Texas Class 6A Division 1 state championship preview: No. 2 North Shore vs. No. 3 Duncanville

By Mitch Stephens Dec 22, 2018, 12:00pm

One of the nation's top offenses meets one of the best defenses in the final Texas high school football championship of 2018.

More than 50,000 fans are expected Saturday at AT&T Stadium for the Texas Class 6A Division 1 state championship game between No. 2 North Shore (Houston) and No. 3 Duncanville.

North Shore (15-0), which beat Katy twice this season and drilled Lake Travis 51-10 in the semifinals, is seeking its third state crown after titles in 2003 and 2015.

Duncanville (14-0), coming off a 44-35 semifinal win over previous No. 2 Allen, hopes to claim its first championship since 1998 and second overall.

North Shore features the nation's top-ranked junior running back and No. 2 recruit overall in Zach Evans, who rushed for four touchdowns in the first half alone against Lake Travis.

The Mustangs have scored a gaudy 816 points, sixth most in the nation, while averaging 54.2 points per game. North Shore has scored more than 60 points five times.

Sophomore dual-threat quarterback Dematrius Davis Jr. (5-11, 190) makes everything go for the Houston powerhouse. He has offers from Baylor, Howard and Memphis.

There's talk that if the Mustangs finish off Duncanville on Saturday, that this could be the best Houston-area team ever.




Duncanville's quarterback Ja'Quinden Jackson is a spectacular athlete in his own right.

It's been a season of domination for Duncanville, which beat its first 14 opponents by an average margin of 44.5 points per game. In addition to Jackson, the Panthers are led by all-around athlete and Illinois-bound Marquez Beason, the state's No. 14 recruit according to 247Sports.

The defense allows just 35 yards rushing per game and had eight sacks against Allen. De'Braylon Carroll is among the stars for a unit that hadn't allowed more than 14 points in a game all season prior to the semifinal meeting with Allen.

The team's secondary also is stout with safeties Chris Thompson Jr. and Stacy Brown (Illinois) and cornerback Tre'Shon Devones.