Talk about a bargain. I bought tickets today for the
Southlake Carroll-DeSoto playoff game on Friday. They were $6 apiece.
For that pittance, I’ll get to experience some of the best
high school football in Texas, which is to say in the nation. The
Dragons-Eagles matchup at Murphy’s Kimbrough Stadium will be the showcase game
of the second round of this year’s football playoffs.
Mighty DeSoto, rated by The Associated Press as No. 2 in
Texas, is undefeated this season, thanks to an explosive offense and stingy
defense. Carroll, ranked No. 8, has lost only one game, its first, and roared
into the post-season last week with a convincing win against Wylie.
The Dragons normally
potent air attack has been hampered by injuries to their receiving corps. But operating
behind a quick-footed, muscular offensive line, a trio of bruising rushers, led
by senior Audie Gaines, has picked up the slack admirably. Meanwhile, the
Carroll defense has effectively smothered offenses and kept opposing
quarterbacks scrambling.
The Dragon D will have all it can handle against the Eagles,
who are led by well-traveled senior quarterback Shawn Robinson. That name is a familiar
one for Carroll fans. Last year, Robinson, playing for Denton Guyer, dismantled
the Dragons in the second round of the playoffs.
In the off season, both of Robinson’s parents were hired as
coaches at DeSoto. By UIL rules, their son was immediately eligible to play for
the Eagles. He’s a genuine double-threat, speedy and agile on his feet with a
rifle for an arm. DeSoto is the third high school for whom he’s played, and he’s
been a superstar at each one.
So for the second year in a row, the Dragons must figure out
how to stop Robinson in order to escape the second round. It’s hard to imagine
them being able to corral him with any degree of success. He will get his
yardage – on the ground or in the air, or both.
The key to a Dragon victory will be whether it can match the
Eagles in scoring. So far, no one has been able to stop the Dragon runners, but
DeSoto certainly will try. Can the injury-plagued Carroll receiving corps rise
to the challenge and mount a good-enough vertical attack to open up the run?
Only time will tell.
All I can say is that for six bucks, it will be quite a
show. Go Dragons!
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