Bi-District Round: Southlake Carroll 37, Cedar Hill 33

Ironically, the decisive drive of last night’s epic contest between Southlake Carroll and Cedar Hill in the first round of the 6A Division II playoffs was one in which they didn’t score.

Clinging to a 2-point lead in the draining minutes of the fourth quarter, the Dragons, held scoreless to that point by a stingy Longhorn defense, staged their first sustained drive of the half, an 11-play, 82-yard effort powered by an electrifying 50-yard run by Lil’ Jordan Humphrey that propelled them into Cedar Hill’s red zone.

It was there that things got sticky. Faced with a fourth down, quarterback Mason Holmes handed off to Humphrey, who smashed his way to the 7-yard line for the Dragon’s fourth straight successful fourth-down play of the night. There the Longhorn defense, with the game and their hopes for a third straight state championship on the line, dug in.

Holmes and company were only able to claw their way the 4-yard line where they faced yet another fourth down decision with about a minute left.

What to do, what to do? Kick a field goal and extend your lead to 5, then hand the ball over to the explosive Cedar Hill offense? Or push your chips into the center of the table and go for it all?

The problem was that 5 points might not be enough to hold off the Longhorns, who had bounced back from a 35-21 halftime deficit with a pair of efficient workman-like drives in the third quarter. Even with no timeouts remaining, a minute was plenty of time for Cedar Hill quarterback Avery Davis, who had shredded Carroll’s defensive squad all night, to engineer a last-second miracle for the Longhorns.

In the end, Carroll offensive coordinator Clayton George gave in to his riverboat gambler instincts and kept his offense on the field. Holmes tossed the ball to Humphrey in the end zone, but a Longhorn defender snagged it at the 1 and fell to the turf.

And on the next play, Davis, standing 5 yards in his end zone, couldn’t corral an errant snap, which bounced off his chest and out of the end zone for a safety. Carroll recovered the resulting onside kick, and Cedar Hill’s quest for a third straight Division II state title ended in the chill of a November evening.

By defeating Cedar Hill, Carroll avoided the ignominy of exiting the playoffs in the first round, a feat it has managed for the last 20 years or more. And it proved it can play with the state’s best teams and beat them.

The Dragons have every reason to expect a long playoff run this year, but absolutely no one believes it will be easy. Division II is packed with talent.

Next up is Denton Guyer, a familiar foe who holds the distressing distinction of being only one of two teams to beat Carroll in Dragon Stadium. (Coppell is the other.) The Dragons will face the Wildcats in Allen’s Eagle Stadium next Friday.

Southlake was the only team from District 7-6A to advance into the Area Round. Shockingly, Euless Trinity fell to South Grand Prairie 24-21, ending the proud Trojans’ perfect season. DeSoto defeated Coppell 35-31, and Mansfield easily handled Colleyville 45-22.

Last night’s game was thrilling high school football. The first half featured rapid-fire offensive displays by both teams. The Dragons scored on their first five offense drives, completely dominating the crucial first quarter, where they jumped to a 14-0 lead that proved decisive.

The Dragons never trailed, although even a 14-point lead offered them little comfort because of the Longhorns’ irresistible combo of lighting ground attack and aerial bombardment, all centering on the amazing Davis.

Davis, a top D-1 college recruit, was 10 for 14 for 172 yards and three TDs. He also ran 15 times for 73 yards. Interesting tidbit from the radio broadcast: Davis has played in only two losing games since he started peewee football – the defeat by Mansfield earlier in the season and the loss to the Dragons last night.

The second half was an offensive shootout, with both Carroll and Cedar Hill mounting big-play drives. During one particularly dizzying period that spanned the second and third quarters, five touchdowns were scored in only 13 offensive plays.

As usual, Carroll’s offensive standout was Humphrey, who carried 23 times for 164 yards and two touchdowns, and caught 5 passes for 113 yards and another TD. He was ably complemented by Shemar Coleman, who rushed 21 times for 134 yards and one TD.

Holmes completed 13 of 16 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns, a formidable 81 percent completion rate only marred by a single INT. He can thank his sturdy offensive line for giving him plenty of time in the pocket to pick apart the Cedar Hill secondary.

But the real heroes of the night might be the Dragon defenders, who took a huge step forward, asserting themselves at the perfect time in the season, when every stop can be a game changer.

Carroll coaches have been tinkering with the defensive line all season, trying to find the right talent mix and chemistry to meld the squad into an effective unit. Standout safety Robert Barnes, the Dragons’ leading tackler, moved to linebacker to play next to IV Seacat, the team’s second-leading tackler. For last night’s game, defensive end Luke Jeter and nose guard Ryan Miller switched jobs.

Something must have clicked.

With Carroll leading 7-0, the Dragon defense stopped Davis and company on the Longhorns’ first possession, graciously handing the ball back to its offense, which took advantage of the opportunity to carve out an insurmountable two-TD lead. Although it couldn’t completely shut down Cedar Hill’s quick-draw offense, Carroll’s defense made plays when the Dragons needed them the most.

For instance, in the fourth quarter, Carroll defenders, aided by a flurry of Cedar Hill miscues, protected the Dragons’ fragile 35-33 lead by forcing the Longhorns to punt it away, leading to the clock-gobbling drive that ultimately sealed Carroll’s win.

The playoff atmosphere at Dragon Stadium was electric last night, although I wonder at the official pronouncement that it was a sell-out. There were plenty of seats in the new wings at either end of the home side, and Cedar Hill didn’t come close to filling its side of the stadium. We were told that 200 standing-room tickets were sold in the west end zone, but it was empty as a ghost town.

I like the new policy the UIL is testing this year, which awards a first-round home game to the top seed in each division within a district. Cedar Hill coach Joey McGuire expressed dismay before the game that his team, which like the Dragons finished No. 2 in its district, was forced into the inhospitable confines of Dragon Stadium because of the UIL’s complex rules.

I might feel the same way if the Dragons had traveled south to play in Cedar Hill. And, who knows, the difference in venue might have impacted the final result. All I know is last night was simply grand, a great game played by two of the state’s best programs in absolutely perfect football weather. Nobody got hurt, and the good guys won. What’s not to like?

Beware, Guyer. The Dragons are breathing fire and heading your way. Go Dragons!