Mustangs remain unbeaten
Quick take
The Eastside machine keeps rolling.
North Shore notched its 38th consecutive district victory and knocked C.E. King from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 42-6 triumph Friday evening at Sheldon ISD Panther Stadium.
The No. 2 state-ranked Mustangs (5-0, 2-0) remained atop the District 21-6A standings alongside the primary challengers for their throne — No. 7 Atascocita and No. 10 Summer Creek.
North Shore, which has won 22 straight regular-season games, improved to 8-0 against C.E. King (4-1, 1-1) since 2016. The Mustangs have outscored their five opponents 227-39 this season.
“It was really good to see that,” North Shore coach Willie Gaston said of his team’s fast start, which included 21 unanswered points to open the game. “It was a great atmosphere out here tonight. That’s what Friday night is about. We knew we had to start fast, and those guys did a good job coming out and doing that.”
Highlights
North Shore got the fireworks started early.
Quarterback Kaleb Bailey connected with Christopher Barnes on a 58-yard touchdown pass on the fourth play from scrimmage. Barnes, who committed to North Texas over the summer, also had a 34-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter and reached halftime with 106 yards on just four catches.
Bailey reached the end zone on a crafty 31-yard scamper in the opening frame, and D’Andre Hardeman plowed over a defender at the goal line on an 11-yard run in the second to help extend the lead as well.
C.E. King struggled offensively in the early stages and was only able to muster a pair of field goals in the first half. The Panthers entered the night averaging 43.5 points and 482 yards per game.
The stingy North Shore defense wasn’t having any of that. Fivestar junior cornerback Devin Sanchez and Paul Porter each collected timely interceptions for the Mustangs, who held a commanding 28-6 lead at the break.
North Shore extended that margin in the third quarter with a 17-yard strike from Bailey to Cameron Smith. The Mustangs made it 42-6 later in the period with a 26-yard touchdown run from Chris Thomas.
Morris Taylor had a third-quarter interception for the Mustangs’ defense.
The one negative for North Shore was an injury to starting tight end and UH commit Kaleb Thomas. He was taken off the field on a stretcher with a cast on his right leg early in the second quarter.
What it means
North Shore has passed its first big test in district play with flying colors. The matchup against C.E. King was one of just nine games across the state this week that featured a pair of undefeated teams. The Mustangs are chasing a sixth consecutive district championship and moved one step closer to that goal with Friday’s result.
C.E. King will have to respond to some adversity after suffering its first loss of the season. The Panthers, ranked No. 21 in the state this week, are still very much in contention for their sixth consecutive playoff appearance.
Game balls
Bailey completed 16 of 20 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns. Barnes finished with six catches for 135 yards and two scores. Hardeman piled up 99 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts.
C.E. King was able to move the ball through the air at times and got some good production from senior receivers Rae’G Dailey and Kason Dobbins. They finished with 128 and 62 yards, respectively.
Quotable
“It’s just what they do, man,” Gaston said of his defense, which created three turnovers and kept the potent C.E. King offense out of the end zone. “They do a great job of playing as one, and coach (Garrett) Cross does a dang good job of getting those guys prepared throughout the week, showing them all the looks they could possibly see. And then they just go a good job of communicating with each other.”
Up next
North Shore will face another vaunted opponent with Summer Creek next Thursday at Galena Park ISD Stadium. The Mustangs are 5-0 against the Bulldogs since 2016, including a 34-27 victory last season.
C.E. King should have an easier matchup next Saturday against Kingwood at Turner Stadium. The Panthers are 3-3 against the Mustangs since 2016 but have won three straight in the series. That includes last year’s 42-21 rout.