DALLAS — Texas high school football hits different.
It's more than a sport ... it encapsulates entire communities. And in 2022, the North Texas area dominated the rest of the competition, flexing its muscles as a hotbed of talent in the high school football scene.
Among the 12 state championship games from 6-man to 6A, North Texas schools claimed nearly half of the trophies awarded last week. Five of the 12 state championships were won by North Texas schools.
Here is a look at those storylines:
6A-D1: Duncanville takes out kryptonite in North Shore, Reginald Samples wins 1st title in 300-plus-win career
North Shore had been the thorn in Duncanville's side for years. Three games ... three losses to the Mustangs. It was Act IV in 2022, and Duncanville finally took out its state championship foe.
The win also gave head coach Reginald Samples the state title he's longed for after a 300-plus-win coaching career.
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6A-D2: DeSoto Eagles win 2nd title in school history, HC Claude Mathis wins 1st
In 2016, DeSoto won its first state title, but without the coach who had built the program into the powerhouse it became.
Claude Mathis came to DeSoto in 2008, but could never get over the hump before leaving in 2014 for a college coaching job on Chad Morris' staff at SMU.
Mathis returned for a second stint with the Eagles in 2019 and claimed his first championship at DeSoto after defeating Austin Vandegrift, 42-17.
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5A-D1: Aledo extends state record with 11th championship
Aledo has been collecting state titles since they won their first in 1998.
The Bearcats dominated Texas high school football for nearly a decade, becoming the only school in state history to three-peat twice (2009-2011; 2016-2018).
After dominating College Station on Saturday, 52-14, the Bearcats have extended its championship record to 11.
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5A-D2: South Oak Cliff becomes 1st Dallas ISD school to win back-to-back titles
It had been 63 long years since a Dallas ISD school had won a state championship. South Oak Cliff made history last season and ended that drought with its first state title in school history.
Once again, SOC re-wrote this history books, becoming the first ever DISD school to win back-to-back state titles. SOC defeated Port Neches-Groves on Friday, 34-24, after trailing 17-5 in the first half.
UIL officials confirmed to WFAA that SOC head coach Clifton Todd is the first black coach in UIL football history to win two state titles at the same school.
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3A-D2: Gunter wins 3rd state title in school history
One year removed from a devastating loss in the state championship to Franklin, Gunter won its third state title in school history after defeating Poth, 42-7.
Gunter is one of only three North Texas schools (Highland Park and Aledo) to have multiple titles since 2016.
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Honorable mention: Brock narrowly misses title after walk-off FG loss
Brock was so close to hoisting the trophy, but fell to Franklin, 17-14, as the Lions hit a 20-yard, chip shot field goal as time expired to win the game.
The win gave Franklin its second-consecutive state championship and an unblemished 16-0 record.
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