Duncanville nabs Texas high school football title repeat as Caden Durham turns into 'Playoff CD'
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - Caden Durham had already been having quite a postseason run in Duncanville’s bid to repeat as state champions.
Aside from a five-touchdown performance in the Panthers’ area round win, though, the Panthers’ standout tailback wasn’t really finding the end zone.
So, in his final game at Duncanville, Durham was determined to rectify that situation. He did, and then some.
Durham scored three touchdowns in the first half to put the finishing touches on a repeat championship performance by the Panthers, as they got separation in Saturday’s much-hyped showdown with undefeated Galena Park North Shore for the Class 6A Division I title. Duncanville defeated the Mustangs for the second straight season, 49-33, at AT&T Stadium.
An LSU commit, Durham finished the night with 231 yards, with 213 of those coming in the opening two quarters. Indeed, he wanted to make a statement on Saturday.
“Most definitely, because now they call me ‘Playoff CD,’ and it is what it is,” Durham said. “I would say our trust in the o-line and our trust in the coaches because we know we’ve got a game plan coming in, so it was trusting and executing.”
Following a 147-yard two-TD performance in the Panthers’ lone loss, to DeSoto on Oct. 28, Durham had 119 yards and a TD as Duncanville bounced back to defeat Mansfield Legacy in the regular season finale.
Then Durham turned it up another notch in the playoffs, starting with a 109-yard performance in a bi-district win against Hutto. The following week, in the area round against Rockwall Heath, Durham had 220 yards and scored five TDs in the Panthers’ 62-24 win.
He more than exceeded that yardage total in the regional semifinals, going for 323 against The Woodlands. Durham had a 29-carry 226-yard outing in the state semifinal against North Crowley, as well as going for 120 yards in the regional final against Spring Westfield.
But in those last three ballgames - combining to rush for 669 yards - Durham only scored once.
Only 56 seconds into Saturday’s title showdown, Durham made his way into the end zone painted blue with the Dallas Cowboys’ helmet and word mark, finishing off a 26-yard touchdown dash.
Durham was far from being done. He had a 72-yard TD later in the first quarter to break a 7-all score, but 47 seconds after the Mustangs tied things up.
Then after Duncanville started a drive at its own 8-yard line, Durham went to the house once more, bolting 92 yards as Duncanville built a commanding 28-7 advantage just 31 seconds into the second quarter.
“Caden is an outstanding person, first of all; he’s an outstanding young man,” Duncanville coach Reginald Samples said. “With that, I think that the success he has just kind of bounces off his personality. But as far as the kind of running back he is, he’s one of the best I’ve coached.
“Of course, he makes me a good coach, and I’m just proud that he’s on my team.”
Not surprisingly, Durham was named the Most Outstanding Player on offense following the game.
It was also a solid farewell to two more Duncanville standouts heading to a big-time program, as defensive linemen Alex January and Colin Simmons - both Texas commits - combined to make 17 tackles.
January also had two tackles for loss and a sack, and Simmons - named the Most Outstanding Player on defense - had three tackles for loss and forced a fumble.
“Man, I’ve came so far and I wouldn’t have come this far without this dude (pointing to Samples) right here; I tell you that for sure,” said Simmons. “It was ups and downs, heads down, heads up. … It was a hard, tough journey, but I learned a lot, honestly.”
But Duncanville will still have some pieces in place to make it right back to AT&T Stadium next season and go for a “three-peat.” Among the returning players are junior quarterback Keelon Russell, an SMU commit who completed 14-of-20 passes for 288 yards and three TDs along with a TD run, and junior receiver Dakorien Moore, an LSU commit who caught five passes for 62 yards and a TD.
Another player to watch next season is sophomore receiver Ayson Theus, who caught five passes for 106 yards and survived a brutally hard hit administered by a North Shore player that resulted in a targeting penalty and subsequent ejection. Not to mention sophomore receiver/tight end Zach Turner, who caught two passes - both going for TDs - covering 103 yards.
Duncanville’s performance on Saturday also continued the team’s resolve to improve its game after being humbled in the October loss to DeSoto, which played for the 6A Division II title later on Saturday.
“That was everything,” Samples said. “I’ve had this happen several times in my career. People were telling us if there was anybody that can beat Duncanville. … And sometimes, that whole thought process really makes you feel bigger than you really are, and I think the DeSoto game really put our feet back on the ground and showed us that we’re just like anybody else and like I told them, our biggest enemy was ourselves and against DeSoto, that’s what happened; we beat ourselves.
"And we vowed after that game that we wouldn’t lose another game and it came true.”
Photo/video by Tommy Hays
-- Buck Ringgold | buck@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveTX
