If you’re new to this series, the purpose of this feature is to help provide some historical context behind the Elo ratings referenced throughout the blog - methodology/primer here.
Next up in our series of looking at historical Elo rating charts, a team that has been on the cusp of a North Shore/Westlake-like multi-year title run, the Duncanville Panthers. Coincidentally, we find a similar trend here as with Westlake and North Shore. A new head coach takes over during the mid-2010s, and after a little setting in period, the program kicks into overdrive towards the top.
The Panthers have found it difficult to get over that last hump thanks to some really tough luck at the absolute worst times. The first that comes to everyone’s mind still is the heartbreaking loss on a walk-off hail-mary versus North Shore in 2018. Then, star QB Ja’Quinden Jackson tearing an ACL during the state semifinal win ruling him out of the ‘19 title game. Jackson went for 228 yards on the ground the 2018 championship game, so the impact of his loss was clearly significant. The simple fact is, North Shore is the only program in the state that can match Duncanville across the board pound for pound, and their recent state championship games have shown just how similar the two programs are.
What’s obvious is that Reginald Samples has unleashed the beast, or sleeping giant, of the Dallas-Fort Worth area given the success of recent seasons. The Panthers are very well positioned to be right in the mix again this year.
For years, Duncanville was one of the great "what if” programs in Texas, but even a cursory look at the timeline shows the dramatic recent spike in this program’s fortunes. The South Dallas big school trident of Duncanville, Cedar Hill and Desoto is legendary for producing top-tier talent consistently and this is magnified even more when also considering smaller school area programs of South Oak Cliff and Lancaster.
The progression of the Duncanville program from 2015 to now is as impressive and dramatic as it gets. The potential has always been there with this program. Could this finally be the year the Panthers punctuate their recent dominance with their first title since 1998?
Below, take a look at some selected clips to go along with the chart annotations…
2015: Head Coach Reginald Samples takes over the Duncanville program
2017: One of the first “statement” wins signaling that Duncanville was hitting a new stride, beating the defending champs, Cedar Hill.
2018: Video #1 - Took down Allen in the Semis. Video #2 - One play away from a ring.
2019: Freshman QB Chris Parsons forced into action for the state title rematch after Ja’Quinden Jackson tore an ACL the week prior. Panthers gave a heck of an effort.
2021: After a 1-year hiatus, the Panthers and the Mustangs of North Shore decide to run it back for a third time in four years. Panthers come up just short again, this time by 7.