Game Day: Southlake Carroll 37, Arlington Martin 14

The University of Alabama’s marching band, which entertained Southlake Carroll fans before the Dragons' Week 2 contest with Arlington Martin, is officially known as the Million Dollar Band.

But the real top-dollar performer at Dragon Stadium last night was senior defensive back Robert Barnes, a 6-2, 190-pound commit to OU.

To the surprise of very few, Barnes lined up as a wide receiver and immediately ignited the Dragon offense, leading it to a surprising, maybe even shocking, 37-14 win over a talented Warriors team that destroyed Dallas Skyline last week 55-7.

He snagged six Mason Holmes passes for 153 yards that set up Carroll’s first two unanswered touchdowns. All the while, he was his normal disrupting self on defense, forcing a fumble in the fourth quarter that set up one of the Dragons’ scoring drives.

After Carroll’s undistinguished and losing effort last week against a powerful Tulsa Union squad, the consensus was that something had to be done to shift the sluggish offense out of low gear. Rumors swirled that Barnes, perhaps the most talented athlete on the Dragon squad, would be tapped to play a position he hasn’t embraced since – wait for it – the FIFTH grade.

Head coach Hal Wasson told the Star Telegram that coaches had Barnes working at the receiver position throughout preseason training, a well-known secret in Southlake football circles.

So there was widespread grumbling when Barnes stayed on defense against Union, leaving senior quarterback Holmes to deal with a swarming defense and an inexperienced receiver corps bedeviled by a swift and skillful Redskins secondary.

Last night was a different story – in many respects. Holmes, harassed and harried last week as he dodged Union behemoths pouring through his porous offensive line, had plenty of time to find his receivers. Kudos to the OL Big Guys for stepping up their game.

For their part, Dragon WRs, inspired by the brilliant example being set by Barnes, eluded Warrior DBs and joined in the fun. Junior Cade Bell caught five passes for 73 yards and senior Hudson Shrum got two for 76.

Meanwhile, Southlake also found a ground game against the overwhelmed Warriors. After being bottled up by Tulsa, transfer senior Audricke Gaines, whose father is a new coach in Carroll ISD, scored twice last night while rushing for 140 yards on 22 carries. Senior RB Jack Johanasson had fewer yards, 55 on 11 carries, but he made them count, rumbling to another three TDs.

After obliterating the traditionally strong Skyline last week, Martin cruised into Dragon Stadium full of vim and vigor. It had every reason to believe it was on the brink of setting history, handing the Dragons their first back-to-back defeat in Dragon Stadium and branding them with their first 0-2 season start since 2000.

The proud Dragons had other plans, however. They racked up 565 total yards against the Warriors, roaring out of the gate on their first possession with a four-play, 70-yard scoring drive, accomplished in less than a minute.

Holmes, 15 of 27 for 319 yards for the night, promptly marched the Dragons downfield on their second possession, connecting with both Barnes and Bell to set up a 2-yard blast by Johanasson for Carroll’s second TD.

Martin’s offense punch was dulled all night by Southlake’s solid defense, which for the second week in a row showed impressive grit. The Warriors were held to 320 total yards, with quarterback Matt Cook managing 18 of 35 for 179 yards.

Martin punted on its first four possessions. It took until late in the first half for the Warriors to show any offensive spark. Capitalizing on a successful fake punt at their 28-yard line, they fought downfield to score with less than 5 minutes left. Likewise in the second half, Martin was kept out of scoring range until the closing minutes of the game, when, trailing 37-7, it put together a smart drive capped by its second TD.

The Warriors apparently didn’t appreciate the manhandling they received on the Dragons’ home turf. Several drives were scotched by personal-foul penalties. While the Dragons snared a couple of those on their own, Martin racked up 11 total penalties for 129 yards. A messy, undisciplined performance.

After a nervous, soul-searching week, last night’s victory over a worthy opponent soothed the football souls of many Southlake fans. And it ought to please the coaches, too.

Next week, the Dragons travel to Rockwall to end their pre-district schedule.  Rockwall, which faces Rowlett today, will take the field after a short week. The Yellowjackets should brace themselves for a well-balanced Southlake team that is battle-tested and battle-adjusted.

After the solid performance of its offense and the continuing standout play of its defense, Southlake Carroll can feel pretty good about its entry into District 5-6A play two weeks from now.  

Go Dragons!