ARLINGTON - - In the final moments in the locker room before the Class 6A Division I State Championship against Austin Westlake, North Crowley head coach Ray Gates put 16 bricks on the table.
One-by-one, he built them into a structure. Each brick symbolized one game of the season, the run through the District of Doom, a reminder that North Crowley didn’t duck any smoke.
“We’ve got one more to go get, to make this journey complete,” Gates said.
North Crowley quarterback Chris Jimerson Jr. had heard plenty of speeches in his four-year Varsity career, but Gates had saved his best for last.
“Coach Gates always has a good speech before the game,” Jimerson said. “It really motivates us and gives us that extra boost to go play harder.”
It didn’t take long for Gates to see if his speech sunk in. On the first offensive play, Jimerson threw a 75-yard touchdown to Quentin Gibson on a flea-flicker. The route was on.
Jimerson capped his illustrious North Crowley career with a state championship, piloting the offense to a 50-21 victory. North Crowley’s 640 total yards were the second most in Class 6A State Championship history, and made even more impressive considering Westlake allowed 12 points per game all year.
North Crowley was simply too fast for the Westlake defense, bouncing rushing attempts that should’ve gone for one or two yards to the outside and sprinting for 15-yard chunks. Senior Cornelius Warren led the way with 23 carries for 217 yards and a score.
Austin Westlake had an opportunity to tie the game early in the second quarter on a ten-yard run that pushed inside North Crowley’s 10-yard line. But junior defensive tackle Derrick Gleason punched the ball out. A North Crowley score off the turnover gave them a 21-7 lead, and they never looked back. Gleason earned Defensive MVP honors.
“This group is always going to be special to me,” Gates said. “I wish I could replicate them, figure out some type of way to create some more of these guys and just bring them back next year.”
One of those guys Gates wishes he could replicate is senior wide receiver Quentin Gibson. Gibson was awarded the game’s Offensive MVP with seven catches for 181 yards and three scores, finishing the season with 36 touchdowns. He entered the year with two offers to Illinois State and Army, and finished it breaking Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s Dallas-area record for receiving touchdowns. Gibson signed to Colorado and even his a Deion dance in the end zone after one of his touchdowns.
“Senior season movie for sure,” Gibson said. “Me coming from nothing and really not knowing what I was going to do at the end of the season, to being at Colorado and finding my home.”
If Gibson’s senior year was a movie, it was the third installment in Gates’s North Crowley tenure. And unlike most trilogies, it’s only getting better.
“I couldn’t have scripted this any better,” Gates said.
BOX SCORE
| TM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Westlake | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 | |
| North Crowley | 14 | 14 | 15 | 7 | 50 |
| Team | Qtr | Clock | Score | Type | Play | Drive | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC | 1 | 11:45 | TD | PASS | Q.Gibson 75 yd reception thrown by C.Jimerson (PAT KICK by D.Gonzalez GOOD) | 1/75/0:15 | 7-0 |
| WLK | 1 | 09:52 | TD | RUSH | G.Barlett 2 yd rush (PAT KICK by N.Bartley GOOD) | 5/42/1:51 | 7-7 |
| NC | 1 | 07:25 | TD | RUSH | C.Jimerson 44 yd rush (PAT KICK by D.Gonzalez GOOD) | 5/75/2:27 | 14-7 |
| NC | 2 | 03:14 | TD | PASS | Q.Gibson 44 yd reception thrown by C.Jimerson (PAT KICK by D.Gonzalez GOOD) | 12/95/6:28 | 21-7 |
| NC | 2 | 00:42 | TD | PASS | D.Bray 44 yd reception thrown by C.Jimerson (PAT KICK by D.Gonzalez GOOD) | 6/59/1:22 | 28-7 |
| NC | 3 | 06:49 | TD | RUSH | D.Bray 1 yd rush (PAT KICK by D.Gonzalez GOOD) | 9/84/3:52 | 35-7 |
| WLK | 3 | 05:49 | TD | RUSH | R.Wise 1 yd rush (PAT KICK by N.Bartley GOOD) | 5/67/1:00 | 35-14 |
| NC | 3 | 05:33 | TD | RUSH | C.Warren III 75 yd rush (PAT PASS caught by C.Boyd GOOD) | 1/75/0:16 | 43-14 |
| WLK | 4 | 08:20 | TD | RUSH | R.Wise 2 yd rush (PAT KICK by N.Bartley GOOD) | 7/67/1:50 | 43-21 |
| NC | 4 | 01:35 | TD | PASS | Q.Gibson 20 yd reception thrown by C.Jimerson (PAT KICK by D.Gonzalez GOOD) | 12/51/6:41 | 50-21 |
| STATS | Westlake | North Crowley |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yds | 342 | 640 |
| Pass Yds | 155 | 299 |
| Rush Yds | 187 | 341 |
| Penalties | 4-35 | 11-108 |
| 1st Downs | 23 | 26 |
| 3rd Downs | 5-9 | 12-15 |
| 4th Downs | 0-1 | 1-3 |
| Total Plays | 56 | 66 |
| Avg Yds/Play | 6.1 | 9.7 |
| Avg Yds/Completion | 15.5 | 21.4 |
| Avg Yds/Rush | 5.7 | 7.9 |
| Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg) | 196 (6.3) | 347 (8.7) |
| Red Zone | 3-5 | 2-3 |
| Time of Poss | 19:03 | 28:57 |
| Turnovers (Def Pts Off) | 1 (7) | 0 (0) |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| Sacks (Def Yds) | 3 (6) | 2 (9) |
| TFL (Def Yds) | 5 (12) | 4 (14) |
Austin Westlake Passing
| # | PLAYER | C-A | YDS | TD | I | C% | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | WISE,R | 10-23 | 155 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 100.1 |
Austin Westlake Rushing
| # | PLAYER | ATT | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | WISE,R | 17 | 103 | 2 | 22 | 6.1 |
| 36 | BARLETT,G | 10 | 70 | 1 | 25 | 7 |
| 3 | CLARK,E | 6 | 14 | 0 | 11 | 2.3 |
| 3 RUSHERS | 33 | 187 | 3 | 25 | 5.7 |
Austin Westlake Receiving
| # | PLAYER | NO | YDS | TD | LNG | TGT | YAC | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | WILHELM,B | 4 | 72 | 0 | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 |
| 11 | KOLANDER,E | 2 | 42 | 0 | 28 | 5 | 14 | 0 |
| 36 | BARLETT,G | 2 | 33 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 39 | 0 |
| TM | TEAM | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | CLARK,B | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 RECEIVERS | 10 | 155 | 0 | 28 | 19 | 71 | 0 |
North Crowley Passing
| # | PLAYER | C-A | YDS | TD | I | C% | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | JIMERSON,C | 14-23 | 299 | 4 | 0 | 61 | 227.5 |
North Crowley Rushing
| # | PLAYER | ATT | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WARREN III,C | 23 | 217 | 1 | 75 | 9.4 |
| 12 | JIMERSON,C | 7 | 63 | 1 | 44 | 9 |
| 5 | BRAY,D | 10 | 45 | 1 | 10 | 4.5 |
| 20 | JEFFERY,T | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| 23 | INGRAM,K | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1.5 |
| 5 RUSHERS | 43 | 341 | 3 | 75 | 7.9 |
North Crowley Receiving
| # | PLAYER | NO | YDS | TD | LNG | TGT | YAC | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | GIBSON,Q | 7 | 181 | 3 | 75 | 11 | 149 | 0 |
| 5 | BRAY,D | 2 | 48 | 1 | 44 | 2 | 48 | 0 |
| 1 | WARREN III,C | 2 | 24 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 22 | 0 |
| 18 | BROOKS,J | 2 | 16 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| 13 | KOONTZ,K | 1 | 30 | 0 | 30 | 2 | 18 | 0 |
| 5 RECEIVERS | 14 | 299 | 4 | 75 | 22 | 245 | 0 |
Austin Westlake Defense
| # | Player (Starter) | TotTk | Solo | Sack | TFL | Int | BrUp | QBH | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | T.Bennett | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | B.Clark | 12 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | P.Luther | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | W.Nichols | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | G.Jones III | 6 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | B.Massengale | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | M.Lastor | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | E.Schaper | 4 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 99 | M.Flynt | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 91 | B.Carrell | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | H.Brodhead | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 90 | C.Devine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 68 | 30 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
Austin Westlake Fumble Recoveries
| RETURNER | FR | YDS | FF |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 0 | 0 | 0 |
North Crowley Defense
| # | Player (Starter) | TotTk | Solo | Sack | TFL | Int | BrUp | QBH | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | J.Asberry | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | J.Cunningham | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | G.McNeal | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 45 | D.Gleason | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | E.Houston | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | D.Fullbright | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | A.Bradshaw | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | A.Dotson | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | T.Warren | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | X.Coleman | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | B.Lacy | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | D.Beasley | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | C.Anthony Armstrong | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | T.Cook | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | J.Brooks | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | M.Harper | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Z.Miller | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | N.Cassey | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | N.Cassey | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 81 | M.Johnson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 99 | C.Wilkins | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 46 | J.Irvin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | K.Moore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | C.Boyd | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | M.Armendariz | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 91 | J.Diles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 53 | 37 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
North Crowley Fumble Recoveries
| RETURNER | FR | YDS | FF |
|---|---|---|---|
| FULLBRIGHT,D | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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