Duncanville's Reggie Samples, Mesquite's DeMarcus Harris To Compete Head To Head In Playoffs

by Keith Russell | CBS 11

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Duncanville's Reggie Samples is the winningest African American coach in UIL history.

Mesquite's first-year head coach DeMarcus Harris has more than tripled the school's win total from last year.

Friday night, Nov. 19, it's mentor against mentee.

Harris says of Samples "He's one of those guys you look at like… He's the Godfather".

Samples counters "I've heard worse things. It's always good to hear someone say something complimentary about you. Coach Harris has an outstanding resume himself".

Prior to taking over this season at Mesquite, Harris got career changing advice from Samples with one simple question. "What do I need to do to become a head coach? He picked the phone up. Me being able to go against him is an honor".

Samples has never been reluctant to pass on what he's learned. He says "My goal was to try to be a trend setter. I've done with my family. I've done that in life. You always wanna set a good example".

Neither sees Friday as teacher vs student or powerhouse versus underdog.

Samples promises "we don't take anyone lightly".

Harris makes it clear "We know it's Duncanville but it's a faceless opponent…..and we'll just let the chips fall where they may".

A second round matchup of two coaches who share an unbreakable bond.