“The children were nestled all snug in their beds”

A happy holiday chaos has descended on Gunnels Manor.

 

How else to put this? My wife and kids are slobs, God love ’em. Carelessly abandoned shoes litter every room in the house. Discarded winter coats hang from every chair and railing. Half-empty drink glasses sit forlornly on coffee table, side table and console.

 

And my kids’ rooms? Dear Lord, preserve us! My son sits in unspeakable squalor playing video games and watching Netflix. My daughter, home from college, has clothes, toiletries and God-only-knows strewn everywhere. The aftermath of a tsunami would look more orderly.

 

But I don’t care. Because I know, with a heaviness of heart that surprises me, that soon enough, the kids will be gone, along with the clutter. We’re coming to an end of things in the Gunnels household.

 

My daughter graduates from college next May. Then she will hit the job market and look for a teaching position. I hope it will be close enough for regular visits, but who knows about such things.

 

Next fall, my son will leave for college, and I’ll be surprised if we see much of him thereafter. Short visits to drop off laundry and mooch a home-cooked meal, perhaps. But he yearns to be free of his parents’ cloying grasp. So did I at his age, so who am I to complain now?

 

Transition time is upon us. It’s nothing new and nothing that countless parents haven’t faced – and survived – before. There’s nothing special about our situation, certainly, but that doesn’t help much. I still get a knot in my stomach thinking about it. And certain random things trigger an onset of almost-panic.

 

It happened last night when I got up to get a drink of water, and decided to take a peek at my sleeping children, something I've done all their lives. It started when my daughter was a baby and I lived in fear that she would die in her sleep, an irrational worry sparked no doubt by reading too many articles about SIDS. Sometimes, when she appeared to be too still, I would pinch her awake just to reassure myself.

 

Over the years, particularly when they were old enough to stay out late, I would look in on them after they fell asleep, grateful for the peace it gave me to see them safe and sound in their own beds.

 

So last night, I quietly checked first on Rachel, who lay on her side, her long hair a tangled mess on the pillow and her angelic face hidden by bedcovers. Our West Highland terrier, Kiera, raised her head from her spot on Rachel’s bed, saw me in the doorway and lay down again with a contented sigh. No intruders to chase on this night.

 

I turned and tiptoed to Ethan’s room. He had gone to a late movie with friends and didn’t get in before I went to bed. Standing in the entrance to his slovenly den, I looked at him wrapped in a blanket, one bare leg hanging over the side of the bed, the very image of youthful sloth.

 

Then I returned to bed and lay there, eyes open, filled with the nagging apprehension of a time when it will not be so easy to determine their welfare and to shield them from harm.

When my children are gone – from here into the wild, uncontrolled fury of the world – how will I cope? Like all empty nesters, I suppose. But I will yearn for the days when a quick survey of my children in their beds could bring blissful, untroubled sleep.

And I dread the day when I will walk past their clean, uncluttered rooms – neat as a pin and just as featureless – and remember when chaos reigned, when my only true gifts to the world lived carefree and unruly under my roof.

Playoffs, Regional Round: Southlake Carroll Dragons vs. Euless Trinity Trojans

When it was over, the victors said they won in memory of fallen comrades killed in a car wreck before the season began. Now how are you going to beat a team like that?

The Southlake Carroll Dragons and the Euless Trinity Trojans met last night in another classic contest, a desperate back-and-forth battle in the third round of the playoffs that hinged on the game’s only turnover and ended with Trinity triumphant.

 After the game, Trinity players reminded sportswriters that this season is dedicated to two former Trojans and a junior high student killed in an automobile accident. At halftime, one told the Star-Telegram, “We just thought of our three fallen angels, just thought about that and remembered who we were doing it for.”

Everyone expected a battle royale between the Dragons and Trojans, and they weren’t disappointed. The lead changed hands six times, five in the second half, and the outcome remained uncertain until the last seconds of the game. In the end, it was Trinity 42, Carroll 38.

Senior Trinity running back Isaac Ellsworth shredded the overwhelmed Dragon D-line all night, compiling 245 yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns. Three times he blasted through the front line and outsprinted pursuing Dragon defenders on TD runs of 42, 70 and 51 yards.

His compatriot, sophomore RB Ja’Ron Wilson, running behind the Trojan O-line’s behemoths, blasted 114 yards on 17 carries and one TD.

 Meanwhile, Trinity quarterback Christian Hammack proved what everyone has been saying of late: The Trojans also can throw the ball. He completed five of seven throws for 105 key yards and engineered the Trojans’ final score, a 23-yard pass with 9 minutes left.

He wasn’t the best quarterback on the field last night. That honor, as usual, belonged to Dragon QB Ryan Agnew, who tried his mightiest to keep Carroll in the game, completing 39 of 48 passes for 449 yards and three touchdowns. It was another dazzling display for the junior standout.

But, alas, Hammack and the Trojans will proceed to the fourth round to face the fearsome DeSoto Eagles, while Agnew and crew will be Christmas shopping. Nobody said life was fair.

Ultimately, it came down to this: The weaknesses in the Carroll defense – a concern all season, even during its cruise through the weak sisters of District 4-5A – were exposed last night. The D-line couldn’t contain the Trinity running game, and the secondary couldn’t disrupt its infrequent aerial attack.

The Southlake kids tried. God knows they tried and never gave up. Linemen A.J. Tolbert and King Newton were defensive stalwarts.

But the muscle and gristle of the Trinity O-line was simply too much. The Trojans’ Big Guys blasted the smaller Dragons off the line by three or four yards on every play. Trojan runners must have averaged more than 5 yards per carry. And they carried a lot – rolling up 448 rushing yards for the night.

For a while, it looked as if Agnew and his receivers would be able to win the day. Senior wide receiver Luke Timian was a monster, catching 13 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns in the best game of his life. It’s a damn shame it was for naught.

Likewise, backup running back Lil’ Jordan Humphrey – subbing for senior RB AJ Ezzard, who was shaken up in the first half and never returned – had a brilliant night, right up until the moment, with less than six minutes left in the game, when he coughed up the ball on the Trinity 20 as Carroll was driving for yet another go-ahead touchdown.

Trinity was leading at the time, 42-38, and Hammack staged a vintage Trinity rushing drive, a clock-draining, soul-sapping, run-it-down-their-throats drive that ended when Trinity handed the ball on downs to the Dragons with 19 seconds left to travel three-fourths of the field. It was a masterful display of dominance – and clock-managing finesse – that Dragon fans watched with grim-faced admiration.

So the Dragons’ season is over. A loss in the third round is no humiliation, particularly when you come as close as Southlake did to beating a team as good as Trinity, but it does leave a sour taste in the mouth. That’s probably because they came so close, so very close.

But it is, after all, only a game. Soon, the pain will ease and then likely disappear, except for the dull ache when old photos are dug out of an album years from now. For the seniors, there is the anticipation of graduation. For the rest, there is the promise of a new season. Life goes on, don’t it? Until next year, go Dragons!

Playoffs, Area Round: Southlake Carroll Dragons vs. Midland Lee Rebels

By the end of the first quarter last night, it was pretty apparent that the Southlake Carroll Dragons were going to have an easy time of it against the overmatched Midland Lee Rebels. The same couldn’t be said for the miserable fans of both teams who shivered in the icy rain and gasped as a sharp northern wind sliced through them.

But the weather misery was all for a good cause, at least for the Southlake contigent, as the Dragons cruised to the third round of the playoffs by dispatching the Rebels 51-7. As if the humiliating defeat, for the second time this season, weren’t bad enough, Rebel players, coaches and fans had to drive westward home through sleet and over ice-covered roads.

Part of me – the part that still doesn’t harbor resentment at long-past games in which the Rebels manhandled my hometown Big Spring Steers much as the Dragons dealt with Midland Lee last night – was happy when the Rebels managed their only score of the night against our backup D-line in the fourth quarter.

Turning to the football dad huddled beside me, I said, “The Lee folks drove a long way to see that one.”

The Rebels aided and abetted the mauling administered by Carroll. They turned the ball over three times in their first four drives, all of which produced Dragon scores. Carroll led 24-0 at the end of the first quarter and never looked  back. At the half, the score was 45-0.

Quarterback Ryan Agnew, RB AJ Ezzard and WR Luke Timian – Dragon offensive stars of the night – sat out the second half. Despite that, Agnew completed 10 of 19 throws for 130 yards and two TDs (both to Timian) and rushed for 90 yards and one TD. Ezzard, meanwhile, rushed for 99 yards and two TDs.

For the second straight playoff game, starting linebacker Steven Bergmark scored a rushing touchdown. As the players lined up for a 15-yard field goal attempt by ace kicker Drew Brown, a football mom behind me yelled, “Bergmark’s in! Bermark’s in! It’s a fake!” Sure enough, Bergmark, who played running back his sophomore year, snatched a short shuttle pass from holder Joe Heineman and rumbled to the end zone. Who says women don’t understand football?

But the easy pickings are over for the Dragons. They advance to the third round, where they most likely will face Euless Trinity (who meets Mansfield Timberview later today) next Friday in Cowboys Stadium.

These two teams have history together, and the Dragons have triumphed in their two only encounters. In 2006, they met in Texas Stadium before a record crowd of more than 45,000 in the second round of the playoffs. At the time, both were reigning state champions, in different divisions, and their battle that day still is the best high school game I’ve ever watched.

The programs and their fan bases couldn’t be more different, but there is a mutual respect and admiration between the two that is rare in high school sports. I always root for the Trojans except when they play the Dragons, and I’m not the only Southlake fan who does. Likewise, many of the Haka faithful are Carroll boosters until games like next Friday.

The matchup against Trinity will be Carroll’s biggest challenge since its loss in Week Zero to the Allen Eagles. The outcome very much is in doubt, but one thing is certain. When these two teams meet, it’s football magic. And if we have to get booted, I’d just as soon it be at the hands of the Trojans as any other team.

Regardless, the Dragons are still playing after Thanksgiving, which is a very good thing. And next week, we won’t be shivering in a cold outdoor stadium with the wind howling in our ears. Instead, we’ll be sitting in the opulent splendor of the Death Star as Jerry Jones picks our pockets. Pretty sweet, huh? Go Dragons!

A remembrance of JFK's assassination

I was sitting in  seventh-grade math class, a pimply-faced 12-year-old worried about how I was going to explain to my mother that I was about to receive a C in math, when the announcement came.

The voice of the principal of Goliad Junior High School came over the PA system and stopped my math teacher in mid-equation. I don’t remember his exact words, but the news he gave was stunning: President John Kennedy had been shot during a visit to Dallas and was being treated for his wounds.

The rest of that class is a blur, but I recall there was a lot of excited chatter among my classmates, including the observation from one ignorant dumb-ass that Kennedy “deserved it.” The president was a revered figure in my house, despite some initial heartburn from my yellow-dog Democrat parents about his Catholicism. In the end, he had won them over, and they considered him a smart guy and an inspirational leader. So I told Dumb-Ass, who had about 20 pounds on me and was a surly, belligerent soul on his best day, to shut his mouth. To my surprise, and utter relief, he did.

My next class was Texas history, and we had barely settled into our desks when the principal was back on the PA to announce solemnly that Kennedy was dead.

For two heartbeats, there was complete silence as we took in the news. Then a high-pitched scream pierced the silence. A girl was running down the hall, hysterical, screaming all the way. It was a sound that spoke of heartbreak, despair and, yes, fear. Even now I can hear it, echoing down through the years to put an indelible stamp on an unforgettable moment in American history.

It happened 50 years ago today.

C.E. Shuford and the death of a president

Much has been written in recent days about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy 50 years ago this Friday. Much more will be written in the days to come as the country continues to struggle to make sense of the senseless, to understand the inexplicable and to heal a wound that still scars the fabric of American society.

 In 1965, only two years after the death of the president, a professor at North Texas State University – now the University of North Texas – sat down to write about the events in Dallas that bright November day and in the heartbreaking days that followed.

 C.E. Shuford, known affectionately to generations of his students as “Papa,” was the founder of the journalism program at NTSU. A former newspaperman, he was a fierce presence in the classroom who demanded from his student journalists precision, clarity and a strict adherence to the rules of grammar and punctuation. A misspelled name meant an automatic F in the course.

 But a few of us knew something about Papa that he never discussed in his classes. He was a poet, and quite a good one, too. His poems first were published in a national magazine in 1933, and he already had won a national poetry award when he felt compelled to write about the assassination. The poem he produced won him another national prize, the William Marion Reedy Award from the Poetry Society of America.

 Here is an excerpt from “The Death in Our Family,” the section entitled, “The Walking Time.”

 So comes a slow, a walking time for grief,

a time of measured footfalls, rolling drums,
creaking cassons, and the clop, clop
of horses’ hooves.
                           And the silence falls
and fills the city with a sobbing sigh,
the long and measured breathing of the men
that still draw breath and stand in sunlight,
watching the passing of the fallen prince,
who tastes the sweet, sad air no longer.
                                                  Tears
water the earth behind him who had asked
no tears, and grief burdens the feet that gather
at the stations on his road to sleep.
                                                   There is
a place for him to lie beneath the flag,
a place for him to pause to rest, and all
that night the feet shuffle slowly past.
Children come; men and women come;
his princess comes, and in the darkest night
returns; it is a walking time for grief,
an echo time for sorrow like the sound
of distant cannon booming in the night.

Playoffs, Bi-District Round: Southlake Carroll Dragons vs. Arlington Bowie Volunteers

Madison Avenue copy writers didn’t have the Southlake Carroll Dragons in mind when they came up with the hair-coloring pitch that “blondes have more fun.” But the peroxided warriors of Carroll certainly had a great time last night as they obliterated the Arlington Bowie Volunteers 56-14 in Coppell’s Buddy Echols Stadium.

Many of us had expected a closer contest, considering the high-powered Vols offense led by double-threat quarterback Tony James and a stingy defense manned by several D1 prospects. But the Dragons scored first, scored last and dominated for most of the time in between, putting all the elements together in a satisfying start of the second season.

There are no do-overs at this point. Win or go home. Those are the rules from here on out.

Dragon players, coaches and fans understand the stakes as well or better than most. This isn’t our first rodeo. Eight state championship trophies attest to that. And while this team may not have the talent or the luck to go all the way this year, anything can happen during the playoffs, and there aren’t too many better ways to start out than with a blowout against a quality team.

The Dragons haven’t faced many quality teams this season. A district filled with weak programs isn’t the best way to prepare for the playoffs, but Carroll played the teams on its schedule and took care of business.

Just as they did last night. Despite some fancy running by James and a few pass completions by parttime quarterback Keaton Perry, Carroll had things in hand by halftime. A comfortable three-touchdown lead prompted some of us to tempt fate and guiltily look for scores in the Midland Lee-El Paso El Dorado game, since the winner of that contest would be next up for the victors in Coppell. (Lee won 47-28.)

 By the time in the third quarter junior quarterback Ryan Agnew skittered through the Bowie D-line and sprinted 40 yards for the Dragons’ sixth touchdown of the night, we threw caution to the winds and began making mental preparations to face the Rebels next Friday in Saginaw.

The Dragon players, as they should, concentrated on keeping the Vols scoreless in the second half, which they did in fine fashion.

Agnew, a superstar who is having an absolutely stellar year, was on target and on point last night. But he had to surrender the offensive spotlight to senior running back AJ Ezzard, who had his best game of the year, smashing through Bowie’s storied defenses repeatedly for good gains. Although he sat out for most of the second half, his nightly totals were impressive: 24 carries for 164 yards and four TDs.

In fact, the pass-heavy Dragon offense waged a ground war against the Vols, and they had no answer for it. In addition to Ezzard’s heroics, Agnew rushed 12 times for 94 yards, but still had time to complete 10 of 14 passes for 165 yards and one INT (only his sixth of the year).

Senior WR Luke Timian deserves special recognition for duty above and beyond. Timian battled the stomach flu all Friday, and only arrived at the stadium one hour before kickoff after being given IV fluids for dehydration. Asked before the game how he felt, he told the radio guys he was fine and ready to play. And so he was, catching four key receptions and gaining 90 yards. A gutsy performance by a gutsy guy (sorry).

It was a good night for the Big Guys, too. The Dragon D-line stymied and stalled the Volunteers’ high-octane offense, largely preventing speedsters James and Perry from mounting sustained drives to keep pace with Agnew and company’s brisk scoring pace.

Knowledgeable Dragon fans had expected the Vols to try to capitalize on the Dragons’ secondary, which has struggled this season. But Bowie’s game-planners decided to put their fate in a ground game. The Volunteers’ flashy quarterbacks managed to get around the ends for some significant runs. James ended the night with 15 carries and 124 yards; Perry completed 8 of 16 passes for 73 yards and one TD. But the histrionics mostly were for naught because the Dragon defense stepped up big.

Last night’s crushing victory against the Volunteers may finally ease memories of 2009, when a proud (perhaps too proud) Dragon team with its eyes on a state championship met Bowie in the third round in SMU’s Ford Stadium. The Vols brutally ended that dream with a 45-21 drubbing that offered a painful lesson in the dangers of hubris.

Two years later, the Dragons met the Volunteers again in the third round, narrowly brushing by them on the way to an eighth state championship. But last night’s victory was decisive and overwhelming and could go a long way in exorcising the humiliating sting of that night at Ford Stadium four years ago.

So now it’s on to Saginaw for a second meeting with Midland Lee, who the Dragons demolished in the second game of the season, 63-14. We’ll see if the Rebels have fixed some of the problems that made them such easy prey for the Dragons in Week One.

But Lee had best keep in mind that the Dragons aren’t the same team they were when the Rebels came calling in September. Agnew, who hung four rushing and three passing TDs on Lee last time, is more seasoned, more confident and completely in sync with his receiving corps. Meanwhile, the defense has come into its own – and just in time, too. It could be a long night and another long drive home for the West Texas boys.

All this and no road trip to the desolate western plains. Glory be, it’s the playoffs! Go Dragons!

Veterans Day Tribute: The only legacy my father ever sought

Last May, I posted this tribute to my father, Clyde Gunnels, a veteran of World War II who died in 1989. It seems fitting to post it here on the day before Veterans Day.

May 25, 2013

Dad was 24 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He was a farm boy who picked cotton and worked on cars while he waited for his life to begin. He had just met a girl he liked, a 17-year-old from a nearby farm who still was nursing a broken heart from a failed marriage to a soldier a few months earlier.

Then the world changed. Within a few months, my father was in the U.S. Army, training in California for the invasion of North Africa and carrying a photo of the young girl – my mother – in his uniform pocket.

Instead of the desert warfare he was trained to fight, Dad and his unit – the 7th Infantry Division – were sent to the Pacific. There, he participated both in the first (Aleutians) and last (Okinawa) invasions of Japanese-held islands. He waded ashore four times, each time in the first waves, and never received a scratch.

My father hated the Japanese with a fierceness that never faded – until the day a family moved next door to us 20 years after the war. He was a serviceman who met and married his wife while serving in Japan. As a child, she had huddled in makeshift bomb shelters while B-29s rained fire and destruction on Tokyo. Hearing her stories, my father’s war-forged prejudices weakened and finally collapsed. “Well,” he said one night, “I guess people are just people.”

When the war ended, Dad came home, married my mom, began his family and worked for more than 40 years as an automobile mechanic. His only recreation was to piddle around in his yard, to wash and wax his string of excellently maintained used cars and to sneak an occasional swig of whiskey from the bottle he hid from my mother in the garage.

At 71, he waged a courageous fight against lung cancer and died the day before the 4th of July. He rarely talked about the war, a trait he shared with many of the young men who fought in that desperate struggle and saved the world from a terrible tyranny. The ones who had the most to talk about were the ones who had the least to say.

Most of them are gone today. We are their legacy, the only one they ever sought.

Game Night: Southlake Carroll Dragons vs. Haltom Buffalos

The most important thing that happened at Dragon Stadium last night – at least for the Gunnels family – wasn’t the Southlake Carroll Dragons’ drubbing of the Haltom Buffalos, 65-7.

Yes, the game was the major reason we all were there. And the Dragons closed out the regular season much as they did last year – with a District 4-5A championship, an unbroken string of victories over lesser district opponents, and a 9-1 record, with only a loss to the mighty Allen Eagles marring the totality of their dominance. Talk about history repeating itself.

No, the significant thing that happened, the thing that I’ll remember long after the memories of that lopsided contest have faded, was the Senior Night recognitions before the opening kickoff.

I have looked forward to and dreaded that moment for a long time. As my friends and family know, I get pretty emotional over the passing milestones of my children’s lives. And so it was Friday night, as I stood on the field with Marice and Ethan and looked over the other parents and kids standing there before the gathering crowd.

I was thinking that when Ethan leaves for college next fall, Marice and I will have to figure out a new role for ourselves in our children’s lives. Because our front-line parental duties will be over. We’ll always be parents, of course, and we’ll always have a place in our children’s lives. But things will be different. They’re already different with my daughter, who graduates from UNT in May. And they’ll be different with my son, too, from the moment he pulls away from the curb on his way to UNT.

Our direct, daily impact on our children will end. We’ll have to hope that the values and hard-learned lessons we tried to impart will take root in the sandy loam of our kids’ heads and will help guide them to happy, successful and fulfilling lives. Our present roles as ATM machines and laundry maids, cooks and mechanics will continue for a while, yet, and no complaints there. But I was thinking last night about how much I was going to miss the tall, lanky kid with the goofy grin and big heart when he leaves. How much I was going to miss our nightly, bedtime routine. “Good night, Dad. Love you. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.” “Goodnight, son. I love you, too.” (In case you were wondering, I DID NOT start bawling in front of everyone as I contemplated all this. But to be honest, it was a near-run thing.)

In the meantime, I hope Ethan will be able to enjoy his Crew duties during a deep run in playoffs this year. How I would dearly love to see him goofing around on the sidelines the weekend after Thanksgiving and beyond.

We’ll see about that. The Dragons’ real season begins Friday night in Coppell’s Cowboy Stadium when they face the Arlington Bowie Volunteers. The Volunteers have spoiled Dragon playoff dreams before, destroying a complacent Southlake squad 45-21 in 2009 at SMU’s Ford Stadium before a stunned Southlake crowd.

The Dragons got their revenge two years later, whipping the Vols 21-17 in frigid, near-gale winds at Pendleton Stadium in Bedford.

Bowie is pretty banged up this year and played a sloppy, losing effort against Martin on Thursday to draw Carroll in the first round. But the Vols always are dangerous customers, well-coached and disciplined, even when they’re riddled with injuries. The Dragons had best not put them in the same category as their last nine opponents, or they could be taking an early exit from the second season.

Last night, the Dragons had a couple of early hiccups against the Buffalos, going three and out on their first possession. But they scored on their next six possessions and iced the game early. The starters took their leave at halftime.

Quarterback Ryan Agnew completed 10 of 15 passes for 196 yards and three TDs. Two of them went to WR Luke Timian, who caught five receptions for 96 yards, and the other went to WR Keaton Duhon, who caught five for 62 yards.

On the rushing front, RB AJ Ezzard carried the ball 13 times for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, kicker Drew Brown booted a career-record 51-yard field goal to end the half.

Sophomore running backs Lil’ Jordan Humphrey and Grant McFarlin got plenty of playing time against Haltom. Both scored running TDs in the second half.

Haltom only managed 218 yards of total offense, and the Buffalos were a fumble factory, mishandling the ball five times and losing it four.

Southlake barbers – and more than a few mothers – will be busy this week dyeing players’ hair blonde, and athletic department equipment handlers will be readying black uniform pants. Both are playoff traditions at Carroll. The dyed hair in particular drives our opponents nuts, which is a perfectly good reason to do it, don’t you think? Go Dragons!

Game Night: Southlake Carroll Dragons vs. Keller Fossil Ridge Panthers

The Southlake Carroll Dragons got quite a scare Thursday night so it’s only right, I suppose, that it came on Halloween.

The ghouls responsible for the quickened heart beats and shallow breathing were the Keller Fossil Ridge Panthers, who almost staged the upset of the year in denying the Dragons their second-straight District 4-5A championship.

In the end, Southlake calmed its nerves and emerged from the fray with a 31-27 win. But it didn’t come without a struggle. Many of the Dragon faithful, myself included, had been yearning for a competitive district game. Well, on Thursday night we got one. What in the world were we thinking?

Ridge dominated the first half, with quarterback Jacob Gnacinski and speedy wide receiver Ryan Parker proving to be an unbeatable combination. Gnacinski, who threw 39 times by halftime, connected repeatedly with Parker on simple swing passes to the right or left. Each time, the slippery receiver, who had 11 catches for 151 yards, broke tackles and slithered for 10 yards or more. Dragon safeties appeared powerless to stop him.

At half, the Panthers led the shocked Dragons 27-17, and a sullen mood settled over the Southlake crowd, which impatiently endured half-time with the bands in anticipation of a rejuvenated Dragon squad taking the field in the second half.

But a smartly executed Dragon opening drive in the second half came to a crashing halt at the Panther goal line when quarterback Ryan Agnew, who had a solid rushing game Thursday, slammed across the goal line and promptly coughed up the ball. Everyone in the stadium, except the blind bats in white and black stripes, saw Agnew break the goal-line plane, thus scoring a touchdown. But, nope, the visually impaired ones ruled it a touchback and Keller took over at the Carroll 20.

I turned to my wife and observed through gritted teeth, “That may just have cost us district.”

Luckily, I’m no clairvoyant, and the Dragons put that stark injustice behind them and went on to hold Ridge scoreless for the entire second half, while piling up a couple more TDs in the third quarter to take and keep the lead.

And they did it with a bruising ground game. Ridge loaded its defensive backfield with six, sometimes seven, defensive backs and stifled Southlake’s potent passing game. Largely denied the airwaves, Agnew rolled to 143 yards rushing and two TDs, while sturdy running back AJ Ezzard piled up 105 and one score.

Agnew managed to connect on 14 of 16 passes, with one interception, but he was held to a mere 110 yards.

It’s not often – maybe ever? – that Agnew gets schooled in the air, but Panther signal-caller Gnacinski came close. On the one hand, he threw 60 passes, connecting on 40, and piled up 367 yards. In the wild second quarter, he guided Ridge to three straight scores, the last two within a minute and a half of each other (the last the result of the Agnew misfire). Pretty damned good, wouldn’t you say?

 Now, for the rest of the story. Gnacinski also threw four interceptions, two of which were snatched by junior Dragon DB Tariq Gordon. Those mistakes proved crucial to the Dragon’s eventual victory, stalling impressive Ridge drives and keeping Carroll in the game until it regained its composure and handed the Panthers three-and-outs on three consecutive drives in the decisive third quarter.

Thursday night’s scare could be a blessing in disguise. The Dragons looked disaster in the eye and rose above it. It’s the kind of challenge and response that could prove beneficial as Southlake contemplates the beginning of the second season two weeks from now. It was a chance to shake off the cobwebs collected during its trudge through cupcake-strewn 4-5A.

If the Star Telegram’s statistics can be trusted – and I suspect they can in this case – a defeat at the hands of Ridge would have broken Carroll’s winning streak of 22 straight district games. The last defeat in district came against Coppell in 2010, only the second district defeat suffered by the Dragons since they were elevated to 5A in 2002. The first also was at the hands of Coppell, an unforgettable 57-53 shootout in triple overtime.

But that was then, and this is now. The Dragons have clinched the district title and qualified for the playoffs for the 13^th straight year. They end their regular season at home next week, facing the Haltom Buffalos on Senior Night.

 It will be a bittersweet moment for Marice and me, as we stand on the field with our senior son, who is a member of the Crew spirit group, and look to the approaching end of our children’s association with Carroll ISD. The last 17 years have gone by with a flash. But what memories we have! Go Dragons!

Game Night: Southlake Carroll Dragons vs. Keller Indians

A funny thing happened to the Southlake Carroll Dragons as they coast toward another championship in District 4-5A. The normally pass-heavy offense is showing some real rushing muscle.

Consider last night’s slaughter of the innocents. The Dragons, led by their senior running back AJ Ezzard, ripped the heart out of the lowly Keller Indians, then stomped on it for good measure. Final score: 52-17. And if the Dragons hadn’t been sleepy and unfocused in the first half, it would have been even more lopsided.

Ezzard has been waiting for a showcase game this season, and last night was the time and Dragon Stadium was the place. Ezzard scored the first Dragon touchdown a little more than a minute into the game, catching a 21-yard pass from junior quarterback Ryan Agnew, who didn’t have a bad night himself.

It was Ezzard’s first passing TD, and he celebrated the occasion by rolling up 151 yards on 21 carries and scoring four (count ’em) rushing TDs. He was fun to watch, spinning and juking past overwhelmed Keller defenders. He scored all three touchdowns in the decisive third quarter, bursting through the line and sprinting to the goal on runs of 23, 16 and 32 yards.

Agnew was his usual efficient self, and more, despite being sacked four times. He threw for 307 yards and three TDs, completing 31 of 35 passes. He ran for another 47 yards. His favorite target last night was senior WR Luke Timian, who came near a single-game receiving record, scoring a TD and grabbing 13 passes, one shy of the record 14 nabbed in a single game by the phenomenal Peyton Williams during his Southlake career.

For the Dragons, the glory was dimmed somewhat by the knowledge they played uninspired through most of the first half. Of course, that’s not a shock to anyone who’s been paying attention to the quality of opponents they have faced all season.

Dragon fans should be grateful I suppose that we’re not enduring the national scrutiny that the mighty Aledo Bearcats have faced all week for “running up” the score against pitiful Western Hills last weekend. I won’t open up that particular can of worms, but suffice to say that it ain’t easy keeping the score down when you’re facing the football equivalent of a defenseless child.

The Indians put up a fight, give them that. I mentioned their success in getting to Agnew. Leading the assault were Sione Teuhema, a senior linebacker committed to Texas, and sophomore lineman Houston Miller. Both were beasts. Miller, in particular, had a memorable night.

 In the first quarter, Agnew and company were backed up against the Keller goal line. As Agnew dropped back into the end zone to pass, Miller was attempting to blast through the middle. Then he broke off, drifted left and snared a rare Agnew miscue and lumbered 11 yards to score.

The other Keller touchdown was set up by RB Brandon Boyser, who rushed for 107 yards last night, when he slipped through the Dragon D-line and sprinted 76 yards before being run down from behind by a speedy Dragon DB at the 1-yard line.

Finally, a tribute goes out to the backup Dragon defenders who staged a magnificent  goal-line stand in the waning seconds of the game to keep the Keller starters from scoring again.

There weren’t many fans left in the stands to see those kids’ gritty determination and skill, but I hope their parents were there with me and a few others to see them shine. Hats off, Dragons.

Next week the Dragons travel back to the Keller ISD dungeon to face the Keller Fossil Ridge Panthers, who now rank No. 2 in 4-5A. Perhaps they’ll put up a better fight that some of the other district cupcakes. They’ve only lost one district game, a 13-9 defensive struggle against Keller Central. Of course, the Dragons whipped the Chargers 59-3 so best to keep your expectations in check. Go Dragons!

Game Night: Southlake Carroll Dragons vs. Justin Northwest Texans

Oct. 19, 2013
The opening minutes of last night’s contest between the Southlake Carroll Dragons and the Justin Northwest Texans were pretty uncomfortable for the Dragon faithful, and it had nothing to do with the cold rain being driven into their faces by a stiff northern wind.

It had everything to do with a frisky Texan offense guided by quarterback Jesse Drummer, which took the opening kickoff and cruised unheeded into Dragon territory. At that point, a little over a minute into the game, Drummer hit wide-open receiver Emmanuel Moore, who trotted into the end zone untouched and unnoticed by the Dragon secondary, which must have taken time out for a cappuccino.

 The Dragons responded 40 seconds later, when junior quarterback Ryan Agnew connected with WR Joe Heineman to tie the score. Undaunted, Drummer came right back, tossing a 50-yard TD pass to WR Brady Bird, who enjoyed a lonely lope to paydirt while the Dragon defenders ordered a scone to go with the cappuccino.

A half-minute later, Agnew, who had a stellar game that earned him “Best of the Week” recognition in this morning’s Dallas Morning News, dashed 51 yards for the Dragons’ second TD. It looked like a classic shootout was shaping up in Texan Stadium, an excellent football facility a stone’s throw from Texas Motor Speedway.

 But on the next Texan possession, the Dragon defense, apparently refreshed from its break, abruptly ended Drummer’s upstart offensive display, and turned the game over to Agnew and company.

 It was all over by the end of first quarter, with the Dragons leading 28-14. They added another TD seconds into the second quarter and led the stunned Texans 56-14 at half. The final Texan score didn’t occur until the fourth, long after Dragon backups had taken over duties from the starters.

Final score: Dragons 63, Texans 21.

 Agnew completed 18 of 19 passes for 315 yards and five TDs. He ran for 143 yards and another TD. His only incompletion of the night was on his 16th attempt, a deep end-zone pass slightly behind WR Keaton Duhon, who came within a foot and a half of keeping Agnew perfect. The pair did better on three other TD connections.

 To give you some idea of Carroll offensive efficiency, it took the Dragons only 7:32 minutes to roll to their 56 points in the first half. In the decisive first quarter, the offense was on the field only 2:57 minutes. Its longest drive was 51 seconds. (Stats thanks to the Star Telegram.)

 Dragon fans expected a bit more from the haughty Texans, who came into the game with the same season record as the Dragons, losing only to District 4-5A rival Keller Fossil Ridge. Carroll now takes sole possession of first place in 4-5A.

 The Dragons return home next week after three straight road games. They face the Keller Indians in the annual Pink-Out game for breast-cancer awareness. Pink isn’t exactly my color, but I’m game for a good cause. Go Dragons!

Game Night: Southlake Carroll Dragons vs. Richland Rebels

Oct. 12, 2013

At first blush, last night’s contest between the Southlake Carroll Dragons and the Richland Rebels was just another dreary drubbing by the Dragons of another overmatched District 4-5A opponent.

But behind the impressive statistics – and there are plenty to choose from, beginning with the 48-9 final score – lurk dark shadows that give one pause in assessing the slaughter.

 True, the Dragon offense romped to 603 total yards, with junior quarterback Ryan Agnew, who played most of the game, gaining in command and control with each passing series. He threw for 266 yards and four TDs and rushed for 120 yards and another score.

 Agnew’s target for all four passing TDs was senior WR Luke Timian, who had an absolutely splendid game. On his first reception in the end zone, he and a Rebel defender connected with the ball at the same time, with both wrestling desperately for control. By the time, the entangled pair hit the turf, the powerful Timian had wrenched the ball out of his rival’s grasp.

 The Dragons held the Rebels to only 42 yards of offense in the second half, rolled up three times as many first downs, and gained more than twice as many rushing yards and five times more passing yards.

 So what’s the problem? Well, perhaps the fact that Agnew, who in district play has rarely seen the far side of the third quarter this season, was still in the Richland game until late in the fourth last night indicates something was amiss.

 A series of sloppy missteps by the sleepy Dragons emboldened the Rebels and seemed to elevate their level of play, convincing Dragon coaches the smart thing to do was to keep a boot pressed firmly against the Rebel neck.

 At one point early in the second quarter, in fact, Richland closed within 5 points of the Dragons, who should have allowed the bedraggled Rebels no closer than three scores. This surreal moment came after a rare blocked extra point by kicking superstar Drew Brown was returned by Rebel defender Carter Barke for 2 points and after a momentarily befuddled Dragon defense allowed Richland to march down field for another 7.

 Adding to sense of malaise were two Dragon fumbles and an Agnew pass interception in the Rebel end zone. Finally, even late in the game, Agnew was getting heavy pressure from the Richland D-line, although it never managed to nail Carroll’s slippery junior phenom.

 Let's don't even mention the two mishandled punt returns by the Dragon's normally sure-handed receiving corps.

 I know this doom and gloom seems ridiculous considering the outcome last night. The Star-Telegram game story this morning gushed about the Agnew-Timian partnership and how hapless Richland was sliced and diced by the Dragon bullies. Sportswriter Mark Zeske pointed out that since the beginning of the Keller Central game two weeks ago until the fourth TD reception by Timian in the third quarter last night, Agnew has thrown 54 passes in 10 quarters, scoring eight TDs and making only eight incompletions. Not too bad, not too bad at all.

 But to repeat the mantra I’ve been chanting since August, winning a district championship ain't near enough for this team. A state championship – or at least a deep playoff run – is the goal. Sloppy, unfocused and uninspired play like the Dragons displayed last night won’t achieve it.

 Facing opponents like Richland doesn’t help sharpened skills and expose weaknesses, but you have to play the teams on your schedule. It’s up to the coaches – and the kids themselves – to keep their heads in the game – even in the midst of the annual Cupcakes Parade in District 4-5A.

 The good news is that Carroll faces Justin Northwest next week in the last of a three-game road trip. The Texans are tough customers, relatively speaking, and will pose the strongest 4-5A challenge so far this year. Let’s hope for a good game and no injuries. Go Dragons!

            

Game Night: Southlake Carroll Dragons vs. Keller Central Chargers

Oct. 4. 2013

My son, who’s on the Crew spirit group at Southlake Carroll Senior High, figured he was going to have a busy night.

 Members of the Crew, chosen for their high energy, creative flair and general goofiness, do pushups at football games after every Dragon score, the number matching the Carroll total at the time. It’s all part of the traditions to which Southlake devotes so much T-shirt real estate promoting and protecting.

 So when I tell you that the Dragons last night obliterated the Keller Timber Creek Falcons, 77-6, you’ll understand why Ethan came home with sore arms and a dim assessment of the Falcons. “It wasn’t much of a game,” he opined.

 Indeed, it wasn’t.

 The Dragons scored on 10 of their 12 possessions. Five of their six possessions in the first half were for six plays or less. As usual, it was the Ryan Agnew show, with our junior QB completing 13 of 17 passes for 255 yards and two TDs and rushing for another pair.

 RB AJ Ezzard led Dragon rushing, rolling to 117 yards and three TDs. Sophomore Lil’ Jordan Humphrey bullied his way to 111 yards on 10 carries, and Grant McFarlin, another hard-charging sophomore, shredded the exhausted Falcon D-line in the meaningless fourth quarter, rolling to two TDs.

 In fact, the Dragons could have hung 80+ on the poor, pitiful Falcons even with their backups playing most of the second half. Some football parents thought the coaches kept the starters in too long, and they’re probably right.

 Even when the backups got in, they were handed the thankless task of not running up the score on a virtually defenseless foe. It’s a damned dirty shame, too. These kids – who play an essential, but largely unheralded, role in preparing the starters for Game Day during the previous week’s practice – want to play full-bore when they finally do get in the game, and who can blame them? In my mind, they’ve earned that right.

 But if they had done so last night, the final score could have been in the 90s, for God’s sake. Our critics would have had a field day, crowing about Southlake Carroll arrogance and bad sportsmanship. So the Dragon coaches shackled our sturdy backup quarterback Garrett Hale to a clock-consuming, slow-tempo ground game. Even then, our boys did everything but collapse after the snap to keep from scoring on the final Dragon drive.

 The Timber Creek game was the first of a three-game road show for the Dragons. They meet the Richland High Rebels next week in the Birdville Fine Arts/Athletic Complex, an excellent football venue that the unfortunately named Rebels (at least they don’t wave Confederate flags at games) will be hard-pressed to live up to. Go Dragons!

Game Night: Southlake Carroll Dragons vs. Keller Central Chargers

Sept. 28, 2013

You might call it the “Parade of Cupcakes.”

Southlake Carroll opened District 4-5A play last night with a total dismantling of the hapless Keller Central Chargers, cruising – with time for a milk shake and an order of fries – to a 59-3 win.

 Ho-hum, thus begins the Dragons’ district race, which won’t be so much a race as a stately victory parade, a dignified and inevitable progression to another district championship. The Chargers – overmatched in almost every area – were just the first of seven “cupcakes” on the Dragon schedule. For the Southlake faithful, it will be a largely joyless, thrill-less chore until the playoffs, when the Dragons’ real season begins.

 I know, I know. Pride cometh before the fall. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Etc., etc. I get it. But consider this. Even when the Chargers managed to do something right, the Dragons swatted them away like flies at a picnic. On two occasions when Central’s D-line battered its way to Dragon QB Ryan Agnew and sacked him, he responded on the very next play with long touchdown passes. More on him a little later.

 Central isn’t the worst of the 4-5A lot, by any means. The Chargers are well-coached and always play tough. They just were outgunned last night. At one point late in the third quarter, after the Southlake Homecoming crowd had thinned considerably, my wife turned and delivered the unkindest cut of all for the Chargers. “You know,” Marice said, “I feel sorry for these boys.”

Imagine you’re a 16-, 17-, 18-year-old football player on the receiving end of a world-class beatdown. Your nose is bloodied; you’ve got aches in muscles you didn’t even know you had; your girlfriend, for God’s sake, is watching you get spanked; and a mother on the opposing side says, essentially, “Poor, poor, baby.” How is THAT gonna make you feel? Better or worse?

 For the Dragons, there was a lot to like about the game, even if assessments are hard against such a definitively inferior opponent. Agnew, who’s only a junior, continues to impress. He rushed for 106 yards and four TDs, and completed 17 of 20 passes for 216 yards and another two TDs. He would have had a fifth rushing touchdown but for a holding call near the end of first quarter. And with his top receiver, Ryan Weigel, out for the season, he passed the ball to, count ’em, six members of Southlake’s talented receiving corps, with seniors Luke Timian and Chris Hogan each snagging a TD throw.

 Senior RB AJ Ezzard was back from an ankle injury, but he continues to be overshadowed by a pair of sophomores, Lil’ Jordan Humphrey and Grant McFarlin. Humphrey is a tall, gangly lad who runs with deceptive power. McFarlin is a short whip of kid who looks like a 7th grader from the stands. But he’s quick and slippery and squeezed through an exhausted Charger D-line in the fourth quarter, sprinting 71 yards for a touchdown. I'm beginning to have flashbacks to the years when Tre Newton, former Cowboy Nate Newton's kid, ran roughshod over opposing defenses.

 The Dragon’s D-Line had a field day, too. The Big Guys limited the Chargers to 150 yards of total offense, forcing them into seven 3-and-out series for the night and holding them to a single first down in the second half. Star linebacker Steven Bergmark even enjoyed a brief moment in the offensive sun. When a Dragon drive stalled in the third, Bergmark, who briefly flirted with playing running back, lined up as a backfield blocker for punting ace Sam Downey. There was an audible gasp from the football parents in front of me when Bermark took the snap and rumbled 41 yards to set up another Southlake TD.

 Trick plays from the Dragons? Well, the coaches had to do something to keep us awake in the second half.

 Next week, we travel to the embarrassment Keller ISD calls a football stadium to play Timber Creek, which was humbled last night by lowly Haltom, 24-17. Because the ramshackle stadium must accommodate all four of Keller’s 5-A high schools, kickoff will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Go Dragons!

Game Night: Southlake Carroll Dragons vs. Temple Wildcats

Sept. 14, 2013

Part of a phone conversation between my wife, Marice, and me while I was coming home from the Southlake Carroll-Temple football game in Waco last night.

 Her: What was the score?

 Me: 38-7.

 Her: So we won big.

 Me: Not big enough. We didn’t play up to our potential.

 Her: We won by 31 points! Are you nuts?

 The question was rhetorical, so I left it unanswered. But Marice may have a point. The Dragons scored on their first offensive play and completely dominated the game, rolling up 481 total yards. Quarterback Ryan Agnew accounted for 385 of those yards, rushing for two TDs and passing for another two.

 Dragon defenders knocked out the starting Wildcat quarterback on the first play of the game, stopped Temple drives inside the Dragon five-yard line twice, and shut down the Wildcats running game in the second half.

 So why was there a vague air of depression among the hardy few of us who braved rush-hour traffic to make the long drive to Floyd-Casey Stadium in Waco? In the light of a new day, it does seem kind of nutty. After all, this was a Temple team who hung 41 points in a losing effort against always potent Austin Westlake last week.

 And last night was a similar result to last year’s Carroll-Temple contest in Jerry’s World, when the Dragons roasted a more talented Wildcat team than this year’s version 34-0, beginning a Sherman’s-march-through-Georgia advance to a District 4-5A championship and a deep run in the playoffs.

 We begin a similar district race in two weeks against Keller Central that almost certainly will end in another Dragon district championship. But district titles are no measure of success for the Southlake program. Thankfully, our 4-5A opponents look to be a little livelier this year, which will help us prepare for the always grueling playoffs.

 Why the gloom, then? Perhaps it’s the coalescing assessment that this isn’t the same Dragon team that Kenny Hill helmed last season, and that a repeat of last year’s playoff success is not guaranteed.

 For one thing, our defensive backfield is deeply suspect. True, they snagged two Wildcat passes and held backup QB Chase Truelove to 167 total passing yards for the night. But you don’t expect to see a play-caller wearing No. 26 on his jersey (Truelove’s a wide receiver by trade) connecting with receivers all over the field. Watching from the sparsely populated Southlake side of Floyd-Casey, Truelove looked more impressive than the stats box indicated.

 Meanwhile, the Wildcats dominated time of possession in the first half, giving our Big Guys fits with their delayed option scheme and stringing together a collection of impressive runs up the middle for good gains. The Dragon D-line adjusted adequately at half, but watching our defense, which is supposed to be one of our strengths, get shredded was distressful and probably overly influenced our impressions of the game as a whole.

 I could go on about the trouble Agnew was having with his long ball, but it seems churlish now to bitch about a 38-7 win. I must be nuts.

 Next week is a bye week for the Dragons. Then comes the Homecoming game against Keller Central. Dig deep high school parents, mum season is upon us. Go Dragons!