The Southlake Carroll Dragons' uphill battle begins tonight

Challenges galore confront the Southlake Carroll Dragons this year as they seek to repeat as District 7-6A champions and stage yet another deep run into the playoffs.

The season begins tonight in Austin as the Dragons confront a familiar foe, the Austin Westlake Chaparrals, and their legendary coach, Todd Dodge, who made his considerable reputation some years ago in leading Carroll to four state titles in five years.

First and foremost, the Dragons must overcome the ravages of graduation, which has left them with a single returning starter on defense and a bunch of undersized O-line newbies. Questions on defense are nothing new for Carroll – which saw its playoff hopes die in the fourth round of the playoffs last year when its overmatched defense allowed Cedar Hill to rush for 570 yards in a 62-42 slugfest.  

Meanwhile, questions have swirled all summer about who will replace standout quarterback Ryan Agnew, who graduated to San Diego State and a career in D1 college ball.

Backup quarterback Montana Murphy, a senior, got considerable playing time last year in the later stages of many games during Carroll’s dominant march through 7-6A. But he missed the Spring Game and summer 7-on-7 experience because of a back injury.

Now healed, he faces stiff competition from junior Mason Holmes and so far hasn’t demonstrated to head coach Hal Wasson that he deserves the starting job. Wasson, to the consternation of many of us, has raised the spectre of instituting a quarterback platoon system if Murphy or Holmes doesn’t separate himself in sufficiently dramatic fashion from his rival.

That sounds like a recipe for chaos, and many of us hope that it’s just a ploy by Wasson to throw off game planning by the crafty Dodge, who would dearly love to hand his successor a drubbing in the season opener, a feat he very nearly succeeded in achieving last season.

Southlake, playing at home, squeaked by last year, and it may well do the same this year. Montana or Holmes (or both) will have some potent weapons to deploy against the Chaps, who they defeated back in 2006 for the state championship.

Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, now a towering 6-4, 195-pound senior, ran for 1,830 yards and 29 touchdowns last season, and he’s primed for another romp through opposing 0-lines. But Humphrey likely will be increasingly deployed as a receiver as coaches look to use his height and fluid moves to full advantage. He’ll be joined in that position by senior WR Zach Farrar, who’s poised to have a standout year after showing much promise last year.

The Dragons will face a rocky, uphill battle to repeat their success of last year – a 13-1 season that included a district championship over the Euless Trinity Trojans and ended before the might of the Cedar Hill Longhorns, who went on to win their second consecutive state title.

To begin with, Carroll’s schedule last year gave it home field advantage against Westlake, Tulsa Union and the Trojans, all of whom fell before the Dragons in close, hard-fought campaigns. This year, they’ll face those formidable opponents on the road, and home field advantage could provide the key to otherwise see-saw match-ups.

There is the very real possibility that Southlake could open home field play against the Midland Lee Rebels on Sept. 11 with a 0-2 record, having fallen to the Chaps tonight and Tulsa on Sept. 4. That would be shock to the system of the proud Dragons and a bitter pill to swallow for Carroll fans, myself included, who consider winning our birthright.

This season could test our arrogance. Most observers expect Trinity to win the district championship, despite the retirement of its phenomenal coach, Steve Lineweaver, who led the Trojans to three state championships in 16 seasons at the helm. He was quickly replaced by one of his trusted assistants.

If, indeed, this season gets off to a shaky start, it will test the resilience of our kids and the fortitude of the Southlake fanbase. That might not be an altogether bad thing. Painful, yes, but ultimately a test of fire that could build a stronger team and a stronger community.

That said, whipping the Chaps and humbling Union at home would be pretty damned satisfying, too, doncha think? Go Dragons!