Duncanville’s five-star QB Keelon Russell, WR Dakorien Moore prove to be a dominant duo

The duo shined in Duncanville’s 34-12 win on Friday over South Oak Cliff, going on the road to hand their opponents their second straight loss to start the season.

There may not be a more electric duo in the country than five-star quarterback Keelon Russell and five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore, who lead the way for Texas powerhouse Duncanville, currently ranked as the No. 6 high school team by MaxPreps.

Russell, seen as the No. 9 player overall and No. 1 quarterback in the Class of 2025 by Rivals, is an Alabama commit and one of the biggest risers in the cycle this year as a dual-threat option.

Moore, the No. 3 player overall and top receiver in the Class of 2025, is an Oregon commit and one of the most electric players in the country at 5’11”, 185 pounds.

The duo shined in Duncanville’s 34-12 win on Friday over South Oak Cliff, going on the road to hand their opponents their second straight loss to start the season.

Russell led the way with 325 yards and five total touchdowns, while Moore was no slouch himself, catching nine passes for 119 yards and a touchdown in Duncanville’s season debut.

It was the second consecutive year where the duo shined against South Oak Cliff to begin the season, as Russell had 366 yards and four touchdowns in Duncanville’s 34-13 win last year, while Moore exploded for seven catches, 281 yards and four touchdowns.

Russell and Moore are looking to lead another successful season for Duncanville, who have been one of the top teams in Texas over the last few years, before heading to their respective colleges next year.

Last year was Russell’s breakout season, as the Alabama commit threw for 3,267 yards, 35 touchdowns and three interceptions, while completing over 74 percent of his passes in 14 games.

He had three 300-yard games and four games with at least four touchdowns last season, meeting both of those marks in the opener on Friday against South Oak Cliff.

Moore, on the other hand, is coming off a season where he caught 65 passes for 1,303 yards and 15 touchdowns for Duncanville, serving as Russell’s clear lead option.

In fact, Moore had just four total games without a touchdown, while having the same amount of games with multiple touchdowns in 2023.

Both players will be key in Duncanville’s push for another state title, as the team has been in the championship game in five of the past six years.

The biggest game on the schedule is their road game against nationally-ranked DeSoto in October, which is a rematch of last year’s 49-35 win for DeSoto. In that game, Russell had 309 yards and two touchdowns, while Moore had seven catches for 104 yards and two scores, but it wasn’t enough to dethrone their opponent.

DeSoto did just see their 23-game win streak snapped in a 57-51 thriller against North Crowley on Friday, with their last loss coming against Duncanville in 2022.

Nonetheless, it was a great start to the season for Russell, Moore, and the No. 6 ranked Duncanville Panthers with their 34-12 victory on Friday night, and the duo will look to continue racking up highlight performances in their final year of high school.