Capping four days of title games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, North Crowley (16-0) senior stars
Chris Jimerson Jr.,
Quentin Gibson and
Cornelius Warren III rose to the occasion as they have all season for the Panthers, who won their first state title since 2003.
Jimerson completed 14 of 23 attempts for 299 yards and four touchdowns while running for another. Three of the TD passes went to Colorado-bound Gibson, who finished with 181 yards and seven receptions and brought his season total to 36 touchdown catches. Warren added 217 yards and another score on the ground.
North Crowley senior Quentin Gibson had three touchdowns in the Panthers 50-21 win over Westlake (Austin). The Colorado signee finished his season with 36 receiving touchdowns. (Photo: Robbie Rakestraw)
Gibson got the scoring started on the first play of the game when he caught a 75-yard flea-flicker from Jimerson that he took in for a touchdown.
Westlake answered immediately as senior
Grady Bartlett scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game up with 9:52 left in the first quarter.
Jimerson fired back with a 44-yard rushing touchdown to give North Crowley a 14-7 lead. Sophomore
Derrick Gleason forced a Westlake fumble on the ensuing possession.
Gibson then had another incredible touchdown on third-and-18, scoring from 44 yards out to make it 21-7 with 3:39 left in the first half.
The Panthers squeezed out one more possession in the first half and capitalized as Jimerson found senior
Daniel Bray for a 44-yard touchdown with under a minute left.
Bray also had a rushing touchdown to start the third quarter, giving the Panthers a 35-7 lead.
Westlake junior quarterback
Rees Wise threw for 155 yards and ran for 103 more with two scores to try and keep his team in it against the high-powered Panthers.
North Crowley, which is 42-2 over the past three years, scored 50 or more for the 11th time this season. The Panthers piled up 640 yards and averaged nearly 10 yards per play.
The only previous state title for North Crowley came in 2003 when it beat Bay City 20-6 for the Class 4A Division 1 crown.
