North Shore Falls Short Against Westlake in State Semifinals

In a tightly contested matchup on Saturday, North Shore High School faced a tough defeat against Austin Westlake, ending their season in the state semifinals. Despite a commendable 14-1 record, the Mustangs were unable to find their rhythm on either side of the ball, ultimately falling short with a score of 35-10.

The game began with promise as North Shore took an early lead with a 25-yard field goal by Daniel Cruz, but that would be short-lived. Westlake quickly answered back, showcasing their explosive offense, highlighted by a 51-yard touchdown run from Elijah Clark. From there, the Chaps seized control of the match, with quarterback Rees Wise delivering impressive passes, including a 22-yard touchdown to Cash Robin and another to Chase Bowen for 37 yards.

By the time halftime rolled around, North Shore found themselves trailing 21-10. The Mustangs managed to score a touchdown just before the half, with Kaleb Bailey connecting with Quanell X Farrakhan Jr. for a 9-yard score. However, it wasn’t enough to swing the momentum in their favor.

The second half proved to be an uphill battle for North Shore. After an unsuccessful fourth-down attempt early in the third quarter, Westlake quickly capitalized, extending their lead to 28-10. Their formidable defense consistently pressured Bailey, preventing him from establishing a solid passing game. Despite North Shore’s rushing game averaging 4.9 yards per carry, much of their success came from Bailey’s early 44-yard run, which was not replicated in subsequent plays.

With Westlake advancing to the state championship game against either Duncanville or North Crowley, this marks North Shore’s first failure to reach the title game since Westlake eliminated them in the 2020 state semifinals. The Mustangs showed grit and determination throughout the season, but today’s challenge proved too great. Coach Willie Gaston and his players will now look to regroup and strategize for the future.