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!