DESOTO, Texas — There is no bigger game than this one. Period.
Top-ranked Duncanville, the two-time defending 6A-Division I state champion, visits #4 DeSoto on Friday night for the Game of the Year® in Texas high school football.
DeSoto, the two-time defending 6A-Division II state champion, defeated Duncanville last year in their annual rivalry game, 49-35.
DeSoto wants to double down on their ownership of the state. Duncanville wants to restore order and take back their perch as the preeminent program in Texas.
You can watch the game live on our streaming platform WFAA+, which is available on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. You can also watch the game right here on WFAA.com, or our WFAA YouTube channel.
Duncanville (4-0) has not lost to an in-state team other than DeSoto since 2021. DeSoto (4-1) has lost to only one other in-state team aside from Duncanville since 2021. The teams combined to go 59-3 over the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and two of the three losses were to each other.
Now they get to settle in on the field once again.
This year, Duncanville is again led by senior quarterback Keelon Russell, a five-star prospect on his way to Alabama next fall. Russell was recently named to the Watch List for MaxPreps National Player of the Year award.
He'll spend most of the night throwing to a fellow five-star prospect in Dakorien Moore. The top receiver in America, Moore is committed to Oregon and has been dominating opposing defensive backs since his freshman year.
DeSoto counters with transfer quarterback Kelden Ryan, a Virginia Tech commit and a three-star prospect. He and running back Tiger Riden drive ship for the DeSoto offense. Riden is a four-star prospect destined for Texas A&M. And DeSoto also features five-star wide receiver Boobie Feaster, who is the top-ranked receiver in the country, in the sophomore class.
Defensively, Duncanville is led by linebacker Nehemiah Borner, who has the team lead in tackles with 46 on the year. He also leads them with 11.5 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. Defensive backs Tyren Polley and Javion Holliday are also a difference maker for the Panthers' defense, as a pair of three-star prospects destined for SMU.
The Eagles' defense is led by senior defensive end Keke Abrams. The three-star prospect committed to TCU is one of the premier edge rushers in North Texas and will spend all night creating havoc for the Duncanville offensive line. Sael Reyes is another three-star prospect, destined for SMU, who plays linebacker for the Eagles. He'll likely be a safety at the next level.
It simply doesn't get better than this. We could list player after player after player who is headed to play college football, and this story would be 10,000 words long. There is an endless supply of talent on the field on Friday, and you can tune in to watch it all.
Our Friday Night Football pregame show will begin at approximately 6:50 p.m., with kickoff to follow at 7 p.m. Join Mike Leslie and Hek'ma Harrison on the call, for Week 7 of the Texas high school football season.