The Dallas vs. Houston rivalry took center stage this year at the UIL state playoff games at AT&T Stadium as the North Shore Mustangs faced the Duncanville Panthers and the Summer Creek Bulldogs faced the DeSoto Eagles. Although Houston came up short as both teams from the Houston area lost, the culture took home a major win as this year the 6A division featured four Black head coaches: Willie Gaston (North Shore), Reginald Samples (Duncanville), Kenny Harrison (Summer Creek), and Claude Mathis (DeSoto).
“It means a lot; it addresses a lot of the stereotypes that are out there. We hear it, and I get tired of it, frankly,” said Samples. “The belief that we only do well because we have great players, but we play teams with great players week in and week out, and we’ve come out on the winning side of it. So, I think the record speaks for itself. What you see on the field speaks for itself, and I think at some point some of the chatter has to stop and they need to just give us credit for being good coaches like everybody else.”
Duncanville faced North Shore for the fifth time in six years and after winning last season were looking to become back-to-back class 6A D1 State Champions.
“Coach Samples is a pioneer in our profession. Right now he’s the all-time winningest Black head coach in the state,” said North Shore head coach Willie Gaston. “To be on the same battlefield with him, knowing that he’s doing it the right way, speaks a lot. His kids are strong. You can tell they’re in the weight room, have a great off-season, and have great core values. It’s no different than the blueprint we set here at North Shore.”
After a heartbreaking seven-point loss to the Panthers in the previous season, the Mustangs aspired to turn the tide in their favor and rewrite history. Despite achieving an undefeated record in 6A Region III District 21, they encountered a few bumps on their journey to the state final as they welcomed back their starting quarterback, Kaleb Bailey, who had suffered a season-ending ACL injury last season. As well, North Shore made the transition to a new head coach; Gaston.
“Coach Gaston is doing a great job,” said Samples. “His record and the way he’s played all year exemplifies that. To him I just say, keep working and keep grinding. No one can predict when success is going to come. All you can do is just stick to your beliefs and the goals that you have for yourself. In the end, your hard work will pay off.”
Gaston was new to the head coaching position, but not new to the North Shore system. He had previously been with the Mustangs for 15-plus years, eight of which he called the offense.
“It was awesome seeing Kaleb play today. Being hurt last year, took him out of track, so you can see he needs to get back on that track because he was a lot faster as a freshman. But that’s things he knows he can improve and that’s what we’re going to work on. I love the way the kid battles. He’s a great kid. He’s our leader and all the players respond to him very well. Our job is to get back up in the off-season and go to work,” said Gaston.
The Summer Creek Bulldogs faced a similar challenge as they faced the Desoto Eagles. The Bulldogs were without starting quarterback Tristan Sanchez who went down earlier in the season to an ACL injury. The Bulldogs had to use their primary wide receiver target, Blake Thomas, as their starting quarterback.
“When I took over at the quarterback position I took it as an opportunity. Coach Harrison and all the coaches told me they believed in me every day, so I had the confidence to go out and do what I had to do,” said Thomas. “I feel today we needed to start fast this game and we didn’t do that, and they jumped out on us. And with a team of Desoto’s caliber, you can’t do that.”
“We lost our starting quarterback on Wednesday, right before the first football game, so we put Blake in at quarterback, who hadn’t played quarterback since Pop Warner football. And he just got better each and every week. This was a special group. From not making the playoffs three years ago, to being the first senior class to play for a state championship in Humble ISD says a lot.”
The message from DeSoto’s Mathis to his team was simple: have fun. Embracing this mindset, they not only enjoyed themselves but also set a new state game record by scoring 74 points.
“Records are meant to be broken and I’m glad that it happened on our watch,” said Mathis.
This week’s game not only showcased four Black head coaches but each team was also led by a Black quarterback, as well.
DeSoto’s senior quarterback, DJ Bailey, a Sam Houston commit, had an electrifying night as he finished 16-of-22 for 281 yards and four touchdowns. Most people counted him out because of his lack of size.
“Many outside of the Dallas area may not have known what I had to offer. When I didn’t get much credit for my ability, I took it as fuel during the state games to showcase my talent,” said Bailey.
“DJ Bailey is legendary. He’s going to go down in history as probably the best quarterback that ever played at DeSoto. He’s that great,” said Mathis.
Anticipating future coaches seeking career advancement and aspiring to lead teams, all four coaches offered advice emphasizing the importance of hard work and a sincere affection for children. Additionally, Gaston and Harrison earned accolades as the Coaches of the Year from the Houston TD Club.
