The Crowley Eagles secured a signature 35-23 win in District 3-6A on Thursday night over the previously unbeaten Mansfield Tigers.

"No matter how many ups and downs that we had through the game, we just overcame adversity," sophomore wide receiver Antayvious Ellis said. "Coach (Carlos) Lynn, every day he speaks about 'DPS,' district, playoffs, state championship. In order to be first seed in the playoffs, we had to beat a tough team like Mansfield."

Dave Campbell's Texas Football caught up with some of the stars afterward to discuss their recruitment. 

2027 WR Antayvious Ellis updates visit schedule

Ellis is playing like a DCTF four star. The sophomore has 39 catches for 642 yards and eight touchdowns through seven games.

Ellis is the headliner recruiting-wise for Crowley this season at 23 total offers. He told DCTF he is planning a visit to Eugene, Oregon, for No. 3-ranked Oregon's highly anticipated matchup with No.2 ranked Ohio State, and has locked in a visit to Austin for No.1 ranked Texas's clash with No.5 Georgia.

2025 WR Derrick Tasby in mid-season form

Tasby led District 3-6A last season with 63 receptions for 836 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023. On Thursday night, he had his best game of the season with six receptions for 74 yards and a score.

"I'm coming off a big injury from the North Shore game," Tasby said. "This taught me to stay consistent. It taught me to focus on my craft and keep my confidence up."

Tasby (6-foot, 180 pounds) has the versatility to put his hand in the dirt as an in-line tight end or split out wide. UTEP running backs coach Jourdan McNeill has been his main recruiter. No wonder his teammates refer to him as 'Lil Deebo.'

UTEP is his sole offer right now, but Tasby says he's been in talks with Rice and is working to build a relationship with the North Texas staff.

2025 S Jonathan Blake

Allow me to editorialze here, Jonathan Blake is one of the all-around best football players I've seen this season.

It starts at the safety spot, where he flies from the second-level in support of the run game and arrives with bad intentions. 

But the Crowley coaches also trust him as a short-yardage quarterback, which is where Blake had the play of the night. On a play designed as QB power, the snap instead flew over his head. Blake picked the ball up on the run, without breaking stride, instead of falling on it, and then threw a touchdown pass on the broken play.

Blake has been offered by Jackson State, Montana State, Mississippi Valley, Northeastern State and Prairie View A&M while schools such as Rice, Stephen F. Austin and Utah are keeping tabs. A new school he threw out on Thursday night to monitor – Navy.