DeSoto defeated Willis during the high school football playoffs in Texas on Saturday. They did not shake hands after the game.
However, one of the best players on the losing side made sure to show his respect.
It was an extremely classy gesture that speaks to his character as a young man. An overly excited player on the winning high school football team tried to spoil the moment but his teammates didn’t let him!
DeSoto defeated Willis in a high school football shootout.
Eagles running back SaRod Baker set a new record for the most touchdowns during a Texas high school football playoff game on Saturday. He ran for an astonishing 384 yards and seven touchdowns during a 20-point win over the Wildkats in the Class 6A Division-2 quarterfinals game.
DeSoto advanced to the state semifinals against Southlake Carroll with the win. Willis’ impressive season comes to an end at 11-3.
Both rosters are absolutely loaded. Multiple players on both sides of the ball are going to play on the D-I level of college football, feeding top programs like USC, Texas and Ohio State, among others. All of this talent creates heighten tensions between the two programs. It was chippy throughout all four quarters.
As a result, DeSoto and Willis did not shake hands after the game. They chose to keep to their respective sidelines once the clock hit zero to avoid any kind of unfortunate incident. Just in case.
Jermaine Bishop Jr. chose to shake hands anyway.
Jermaine Bishop Jr. is a five-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2025. He signed with the University of Texas Longhorns on Wednesday as the No. 16-ranked player in the country. Steve Sarkisian has not decided whether he will play him as defensive back or a wide receiver. Time will tell.
Not only is Bishop a great athlete, he is also a great person.
Even though the Wildkats and Eagles went their separate ways after the game ended, their two-way star crossed enemy lines to show his respect to the victors. It was an extremely classy gesture.
One of the DeSoto players tried to spoil the moment by talking trash. His teammates and coaches pushed him away. They were grateful for how Bishop approached the situation.
The teams did not shake hands after the game but Jermaine Bishop Jr. went over to the DeSoto side on his own @B6Jermaine pic.twitter.com/PNqvkNgHYE
— Travis Recek (@TravisRecek) December 7, 2025
In a world where fights, suspensions and controversy often grab the headlines in high school football and sports as a whole (I am just as guilty as the rest), it is refreshing to see this kind of behavior. The Longhorns got a good one.