Cedar Hill's brotherhood fuels Longhorns ahead of rivalry showdown with DeSoto

At Cedar Hill High School, there's a different level of pride in putting on that red uniform, and it shows on the football field.

"We're about Cedar Hill," Longhorn's quarterback Jaiden Mitchell said. "We die; we bleed Cedar Hill. We go through the boot camp. We go through everything in the offseason. We build that bond; we build that brotherhood."

"Brotherhood is what we really just got to work on," Cedar Hill safety Jeremiah Hobbs said. "That's really the standard. As long as we keep the brotherhood, we make everything strive better."

This week, the Longhorns take on a familiar foe in the DeSoto Eagles, considered one of the great rivalries in DFW high school football.

"They've got some great football players," Cedar Hill coach Brice Musgrove said. "We're just going to have to pay hard, and we're going to let the scoreboard take care of itself. 6 seconds of explosion every play."

To understand how big this rivalry is, look no further than Belt Line Road. If you stop at the intersection of Belt Line and N Duncanville, Longhorn Stadium is just 10 minutes away. Right on the other side is Desoto, Texas, where Eagle Stadium is only seven minutes away. It doesn't matter what the records or classifications are. This game is and always will be the Battle of Belt Line.

"I've been around this rivalry since I was a little boy," Mitchell said. "Now that I'm finally able to be on the field and actually be able to play, it's a blessing."

The Longhorns have captured three state championships and made their most recent appearance in the title game in 2020.

Despite some adversity, this current generation is determined to live up to the expectations set by teams of the past.

"When you go to the local Walmart, the local grocery store, and you have on Cedar Hill attire...people know your name," Musgrove said. "It's just been a hub for football. You've had somewhat of a downfall in recent years, just as far as the standard that had been set in the years prior. But we're definitely trying to take an opportunity to rebuild the culture."

"We're working," Mitchell said. "We're going to prove everybody wrong. Everybody that's not on our back...we're working."