High school football preview: No. 6 Duncanville 2020 schedule, players to watch

Reginald Samples and Duncanville (Texas) have been so close each of the past two seasons to winning the school's first high school football state title since 1998. In 2018, it took a Hail Mary touchdown to lift North Shore over them and last season the Panthers' best player,  Ja'Quinden Jackson, tore his ACL in the semifinals, a loss they couldn't overcome in their second straight 6A Division 1 finals loss to the Mustangs.

Don't be surprised if these two Texas powers complete the trilogy in this year's championship game.

Before that happens, the Panthers must navigate a regular season that includes an Oct. 10 date in what's likely the biggest national game of the year when they host No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) at Globe Life Field (Arlington, Texas).

The Panthers are as talented as any team across the country. Replacing Jackson, now at Texas, and 4-star safety Chris Thompson Jr. will be difficult, but Samples returns a host of key figures from last season's 15-1 team that finished the year ranked at No. 6 in the MaxPreps Top 25.

In particular, the defense will be a strong suit for Samples in 2020.

Kendrick Blackshire, the 2021 Alabama commit, is back after missing his junior season with a knee injury. He's one of the best linebackers in the country and will make a huge impact. Omari Abor will also be a big-time playmaker on the defensive line for the Panthers. He checks in as the No. 19 player overall in the Class of 2022 and is the second-rated strong-side defensive end.

Jadarius Thursby, Jordan Crook, Kevon Ivy, Pierre Goree Jr., Quincy Wright and Tyler Quinn help fill out one of the most talented defenses in high school football.

Expectations were that Class of 2023 standout Chris Parson, a Class of 2023 standout, was expected to be the next big-time Duncanville quarterback, but he transferred to Red Oak (Texas) in June leaving a question mark under center. Grayson James answered that question in August when the three-star quarterback transferred from John Paul II (Plano. James threw for over 4,100 yards and 44 touchdowns last season while leading the Cardinals to the TAPPS Division 1 state championship game.

He'll have a lot of weapons, including 2021 Baylor commit Roderick Daniels and three-star tight end Marcus Vinson.

The strength on offense will be the offensive line led by Cameron Williams, Jaylen Early and Savion Byrd. 

2020 Schedule

Oct. 2 — at South Oak Cliff (Dallas)

Oct. 10 — vs. No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)

*Game is at Globe Life Field (Arlington)

Oct. 23 — at Waco

Oct. 30 — vs. Mansfield

Nov. 6 — at Midway (Waco)

Nov. 13 — Zone Championship

Nov. 20 - Dec. 4 — Crossover Games

*The last four weeks from Nov. 13-Dec. 4 will include matchups against Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Lake Ridge (Mansfield) and Waxahacie.