High School

In Texas high school football's best rivalry, DeSoto feels it's 'finally over the hump' with Duncanville

Eagles aim to clean up miscues in nationally ranked rivalry showdown: 'We are our own destruction'

Andy Buhler

Duncanville-DeSoto in Texas has quickly developed into one of the best high school football rivalries in America.
Duncanville-DeSoto in Texas has quickly developed into one of the best high school football rivalries in America. / Robbie Rakestraw

When Claude Mathis looks across the sidelines tonight when DeSoto hosts rival Duncanville for the Texas high school football game of the regular season, it won't be nerves he's feeling.

"Not at all," Mathis, DeSoto's head coach, said. "We had a great game last year. We were close the last couple of years, and finally got over the hump."

But Mathis admits DeSoto's bye week "couldn't have come at a better time" considering its next challenge. The Eagles host Duncanville in one of the best games of the regular season across the entire country.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. between the Panther (4-0), the nation's No. 4 team, and the No. 11 Eagles (4-1).

DeSoto entered the season as the state's No. 1 team, but dropped after a stunning Week 2 loss to North Crowley (5-0 and now the state's No. 2 team).

The Eagles have a war chest of talent, but, perhaps uncharacteristically, Mathis bemoans, the "little things" have held them back.

Penalties, miscues and distractions have stunted the Eagles at times — qualities that grade on a coach with a standard as high as Mathis.

"I really do believe the maturity of our football team is getting better, but we’ve got to stop the penalties," Mathis said. "The penalties are killing us right now."

Last year, DeSoto snapped Duncanville's 47-game district win streak and nearly two-year undefeated stretch for Duncanville.

Both teams wrote storybook endings, Duncanville's a 6A Division I state championship repeat. And DeSoto's its first back-to-back title in 6A Division II — and the nation's No. 2 team by season's end.

To DeSoto and Duncanville, the UIL 6A District 12 foes are neighbors some nine miles apart. But it's not just any local clash. More than 25 players lining up Friday night will have the opportunity to play Division I football.

For Duncanville, a prolific passing team with a more-than-capable ground game, that includes Oregon commit Dakorien Moore, the nation's No. 1 wide receiver, who is averaging more than 100 receiving yards per game.

"They’re really a passing team this year," Mathis said. "You have a great QB and three great receivers. They still have a great defensive line and the secondary is there."

And for DeSoto, a prolific rushing team led by a Virginia Tech-committed quarterback that has several of the state's top downfield targets in 4-stars Daylon Singleton and Ethan "Boobie" Feaster.

Ryan threw for 2,110 yards (at a 71 percent clip), 19 TDs and ran for 786 more yards and another 12 TDs on the ground as a junior at Fort Worth All Saints Episcopal.

The four-star dual-threat signal-caller is off to a stellar start for the two-time defending 6A Division II champs, with 804 passing yards (65 percent completion rate), nine TD, two interceptions, 422 rushing yards and eight more TDs on the ground.

The Eagles' also boast 4-star running backs in Texas A&M commit Deondrae "Tiger" Riden, the lightning to hulking sophomore Myson Johnson-Cook's thunder.

Riden has 641 yards and seven touchdowns in five games on 7.9 yards per carry. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Johnson-Cook, meanwhile, has 361 yards and seven TDs on 10.9 yards per touch.

Riden has taken Johnson-Cook under his wing as a first-year teammate. Mathis says it's helped Johnson-Cook become a "complete back."

"I can’t say enough about Tiger," Mathis said. "He’s the dude right now. He’s making plays and stepping up big time."

Get ready for Duncanville vs. DeSoto:

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-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx

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Andy Buhler
ANDY BUHLER

Andy Buhler is a Portland, Oregon-based sportswriter with more than nine years of experience covering high school sports across the country. He's covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason, served on state tournament seeding committees and launched the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a journalism degree from Gonzaga.

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