By Allan Jamail
Turner Stadium, Humble, TX – On October 25, 2024 in a showdown between the two 6A Region III District 23 first place teams, in front of a standing-room-only sellout crowd, the North Shore Mustangs squeaked past the Atascocita Eagles (Humble) 27–23. This Eagles loss makes 9 consecutive losses to their rival.
The Eagles scored first with a 3 point field goal in the 1st quarter, followed by a Mustangs touchdown and a missed extra point to finish the 1st quarter, ahead 6–3.
In the 2nd quarter, the Mustangs scored 2 TD’s, with the Eagles making 3 TD’s. The first half ended with the Eagles ahead at halftime 23–20.
The 3rd quarter was a defensive battle. Neither team scored, and the Eagles remained ahead 23 – 20 going into the 4th and final quarter. The fourth quarter continued as a defensive battle, with neither team scoring until late in the fourth quarter, when the Mustangs made the final go-ahead TD.
With 1 minute remaining, the Eagles punter made a bad kick, giving North Shore the ball on the Eagles 40 yard line. On a crucial play, QB Bailey connected to Cameron Smith on a 35 yard pass, putting the ball on the 5 yard line.
The Mustangs had the ball on the 5 yard line with just 12 seconds left on the clock and trailing by 3 points. It appeared North Shore was on the brink of losing their first game of the season and dropping down to 2nd place.
But when the ball was snapped to quarterback Bailey, he threw a perfect strike to wide receiver Quanell Farrakhan Jr. in the end zone to put the Eastside Boys ahead 26–23 with 7 seconds on the clock. Jorge Campos kicked the extra point, making the game’s final score 27–23.
QB Kaleb Bailey rushed for 129 yards and two TD’s on 15 carries, averaging 11.9 yards per carry. He threw passes for 123 yards and completed 73.3% of his passes. D’Andre Hardeman Jr. was unstoppable, rushing for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Other scorers: Quanell Farrakhan Jr. had the game winning TD pass catch. Extra point kicker Jorge Campos made 3 extra points.
STATEWIDE HIGH SCHOOL 6A HISTORY: This win gives the Mustangs the inside track to the District 23-6A title. It also gives North Shore 35 consecutive regular-season wins, which moves the program past Southlake Carroll and Arlington Lamar for the 11th-longest Class 6A streak in Texas high school football history. The Mustangs can match Lufkin’s mark of 36 from 2003-07 with a win over C.E. King this week.
North Shore has a perfect 8 wins & 0 losses this season, and is on top of the 6A Region III District 23.
Linda Jamail, statistician and photographer
The Mustangs will next play the C. E. King Panthers on Friday, November 1st at 7PM, their Senior Night.