ARLINGTON — DeSoto High School is the UIL 6A Division II football state champion after a dominant 74-14 victory over Humble Summer Creek on Saturday night at AT&T Stadium.
DeSoto controlled the game from the start, scoring 46 points in the first half as its offense moved the ball at will, putting up 553 yards and scoring the most points in 6A state championship game history.
“It feels great,” DeSoto head coach Claude Mathis told the media postgame. “Winning 22 straight games, but more importantly, our kids went undefeated. We’re the only team in the state of Texas in class 6A that’s undefeated, and we can say that we’re number one.”
DeSoto’s first drive took less than a minute, as running back Marvin Duffey opened the scoring with a 54-yard run, and a fake extra point gave them an 8-0 lead.
The defense followed with a wild interception as the ball bounced off a helmet at the line of scrimmage, and Deondrae Riden Jr. quickly added another touchdown.
While Summer Creek tried to figure out the Eagles’ running game, quarterback DJ Bailey stepped up, finding wide receiver Daylon Singleton for three touchdowns while their team scored the game’s first 29 points and built a commanding advantage.
Summer Creek finally got on the board late in the first quarter after recovering a backward pass, which counts as a fumble recovery, and converting it into a touchdown on a six-yard run from Lloyd Avant on the next play. However, Bailey and Singleton came right back to add their third touchdown connection of the night on the quarter’s final play and added a rushing touchdown to give DeSoto a 46-7 halftime lead.
DeSoto added four more touchdowns in the second half while allowing Summer Creek just one, winning its 22nd consecutive game and back-to-back state championships for the first time in program history.
“I enjoyed it this time,” Mathis added. “I enjoyed the moment. I enjoyed the process. I didn’t get to enjoy it last year because it’s your first one, and you just don’t want to lose that first one once you get here. But this time around, I enjoyed it, and it felt great, and it’s one of the things where it was time for the kids to see me let go a little bit as well. … I was happy for our kids. They did something that no other DeSoto team has ever done: win back-to-back.”
Six players scored touchdowns for DeSoto, led by Singleton’s three touchdown catches. Bailey finished the game with 281 passing yards, four touchdown passes, and a rushing touchdown to earn Offensive MVP honors.
