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.