North Crowley's defense makes timely stops to defeat Lancaster in Jerry Jones Classic

Ahead of the season opener, North Crowley head coach Ray Gates said a team goal was to cement the program as a house hold name in Texas high school football.

No. 1 North Crowley’s defense makes key stops in 29-21 win over Lancaster at Jerry Jones Classic

Coming into the season opener, North Crowley head coach Ray Gates said a goal for his team was to help cement the program as a household name in Texas high school football.

At the Ford Center at The Star for the Jerry Jones Classic on Friday, North Crowley, the No. 1 ranked team in the Star-Telegram’s Class 6A area rankings, showed its aggressive style in a 29-21 win over Lancaster. While the offense had its struggles at times, the defense set the tone with several key stops.

“That just shows that we can play when it matters most,” Gates said. “Today was a lot of bend but don’t break. We have flashes in there of what we wanted to do. We’ll clean up everything from the film. Our guys will show up ready to go.”

In a game played under a massive spotlight on national television, North Crowley came through with a win that represented Fort Worth with “817″ on its helmets.

“We have tremendous growth, and our super superintendent has an unbelievable vision for what he wants to do athletically and academically in our district,” Gates said. “So to be able to put that on the map – people know who we are now. People will understand where we’re coming from – out of Fort Worth.”

Gates said there were plenty of positives to take away from the game, though the team will focus on the negatives in order to make improvements.

“We just wanted to make sure that our kids stayed-even keeled in all the moments, so we can make the necessary adjustments,” Gates said.

In North Crowley’s first two drives, the Panthers turned the ball over on downs in the red zone, electing not to attempt a field goal. The defense had their backs, and defensive lineman DeMorey Beasley recovered a fumble.

The Panther offense took advantage of the second chance with a four-yard rushing touchdown from running back Daniel Bray, a transfer from Abilene Cooper.

Touchdown North Crowley. RB Daniel Bray finds the end zone. Panthers went for two and converted. Defense set up the score with a FR. North Crowley leads Lancaster 8-0 (0:51 Q1). #txhsfb pic.twitter.com/wT7HJ5uboa

Beasley was rewarded for the recovery with a 2-point conversion attempt that he converted.

Following a 68-yard touchdown drive from Lancaster, North Crowley’s offensive aggressiveness paid off once again. On fourth-and-long, quarterback Chris Jimerson Jr. found wide receiver Quinton Gibson for a 14-yard score.

After, North Crowley forced a fumble in the red zone and recovered. Gates said the defensive stops near the goal showed resolve, especially considering the odds favor the offense.

The Panthers took over and started marching down the field with two minutes remaining in the half.

Jimerson Jr. threw a pass that was kicked up in the air by a receiver, and Lancaster linebacker Dyland Sandles intercepted it. He had a wide open lane to the end zone, but the play was blown dead due to an inadvertent whistle.

Lancaster would’ve cut the North Crowley lead to three points. Instead, North Crowley received an extra chance and capitalized. Jimerson Jr. found Gibson for his second score of the day on a three-yard pass.

To start the second half, Lancaster moved on from the missed call and got back on the scoreboard with a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Carter Jones to Ja’Quavius Pipkin.

Following another North Crowley turnover on downs, facing fourth-and-long, Lancaster had another scoring chance. The Tigers needed three yards for a first down on the Panther’s four-yard line, but the North Crowley defense stuffed the run and forced a turnover on downs.

Stuffed. North Crowley’s defense forces a turnover on downs. This Panther D-Line has done a great job in these situations.

North Crowley leads Lancaster 22-13 (11:04 Q4). #txhsfb pic.twitter.com/nhJzsDawJk

In a 17-play, 98-yard scoring drive, Gibson added to an already incredible game with a 21-yard touchdown, his third of the day. Gibson finished with seven catches for 76 yards and the three scores while Kevin Moore hauled in five passes for 107 yards.

Jimerson said he expects Gibson to have a breakout season.

“(Gibson) is one of the players where if the ball is there, he is going to go get it every time,” Jimerson said. “Me and him have had that chemistry since the ninth grade. We’ve been playing with each other, and I’ve seen

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