North Shore, Dematrius Davis pull away from Duncanville in heavyweight clash in 6A DI

Even when you don’t have the hare, it’s nice to know the tortoise can get the job done.

North Shore, playing without star running back Zach Evans, took the slow road to defend its 6A, Division I championship with a 31-17 win over Duncanville in a much-anticipated rematch of the 2018 championship game.

Roger Hagan and Dematrius Davis each rushed for more than 100 yards as North Shore relied on its offensive line to grind out a win. The Mustangs, usually a quick-strike offense that averaged more than 400 yards per game on the ground in the playoffs, ran for 221 yards on 46 time-consuming carries. North Shore held the ball for 27 of the 48 minutes.

“I believe in my teammates,” Davis said after earning offensive MVP honors. “The offensive line was blocking great all game. We were getting four or more yards every play.”

“We kept the clock moving and stayed away from bad field position,” North Shore coach Jon Kay said. “That’s winning football. That gets lost when you score 50 points or there’s a Hail Mary, but that’s just winning football.”

Tied at 17 early in the third, North Shore took advantage of a Duncanville miscue to take the lead. Mustangs’ punter Eduardo Galvan mishandled a high snap, giving North Shore the ball at Duncanville’s 20. Hagan converted that into the go-ahead score with a 1-yard run.

“That was an unforced error,” Duncanville coach Reginald Samples said, “and you can’t make unforced errors against a really good team.”

The Panthers, playing without starting quarterback Ja’Quinden Jackson (knee), kept things tight deep into the fourth quarter. Trailing 24-17, Roderick Daniels broke loose for a 41-yard gain to give Duncanville a first-and-goal late in the third quarter, but the Panthers didn’t score when the Mustangs stopped Trysten Smith on three straight plays from inside the five.

“When you play a great team like this, you have to take advantage of every opportunity,” Samples said. “We didn’t do that.”

Duncanville never generated a chance in the fourth quarter, and North Shore put the game away with an 84-yard drive directed by Davis. His escaped a heavy pass rush with a 28-yard gain, then delivered a 44-yard touchdown pass to Charles King to clinch the win.

Davis opened the scoring with a 30-yard run in the first quarter, but Duncanville responded. Daniels answered with a 25-yard run. Duncanville took a 14-7 lead when freshman Chris Parson, playing in place of Jackson, dashed six yards for a score.

North Shore’s defense stepped up in the second half, Kay said.

“To see our kids come out in the second half and shut out a team like Duncanville, and yes, we know Ja’Quinden is a generational type of player, but they are dripping with talent,” Kay said. “I’m really happy we made and executed our adjustments on the biggest stage.”

Kay did not discuss Evans’ absence. The senior reportedly was sent home prior to the game.

“These are high school students and they do things they regret sometimes,” Kay said. “We all do. We’re going to coach the players who are here. The rest of the team banded together. I think it shows our resolve and our depth.”

- Jay Plotkin

VIDEO RECAP

BOX SCORE

Duncanville       7          10        0          0 - 17

GP North Shore 7          10        7          7 - 31

Scoring

1st quarter

North Shore-Dematrius Davis 30 run (John Villalobos kick)

Duncanville-Roderick Daniels 25 run (Ulises Lara kick)

2nd quarter

North Shore- Villalobos 39 field goal

Duncanville-Chris Parson 6 run (Lara kick)

North Shore-Roger Hagan 2 run (Villalobos kick)

Duncanville-Lara 46 field goal

3rd quarter

North Shore-Hagan 1 run (Villalobos kick)

4th quarter

North Shore-Charles King 44 pass from Davis (Villalobos kick)

Team Stats        DHS      GPNS

1st downs          13        17

Rushes-Yards    40-153  46-221

Passing Yards    100      91

Passing 6-10-0  6-12-0

Fum-Lost          3-2       1-1

Pen-Yards         3-25     3-30

Punts-Avg         2-32.0  2-30.0

Team Leaders

Duncanville

Rushing: Roderick Daniels 8-125, TD; Tryston Smith 19-61

Passing: Parson 6-10-0-100

Receiving: Daniels 2-54; Suavevion Persley 2-9; Marquelan Crowell 1-34.

North Shore

Rushing: Dematrius Davis 16-115, TD; Roger Hagan 27-105, 2 TD

Passing: Davis 6-12-0-91, TD

Receiving: Charles King 2-50, TD; Syncere Green 2-21; Ismael Fuller 1-8