Playoff Quarterfinals: Cedar Hill 62, Southlake Carroll 42

Bitter as it is to say, the best team won yesterday in the playoff quarterfinal contest between Southlake Carroll and Cedar Hill.

The Longhorns, with their roster of D1-bound athletes, dominated the game from kickoff to final whistle, employing their multi-dimensional ground game to score at will and forcing the Dragons to take to the air to keep up.

It’s a testimony to the grit, discipline and heart of the Carroll players that they kept things close enough for their fans to hold out hope for another last-gasp, last-minute victory.

But Cedar Hill was too good for that. Even as senior quarterback Ryan Agnew staged a series of quick-attack aerial heroics in the second half, bringing the Dragons within 5 at one point in the 3^th quarter, the Longhorns came roaring back every time.

After each Dragon score, Cedar Hill, in business-like fashion, sent their double-threat quarterback and fleet-footed running backs scything through the Dragon line, marching authoritatively down the field to maintain the two-score lead it held through most of the game.

The Longhorns rolled up 686 total yards of offense, 572 on the ground. By comparison, the Dragons could manage only 78 yards rushing.

Cedar Hill’s kill-shot occurred with less than 3 minutes left when it intercepted a pass by Agnew as he was trying desperately to close the Longhorns’ 13-point lead. In the ensuing series, the Longhorns rolled inevitably to their final score and ended the Dragons season.

Cedar Hill Coach Joey McGuire told The Dallas Morning News that his game plan was to smother the Dragon ground game and its hard-charging lead rusher, Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, and to gamble it could survive Carroll’s ensuing aerial assault.

It worked beautifully. Humphrey, a junior who rushed for 1,800 yards this season and 29 touchdowns, was held to a paltry 37 yards yesterday. Forced to the air, Agnew and his receiving corps did their best, and it was impressive to see. He completed 15 of 23 passes for 418 yards and four touchdowns, engineering pass plays along the way of 76, 52, 42 and 75 yards.

Senior Tariq Gordon was his favorite target, pulling in 6 catches for 168 yards. Zach Farrar nabbed 3 for 128, and senior Parker Fentriss got 3 for 114.

But it wasn’t enough to blunt Cedar Hill’s abundant offensive arsenal, headed by quarterback Justin McMillan (8-15 for 112 yards, 3 TDs) and running backs Aca’cedric Ware (283 yards on 29 carries) and Denvre Daniels, (155 yards on 19 carries). Its weapons included sophomore Avery Davis, a backup quarterback who went in for one play late in the 4^th and sprinted 62 yards for a touchdown that padded the Longhorn lead, 47-35, after a Carroll rally had narrowed the margin to 6.

The Dragons, bless’em, shrugged off that shocking development. What would have been a dagger to the heart for many good teams, only served to inspire Agnew and his teammates. Starting the next drive at the Carroll 25, Agnew hefted a long ball downfield to WR Parker Fentiss, who took it to the house, narrowing the lead to 47-42.

The Longhorns responded in turn with a 54-yard TD run by Ware, making it now 55-42. At that point, Agnew made his first and only miscue of the afternoon, throwing an INT on a 2^nd and 9 at the Cedar Hill 40.

Thus ends the Dragon season. For many of us, the disappointment is eased somewhat by the knowledge that Carroll fell to a great team, well-coached, highly talented and strongly motivated. The Longhorns, after all, are defending 6A Division II champions, and they played like it yesterday.

They face Spring Westfield next week in Georgetown, and the Houston-area folks had best come prepared for a squad on a mission to repeat state. If Cedar Hill gets past Westfield, and it should, it probably will face Katy in the finals at Cowboys Stadium on the Saturday before Christmas. That will be quite a game, folks.

For the Dragons, the season ends here, and preparations will begin almost immediately for next year. That’s the nature of sports.

It will be sad to see seniors like Ryan Agnew, WRs Parker Fentriss and Ryan McGiboney, safety/WR Tariq Gordon, RB Deondre Wiltshire, DL King Newton and others leave. Also worthy of note are departing safety Andy Chelf, who left yesterday’s game with a knee injury, and linebacker Clark Parr, who has been courageously playing for some time with a battered knee. Both are warriors whose leadership and talent will be missed.

But a cadre of talented juniors will be stepping into top roles next year. Backup quarterback Montana Murphy is Agnew’s likely replacement, at least at this point. He got some valuable reps this year and shows great promise. Junior receiver Zach Farrar will be back. So will Humphrey, who showed this year he can run with the best of them. If he demonstrates half the improvement between his junior and senior years as he did from sophomore to junior, 2015 could be a very special season for him. Grant McFarlin will be joining him in the backfield.

Sophomore linebacker Jacob Copeland, who was sidelined much of this year with injuries, will be back, as will safety Obi Eboh. Others no doubt will muscle their way to the forefront.

This is Southlake Carroll, after all, where the program reloads rather than rebuilds. Go Dragons!

Regional Playoffs, Southlake Carroll 35, San Angelo Central 10

The Southlake Carroll Dragons have played better playoff games in their storied history, but their take-down of the San Angelo Central Bobcats on Saturday was no less total and complete.

The Bobcats came to Baylor’s McLane Stadium riding a season that had exceeded even their biggest boosters’ expectations. Once a powerhouse both in West Texas and statewide, the proud Bobcats have fallen on hard times in recent years. But with a new coach and a new program, they arrived in Waco with an 11-1 record and a chip on their shoulder.

It didn’t long for the Dragons to send that chip a-flying and to bring the high hopes of the West Texans crashing to earth.

The Carroll defense, which just gets better as the season progresses, smothered the Bobcats’ offense. It held Central to only two first downs and nine rushing yards in the first half, forcing the Bobcats to punt on four of their first five possessions. In the key third quarter, the Dragons’ Big Guys stopped three fourth-down attempts by the desperate Bobcats, stifling any comeback hopes for good.

Central’s only touchdown came with only 6 second left on the game clock, long after the Dragons’ second team had taken over.

Central’s highly regarded double-threat quarterback, senior Braden Hucks, compiled decent numbers, but he was no factor in the contest, despite managing 247 yards in the air and 87 yards on the ground.

Meanwhile, the Dragon offense lacked the zip-ziggidity of its flawless game last week against Denton Guyer. But even at three-quarters speed, it was more than the Bobcats could handle.

RB Lil’ Jordan Humphrey ran for 114 yards and three TDs. Quarterback Ryan Agnew threw 13 of 24 for 208 yards and ran for another 62. Tariq Gordon, who plays both safety and wide receiver, was Agnew’s favorite target, nabbing seven throws for 153 yards.

But the time for lackadaisical effort is over. Carroll faces Cedar Hill, defending Division II state champions, next Saturday in SMU’s Ford Stadium. The Longhorns slipped past the Abilene Eagles 36-28 Saturday to reach the fourth round, and they will be gunning for the Dragons, you can be sure of that.

Cedar Hill has been averaging 500 yards and almost 48 points per game this season. Despite a couple of stumbles against Skyline and Mansfield, the Longhorns are playing their best football right now, and that’s as it should be.

If the Dragons bring anything but their A-game to SMU on Saturday, Cedar Hill likely will send their playoff run spinning off the road, leaving it upside down in the bar ditch with its wheels spinning.

Ford Stadium has been a mixed bag for the Carroll Dragons, who saw playoff hopes die there in 2009 against Arlington Bowie and in 2012 against DeSoto. But it’s also the location of one of their most memorable triumphs.

In a semi-final game against Skyline in 2011, the Dragons staged an unlikely come-from-behind victory against the favored Raiders. With less than a minute left, Carroll quarterback Kenny Hill rumbled 35 yards for the game-winning touchdown, passing along the way a wild gray fox that had wandered onto the field. The next week, the Dragons beat Fort Bend Hightower for the state championship.

The fox was last seen scampering over the berm on the south end of Ford Stadium. Anyone up for a fox hunt? Go Dragons!

Area Playoffs: Southlake Carroll 58, Denton Guyer 42

For many high school football programs, just getting to the playoffs is a worthy goal to set at the beginning of any season.

Not so for Southlake Carroll and the rest of the state’s elite football schools. Their mission is not just to make the playoffs, but to make a deep run into the post season and to be in the hunt for the ultimate prize – a state championship.

So playing until after Thanksgiving – or, put another way, making the third round of the six-game playoffs in Texas – is a significant milestone, and one achieved early this morning by the Southlake Carroll Dragons.

And they did it in handy fashion, dominating a solid Denton Guyer squad with high playoff aspirations.

Led by senior quarterback Ryan Agnew, the Dragon offense was a well-oiled machine, scoring on each of its first seven possessions and jumping to a 31-7 lead by the last third of the second quarter.

Agnew, who struggled during the first half of last week’s contest against Mansfield, came roaring out of the gate against Guyer, completing 21 of 24 passes for 241 yards. He passed for one score and rushed for another two.

Stellar running back Lil’ Jordan Humphrey had a monster game, rumbling to 176 yards on 26 carries and scoring three touchdowns. He also proved to be a key Agnew receiver, catching five throws for 50 yards.

Meanwhile, Carroll’s Big Guys stopped Guyer’s high-octane offense when it had to. The Wildcats' sophomore phenom quarterback, Shawn Robinson, was everything he was billed to be, a dazzling pinpoint passer with a rocket arm and a bewitching runner with speed and guile. Robinson had a hand in all six of Guyer’s touchdowns, passing for five and rushing for another.

But while he finished the night with 404 passing yards and 101 rushing, much of that production came in the second half, when the Wildcats were chasing the steady Dragons. Significantly, in the critical first half, when Carroll was building its early – and ultimately insurmountable – lead, Robinson was held to only 137 yards.

The Wildcats, who had easy pickings in District 5-6A and roared past Plano in the first round, responded to their first real challenge of the season with a sloppy, mistake-strewn first half.

On Guyer’s second possession, Dragon safety Kevin Cramer snagged a Robinson pass, setting up a 12-yard throw from Agnew to Ryan McGiboney, who led Carroll receivers with eight catches for 97 yards. Later, the Dragon D stalled a Wildcat drive at mid-field. A high snap sent to ball sailing over the punter’s head, and the Dragons recovered on the Guyer 18. Five plays later, Agnew darted three yards for the score.

The Wildcats were reeling but far from out. They scored on the last play of the first half and on the first play of the second to cut Carroll’s lead to 31-21. But that would be as close as they would get.

The Dragons, who had survived a desperate17-point comeback in the first round against the upstart Mansfield Tigers, were determined to avoid any similar last-minute dramatics. Rushing scores by Agnew and Humphrey in the third quarter tamed the striving Wildcats.

Most forecasters had predicted a Guyer win, believing the Carroll defense would be unable to corral Robinson and the blistering Wildcat offense, which never scored less than 40 points in any game it played, including this, its last one.

But this Dragon squad is a never-say-die bunch that has found a way to win all year, piling up narrow victories against such stalwart opponents as Austin Westlake, Tulsa Union, Coppell and Trinity.

Now, it will travel to Waco on Saturday to meet the San Angelo Central Bobcats in McLane Stadium on the banks of the Brazos. Nothing is easy at this point in the playoffs, but the Dragons should be favorites in that matchup.

Personally, I seek balm on Saturday for bitter high school memories of watching the high-stepping Bobcats smash the Big Spring Steers year after year in the West Texas district known as the Little Southwest Conference.

Particularly vivid is the memory of one Central fan, a huge fellow with barrel chest and beer belly who arrived at Steer Stadium one year with his shaved head painted a bright Bobcat orange. His obscene taunts and antics still stick in my craw all these years later. Funny how some things stay with you, isn’t it?

If the Dragons get past the Bobcats, and they should, they’ll face either Abilene or Cedar Hill in the fourth round, setting up yet another classic confrontation with a familiar foe.

Roasted turkey on Thursday and fricasseed Bobcat on Saturday. Now that would be a Thanksgiving feast, indeed. Go Dragons!

Bi-District Playoffs: Southlake Carroll 38, Mansfield 31

Friends sometimes ask why I’m such a fan of high school football. The answer is complicated.

It has to do with the pageantry of Friday night lights – gridiron action, marching bands, high-stepping drill teams and back-flipping cheerleaders. With memories of watching games in the wind-blown West Texas stadiums of my youth. With a nostalgic affection for the concept of players motivated by school spirit, team loyalty and comradeship rather than fame and money.

And then there are classic contests like last night’s matchup between the Southlake Carroll Dragons and the Mansfield Tigers.

Hollywood scriptwriters couldn’t have written it any better:  Carroll, a highly ranked team with a storied past, winner of eight state championships, is initially humbled in the bi-district round of the playoffs by Mansfield, a second-seed team that proved itself a giant-killer when it knocked off Cedar Hill, last year’s state champions, earlier in the season.

Then the Dragons, trailing 24-7 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter, stage a dramatic, spine-tingling comeback, led by the quarterback who had been intercepted three times earlier in the game. That quarterback throws the winning touchdown pass with 13 seconds left.

See what I mean? How can you NOT love a game that provides week-in, week-out that kind of drama, emotion and nerve-jarring entertainment?

Last night’s contest – or more precisely, the last 17 minutes of it – easily qualifies as one of the Dragons’ best playoff efforts. It takes its rightful place with the double-overtime win against Allen in the second round of the 2009 playoffs, a back-and-forth affair that ended with Carroll cornerback Justin Agnew stopping a game-winning two-point conversion by the Eagles.

By the way, Justin Agnew is the brother of Dragon quarterback Ryan Agnew, who staged the Dragons’ last-gasp comeback last night. I’m telling you, folks, you can’t make this stuff up.

For most of three quarters, the Tigers mauled the Dragons, keeping their offense off-balance and out-of-sync and feasting on the harassed Agnew’s hurried throws. Meanwhile, its swift and crushing running game, led by sophomore Kennedy Brooks, who ended the night with 231 yards on 29 carries and two TDs, shredded their defense. He averaged 8 yards a carry, and the Dragons only managed to slow him in the fourth. They never stopped him.

It’s tempting to say that the Dragons simply were flat during the first half, with the Agnew-led offense out of rhythm and the defense stiff and sluggish.

 But the truth is Mansfield was a beast, a truly talented, well-coached and highly motivated team that wasn’t intimidated in the least by the Dragons’ unbeaten record and bulging trophy case. And why should it be: Only two weeks ago, it soundly defeated district rival Cedar Hill, the defending state champion and another obstacle the Dragons must surpass if they are to win a ninth state championship.

To be honest, when the Tigers pulled 17 points ahead of the Dragons half-way through the third period, I figured the season was over. Mansfield was just too strong on offense and too stingy on defense for Carroll to make up the difference in the time remaining.

I should have had more faith in Agnew and his teammates, who decided they didn’t want their season to end and who set about making sure it didn’t.

Agnew’s dad, who was sitting in front of me and certainly is no stranger to dramatic Dragon finishes, had faith. While I was sitting dejected and depressed in my seat, he was on his feet, urging the Dragons on and appearing – to this observer at least – to be as cool and confident as if he were watching spring practice.

As if flipping on a switch, the Dragon offense came alive. As the third quarter came to a close, Agnew (21-34, 344 yards) completed the first of his four TDs passes for the night, a 36-yard toss to WR Parker Fentiss, who finished with 97 yards and two TDs.

Now trailing 24-14, the Dragons recovered the ensuing on-side kick, but had to settle for a 33-yard field goal by the stalwart Jake Oldroyd to pull within a touchdown.

But Mansfield refused to go down quietly. Starting its next drive on the 14-yard line, Tiger quarterback Aaron Funk shoved the ball into Brooks’ gut, and the soph darted around the right corner and outraced the entire Dragon backfield 86 yards to the end zone.

Brooks’ heroics could have snuffed out any comeback effort, but the Dragons, now behind two TDs with less than seven minutes to play, took the setback in stride. Agnew responded with a 33-yard pass to Fentiss with 5½ minutes to play.

After forcing the Tigers into a 3-and-out, the Dragons mounted a play that probably epitomized the entire game – a desperate, glorious struggle ending in triumph. Starting at his own 24, Agnew was flushed from the pocket and evaded tacklers as he sought an open receiver. Narrowly avoiding a tackle at his own goal line, he found RB Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, who juked and jerked his way 76 yards for the tying score, but not before strong-arming one pursuer at the 10 and bulling past another at the 1 to stretch into paydirt.

The Dragons once again stopped Mansfield, forcing the dazed Tigers to punt with 1:43 left in the game. Carroll marched the field, fighting to the Mansfield 31 before using its last timeout to stop the clock with 19 seconds left.

Time to turn to the dependable Oldroyd to kick the winning field goal, right?

Nope. When the Dragons returned to the field, it was clear they were going to gamble they had time for one more shot before setting up the 3-pointer.

With bated breath – to be honest, I hadn’t drawn an easy lungful of air for most of the last half – the Dragon faithful waited for the snap. And there it was. Agnew dropped back and found WR Tariq Gordon in the end zone. End of game. Dragons win.

So the Dragons advance to the Area Round and face Denton Guyer back in the Death Star next Saturday. They’ve faced Guyer before and have no reason to love the Wildcats. Guyer ended Carroll’s deep playoff run in 2010 and handed the Dragons a rare defeat on their home turf earlier that season.

Perhaps it’s time for some payback. I’d like to think so. But it won’t be easy. These are the Texas high school football playoffs, and the road to any state championship is rough and rocky. Go Dragons!

Game Day: Southlake Carroll Dragons 38, Hurst L.D. Bell 14

The Southlake Carroll Dragons have gone undefeated in every state championship run they’ve ever made. So finishing the regular season last night with a 10-0 record is comforting for those of us – and oh, that includes every Dragon fan on earth – who harbor desires for a ninth, record-setting state trophy.

But let’s face it, a perfect record in the regular season doesn’t mean a damned thing in the playoffs. And the road to state this year – like every other year – will be a long and difficult one.

But what the hey, let’s bask in the glory of an unblemished record, at least until the team's blond-hair dyes are completed and the black uniform pants are laundered and distributed, both cherished playoff traditions.

The Dragons face the Mansfield Tigers in Cowboys Stadium next Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 9 p.m., but since there’s an earlier game that night, it’ll probably be closer to 10 p.m. That’s not an optimum time to play football, but it is what it is.

The alternative scenario, which the Dragons avoided by some last-second heroics by the Cedar Hill Longhorns last night, was a first-round matchup on Saturday afternoon with the aforementioned Longhorns.

Cedar Hill was expected to easily handle South Grand Prairie in the final game of the season. Instead, it found itself in the fight of its life and only managed to eke out a come-from-behind victory on the last play of the game, a 7-yard TD pass that gave it a heart-racing 37-35 victory.

If the Longhorns had lost, they would have faced the Dragons in the first round, a matchup that neither team wanted. If they keep winning, Southlake and 8-2 Cedar Hill eventually will face either other, but both teams would rather that contest come later in the post-season when they each have established rhythm and momentum.

Instead, the Dragons will battle the 7-3 Tigers, who dismantled Midlothian last night 62-37. Our Southlake heroes had best not look past Mansfield, a solid, disciplined team on a roll, lest they find themselves booted early from the playoffs.

After all, Mansfield whipped Cedar Hill last week, a 49-34 shocker that indicated the returning state champion Longhorns might not be all their reputation implied and the Tigers might be something more.

But before we focus exclusively on the post season, we should tidy up last night’s affair.

One could almost – almost – feel sorry for the L.D. Bell Blue Raiders. A sleepy, half-hearted effort by the Dragons, facing a hired-up Bell squad with literally nothing to lose, left the score at halftime 17-7. It wasn’t hard to imagine the Raiders – whose dismal 1-8 record already had snapped their playoff streak – contemplating the delicious prospect of felling the mighty, high-flying Dragons in the friendly confines of Pennington Field in Bedford.

A few of us on the Dragon side exchanged raised eyebrows as the teams headed for their locker rooms at half. We need not have worried, of course. The Dragons came out energized in the second half, icing the game with a couple of TDs in the third quarter before pulling their starters and dispatching Raider hopes to oblivion.

Bell, which had moved with some authority in the second quarter against Carroll’s sluggish D-line, managed only a negative-4 yards during its first three possessions in the second half. It only collected a second touchdown after Dragon backups had replaced starters.

It was a record-setting night for Dragon running back Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, who left the game at halftime with 98 yards and a touchdown. He now holds Dragon records for total rushing yards during a season (1,365), for most consecutive 100-yard games (7) and for most 200-yard games (2). I’m also fairly certain he holds the record for total rushing TDs in a season, but I don’t have that number at hand.

Senior quarterback Ryan Agnew also was in good form, completing 13 of 18 passes for 189 yards and three TDs, one each to WRs Parker Fentriss, Tariq Gordon and Ryan McGiboney.

His back-up, junior Montana Murphy, who spelled him late in the third quarter, added the final score for Carroll, a fourth-quarter, 19-yard pass to junior WR Tommy Kane, his first reception of the season. Remember that connection, Murphy-to-Kane. You might be hearing a lot more about it, come next season.

So Carroll emerges from the regular season with some bumps and bruises, but with its chief goals in hand: a perfect record against a stiff schedule, champions in one of the toughest districts in the state and first seed in the playoffs.

And its warriors are mostly healthy and focused on the job ahead. Sophomore linebacker Jacob Copeland and WR/DB Tariq Gordon both left the game last night in the first half, Copeland with a shoulder injury and Gordon with a knee. But Gordon returned to play in the second half, and Copeland was seen on the sideline with his helmet on, so apparently his injury is not serious. That’s good because Copeland is having a great season at linebacker and will be needed for the playoff inferno ahead. As for Gordon, he’s a beast on both sides of the ball and a critical element of Dragon success.

Some of us hoped, as we closely monitored the Cedar Hill/South Grand Prairie game, that Carroll would end up playing the Longhorns next Saturday, instead of a “midnight match” with Mansfield on Friday.

 “We might as well face Cedar Hill now, while they’re in the middle of a losing streak,” a buddy said as the score see-sawed back and forth in Grand Prairie.

 But the football gods decreed otherwise, and so it’ll be the Tigers instead. Lord-a-mercy, how I love this time of year. Go Dragons!

Game Day: Southlake Carroll 62, Haltom 0

Virtually every senior on the Southlake Carroll Dragons got into last night’s runaway contest against the overwhelmed and under-powered Haltom Buffalos.

And that’s as it should be on Senior Night.

Senior receivers C.J. Bryan and Brooks Pannell each snagged their first touchdowns of the season in bolstering Carroll’s battered receiving corps. Bryan scored twice, catching four passes for 86 yards. Pannell also scored twice, finishing with six catches and 79 yards.

Pannell’s parents sit a couple of rows down from my seats in Dragon Stadium. It did my heart good to see the pride and joy on his mom and dad’s faces when he made the scoring catches and was credited for the scores by the stadium announcer.

Moreover, senior running back Deondre Wiltshire, who came in at halftime to relieve starter Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, had his best game ever, scoring two touchdowns while piling up 95 yards on eight carries.

Last night’s contest was as much about preparing for the playoffs as it was about facing the bottom of the District 7-6A roster. Haltom is winless this season and, try as it might, couldn’t put up much of a struggle against the confident Dragons, who have faced several trials by fire this season – against Trinity and Coppell, for instance – to arrive at their unbeaten 9-0 (6-0 in district) record.

So Carroll took the opportunity last night to rest its starters, give its backups substantial game experience and to dust off its passing game, which surprisingly has taken a back seat this season to the Dragon ground game.

Senior quarterback Ryan Agnew was on point and on target, completing 13 of 17 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns – not a bad night, particularly since he was relieved halfway through the second quarter by backup Montana Murphy.

Agnew’s completion rate would have been even more impressive but for a series of downs near the Haltom goal line, when he threw three straight passes into the end zone. One was dropped after Agnew delivered it right in the receiver’s chest and the second was overthrown when the receiver flubbed the route.

Nevertheless, it was good to see Carroll getting its aerial attack in shape. It will need it when the playoffs begin in two weeks, along with the Dragon ground attack led by Humphrey, who saw last night’s air show terminate his string of 100-yard games.

He managed only 77 yards on 12 carries and a single touchdown, a below-average night for the hard-charging Humphrey, who is having a record-setting season for the Dragons. His 17 touchdowns this season already has snapped Tre’ Newton’s previous 15-TD season record, and he’s got another game to pad the numbers.

He, too, took a seat early last night, replaced by Wiltshire and junior Grant McFarlin. With the Dragons leading 41-0, Wiltshire electrified the few Dragon fans still in the stands on a single play in the third quarter.

After fielding a Buffalo punt on the 50, Murphy handed the ball to Wiltshire, who darted around the right corner and sprinted 50 yards untouched for the score. Wiltshire hasn’t spent much time on the field this year, thanks to his fate of playing behind the sensational Humphrey. But as the fastest Dragon runner, perhaps the fastest runner in Dragon history, he has raised eyebrows and speeded heartbeats whenever he’s appeared. His speed could be an important arrow in the Carroll quiver come the post-season, and last night provided valuable real-game experience.

Meanwhile, Murphy provided a tantalizing glimpse at the Dragon future in guiding Carroll to its last four touchdowns. He completed five of seven passes for 78 yards and two passing TDs. Perhaps even more impressive, he showed a quick, elusive running style in gaining 51 yards on five carries.

You can’t say much for the pitiful Buffalos, who could manage only 56 total yards against the Dragons. Two numbers provide the tale of the tape: Carroll’s worst field position of the night was its own 36-yard line, and Haltom never ventured past its own 34.

Carroll will finish the regular season against the lowly L.D. Bell Blue Raiders, who have won but a single game this year. The hope is the Dragons can stage a repeat of last night’s romp, resting starters, giving backups some time under the lights and emerging injury-free and energized for the playoffs.

 Several things now are clear. The Dragons will take the District 7-6A title and will be joined by Trinity, Coppell and probably Colleyville in the post season. They also cinched the first seed in Division II and probably will face Mansfield in the first round.

There are those who specialize in bracket analysis and who can speak authoritatively about all the likely playoff matchup scenarios. I’ll leave them to their Ps and Qs. I’m content to wait in anticipation for the appearance of the blonds in black pants. Go Dragons!  

Game Day: Southlake Carroll 42, Colleyville Heritage 23

Call it the “Trinity Hangover.” Or perhaps the “Trojan Letdown.” Whatever you call it, the malady that infected the Southlake Carroll Dragons last night through the first half of their game against the Colleyville Heritage Panthers briefly spooked their fans – a week early – and gave aid and comfort to their foes – at least for a while.

Cruelly, it also gave Colleyville the false hope that it was on the verge of snapping its 12-game losing streak against Carroll and whipping the undefeated Dragons on home turf.

Thankfully, though, at least for the folks who ventured across Highway 26 to Panther-Mustang Stadium, the Dragons had junior RB Lil’ Jordan Humphrey to apply the defib paddles to a lifeless offense and to inspire the Carroll defense to shut down Panther shenanigans in the second half.

Humphrey, who looks better every game, was magnificent last night. He ran 35 times, a personal record, for 264 yards and four touchdowns. The junior standout looks long and lanky, but he runs like a combination battering ram/spinning top. The Panthers had no answer for him.

His runs fueled the three unanswered touchdowns the Dragons staged in the late third and fourth quarters to finally separate themselves from a feisty Colleyville squad that led for most of the game up to that point.

In truth, Dragon missteps in the first half made the Panthers look better than perhaps they are. All three of their first-half TDs came as a result of uncharacteristically sloppy Carroll execution.

The first touchdown was set up by a failed 53-yard Dragon field goal attempt fielded four yards deep in the end zone and returned to the Colleyville 40. Panther quarterback Trevor Anderson (9-20-2, 89), taking advantage both of the good field position and a dazed Dragon D, then marched his team smartly to the end zone.

The next two Colleyville scores came on consecutive interceptions of throws by hurried and harassed Dragon quarterback Ryan Agnew (12-18-2, 138 yards). Both were snatched by Heritage cornerback Nick Felix, who returned the second 32 yards for the score.

It’s a credit to the Dragon offense that despite the miscues, it moved the ball against the Panthers and kept things close, thanks largely to Humphrey, even leading briefly in the second quarter. But when the first half thankfully drew to a close, with the Dragons trailing 23-21, the sweat on the brows of Carroll fans wasn’t just because of the unseasonably sultry temperatures.

The worrisome first-half performance soon was overshadowed by a splendid second-half demonstration of offensive mastery and defensive tenacity. Once the Dragons snapped to attention, the Panthers were finished.

Humphrey’s performance puts him second only to Dragon stalwart Tre’ Newton’s 293 yards gained during a single game.

His twisting, wrenching, striving style of running is amazing to watch, and he’s deceptively strong and fiercely determined. A single tackler can’t bring him down. At times, it takes three or four. Early in the game, the Colleyville stadium announcer brought chuckles from the Carroll faithful by observing that Humphrey had been “brought down by everybody.”

Carroll’s ground game crushed Heritage, but Agnew contributed to the second-half beatdown. His front line, emboldened by the shift in momentum and halftime adjustments, gave him plenty of time to pick apart the Heritage secondary. His favorite targets were Ryan McGiboney (8-75, 1 TD) and Tariq Gordon (3-53).

By beating Colleyville, the 8-0 Dragons almost certainly will take the District 7-6A title. Their next two opponents are district cellar-dwellers Haltom and L.D. Bell. And they will be the first seed in Division II when the playoffs begin in three weeks. Likely first-round opponent: Mansfield. Go Dragons!

Game Day: Southlake Carroll 10, Euless Trinity 6 (Wow!)

The battle over, the combatants met at mid-field to exchange perfunctory handshakes and fist bumps, then victorious and vanquished parted ways to begin their traditional post-game routines.

The Southlake Carroll Dragons – winners in this, the fourth, meeting with the Euless Trinity Trojans – gathered with family and friends at the east end of Dragon Stadium to celebrate in front of the band and Emerald Belles drill team.

The celebration was particularly boisterous last night, considering what a near-run thing victory had been against a superb Trojan team, a brutal, hard-hitting defensive struggle that remained in doubt until literally the last second ticked off the clock. And it ended, as it always does, win or lose, with the playing of Carroll’s alma mater as the gathered crowd swayed and sang along.

Across the way, the Trinity team and its fans were observing a tradition of a different sort. Not a person stirred from the sold-out visitor’s side, all standing in unison and waiting for the team to begin its postgame Haka war dance, which also is performed regardless of the final score.

That’s when a fairly inspiring thing happened, at least to these jaded eyes. The celebrating Dragon crowd, on the field and in the stands, stopped and turned respectfully toward the visitors, observing the Haka ceremony in patient silence. And when it was over, Carroll fans gave the heartbroken Trojans a standing ovation.

In a time when this country seems so splintered and divided, when our politics have become poisoned with partisan bickering and ideological venom, it was grand to see that respect for a rival can still be observed and that the art of good sportsmanship has not vanished completely.

But then again, the relationship between the Carroll and Trinity programs has always been something special. Some observers, including me, had wondered if the mutual admiration and affection both fan bases have felt toward one another could survive the fact the Dragons and the Trojans are competing in the same district for the first time.

If last night’s game was any indication – and I can’t imagine a more intensely emotional environment or a more physically bruising clash – then the relationship has endured at least its initial regular-season encounter.

And what an encounter it was! No one expected last night’s game to be a smash-mouth defensive struggle in which only a single touchdown was scored.

Before last night, Trinity hadn’t punted the ball in three straight games. Its stellar running back, junior Ja-Ron Wilson (18 carries, 93 yards), using the massive Trojan O-Line as a road grader, had run over, around and through defenses. And the Trojan quarterback, junior Tyler Natee (10 carries, 60 yards), a 6-foot, 240-pound human bowling ball, had crashed through defenders with ease and aplomb.

Natee has an interesting story. He was a tailback last season and was dragooned into the signal-caller’s job because Trinity simply had no one else. For a novice, he looked pretty damned good last night. He doesn’t have much of an arm, as you might expect, but that’s no disgrace at run-centric Trinity, which has built its elite reputation and filled its trophy case with a bruising, nigh-on-impossible-to-stop running game.

Until last night.

In an extraordinary, unlikely and unexpected display of grit, determination, discipline and, oh, hell, just sheer guts, the Carroll defense slowed the mighty Trojan ground attack, bending but never breaking. Trinity’s only scores came in the first half, after the Dragons stopped the Trojans twice inside the 12-yard line, forcing field goals instead of touchdowns.

But Trinity’s beef-laden D-Line had a good night, too, keeping Dragon quarterback Ryan Agnew off-balance and sacking him three times for large losses. Meanwhile, the Trojan secondary disrupted his passing plays and caused Carroll’s depleted receiving corps to drop passes all night. Normally glue-fingered WR Parker Fentriss (6-77) dropped two TD passes.

But Agnew (17-27 for 170 yards and 1 INT) lived up to his reputation as a gritty and courageous playmaker, extending drives when the Dragons needed them most. His most electrifying moment came on Carroll’s winning drive. With his team trailing 6-3 late in the 4th, Agnew faced a 3-and-17 in Trinity territory. Flushed from the pocket, he scampered to the left for 19 yards before taking a vicious hit.

 Several plays later, the Dragon drive skidded to a halt at the Trinity 3 on 4^th down. The Dragons lined up to kick a field goal to tie it, but a Trojan jumped offside. Now faced with a yard and inches, Carroll coach Hal Wasson listened to his inner gambler’s voice and ordered his offensive unit back on the field. That’s when star RB Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, who ended the night with 106 hard-fought rushing yards on 28 carries, crashed into the Trinity Wall and bullied his 6-foot-3 frame over the goal line.

But with 5 minutes left, Carroll fans knew there was a lot of football left to play, despite the Dragons’ success in shutting out the Trojans since the 2^nd quarter.

With Carroll leading 10-6, it fell to its defense to seal the win. And that’s just what it did in the defining defensive series of the season.

With the clock draining, Trinity drove the field, landing at 1^st and goal with less than 2 minutes to play. It lost ground on first down and called its last timeout with 1:17 to go. On second down, Natee was sacked at the 15, and Trinity hurried to the line for a right sweep to the 9. But the runner was tackled in bounds so the clock continued to run. Faced with 4^th down, the junior quarterback simply couldn’t marshal his teammates in time to get the play off before the buzzer.

By defeating Trinity, Carroll is a prohibitive favorite to win District 7-6A and to secure a top seed in post-season play. It also snapped the Trojans’ 62-game district winning streak.

I’m not sure how far this Dragon team can go this year. But it has demonstrated to its fan base that it has the character and the determination to make a deep run in the playoffs. And by defeating talented teams like Tulsa Union, Coppell and Trinity, it also has shown it has the talent and athleticism to make a lot of noise in the post season.

The Dragons face the Colleyville Heritage Panthers next week in Panther-Mustang Stadium, the lights of which I can see from my seat in Dragon Stadium. Unlike the Carroll-Trinity relationship, Southlake and Colleyville fan bases don’t like each other much. It would be a pleasure to see the Dragons beat the snot out of the Panthers. Go Dragons!

Game Day: Southlake Carroll 38, Richland 0

“Who are these guys?” a bewildered Southlake Carroll fan inquired last night as the end of the first half against the Richland Rebels neared.

It had been that kind of half, an uncharacteristically sloppy performance by the Dragons on both sides of the ball. If the normally high-flying offense hadn’t been in a coma during most of the first half, Carroll could have hung 50 on the hapless Rebels.

Instead, the score read 10-0 at intermission, and it took the high-energy, high kick routine of the Emerald Belles to bring Dragon fans out of their stupor.

When the Carroll squad was a few minutes late to the sidelines after halftime, some of us wondered if the delay had been caused by dressing-room tirades of both offensive and defensive coordinators aimed at their semi-comatose charges.

This kind of lackadaisical performance against Euless Trinity next week will be calamitous, indeed. Get lazy and soft against the Trojans, and they will hand you your head whilst kicking your butt before stepping over your twitching body to get a sip of Gatorade.

Of course, the Dragons know what’s at stake and will be ready for the Trojans, who come to Dragon Stadium next week for the game that most probably will decide who wins super district 7-6A. Both teams stand undefeated, and both squads respect and admire each other.

At least they did before they were placed in the same district. The extraordinary playoff rivalry that Trinity and Carroll have enjoyed in three meetings since 2006 has only enhanced the “hale-fellow-well-met” relationship. Yearly battles for district supremacy may transform the warm and fuzzy jabber into something else entirely. We’ll see.

But back to Richland, which had made some noise in district play, entering the Birdville Fine Arts/Athletic Complex last night with a 2-0 district record. Of course, those wins were against L.D. Bell and Haltom, both still winless in district.

But some of us feared this was a perfect trap game. It was easy to image the Dragons – coming off the emotional high of a close win over Coppell last week and with the Trinity showdown looming – could look past the Rebels.

That might be a problem, particularly since Richland’s top running back, Deandre Clark, had rolled up 200 yards rushing in each of its last two games. And when Carroll came out of the gate last night like a drunken OU or UT fan in downtown Dallas, we all shifted a little nervously in our seats.

But we needn’t have worried. Richland was overmatched in every category. Here are a couple of eye-opening statistics from the Carroll radio-broadcasting crew: The Rebels never managed more than one first down and never gained more than 17 yards on any of their offensive series. For his part, Clark only managed 20 yards, a little less than half of Richland’s total offensive gain: 57 yards.

The night belonged to the Dragons. RB Lil’ Jordan Humphrey was terrific, running roughshod over the Rebel D-Line while racking up 224 rushing yards and three TDs. Senior backup Deondre Wiltshire, Carroll’s speediest RB, came in at half and demonstrated why he should get more playing time, scoring two rushing TDs against the Rebel starters.

Quarterback Ryan Agnew, still wearing a leg brace from an injury in the Abilene game two weeks ago, showed a return to his pre-injury form in several scampers. Aloft, he completed 8 of 13 throws for 112 yards.

And let’s not forget backup quarterback Montana Murphy, who spelled Agnew at the beginning of the fourth. Murphy, Agnew’s likely successor next year, has a cannon for an arm, throws the long ball with good accuracy and ain’t a half-bad scrambler. We’ll be hearing a lot more about this lad, I’ll betcha.

Southlake fans, who probably outnumbered the Richland faithful in their own stadium, spent a lot of time last night checking weather radar on their cell phones. A cool wind kicked up the second half – dispelling the warm, humid air that had most of us sitting in sweat – but the rains held off until everyone was safely out of the parking lot and on the way home.

I choose to consider that a good omen for next week against Trinity. Go Dragons!

 

 

Game Day: Southlake Carroll 28, Coppell 24

When the final whistle had blown and the combatants had retreated to their respective corners of Dragon Stadium, either to celebrate hard-won victory or to commiserate near-run, heart-breaking defeat, I noticed an odd thing.

Yellow-shirted event staffers were lined up lengthwise down the middle of the field, forming a barrier of sorts between the players and fans of the Southlake Carroll Dragons and Coppell Cowboys.

It wouldn’t have taken much to breach that thin defensive line, to be sure, but it stood as a symbol of the past and present animosity that the Dragons and the Cowboys hold for each other.

Last night’s entry into the longest-running rivalry for both teams will do nothing to ease the competitive friction or soothe the mutual dislike.

The Cowboys, who along with Denton Guyer are the only teams to beat the Dragons on their home turf since Dragon Stadium was built in 2001, gave Carroll the fight of its life. Only last-seconds heroics by battered quarterback Ryan Agnew, ace receiver Parker Fentriss and rugged RB Lil’ Jordan Humphrey saved the Southlake squad from a blemish on its unbeaten record, providing it with its first win in District 7-6A.

Coppell’s humongous offensive and defensive lines pushed Carroll’s Big Guys around all night. Its O-line, whose members clock in at 300+ pounds at every position, blew the under-sized Dragon defenders off the line and opened the way for Coppell’s smash-mouth running game.

Cowboy running backs Charles West and Brandon Rice had a field day – literally. West carried 25 times for 236 yards, running through, over and around Dragon defenders during spectacular touchdown runs of 69 and 67 yards.

Rice also was mighty good, carrying 19 times for 95 yards, but the real damage was inflicted by West. He looked all night like a man among boys as he broke tackles, eluded pursuers and outran the Dragon defensive backfield.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Cowboy quarterback Skylar Bonneau threw for 101 yards, almost exclusively to his favorite receiver, Obi Obialo, who snagged six for 89 yards.

Bonneau masterfully guided the Cowboys’ ball-control offense, dominating time of possession and limiting Carroll to only four possessions in each half. The strategy – based on the idea that the Dragons’ high-octane offense couldn’t score if it wasn’t on the field – was successful, up to a point. The Dragons trailed, 14-7, at half.

I worried our beaten and battered defensive line would be gassed by the end of the game, allowing Coppell to widen its lead. And I had reason to worry as I watched West and Rice, running behind Coppell’s behemoths, chew up swaths of yardage.

But Southlake’s Agnew-led offense evened things up soon after the break and then proceeded to score on three of its four possessions in the second half. That was enough, but only barely.

Agnew, bearing a beg brace from an injury suffered last week against Abilene, wasn’t his usual mobile self, although he did make a couple of critical scampers to keep Dragon drives alive.

It was the aerial assault he administered that ultimately made the difference. Agnew completed 25 of 33 passes for 273 yards, one INT and one TD. Carroll’s increasingly adept receiving corps were led by Fentriss, who caught nine for 135 yards, followed by Zach Farrar (6-73) and Ryan McGiboney (5-43).

And let’s not forget Humphrey (20 carries for 116 yards), a tall, lanky runner who proved last night that he’s tough as rawhide with strength to boot. Time after time, he churned for additional yardage after first contact, often requiring a handful of Coppell’s beefy boys to bring him down.

Late in the fourth, after Coppell pulled ahead by three, Agnew engineered the Dragon’s final drive. At around midfield, facing third down and 4, Agnew – desperately searching for a receiver as the pocket collapsed – jumped in the air to see over Coppell’s Wall of Muscle and tossed the ball to Fentress, who surged for good gain. Several plays later, at the Coppell 2 with a half-minute on the clock, Humphrey got the nod. He was stopped momentarily at the goal line before twisting and jerking to pay dirt with Cowboy defenders clinging to him like suckerfish to a shark.

Truth be told, many Coppell fans didn’t expect to win this one, although some will grumble about key penalties that cost the Cowboys at least one TD. Carroll was favored by most sports writers, who predicted a close game. That they got, and the Dragons, now 5-0 for the season and 1-0 in district play, will take this one with gratitude.

I expect Coppell will make some noise come playoff time. Since it likely will end up in Division I, while the Dragons likely are headed for Division II, these teams won’t meet up later this year. Thank God for small favors.

The Dragons got a taste last night of what they can expect in two weeks, when they face the Euless Trinity Trojans in a matchup that could decide the district championship. Coppell’s biggie-size O- and D-lines, its smothering defense and crushing ground offensive look a lot like the 6-0 Trojans, who Carroll will face in the regular season for the very first time.

Before Carroll starts worrying about Trinity, it must face the Richland Rebels next week. The Rebels are 2-0 in District 7-6A, and this is a classic trap game for the Dragons, as they come off the emotional high of a nail-biter against Coppell and anticipate a similar contest against Trinity.

The temptation, which the coaches will have to fight, will be to write off lowly Richland and concentrate on mighty Trinity, with whom the Dragons have weaved football magic in their three previous contests.

Focus, Dragons, focus!  

Game Day: Southlake Carroll 63, Abilene 28

A good memory can be a terrible burden sometimes. So when Southlake Carroll quarterback Ryan Agnew left the game last night a few minutes before halftime against the Abilene Eagles, I flashed back to another encounter with that stalwart West Texas program.

Back in 2007, the Dragons were three-peat state champions playing the Eagles in old Texas Stadium in the third round of the playoffs. Near the end of the first half, Dragon quarterback Riley Dodge, who had led Carroll to championship victory the year before, went down after a vicious, but legal, hit by an Abilene defender.

He was out for the game with a separated shoulder, and the Dragons eventually fell before the Eagles, 22-21, thus ending their storied Run of four state champions in five years.

When backup quarterback Montana Murphy took the field last night in place of Agnew, whose first-half heroics had opened a 35-21 lead over a determined, disciplined Abilene squad, I experienced that sinking feeling that comes when you see a promising season come to an anti-climactic thump.

A few moments later, my son – who was filming the game for the Carroll ISD sports marketing department – reported that Agnew’s parents were in the Dragon locker-room, news that prompted me, burdened by memories of ’07, to assume the worst.

I’m happy to report that it appears I was an alarmist and that Agnew is not seriously injured. Carroll coach Hal Wasson told The Dallas Morning News after that game, “He’s OK,” explaining he was just giving Murphy – a junior who has one of the best names for a quarterback that I can imagine – some valuable playing time.

That explanation seems a bit odd. I’m no gridiron guru, but is it normal to replace before the half a starter who has executed brilliantly, completing 15 of 20 passes for 251 yards, and guided his team to a hard-fought 14-point lead? Particularly when your opponent has demonstrated his ability to march the field at will?

 I suspect Agnew got nicked up and the Dragon coaches, understanding the importance of keeping the high-flying Dragon offense on track, exercised caution. Also possible, of course, but too terrible to contemplate, is that Wasson is fibbing madly and that Agnew really is hurt.

Regardless, Murphy performed admirably in his backup role. He led the Dragons to their final score of the first half, extending the lead to 42-21, and the Dragons never looked back. He rushed for two TDs and threw for a third, efficiently managing the two-back set the Dragon offense settled into for the rest of the game.

Carroll has a well-deserved reputation for producing talented quarterbacks that go on to success at the next level. Witness Missouri standout Chase Daniels, Alabama wizard Greg McElroy and, most recently, A&M phenom Kenny Hill.

In making his debut last night, Montana Murphy provided some reassurance that the quarterback tradition will continue, showing Dragon fans he has a good arm and is cool under fire.

It appeared at first the game was going to be a shootout. The Eagles, led by quarterback Derek Scott (22-31 for 167 yards), matched the Dragons score for score. Scott’s well-aimed passes to Eagle WR Reese Childress shredded the Dragon secondary, and running back Abram Smith punctured the Dragon D-line, which struggled throughout the half to get its bearings.

Then two things happened. First, Carroll’s Big Guys blunted Scott and company’s scoring rhythm and provided their offense a chance to surge ahead. With the score tied at 21-21, Agnew and RB Lil’ Jordan Humphrey (125 yards on 19 carries and four TDs) took advantage of the opportunity and staged a 13-play, 70-yard drive, sparking a 42-point scoring spree that doomed the sturdy Eagles.

It was during that key series that Wasson, who enjoyed the 200^th victory of his coaching career last night, showed he has acquired a gambler’s nerves this season. Faced twice with drive-ending fourth downs, Wasson threw the dice and went for it. Humphrey delivered both times, gaining the needed yard on the first attempt at the Carroll 40 and later driving for a necessary three.

Carroll even attempted an on-side kick at one point in the first half, as both sides jockeyed for an advantage in their tit-for-tat exchange of TDs. Add in the trick play that Wasson dialed up to cinch an overtime win against Tulsa Union in the second game of the season, and this is head-scratching stuff for those who have watched Wasson carefully negotiate eight years at the helm of Dragon Football.

Carroll’s scoring surge was aided by Abilene’s baffling decision to back off its successful passing game and move to the ground. Adjustments in the Dragon secondary put a damper on the aerial Scott-to-Childress heroics, but Abilene might have put up more of a fight if they had adhered more closely to the first-half game plan.

In the end, they could do little to stop the Dragon offense, which rolled up 650 yards, evenly divided between air and ground. When you couple that with a rejuvenated Dragon defense that held the Eagles scoreless in the second half until the final moments of the game, you have Carroll’s recipe for Eagle fricassee.

The Abilene fans who battled the ruler-straight highway east to see their beloved Eagles can take heart at the knowledge that their youngsters never quit and show great promise. If the right cards fall into place, the Dragons could meet them again in the playoffs.

As for the 4-0 Dragons, they too can feel pretty good about themselves as they open District 7-6a play at home next week.

Their opponents, the dreaded Coppell Cowboys, ripped up Hurst L.D. Bell last night, 42-3. The Cowboys, which travel with one of the rudest and most ill-behaved student fan bases in the area, would dearly love to embarrass the Dragons at home.