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!