated in what will likely decide District 11-6A’s champion, the North Crowley Panthers went on the road and took down the Waxahachie Indians 42-17.
The Rundown
A slow start to the game as the two juggernauts exchanged punts midway through the first quarter before North Crowley finally jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Jacob Torres connected with Damarion Mays for a 31-yard gain to move the Panthers into Waxahachie territory before Kiante Ingram broke free for a 33-yard touchdown. Ingram, just like the last time Kee-On covered a North Crowley game, continued to be a force to be reckoned with getting his first of the night on the second drive. The Indians would drive the field to end the quarter but turn it over on downs to end the first.
The Panthers picked up where it left on in their last drive pounding the ground game with the two headed beast of a backfield with Ingram and G’Yrell Smith. This time it was Smith’s turn who ran the ball on the last 5 plays of the 13-play drive finally punching the ball in from the 4-yard line to extend the lead to 14-0. Smith would strike again after a Waxahachie punt this time breaking away for a 23-yard touchdown run putting the Panthers up 21-0 midway into the second. The Indians finally found life in their last drive of the half as quarterback Jerry Meyer III did it himself both throwing and running the ball down the field. He capped off the drive with a 28-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 21-7 heading into the locker room.
Coming out the half the Indians continued to battle putting together an 89-yard drive that ended with a field goal to bring the score to 21-10. The Panthers though did what they did best pounding the ground game with Ingram breaking away for his second touchdown on a 35-yard run to put North Crowley further ahead at 28-10 heading into the fourth quarter.
Again, the Panthers got into the endzone on an electrifying 84-yard touchdown pass from Torres to Mays with 10-minutes to go in the fourth quarter and again they would score on the next drive with Smith’s third touchdown on a 60-yard run giving the Panthers their largest lead of the night at 42-10. Waxahachie had one final push marching down the field for 63 yards capping it with a Meyer connection to Matthew Scott II for a 10-yard touchdown pass. However, the late score was for morale more than anything as North Crowley took the game by a commanding 42-17 victory back to Fort Worth.
Kee-On Players of the Game: Kiante Ingram and G’Yrell Smith
The Panthers’ rushing duo was nearly unstoppable as Ingram finished with 166 rushing yards and two touchdowns while Smith added 121 yards and three touchdowns of his own. The two combined for 287 yards and five rushing touchdowns, with Smith’s 60-yard score in the fourth putting the game well out of reach. North Crowley finished the night with more than 300 rushing yards as the Panthers continued their undefeated season showing once again that if you were going to beat them you would have to stop the run.
What’s Next
North Crowley (6-0, 3-0) will return home Friday night to take on Mansfield Lake Ridge (4-2, 2-1) at 7 p.m.
Waxahachie (5-1, 2-1) will look to bounce back as the Indians hit the road to take on Red Oak (4-2, 2-1) Friday night at 7 p.m. The matchup could have major implications on the district standings as both teams look to keep pace with North Crowley and a reinvigorated Duncanville.
