Everything is bigger in Texas, but if you were standing on the sidelines at AT&T Stadium in mid-December, "bigger" felt like an understatement. It was loud. It was chaotic. The air inside Jerry World always carries this weird, pressurized energy during the title games, and the texas high school football state championship 2024 slate didn't disappoint. If you missed the four-day marathon, you missed the absolute peak of amateur sports in America.
Twelve games. Four days.
People come from all over the country just to sit in the stands and watch 16-year-olds play with more heart than some NFL veterans. You’ve got the small-town 1A schools playing six-man football where the score looks like a basketball game, and then you’ve got the 6A giants like Duncanville and North Shore meeting for the fourth year in a row. It's a rite of passage. Honestly, if you live in Texas and you aren't tracking these scores, are you even living in Texas?
The 6A Division I Showdown: Duncanville’s Dominance
Everyone knew it was coming. Duncanville vs. North Shore. It’s the rivalry that has defined the last half-decade of the texas high school football state championship 2024 conversation. These two programs are basically college teams in disguise. They have the recruits, the facilities, and the kind of fan bases that travel in droves from Dallas and Houston.
Duncanville entered the game looking to solidify a three-peat. Led by Keelon Russell, the Alabama-bound quarterback, the Panthers played with a kind of surgical precision that felt unfair at times. Russell wasn't just throwing the ball; he was carving up one of the best defenses in the nation. He finished the night with five passing touchdowns, showing exactly why he skyrocketed up the recruiting rankings during his senior campaign.
North Shore didn't go down without a fight, though. They never do. Kaleb Bailey, their seasoned signal-caller, tried to keep pace, but the Duncanville defensive front—anchored by Oregon commit Dakorien Moore out wide and a ferocious line—was just too much to handle. The final score of 39-7 doesn't even tell the whole story of how physical that game was. It was a heavyweight bout where one side simply landed every punch.
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The atmosphere was electric. You had over 50,000 people in the stands for a high school game. Think about that. That's more than some bowl games get. It proves that in the 6A Division I bracket, the gap between the "haves" and the "have-mores" is widening, but the quality of play is arguably at an all-time high.
DeSoto and the 6A Division II Repeat
While Duncanville was handling business, their neighbors just down the road in DeSoto were busy making their own history. The Eagles took on Humble Summer Creek, and it was a track meet from the opening kickoff. DeSoto is known for speed. If you blink, you're looking at the back of a jersey disappearing into the end zone.
Darius "DJ" Bailey was the man of the hour. He’s the kind of player who stays calm when the pocket collapses, and his connection with his receivers looked like they’d been playing together since diapers. They basically won the game in the first half. By the time the third quarter rolled around, it was clear DeSoto was going to secure their second straight title. They ended up winning 74-14, a scoreline that felt like a video game on rookie mode.
Why the 6A scores were so lopsided
It’s a fair question. Why were the biggest games some of the biggest blowouts? Some experts point to the "super-team" phenomenon. When you have elite coaching and elite talent gravitating toward three or four specific zip codes, you get these lopsided results in the finals. It’s a polarizing topic in Texas. Some people love the excellence; others miss the days when a "Cinderella" had a real shot at the big trophy.
The Heart of Small-Town Texas: Aledo and Southlake Carroll
You can't talk about the texas high school football state championship 2024 without mentioning Aledo. They are the gold standard. Winning is just what they do, like breathing or complaining about the heat in August. This year, they notched their 13th state title. 13. That’s a record that might never be broken.
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They faced a tough Smithson Valley team in the 5A Division I final. It wasn't a blowout. It was a grind. Aledo’s Hauss Hejny, headed to TCU, showed why he’s one of the most versatile athletes in the state. He can run, he can throw, but mostly, he just knows how to win. The Bearcats took it 51-8, but the game felt closer in the trenches for at least the first two quarters.
Then there’s the 6A Division II side where Southlake Carroll is always a factor. Even when they don't win it all, the Dragons are the benchmark. The 2024 season saw them fall just short of the ultimate prize in the semifinals, but their presence looms over the entire tournament.
The Six-Man Spectacle
If you’ve never seen six-man football, you’re missing out on the purest form of the sport. It’s played on an 80-yard field, and every player is an eligible receiver. It’s madness.
In the 1A Division I final, Gordon took on Westbrook. Gordon is a tiny town, but they brought the entire population to Arlington. They won 70-20. In six-man, the "45-point mercy rule" is always lurking, where the game ends if a team gets up by 45 points after halftime. Gordon didn't just win; they dominated.
In the 1A Division II game, Benjamin faced Oglesby. Benjamin had Grayson Rigdon. Remember that name. Rigdon is a legend in the six-man world. He won his fourth straight state title with his third different school. That’s a stat that sounds fake, but it’s 100% real. He accounted for nearly every point Benjamin scored. Watching him move on the field is like watching a pro athlete play against middle schoolers. He’s just faster, stronger, and more instinctive than everyone else.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the State Championships
A lot of folks think it’s just about the Saturday night 6A game. It's not. The real magic of the texas high school football state championship 2024 is the Wednesday and Thursday games. That’s when the 2A and 3A schools play.
Take a team like Gunter. They play in 3A Division II. They have a winning streak that spans years. This year, they beat Malakoff in a game that was surprisingly defensive. Gunter’s program is built on a "blue-collar" mentality. They don't have the five-star recruits that Duncanville has, but they play a brand of disciplined football that is beautiful to watch.
- The Travel: Fans drive 8 hours from the Panhandle or the Valley.
- The Band: In Texas, the halftime show is just as important as the third quarter.
- The Costs: It’s not cheap to bring a whole community to the Dallas Cowboys' stadium, but towns find a way. They hold bake sales, car washes, and local businesses chip in.
Strategic Takeaways for the 2025 Season
Looking back at the 2024 results, a few trends are clear. First, the quarterback run game is no longer an "option"—it's a requirement. Almost every winning team had a QB who could scramble for a first down on 3rd and long.
Second, depth wins titles. The teams that looked fresh in the fourth quarter were the ones rotating 40 or 50 players throughout the game. At the 5A and 6A levels, you simply cannot play guys "both ways" (offense and defense) and expect to beat a powerhouse like DeSoto or North Shore.
Third, the "home field" advantage of AT&T Stadium is real for DFW teams. Schools like Duncanville, DeSoto, and Southlake Carroll are playing essentially in their backyard. The travel fatigue for Houston or San Antonio teams is a factor, even if coaches won't admit it.
Your Next Steps to Prep for Next Season
If you want to stay ahead of the curve for the 2025 cycle, don't wait until August to start paying attention. The real work happens now.
- Monitor the Transfer Portal: Yes, high school football has a "portal" now. Top players often move school districts in the spring to join programs with better visibility. Keep an eye on the UIL realignment news, as that changes which schools play each other in the playoffs.
- Follow the Coaching Carousel: Several big-name coaches retired or moved after the December finals. A change in leadership at a place like Katy or Westlake can shift the entire balance of power in a region.
- Check Out 7-on-7: In the spring and summer, Texas high schools play 7-on-7 tournaments. It’s non-contact, but it’s where you’ll see the next crop of star quarterbacks and wide receivers emerge before the pads go on in the fall.
- Buy Your Tickets Early: If you plan on attending the 2025 championships, tickets usually go on sale in late November. The 6A double-header on Saturday always sells out the lower bowl, so plan accordingly if you want a good view of the action.
The 2024 season proved that Texas high school football isn't slowing down. If anything, the gap between the elite programs and the rest of the country is getting wider. Whether it's the 6A stars headed to the SEC or the 1A kids playing for the pride of a town with one stoplight, the state championships remain the greatest show in amateur sports.