DeSoto Eagles to celebrate state football championship with parade on Jan. 24
City of DeSoto's City Hall's Facebook page.
DESOTO, Texas - The City of DeSoto is celebrating the DeSoto Eagles football team and their 2025 UIL State Championship win in a championship parade at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24. 2026.
Championship parade celebration details
What we know:
DeSoto football fans are expected to wear green and gold to celebrate the nationally ranked Eagles celebrate their third championship in four years at the 6A Division II level.
The Eagles previously won back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023 by a combined 85 points. On Dec. 20, 2025, the DeSoto Eagles defeated the Sheldon C.E. King Panthers 55-27 at AT&T Stadium.
City officials stated in a social media post that the parade is set to begin at 12:30 p.m. starting at Amber Terrace Elementary School, then traveling north on to Eagle Dr before heading west on Eagle Dr. The parade will finish at Chris Dyer Gymnasium at DeSoto High School.
The Claude Mathis Era
The backstory:
DeSoto head football coach Claude Mathis recently stepped down from his dual role as head football coach and DeSoto ISD Athletic Director. In a news release prior to the season, Mathis understood the scope, responsibility, and strategic demands of the Athletic Director role and initiated the proposal to separate the positions, allowing the district to appoint an administrator whose sole focus was to manage the financial operations, compliance, facilities, and strategic planning for DeSoto ISD athletics.
"DeSoto is a special place, and I want to give every ounce of my focus and energy to continuing the tradition of excellence we’ve built in our football program. By transitioning the day-to-day oversight of the district’s athletic programs to a dedicated administrator, we create space for specialized leadership that benefits every sport, every student-athlete, and every campus," said Coach Mathis.
A resilient road to victory
Dig deeper:
The decision seemed to pay off as the DeSoto team looks to celebrate another historic season.
Despite opening the season 0-2, after losses to Creekside High School and North Crowley High School, the first two games were the only time DeSoto’s offense scored less than 30 points on the season.
From a rough start, DeSoto went on to score 40+ games in 13 of the remaining 14 games, including an average of 58.5 points per game in their six UIL playoff games.
The team finished with a 13-3 record en route to the school's fourth state championship in 10 years.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by MaxPreps and Desotoisd.org. Additional information was provided by the City of DeSoto Facebook page.