Click or tap here to view the full box score.
ALLEN — Duncanville made early mistakes in its area round clash with Rockwall-Heath on Friday at Eagle Stadium.
But after two first-quarter turnovers resulted in a pair of Heath field goals, the three-time state champion took over.
Duncanville (9-1) shut out Heath the rest of the game to secure a 43-6 win and a meeting with the winner of Saturday’s The Woodlands-Klein Collins game in the regional semifinals next week.
Junior wide receiver Trenton Yancey opened the scoring for Duncanville early in the second quarter with a 1-yard run. But he wasn’t finished yet. On the night, Yancey had four catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 79 yards and two scores on three carries. Senior quarterback J’Coryon Rivers was 16-of-24 for 209 yards and three passing touchdowns.
Panthers march on: Photos from Duncanville’s playoff victory over Rockwall-Heath
Duncanville’s offense recorded 572 yards and its defense held Heath, which beat both state-ranked North Forney and Highland Park this season, to 159 yards. Duncanville held six of its previous seven opponents to 14 points or less and kept the streak going Friday.
The state’s eighth-ranked team did this all without starting quarterback Maximus The Great Denson, who also missed the last two regular season games and last week’s first-round win over Temple. Duncanville has advanced to at least the state semifinals each of the last seven seasons and won back-to-back 6A Division I state titles in 2022 and 2023.
It looked like a championship contender Friday night after shaking off some first-quarter errors. Heath scored six unanswered points to start the game.
Duncanville fumbled at Heath’s 16-yard line on its first possession and Heath recovered it. Heath’s subsequent drive resulted in a 54-yard Bronson Mueller field goal. On Duncanville’s next drive, Heath’s Carson Adams came up with an interception on a deflection. Heath scored off the turnover again, as Mueller kicked a 36-yard field goal to give his team a 6-0 lead.
Duncanville didn’t score until the 11:57 mark of the second quarter. After Yancey’s 1-yard run, Duncanville scored three more times in the first half, taking a 29-6 halftime lead. The Duncanville onslaught continued into the second half, concluding with a 58-yard rushing touchdown by Brayden Arnold.
Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Sign up for our FREE HS newsletter.
