Game Day: Southlake Carroll 56, L.D. Bell 7

Not much drama accompanied last night’s drubbing of the lowly L.D. Bell Blue Raiders by the Southlake Carroll Dragons. The Dragons scored on their first six possessions, pulled their starters after the first half and turned their full gaze toward next week’s playoffs opener against reigning state champions, the Cedar Hill Longhorns.

And it’s with more than a little trepidation that the Dragons confront the Longhorns on their own home ground. But more about that later.

All went as expected against Bell last night. Carroll’s reserves ruled the second half, just as it should be on Senior Night. As such, it’s only fitting that the leading rusher for the Dragons wasn’t superstar Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, only Lord knows he had a stellar night. That honor belonged to 5-foot-6, 150-pound senior reserve running bank Alex Simpson, who piled up 146 yards on 20 carries during his best outing under Friday night lights.

It did the old ticker good to see the reserves, guided by senior quarterback Montana Murphy and powered by Simpson’s downhill running, push the ball downfield during the Dragon’s final TD drive, which ended with Simpson smashing 5 yards into the end zone.

Although the end result was never in doubt, last night’s slaughter offered the Dragons an opportunity to fine-tune both offense and defense in preparation for their high-stakes contest against Cedar Hill on Nov. 13. And Carroll took full advantage of it.

I’m happy to report that the offense over the last two games has come out with guns blazing, in sharp contrast to the lackadaisical efforts that characterized first-half performances earlier in the season. Of course, some of that can be credited to the quality of its opponents. But the change in attitude of late was in full evidence last night, when junior quarterback Mason Holmes and company operated against the Blue Raiders with crisp efficiency and maximum effectiveness.

For instance, when the Dragons closed out scoring in the first half with the recovery of a high snap during a Bell punt attempt and a 1-yard TD run by Humphrey, radio commentators reported Carroll had scored its last four touchdowns in only 11 plays. I wasn’t counting, but that sounded right to me.

Holmes completed 11 of 15 passes for 246 yards and two TDs before taking his rest. Humphrey ran 102 yards for three TDs and caught two passes for 67 yards. Shemar Coleman ran for 62 yards and a TD, and he caught a Holmes pass before scampering 50 yards for another TD in the first quarter.  Senior receiver Zach Farrar was another offensive standout, catching four passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.

It’s harder to judge the progress of Carroll’s defense, a youth-dominated squad that suffers from the perennial Dragon problem of being undersized compared to most of its opponents.

Hal Wasson, who enjoyed his 100^th win last night as Carroll head coach, has been tinkering with defensive assignments during the last two games, looking for the right mix and chemistry to take into the playoffs.

Last night, for instance, Wasson moved standout safety Robert Barnes to linebacker, where he performed admirably.

Except for a momentary lapse by the reserves in the third quarter last night, when they allowed Bell quarterback Shaun Daniels to slip around the right corner and speed 75 yards to the end zone, they have held their last two opponents scoreless. But once again, you have to consider the quality of Haltom and Bell when citing that achievement.

The proof of the pudding, for both offense and defense, will come next week, when the Dragons host the Longhorns in Dragon Stadium for the bi-district round of the playoffs.

The proud Longhorns, who whipped stout South Grand Prairie last night 39-28, have something to prove. Denied a district championship in 8-6A by the upstart Mansfield Tigers, who defeated Cedar Hill in a shootout two weeks ago, 46-43, the state champs come into next week’s game in Southlake with a sizeable chip on their shoulder.

And based on the historical record, they must feel pretty good about their ability to handle the Dragons.

In 2008, the 8-2 Dragons faced the Longhorns in the second round of the playoffs in venerable Texas Stadium, falling to them 31-18. More recently, in the fourth round of the playoffs last year, the Longhorns booted the Dragons from post season with a 62-42 defeat, overwhelming a game Dragon squad with their high-powered offense.

This isn’t the same Cedar Hill team that schooled the Dragons last year, but it’s pretty damned close. And it is defending back-to-back state championships, which give it plenty of reasons not to be particularly intimidated by the home-field advantage Carroll will enjoy next Friday.

Elimination in the first round this year would be Carroll’s earliest playoff exit in recent memory. But it’s a very real possibility, based on the strength of its bi-district opponents in District 8-6A, one of the state’s toughest, most talent-laden districts.

As the first seed in Division II (small school), Carroll faces the second seed in 8-6A in the first round. Last year, it narrowly avoided elimination by Mansfield, and it would have faced an even more potent Tiger team this year if Cedar Hill had managed to slip past its district rival.

If it does manage to whip Cedar Hill next week, an outcome to be devoutly wished but hardly counted upon, Carroll might look forward to a deep run into the playoffs. A sell-out crowd at Dragon Stadium is anticipated. I’ll be in line for tickets first thing Monday morning.

Go Dragons!