A playoff-like matchup kicked off the season Friday in Texas as No. 16 Allen upset No. 10 Duncanville 26-7 in front of a big home crowd at Eagle Stadium and national audience as part of the MaxPreps Game of the Week series.

Both teams are no stranger to postseason success, having combined for eight state championships. But when Allen and Duncanville meet it’s usually closer to Thanksgiving than Labor Day.

On Friday, Allen used a sack-happy defense and two fourth-quarter touchdowns to shut the door on a potential Duncanville comeback bid in the season opener.

Junior wideout Cylas Siciliano struck a pose following his first quarter touchdown in No. 16 Allen’s 26-7 win over No. 10 Duncanville on Friday in the MaxPreps Game of the Week. (PHOTO: Lynn Fritz)

Sophomore quarterback Ty Snell was 15 of 23 for 160 yards and two touchdwon passes while adding 62 yards rushing on 15 carries. Senior running back Lyndon Spriggs rushed for a pair of scores and 73 yards.

After a scoreless third period and Allen clinging to a 12-7 lead, the Eagles got a pair of scores in the latter half of the fourth to make the final a little more convincing.

Snell hit Zach Williams on a 20-yard strike and Spriggs bullied his way into the end zone in the final minutes for Allen.
Allen got on the board first with Snell throwing a 23-yard touchdown pass to Cylas Siciliano.

Following a Duncanville three-and-out, Allen bled more than half of the second-quarter clock on a 12-play scoring drive capped by a 1-yard plunge from Spriggs and a 12-0 lead.

The Panthers showed life — and explosiveness — as a 53-yard bomb from Denson to Trenton Yancey pulled the visitors within five before the break.

While the Dallas-Forth Worth powers have played in numerous big games, Duncanville has had more success recently advancing to the state championship game six times since 2018 and winning two. Allen, meanwhile, owns five state titles, including three in a row with Kyler Murray from 2012-15. But the Eagles haven’t been to AT&T Stadium since 2017.

Allen and Duncanville’s last three meeting have come in the postseason. Allen won 42-23 in the 2016 6A Division 1 quarterfinals. Duncanville bounced back in 2018 with a 44-35 semifinal victory that ended a 30-game win streak for the Eagles. The Panthers also prevailed 31-9 in a semifinal showdown last season.

Allen sophomore quarterback Ty Snell led the Eagles' offense to nearly 300 yards of offense their 26-7 win Friday over Duncanville in the MaxPreps Game of the Week. (PHOTO: Lynn Fritz)

Allen sophomore quarterback Ty Snell led the Eagles’ offense to nearly 300 yards of offense their 26-7 win Friday over Duncanville in the MaxPreps Game of the Week. (PHOTO: Lynn Fritz)

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