The 6A-I Texas High School football playoffs started Thursday night as North Shore High School matched up against Deer Park High School. Deer Park came into the game at 5-5 and looking to pull off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory. As for North Shore, the Mustangs are looking to complete their quest to three-peat as state champions.
Deer Park would start the game off with the ball, but thanks to an elite Mustang defense, would struggle the entire game. The first drive ended in a three and out for the Deer, foreshadowing a long night ahead. Once Dematrius Davis and the Mustangs took over the ball, it didn’t take long to find the end zone.
North Shore would open up with a heavy dose of running in their first drive, however it would be a pass that would give the Mustangs their first touchdown. Dematrius Davis completed a short pass to Charles King who took it 15-yards to the endzone. Just like that North Shore was up 7-0 in the 1st quarter.
After another strong stand from the North Shore defense, the Mustangs would get another chance to put points up on the board. This time around Dematrius Davis wouldn’t just pass and rush the ball, he would also catch a 28-yard pass from Shadrach Banks. Brannon Davis Jr would punch the ball in for the four-yard touchdown on the next play.
The Mustangs defense allowed Davis, Banks and the rest of the North Shore offense to have a field day. The two SEC commits would connect two times on the drive, allowing Davis to score from 10-yards out himself. The next drive would be highlighted by a powerful run from Xavier Owens Jr putting the Mustangs inside Deer Park’s 10-yard line. North Shore would line up Shadrach Banks in the backfield to have him punch in his first touchdown of the night.
Even with Deer Park being able to get their first 1st down, they would never find the end zone on their next drive. The Mustangs would get the ball back with roughly five minutes left in the first half, and you can imagine how things went next. Shadrach Banks would cap off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown catch. North Shore High School would head into halftime with a 35-0 lead over Deer Park High School.
The Deer were able to stop the Mustangs from scoring on their opening drive of the second half. Unfortunately though they were still unable to get any points after failing to convert a fourth down attempt. The Mustangs wouldn’t suffer that same issue though. On the very next play Davis connected on a 52-yard bomb to David Amador, extending the lead to 42 points. On the Mustangs next drive Amador would come down with the catch of the night to flip the field for North Shore High School. Jhalyn Bailey would get in on the fun, scoring on a 16-yard pass from Davis.
That would pretty much end the game, as North Shore High School would bring in their second unit on the next drive. Good news for the Deer, they didnt go scoreless on the night. Earlier in the fourth quarter Matthew Potts would connect on a 44-yard strike to Alex Argueta as the Deer were able to catch North Shore buzzing on defense.
Dematrius Davis finished the game going 13 of 18 for 266 yards and three touchdowns plus a rushing touchdown. The Mustangs defense was able to force more punts (8) than first downs allowed (5). The future Texas A&M Aggie, Shadrach Banks, received six catches for 86 yards and had two touchdowns on the night. Sophomore receiver David Amador finished with three catches for 105 yards and one touchdown.
The North Shore Mustangs will look to take on Dawson High School next Thursday at 7PM. Dawson High School beat Dickenson High School 35-19 to advance against North Shore. This will mark the second round of the 6A-I Texas High School football playoffs, and the Area championship.
