North Crowley Panthers have eyes on the prize after knocking off 2-time defending State Champions
FORT WORTH — They say to be the best, you gotta beat the best and North Crowley and head coach Ray Gates took that to heart
"This was just a precursor for us going into the playoffs, hopefully, eight to nine weeks from now," said Gates. "And you know we know we need to play teams like DeSoto in order to get over the hump this year."
Drawing inspiration from Buster Douglas' 1990 knockout of previously undefeated heavyweight champ Mike Tyson, the Panthers ended Desoto's 24-game win streak that included two state titles.
"They hadn't been knocked down," Gates said. "And February 11, 1990, Buster Douglas did the impossible and made it possible. He was a 42-1 underdog. I'm sure if they had odds from the game it'd be very similar."
However, unlike Douglas, who lost his belt in his very next fight to Evander Holyfield, the Panthers plan to stay at the top
"I think we showed on any given day you can win or you can lose. If you're not prepared no matter who you're looking at each week, they have an opportunity to beat you."
"He still wants us to understand there's a chip on our shoulder at the end of the day," said safety Gaylon McNeal. "He's just kinda keeping that battery in our back."
Since Gates took over the program in 2022, North Crowley is 28-2 and has solidified itself as a state contender.
"We got dogs, just hard workers," said wide receiever Quentin Gibson. "Hard work beats talent."
Now North Crowley looks to bring its first championship in over two decades back to the 817
"We're really the head of 817 so we gotta keep it going, trying to build it back up," McNeal said. "So this is the start."
"We have a long ways to go. We haven't done anything yet," said Gates. "If it doesn't end with us playing in AT&T stadium, then, for us, we'll feel like we didn't get as much out of this team as we should."
