In what has become the Lone Star State's most high-profile rivalry — the schools are separated by nine miles — the Panthers asserted their dominance early and forced a prolific DeSoto offense to spin its wheels until well into the second half.
Russell found fellow five-star and Oregon commit
Dakorien Moore
on all four first-half scoring strikes. The duo connected on TD passes of
66, 19, 38 and 44 yards as the Panther offense roared to life after both
teams traded punts to start the game. Russell threw for 241 yards while Moore had five catches for 179 yards in the first 24 minutes of play.
Oregon commit Dakorien Moore helped Duncanville put away DeSoto with four first-half touchdowns. (File photo: Michael Horbovetz)
For the game, the future Alabama signal caller hit on 27 of 36 attempts for 427 yards while Moore finished with nine receptions for 231 yards.
DeSoto finally gained traction in the second half and looked to make it a one-score game halfway through the fourth quarter. But a snap over the head of quarterback
Kelden Ryan and subsequent bobble erased a golden red zone opportunity. Duncanville slammed the door on the comeback as
Jaylyn Manning intercepted Ryan a few plays later.
Last season, DeSoto snapped Duncanville's five-game win streak in the series and handed handed Russell his only career loss as a starter. The five-star prospect got payback and made sure the Eagles weren't going to start a streak of their own.
After the second Duncanville scoring strike, DeSoto found a spark when
Daylon Singleton took the ensuing kickoff back 81 yards for the house call.
The Panthers, however, scored on their next two possessions when Russell and Moore hooked up for the 38-yard score to make it 21-6 halfway through the second quarter. Then, after Eagles turned the ball over on downs near midfield, Russell again found Moore a few plays after the Panther offense hit the field.
DeSoto came into Friday's contest averaging 57.6 points per game but the first signs of life came on their first possession of the second half.
Russell tossed his fifth TD of the night, a 44-yard screen pass to
Devine Green for a 35-6 lead.
After a second big kick return was negated with a penalty, the Eagles took over deep in their own territory. Two minutes into the drive,
Myson Johnson burst up the middle and outraced the Panthers secondary for the Eagles' first offensive score of the night to cut the lead to 35-13 with five minutes left in the third period.
But the Eagles couldn't stretch the field in the passing game and relied on a rushing attack that couldn't cut into the lead the Panthers built in the first half. DeSoto scored just inside the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 35-20 on a
Deondrae Riden Jr. plunge .
After Duncanville's interception thwarted DeSoto's comeback attempt, Russell tossed his sixth and final TD pass, a 13-yard strike to
Trenton Yancey.
The rivalry had been a series of runs as DeSoto owned the Panthers from 2009-2016 winning six straight. Duncanville returned the favor reeling off five in a row, including a 38-20 regional quarterfinal victory in 2021.
Duncanville and DeSoto have each finished in the MaxPreps Top 25 for six times since
2004 while each is a three-time state champion. Together they have combined to send
32 players to the NFL.
