Game Day: Southlake Carroll 59, Haltom 0

    I first noticed The Reader about 4 minutes into the second quarter of last night’s massacre of Haltom by Southlake Carroll, just a few minutes after the Dragons pulled ahead of the Buffaloes, 35-0.

   There he was, sitting a couple of rows in front me, dressed in shorts and a green hoodie and surrounded by the parents of Emerald Belle drill team members. His nose buried in the open book on his lap, he was oblivious to the events on the field.

   Granted, the outcome of the night’s District 7-6A contest was never in doubt, and the harassed and harried Buffaloes didn’t put up much of a struggle as the Dragons trampled over, through and around them.

    But for the football fans present, Carroll offered up a pretty impressive offensive show, with junior quarterback Mason Holmes (8 of 10 for 199 yards and five TDs) peppering his receivers with well-aimed passes and with running back Shemar Coleman twisting and twirling through the Haltom D-line like he was at the Spring Prom.

   The Reader missed all that. Head down, eyes focused on the page, he never looked up when Coleman staged an electrifying 62-yard touchdown run in which he broke at least four tackles on his way to the end zone to extend Carroll’s dominance to 42-0.

   Coleman’s feat ended Dragon scoring for the first half and heralded the departure of Carroll starters. Everyone in a Dragon uniform got some playing time last night.

   Here’s the kind of game it was. Backup quarterback Montana Murphy relieved Holmes well before half and posted impressive numbers, completing 10 of 12 passes for 165 yards and two TDs.

Backup WR Blake Berwick caught two Murphy passes for 120 yards and two TDs, more than varsity star Zach Farrar, who had an excellent night in his own right, catching three passes for 78 yards and two TDs.

   Holmes shredded Haltom’s overwhelmed secondary. When he left the game two-thirds of the way into the second quarter, six of his last eight passes had resulted in touchdowns. He engineered two consecutive two-play TD drives, the first ending in a 36-yard toss to Kam Duhon and the second in a 29-yard throw to Farrar. 

   The junior, who also scored with TD passes to Lil’ Jordan Humphrey and Jack Johansson, showed his athleticism at one point during a scoring drive that strandled the 1^st and 2^nd quarters.

   Dropping back for a pass, Holmes turned left, saw an approaching Buffalo, then pirouetted like a ballerina and threw right to Farrar. Three plays later, he connected again with Farrar for a 44-yard TD.

   At times, last night seemed like a practice session for the playoffs, which begin week after next. Although the Dragons were unstoppable on the ground, Holmes and Murphy staged an aerial display, sending their receivers to all corners of the Birdville Fine Arts/Athletic Complex. They misfired only once, when Murphy’s slightly under-thrown pass in the end zone landed in a Haltom defender’s arms.

   Meanwhile, Carroll’s recently acquired taste for misdirection and deception was on full display. Leading 7-0 early in the first, it ran back-to-back trick plays, the first a double reverse that saw Farrar scamper 29 yards into the end zone, only to have the ball called back on a penalty.

   On the next play, Coleman received the ball from the wildcat formation and lateralled it to Holmes, who then hefted it to Johansson across the goal line.

   None of this razzle-dazzle was needed to subdue the overmatched Buffaloes, but that and more will be necessary for the Dragons to make it out of the first round of the playoffs.

   Two weeks from now, they meet reigning state champ Cedar Hill, who lost a barnburner last night to Mansfield. By nature of their first seed in Division II (small school), they’ll play in the warm confines of Dragon Stadium, but the Longhorns will be an extremely tough nut to crack.

   First things first, however. Carroll ends the regular season next week at home against the L.D. Bell Blue Raiders, who are tied for last place with Haltom in 7-6A. That should be another slaughter of the innocents and offer yet another chance for reserves, who labor in obscurity through most of the season, to shine once more. What could be more appropriate on Senior Night?

   Perhaps The Reader will have a chance to finish his book. Go Dragons!

Game Day: Southlake Carroll 49, Colleyville Heritage 14

There’s a moment – a decisive moment – in every football game when things change: momentum shifts, a hesitant offense shifts into gear and begins to hum, a sluggish defense awakens and begins to exert its will.

For the Southlake Carroll Dragons, tied 14-14 with neighboring Colleyville Heritage, that moment came last night late in the 2^nd quarter.

Up to that point, the weather-postponed contest had been a desultory affair, with the impressive Panther offense striking first behind its hotshot junior quarterback, Camden Roane, and phenom sophomore receiver, Ke’Von Ahmad.

But the Dragons, coming off a deflating loss to Euless Trinity the week before, gamely responded, finally drawing even with the surging Panthers when Lil’ Jordan Humphrey capped a seven-play drive with a 9-yard surge across the goal line.

On the next drive, Dragon linebacker Will Quillen intercepted a Roane pass and handed the Dragons an opportunity to finally take the lead.

The Dragon offense, guided by junior quarterback Mason Holmes (12 of 19 for 175 yards and 2 TDs), began a determined march downfield, but not for long. It found the way muddied by a couple of holding penalties that threatened to choke off the drive. But stellar, hard-nosed running by Humphrey (22 carries for 198 yards, 2 TDs), Shelmar Coleman (13 for 141, 2 TDs) and Jack Johansen (4 for 31) brought the Dragons to the Colleyville 36, where the drive stalled.

Facing a fourth and 4, they appeared ready to chance it, then called timeout. As expected, kicker Jack Oldroyd led the fieldgoal team out after the break, and it appeared the Dragons were ready to settle for a 3-point lead as halftime loomed.

Instead, in a move that had the paltry Carroll crowd blinking in confused delight, they faked the ball to Humphrey, who sprinted 28 yards around the left end. Two plays later, Holmes connected with Coleman in the end zone, and the Dragons never looked back.

Colleyville, which has never defeated Carroll, came into last night’s game with the same 2-1 District 7-6A record as the Dragons. It had high hopes that this might be the year to beat the Dragons, considering the Panthers’ much-touted offensive firepower and the hope that Carroll still might be reeling from its narrow loss to the No. 2-ranked Trojans.

But despite a couple of showy big plays in the first half, the Dragon defense contained the explosive Roane, a speedster with a rocket arm, intercepting him twice and staying in the face of his favorite target, the soft-handed, hard-running Ahmad. Roane finished the night with a pass completion rate well under 50 percent and only 71 yards rushing.

Beginning with the tying score in the 2^nd , Carroll ran up 42 unanswered points against the gasping Panthers, who had no answer for the Dragons in the air or on the ground.

Saturday’s win guarantees Carroll a spot in the playoffs, which begin (oh, my!) in a mere three weeks. It will have to settle for that, since the Trinity Trojans, no surprise, officially captured the 7-6A title on Friday with their rout of Coppell.

The Dragons, of course, are playoff veterans, and they have been readying themselves for the post season, even as they play through the tough segment of their district schedule.

In falling to the Trojans, they demonstrated the power of their multi-faceted offense to keep them in games. While the unstoppable Trinity amassed a breath-taking 603 yards against the Dragons, the final score was 37-35.

The strength and effectiveness of its running game was on full display last night. The tall and lanky Humphrey was elusive as always, twisting around tackers and deceptively difficult to bring down. Coleman, who uses a little stutter-step to confuse defenders that’s sheer poetry, is fast and slippery. On his single rushing TD, he launched himself at the 2-yard line, sailed over struggling Colleyville defenders and crashed into the end zone.

The Panther defense managed to exert pressure on Holmes early, rushing throws and disrupting his rhythm. But he stayed calm and collected and, despite several missed catches by the Dragons’ deep and talented receiving corps, he connected when it counted.

 The Carroll defense, a young, under-sized squad at the beginning of the year, has gained in skill and confidence as the year progressed. It was overwhelmed by the mighty Trojans, true, but who hasn’t this season? In most of its other matchups, it has played splendidly in the second half, limiting opponents’ ability to score while its offense has run the field.

Meanwhile, Carroll has demonstrated a fondness for misdirection and deception. It has employed the wildcat formation with great effect, with both Humphrey and Coleman taking snaps from center last night on a number of key third-down plays.

The fake field-goal, sold beautifully by the wily Oldroyd and executed brilliantly by the amazing Humphrey, caught the Panthers completely by surprise. They saw nothing like that in any game films, I can assure you.

Carroll even launched a series of pooch kicks in the second half in the hopes of catching Colleyville off guard. None of them worked, instead handing Colleyville good field position it wasn’t able to capitalize on. But I like the confidence it showed in the defense and the buccaneering spirit it displayed.

As expected near the end of a bruising regular season, Carroll is nicked up some. Safety Obi Eboh sat out last night from an injury he received against Trinity. Humphrey limped off the field late in the game with a twisted ankle, but coaches had to take his helmet away to keep him on the sidelines, a hint that the injury isn’t too bad. Other key personnel also are nursing hurts.

Luckily, Southlake’s last two district games are against Haltom, in the Birdville Fine Arts/Athletic Complex on Friday, and L.D. Bell, on Senior Night at home on Nov. 6. The hapless Buffalos and Blue Raiders have but a single district win between them. That offers the Dragons valuable time to rest starters and heal the injured, and to prepare for the onslaught of the playoffs.

The wind coursing through Dragon Stadium last night had a bite to it. It’s football weather for sure, folks, and, glory be, the post-season is nigh. Go Dragons!

Game Day: Euless Trinity 37, Southlake Carroll 35

It looked for a moment like it actually might happen. The Southlake Carroll Dragons, battered and bruised all last night from the onslaughts of the No. 2-ranked Euless Trinity Trojans’ stellar rushing game, had clawed to within 3 with 3 minutes left in the game.

Victory, sweet victory, was within reach. And against a fearsome opponent everyone expects to see in the state finals.

The Trojans had failed to bury the Dragons with their crushing frontal assault, even though by night’s end, they compiled an astounding 603 yards rushing on 53 attempts.

Trinity’s offensive star, running back Ja'Ron Wilson (31 carries for 339 yards), continued his phenomenal drive to D-I college football, slashing through the beleaguered Dragon defense at will or simply out-sprinting it. Trinity’s 6-2, 240-pound quarterback, the massive Tyler Natee (10 carries for 157 yards), couldn’t be stopped.  On one crucial drive in the fourth quarter, Natee ran 82 yards on six carries.

And yet, the Carroll offense, led by junior quarterback Mason Holmes (24 of 36, 238 yards and 3 TDs), had kept the Dragons close. At midpoint in the fourth, trailing by 10, the desperate Dragons brought their offensive weapons to bear. Running backs Lil’ Jordan Humphrey (16 carries for 92 yards) and Shemar Coleman (6 for 46 rushing and 4 for 34 receiving) powered the drive, with Humphrey even taking two snaps from the wildcat formation.

Against Trinity, you reach deep into the bag of tricks.

That critical drive brought the Dragons to within a mouth-watering 3 points of the Trojans, 31-28, after Coleman, who ended the night with two rushing TDs and one passing score, punched the ball over from the 1.

That’s when a tingling glimmer of hope began to compete with the knot that had been in my stomach all evening. If the Dragons could just get the ball back – and keep the irresistible Trojan giants out of the end zone – they were within reach of an implausible upset.

The anticipated onside kick failed, setting up the Trojans at their 40. And on the first play from scrimmage, running back De’Jaun Garrett (8 carries, 103 yards) darted around the left end and roared 60 yards to the goal line, essentially putting the game out of reach.

But the agony wasn’t quite over. Trinity muffed its extra-point attempt, leaving the score at 37-28. That offered the mournful Dragon faithful the tantalizing, if unlikely, scenario that if the Dragons could score quickly, then get the ball back, they might, just might, have time to get close enough for a field goal, thus eking out a 1-point victory in their storied series against Trinity.

They accomplished the first part of the fantasy. Setting up shop on their 40, the Dragons moved smartly against the Trojans, thanks in part to a double-reverse pass bit of trickery that brought the ball to the Trinity 15. And with 1:46 to play, Holmes rifled the ball to Humphrey (10 receptions for 105 yards) for the score.

Another onside kick failed, and thanks to the efforts of the amazing Wilson, the Trojans ran out the clock. Game over.

Wilson clearly was the star of the night. His 339 rushing yards hand him a team record and demonstrate why he’s one of the most celebrated runners in the state.

On a key series in the fourth quarter, with the score 24-21 and Natee sidelined briefly with a leg injury, Trinity backup Malini Maile put the game in Wilson’s hands. Good decision.

Wilson first converted a third-and-13 with a breathtaking 49-yard run, then followed with an dazzling scoring play that had even Dragon fans nodding grudgingly with admiration and respect.

The Trojans faced a third-and-11 on the Dragon 16 when Wilson took the ball and headed left. Seeing Carroll defenders scramble to cut him off, he reversed field and sped right. At midfield, he spotted a seam and turned for the goal line, slipping easily across for the score.

By defeating Carroll, Trinity remains undefeated. It stands at No. 2 in state rankings behind the Allen Eagles and almost certainly will make a deep run in the playoffs, where it could very well face Allen in the finals for the big-school division of 6A. What a Christmas present that would be for high school football fans across Texas.

For Carroll (5-2, 2-1 in 7-6A), last night’s loss is painful, but not devastating. It still will make the playoffs, probably in the small-school division, and the strengths it demonstrated against the Trojans could keep it playing until Thanksgiving, the goal of all top-flight programs.

Its multi-faceted offense kept it in the game last night until the very end. Humphrey and Coleman on the ground, Holmes and his receivers – led by Humphrey and senior Zach Farrar (6 for 71, 1 TD) – in the air proved they can keep up with anyone.

And strange as it may sound after the overtaxed defense gave up more than 600 yards in rushing, there’s even some good news there. Dragon defenders were bloodied by Trinity’s aggressive 0-line and shredded by its wicked-good runners, but they never gave up and never were  overwhelmed. They stood firm at key moments and managed to hold Trinity scoreless in the third quarter. Unfortunately, Trinity’s defense accomplished the same goal against Carroll in the third, stopping the Dragons on two successive series that helped seal their doom.

 Thus ends another chapter in the phenomenal history of these two programs, which have met five times and produced classic high school football matchups each time, contests characterized by hard, gritty play, high emotion and good sportsmanship.

Like many Southlake fans, I root for the Trojans in every game except this one. Trinity is a class act and the Trinity kids are terrific – fierce competitors on the field, but respectful off it. They exhibit a strong work ethic and put in the time and effort it takes to be winners. They’re disciplined athletes who play with skill and emotion.

And what can you say about the Haka, except that it’s the neatest, and most inspirational, spirit tradition that I’ve ever seen. Here’s good luck to the Trojans the rest of the way.

Carroll, meanwhile, returns to Dragon Stadium next week to face Colleyville Heritage, which also stands 2-1 in 7-6A play after smashing hapless L.D. Bell last night 52-3.

The Panthers, another likely playoff team, shouldn't be treated lightly. They have never beaten the Dragons, a shameful legacy they would dearly love to erase. All the more reason for Carroll to be faithful to its mission: “Protect the tradition.” Go Dragons!

Game Day: Southlake Carroll 52, Richland 21

Watching the Southlake Carroll Dragons stumble and stall before a significantly inferior opponent last night in Dragon Stadium, many of us in the stands were wondering, “Dear God, what’s going to happen to us next week?”

Because next week the Dragons face a familiar old foe, the Euless Trinity Trojans, behemoths who stand just behind the soaring Allen Eagles in state rankings.

If the Dragons roll out a first-half performance against the Trojans like they did last night against a sturdy, but unremarkable Richland Rebel squad, it could be a blood bath of epic proportions.

The Trojans, despite a certain historical affection for their Southlake neighbors, would love nothing more than to open a can of whup-ass on the Dragons, who narrowly defeated them last year in a hard-fought game that broke an impressive streak of district championships by proud Trinity.

And they could do it, particularly if Southlake can’t break a season-long trend of sloppy, slurpy first-half endeavors and demonstrate from the opening kickoff the kind of offensive power and defensive stinginess that characterizes its play in the second halves of its first six games.

It’s churlish, I know, to complain about the 52-21 butt-kicking the Dragons ultimately gave the Rebels. But honestly, it almost was painful to see Richland push Southlake all over the field on offense, while quarterback Mason Holmes and the Dragon offense operated in a bumbling stupor.

Richland actually led 13-7 at one point in the second quarter. And while the Rebels entered the game on somewhat of a roll – they had won three straight and stood 2-0 in District 7-6A play – they were hardly a steamroller.

They marched confidently down the field on their first possession, scoring easily in less than 2 minutes but missing the extra point. That was evidence, if such was needed, that the Dragons weren’t facing a polished, formidable opponent.

But Rebel quarterback Jordan Wiley (10 for 10, 164 yards and 2 TDs) was able to scorch the Dragon secondary in the first half, tossing freely to WRs Aaron Denson (8-138) and Landon Le (4-51). Wiley also was the best Rebel rusher, piling up 65 yards on 12 carries.

For their part, the Dragons got off to a good start, with Holmes guiding his forces for a clockwork series to the Dragons’ first score. That’s when offense operations  slowed to a crawl, with Holmes having trouble connecting with his receivers and a bottled-up Lil’ Jordan Humphrey getting smothered at the line.

When the Rebels pulled ahead of the Dragons in the second quarter, thanks to a 32-yard run by RB Rylee Johnson, I heard a disgusted grunt to my left and an exasperated exhale two rows in front of me. I may or may not have uttered an expletive – or two.

The Dragons managed to counter the Rebels with a pair of TDs before the halftime whistle, but the 21-13 score seemed to most of us an accusingly narrow margin over such a humble foe.

When a friend of mine arrived at my seat for our usual halftime consultation, we both stared at each other for almost a half-minute, too disgusted to speak.

The same thought was on our minds. If we can’t handle a Richland squad any better than this, how could Carroll hope to counter the mighty Trojans, who show all the signs this year of making a credible run for their fourth state title.

Should the Dragons follow their natural pattern next week – a first half marked by ineffective defensive play and uncoordinated offensive drive – the Trojan mammoths will pulverize the young, undersized Dragon O-line and run rampant over Pennington Field. They’ll carve such an insurmountable lead that a resurgent Dragon squad, bolstered by halftime adjustments and an inspirational kick in the seat of the pants, won’t be able to answer.

Our fears unresolved, my friend and I settled into our seats for the second half. As it has all season, the Carroll team that took the field after a splendid halftime show by the Dragon Marching Band was different in attitude and execution.

The Dragon defense finally asserted itself, growing more dominant as the Rebel O-line tired, and limited Richland to a single touchdown. Meanwhile, Holmes (14 of 18 for 208 yards and 3 TDs) and backup Montana Murphy (2 of 2 for 51 yards) engineered five straight offensive drives that ended in scores, pushing the Dragons to a comfortable – and respectable – final tally.

In the end, Humphrey led Carroll rushers with 121 yards on 18 carries. RB Shemar Coleman proved crucial in carrying 9 times for 73 and 2 TDs. In the passing game, Holmes spread the wealth among his talented receiving corps. And while Zach Farrar snatched two TD passes of 14 and 16 yards, respectively, Jack Johanson led receivers with three catches for 60.

The fact that the Dragons eventually got their act together and pummeled a lesser team, serving up a homecoming victory to fans, isn’t the point. Carroll goals for the season are bigger than just a winning record.

It seeks to make the playoffs – pretty much a guarantee, barring catastrophe, despite a likely fall to Trinity – and stage a deep run there. But performances like the one it demonstrated in Dragon Stadium last night won’t cut it against the teams it likely will face in the post-season.  

For instance, District 8-6A foe Mansfield, who the Dragons barely beat in the first round of the playoffs last year, awaits, having destroyed DeSoto 35-21 last night. So does Cedar Hill, seeking a three-peat state championship and licking its chops at the prospect of ending Dragon playoff hopes…again.

So while it may seem like gluttony to peruse a 52-21 drubbing and cry, “More, more,” there’s a bit more at play here.

 What’s disturbing to many of us is the continuing lack of focus early in games and the Dragons’ pick-a-flower, smell-the-roses approach to the job at hand in the opening quarters. That attitude could lead to an unprecedented slaughter next week in the inhospitable confines of Pennington.

Until now, Trinity-Carroll encounters have produced classic high school football games, hard-fought, closely matched affairs that could have gone either way and left fans exhilarated, even if their team lost.

It would be a shame for the Dragons to ruin that record of excellence and allow themselves to be obliterated by the Trojan tsunami.

Gut-check time, gentlemen! Go Dragons!

 

Game Day: Southlake Carroll 38, Coppell 37 (2OT!)

When Southlake Carroll head coach Hal Wasson decided, on the Dragons’ last drive of regular play last night, with his team trailing the Coppell Cowboys 24-21, to go for the tie and not the win, my gut told me it would all come to nothing.

Carroll’s gutsy comeback from a 17-point deficit, its offense’s dramatic turnaround from a sluggish and uninspired first half, its young defense’s stubborn, never-give-up perseverance in the face of a talented, disciplined and determined Coppell squad would be wasted. And Southlake players and fans would have to creep out of hated Buddy Echols Field with our tails between our legs.

So much for my gut.

The Dragons, bless ’em, skipped out of Coppell last night with a win, but not until after they broke a hated opponent’s collective heart in double overtime and firmly established their reputation as down-to-the-wire heroes.

Coppell folks probably consider the Dragons as little more than thieves, stealing a victory they didn’t deserve, and those folks ain’t all wrong. Carroll’s undistinguished first half – where it committed three turnovers, all resulting in Cowboy scores – foreshadowed a different outcome. A casual observer at Echols Field last night saw a Coppell squad marching the field with authority and an off-tempo Southlake team sputtering and stumbling to little effect.

Of course, Coppell had more than a little to do with the Dragons’ lackluster effort.

Coppell’s talented quarterback, Brady McBride, son of former head coach Joe McBride, now athletic director, and the potent running duo of Joe Fex (32 carries for 156 yards) and Brandon Rice (20/119), coming off a broken-leg injury, smashed repeatedly through the middle of Carroll’s undersized D-line, rumbling for a combined four TDs.

Meanwhile, junior Dragon quarterback Mason Holmes chose the Coppell game to have a letdown in the stellar command he’s displayed at the helm of Carroll’s impressive offensive array in the last three games. The Cowboys contributed to his distress. Their talented linebackers harassed him all night, and their secondary blanketed his receiving corps.

He ended the evening with 318 yards passing and four TDs. But a more telling statistic was his passing percentage against Coppell, a relatively paltry 48 percent, compared to his usual 60+. Much of his output came during the crucial fourth quarter and the two OT periods.

Coppell also effectively countered offensive star Lil’ Jordan Humphrey most of the night, holding him to 78 yards rushing and 34 yards passing and a single TD, although it was the decisive one in the second OT.

When the Cowboys tacked on a 25-yard field goal with three minutes left in the third quarter to extend their lead to 17, things looked particularly bleak. As I watched the Coppell players celebrate, I started thinking about making an early exit to escape the post-game traffic jam in Echol’s atrocious parking lot.

I'm glad I stayed. At that point, the dormant Dragon offense stirred to life. The composed Holmes engineered two critical scoring drives, the first of which got the Dragons back in the game and the second of which brought them within 3 of the reeling Cowboys. Offensive standout of the night WR Zach Farrar was the hero on both drives, catching passes of 76 and 34 yards, respectively.

He also was responsible for the Dragons’ only bright spot in the dismal first half, catching a Holmes pass with a Cowboy defender draped across him, then wrestling free and darting 57 yards to the end zone.

Farrar, who is having a terrific year, ended the night with eight catches and 222 yards and the three aforementioned TDs.

When Southlake took its final possession of the ball with 2:34 in regulation and two timeouts left, it was perfectly positioned to go for the win. Moving decisively into Coppell territory, it muscled into the red zone and set up shop. But at that point, Dragon coaches let 30 seconds tick off the clock without calling a timeout, and it was clear the conservative Wasson had decided to settle for a tie game and gamble his kids could out shoot the Cowboys in OT.

Many of us wondered if that was a smart gamble. Coppell, playing at home in front of a boisterous home crowd (its student section is renowned for its shenanigans), had demonstrated its ability to carve big gains on the ground. By contrast, the Dragons’ rushing game had been bottled up, with the Cowboys effectively game-planning the explosive Humphrey and his sturdy teammate, Shemar Coleman. The vertical effectiveness of its passing game, meanwhile, was limited by the short field in OT, where both teams start 25 yards from the end zone.

Coppell easily scored first in OT. For Southlake, however, nothing came easy last night. Facing a do-or-die fourth down at the 7-yard line, Holmes found a falling Kam Duhon in the end zone and sent the affair into a second OT, 31-31.

That’s when Humphrey scored his first and only TD of the night, twisting and tweaking for 11 yards to paydirt. Taking over next, Coppell moved swiftly inside the 10, where Fex surged five yards to bring the score to 38-37.

Instead of relying on yet another OT, Coppell head coach Mike DeWitt put the game in the hands of his quarterback, McBride (7 of 16 passes for 108 and 1 TD; 14 carries for 91), and his RB juggernauts, Rice and Fex. Considering their success all evening, it seemed perfectly logical. You could hear a pin drop in the Carroll section as we waited breathlessly for the snap.

McBride took the ball on an option read, surged to the left behind a pair of blockers and headed for glory. But Dragon safety Robert Barnes, who had a monster night, sliced through the line and spoiled the party, nailing McBride well short of the end zone.

Cue the Carroll alma mater and the post-game celebration in front of the Dragon Marching Band.

Homecoming is next Friday and signals a welcome return to the hospitable confines of Dragon Stadium. Southlake hosts the Richland Rebels, who hopefully will pose a bit of a homecoming breather for the road-weary Dragons.

The respite, if such it is, will be short-lived, however. On Oct. 16, the Dragons take a short jaunt down SH121 to Pennington Field in Bedford to play the Euless Trinity Trojans in a contest that could well determine the winner of District 7-6A.

Anyone who loves high school football looks forward to matchups between the Dragons and the Trojans. They always produce football magic.

But first up, the Rebels. Time to bring on the mega-mums, it’s HOMECOMING! Go Dragons!