Playing one of the toughest schedules in Texas,
North Crowley (Fort Worth) head coach Ray Gates led his program to a 16-0 record and No. 3 spot in the final MaxPreps Top 25 – the highest national ranking in school history. The Panthers capped the perfect season with a dominant 50-21 win over Westlake (Austin) in the Class 6A Division 1 state championship game.
North Crowley became the first school from Fort Worth to win a title in the state's largest classification since 1948.
The Panthers jumped into the MaxPreps Top 25 early in the season after taking down two-time defending Class 6A Division 2 state champion DeSoto 57-51, snapping a 23-game win streak for the Eagles. The 2024 MaxPreps National Player of the Year
Quentin Gibson put himself on the map in that contest with seven receptions for 180 yards and four touchdowns.
Gibson finished the season with 93 catches for 2,009 yards and 36 touchdowns.
After the win over DeSoto, North Crowley took down Guyer (Denton) the following week with a 49-28 victory to improve to 3-0.
The biggest win came in the state semifinals against back-to-back state champion Duncanville. North Crowley snapped the Panthers' 16-game playoff win streak with a 36-34 victory and avenged a 52-10 loss in the 2023 semifinals.
Gates was named head coach in 2022 and has led North Crowley to a 42-2 record. The school had never won 12 games in a season until he took over and now the Panthers have done that three years in a row.
North Crowley went 12-1 in his first season, followed that with a 14-1 record in 2023 and finished undefeated (16-0) for the first time in school history this season.
Prior to Gates' arrival, the Panthers were 50-113 over the previous 16 years.
He has led North Crowley to at least the third round of the playoffs in each of his first three years. The last time the Panthers made it that far in the playoffs was in 2003, when they won the school's first and only state title until this season.
This year's team will go down as one of the best in Texas state history. North Crowley beat four schools — Permian (Odessa), Allen, Duncanville and Westlake (Austin) — that have combined for 18 state titles.
The Panthers broke the Dallas-area record scoring 864 points, which was the 16th-most in state history.
Gates is the ninth head coach from Texas to be named the MaxPreps National Coach of the Year. He is the fourth over the last five years joining back-to-back winner Todd Dodge of Westlake and Reginald Samples of Duncanville.
Past MaxPreps National Coaches of the Year
2008 — Mike Alberghini, Grant (Sacramento, Calif.)
2009 — Mike Newsome, Butler (Matthews, N.C.)
2010 — Tony Heath, Pearland (Texas)
2011 — Hal Wasson, Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas)
2012 — Bob Ladouceur, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)
2013 — Jason Negro, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
2014 — Tom Westerberg, Allen (Texas)
2015 — Gary Joseph, Katy (Texas)
2016 — Kenny Sanchez, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
2017 — Bruce Rollinson, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
2018 — Jon Kay, North Shore (Houston)
2019 — Jason Negro, St. John Bosco
2020 — Todd Dodge, Westlake (Austin, Texas)
2021 — Todd Dodge, Westlake
2022 — Reginald Samples, Duncanville (Texas)
2023 — Nate Moore, Massillon (Ohio)
