High School

DeSoto vs. Willis: Live score, updates from Texas high school football playoffs

Defending state champion Desoto hopes to end Willis' perfect season for a second straight year

Mitch Stephens

DeSoto senior running back Deondrae Ridgen came into Saturday's game with Willis having rushed for 1,626 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2024. He added three rushing TDs in the first half. File photo
DeSoto senior running back Deondrae Ridgen came into Saturday's game with Willis having rushed for 1,626 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2024. He added three rushing TDs in the first half. File photo / Photo: Greg Powers/Dave Campbell's Texas Football

A finalist in the UIL Texas 6A D2 Regional final will be decided when Willis hosts DeSoto in Montgomery County.

The winner will take on Longview, which earlier in the day defeated Klein Collins, 42-28.

DeSoto, winners of two 6A-D2 titles in 2016, 2022 and 2023, played Willis only once before Saturday night, a 65-31 victory which ended the perfect season of the Wildcats as five different Eagles rushed for touchdowns including then junior and now senior Deondrae Riden who had 20 carries for 147 yards that night en route to a 1,000-yard season. The Eagles went 16-0 last season, piling up a remarkable 839 points, including a 74-14 win over Summer Creek in the state finals.

Riden, a Texas A&M recruit, has been even better as a senior with 1,626 yards and 23 touchdowns in 12 games, including a career-high 300 yards and four touchdowns in last week's 51-17 win over Wylie East.

Willis (12-0) is hoping history doesn't repeat as the Wildcats enter perfect, having scored more than 60 points in seven wins, topped off with a 77-0 win over Cleveland. They had a tougher time in last week's regional quarterfinal win, 28-24 over Tomball.

The Wildcats' high-powered passing game is led by senior Jack Emerson who has completed a phenominal 75 percent of his passes (216 of 286) for 3,649 yards and 46 touchdowns against six interceptions.

He's blessed with two 1,000-yard receivers in junior Jermaine Bishop Jr. (74 catches, 1,433 yards, 16 TDs) and senior Jalen Mickens (55, 1,006, 11).

TEXHAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD

Follow along below for live updates for this 6A-2 regional final, which starts at 7 p.m. CT.

Desoto vs. Willis state 6A-2 regional semifinals game live updates

1ST QUARTER

WILLIS STRIKES FIRST! Jack Emerson complets short out to Ole Miss commit Jermaine Bishop for 37-yard touchdown. Willis 7, DeSoto 0. 9:14 1Q.

WILLIS, EMERSON STRIKES TWICE! Wow, talk about fast start. Emerson 71-yard bomb to Jalen Mickens. Just like that, defending champs are down two scores. Willis 14, DeSoto 0. 6:29 1Q.

DESOTO RIGHT BACK! Defending state champs aren't laying down. Virginia Tech-bound QB Kelden Ryan 8-yard TD pass to Ethan Feaster, the state's No. 1 recruit from the Class of 2027. Takes only a minute. Willis 14, DeSoto 7. 5:35 1Q.

INTERCEPTION DESOTO! Antrone White intercepts a an Emerson pass near midfield.

TOUCHDOWN DESOTO! Just like that the game is tied as Deondrae Riden scores his 24th rushing touchdown of the season on 4-yard run. DeSoto 14, Willis 14 1:00 1Q

END OF 1 QUARTER: DeSoto 14, Willis 14

2ND QUARTER

TOUCHDOWN DESOTO! Riden with his second touchdown, a 3-yard score! DeSota takes its first lead. DeSoto 21, Willis 14. 7:07 2Q. Referees delay play to talk to players about extra jawing and worse after plays.

FLAGS FLY! An unsportsman like call on Emerson — rarely called on quarterback — and a fourth-down procedure calls ruins Willis' next possession. DeSoto take over near midfield, midway through second quarter.

DESOTO STRIKES AGAIN! Takes Eagles just two plays to get into the end zone again. Daylon Singleton, DeSoto's top 2025 recruit headed to SMU, hauls in 48 yard pass from Ryan. Desoto 28, Willis 14. 6:03 2Q.

WILLIS CONVERTS: 4th down on its own side of the field, Willis converts on a pass from Emerson to Mickens to the DeSoto 46. Big play. Had DeSoto held, this one could have been over.

RIDEN AGAIN! DeSoto's Deondrae Riden rushes for his third TD of the half, this one 4 yards, as the Eagles scored on their fifth straight possession. Take complete control heading into halftime. DeSoto 34, Willis 14. 0:25 2Q. XP missed.

MORE FLAGS! A DeSoto OL was called for personal foul on touchdown, pushing the kickoff back. After the return, another PF on DeSoto puts the ball deep into DeSoto territory. Now pass interference on DeSoto, puts the ball into the red zone. Emerson gets to the 6 with two seconds left in the half.

FIELD GOAL BLOCK, BIG TRIP!!! A 28-yard Willis field goal was blocked, a DeSoto player looked free and clear to go in for yet another Eagles' touchdown but tripped on something, keeping the halftime score as is! What a crazy end of the half.

HALFTIME SCORE: DeSoto 34, Willis 14

3RD QUARTER

DESOTO TOUCHDOWN! Long run by Riden set ups 15-yard touchdown run by SaRod Baker. 2-point conversion good. DeSoto 42, Willis 14. 9:22 3Q.

TOUCHDOWN WILLIS! Emerson with his third TD pass, a 12-yarder to Daylion Robinson. DeSoto 42, Willis 21. Still a game. 7:15 3Q.

Published |Modified
Mitch Stephens
MITCH STEPHENS

Mitch Stephens is a senior editor at SBLive Sports for California, a state he's covered high school sports since 1984. He won multiple CNPA and CPSWA writing awards with the Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Chronicle and MaxPreps.com before joining the SBLive staff in 2022. He's covered the beat nationally since 2007, profiling such athletes as Derrick Henry, Paige Bueckers, Patrick Mahomes, Sabrina Ionescu, Jayson Tatum, Chiney Ogwumike, Jeremy Lin and Najee Harris as preps. You can reach him at mitch@scorebooklive.com.

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