Enjoying the interval

“There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.”

Spanish philosopher George Santayana said that, and his words have special meaning today as news spreads of yet another death in The Dallas Morning News family. Shockingly, that’s three in the past week.

Bill Evans, former DMN managing editor, died today after a long illness. He was 84.

Bill was a kind and generous man, tough when he had to be but warm and courteous always. He was a gentleman in the finest and noblest sense of the word.

He loved the DMN deeply and worked hard to further its interests. In most respects, he succeeded admirably, running the newsroom during the period when the paper was gaining a national reputation for journalistic excellence and winning a slew of Pulitzers.

Bill presided over a massive expansion of the news staff at a time when top-flight journalists from all over the country wanted to work there. His door was always open, well, mostly, and on the occasions when he would stride across his newsroom, his presence did not inspire fear or dread, but rather the opposite. He came most often to deliver praise, not condemnation.

Loyalty. That’s a word I associate with Bill Evans. His loyalty, not offered lightly, could be depended on.

I remember the time I took a salary issue to Bill, who served as the court of last resort in such matters. He listened carefully to my argument for a raise, then leaned back in his chair.

“Kerry,” he began, “there’s one thing we expect from employees of The Dallas Morning News. And that’s loyalty…”

Uh-oh, I thought, here it comes. The lecture and then the brush off.  I squared my shoulders and prepared for it.

“On the other hand,” Bill continued, “as an employee, you have every right to expect loyalty from The Dallas Morning News. You make a good argument, and you’ll get the raise.”

Only yesterday, we lost James Davis, 74, a stalwart on the News Desk for many years. He was a joy to work with, steady under pressure, generous in praise and deed. Like Bill, James was a journalist of the old school, with a deep rumbling laugh and a grin that could light up a room or defuse a tense deadline dispute.

And last week, Jeff Weiss, 62, storyteller par excellence, succumbed to his final battle with brain cancer. He sought “to go out like fireworks.” Indeed, he did, in an explosion of superlative explanatory journalism that detailed the cancer that was killing him and his philosophical acceptance of his own death.

Now, they are gone, and we are left a little sadder and the world a little dimmer at their passing.

It’s fashionable these days, and politically expedient, to disparage legitimate journalism as fake news and to label its faithful, hardworking practitioners as enemies of the American people.

That’s the worst kind of nonsense. Jeff Weiss, James Davis and Bill Evans were not enemies of the people. They were decent and honorable men who raised families and worked under bone-crushing daily deadlines to do a difficult job. They did both jobs well and left the world a better place.

It’s what Santayana had in mind, I think, about enjoying the interval between birth and death.

Game Day: Southlake Carroll 50, Trophy Club Byron Nelson 17

For the 18^th consecutive season, the Southlake Carroll Dragons secured a spot in the playoffs last night, smothering the Bryon Nelson Bobcats in an impressive show of offensive might and defensive prowess – at least for a half.

At halftime, the Dragons carried a 30-0 lead into the locker room, and the domination it represented was even more overpowering than the scoreboard might suggest.

Southlake scored touchdowns on its first four possessions after holding the Bobcats to four straight 3-and-outs. And on the fifth Byron Nelson drive, with the Bobcats finally showing some signs of life, the Dragons pounced on a fumble by quarterback Nick Santini at their 18 and launched their final drive of the half.

An example of the scope of the domination: The Bobcats were held to only 4 yards in the 1^st quarter while the Dragons rolled to three TDs.

The first half ended in a bizarre play that characterized, in many ways, the wild ride the Dragons enjoyed in winning a spot in postseason play.

Dragon quarterback Will Bowers (12-19 for 133, 2 INT and 3 TDs) drove his team to the Bobcat 26 with 15 ticks on the clock. The senior then dropped back and threw a strike into the end zone to his favorite receiver, senior Cade Bell. But the ball bounced off Bell and into the arms of a Bobcat receiver, who managed to struggle to the 1, where he fumbled.

The Bobcat recovered the ball in the end zone, where Bell swarmed him. At least that’s what I THINK happened. It was the strangest play I’ve ever seen, and postgame accounts by more experienced sports observers offered scant clarity.

While we were scratching our heads, the refs decreed the event was a safety since the Bobcat ball carrier had ventured briefly out of the end zone before fumbling, recovering and then being flattened by Bell.

So the Dragons, who were as confused about events as everyone else, got 2 more points before time expired. And a thoroughly defeated Byron Nelson team trudged its sad way to the locker room.

The second half began ominously for the Dragons. They took the opening kickoff and saw Bowers sacked on the first play from scrimmage. On the next play, his throw was picked off near midfield and promptly fumbled.

Quick-thinking running back T.J. McDaniel, 15 carries for 201 yards, fell on the ball at the Dragon 47 and on the next play darted 53 yards untouched for the Dragons’ fifth TD and his second of the night. Kicker Neal Koskay’s PAT into a stiff southern breeze was no good, but the Dragon lead lengthened to 36-0.

In the radio booth, long-time Dragon announcer Chuck Kelly turned to his partner, Kelly Milligan, and observed: “Do you realize that Bowers has thrown two straight interceptions, which have resulted in 8 points for the Dragons? I’ve never seen anything like this.”

He wasn’t alone. But when Kelly asked head coach Hal Wasson about the matter after the game, Wasson chose to concentrate on Bowers’ failure to protect the ball, rather than on the miraculous scoring gifts that followed.

“No, I’ve never seen anything like it,” he admitted. “But it’s something we have to work on.”

Rather than rout the unlucky Bobcats, the freakish turn of events seemed to embolden them.

An impressive return on the following kickoff put the Bobcats at their own 49, where Santini (16 of 28, 183) staged an efficient 4-play drive that ended with RB Jordan Joiner rumbling 7 yards for the first Bobcat score.

After a 3-and-out by Bowers and company, the Bobcats managed a 6-play drive capped by RB Dylan Bell’s stunning 37-yard TD run. In less than 6 minutes, the Bobcats had scored 14 points.

On that drive and the next, Santini, who couldn’t find a receiver during the entire 1^st half, threw 9 straight completions in the Bobcats’ offensive flurry.

A second consecutive 3-and-out by the Dragons gave him another shot at narrowing what once seemed to be an unassailable Dragon lead. Santini propelled the Bobcats to the Dragon 21, where the drive stalled. Kicker Nathan Miller nailed a 37-yard field goal to narrow the Dragon lead to 19.

After the game, sophomore linebacker Graham Faloona, who recovered a Bobcat fumble and scooted 66 yards for the final Dragon score, acknowledged that the defense lost focus in the 3rd. Endearingly, he shied away from characterizing the lapse so harshly.

“Yes, we encountered some adversity in the 3rd,” he said. “But we fought through it.”

Indeed, they did. The field goal spelled the last gasp of the Bobcat scoring spree, and the Dragons cemented their victory on their next two drives. The first culminated moments after the start of the 4^th, when McDaniel whipped past dazed Bobcat defenders across the field and down the right sideline to his third and final TD. The second drive ended in Faloona’s breathtaking runback.

It was a night of stellar accomplishments for the Dragons. McDaniel rolled to his 4^th 200-yard-plus game this season, a feat that places him in the pantheon of Dragon runners.

Phenom sophomore R.J. Mickens scored the Dragons’ first two touchdowns, snagging Bowers throws of 21 and 37 yards in the blistering 1^st quarter. Thus far this season, Mickens, son of an NFL player who regularly lines up as a defensive back, has caught 4 passes, all for touchdowns. Did I mention he started for the Dragons last year as a 14-year-old freshman?

On his first TD reception, Mickens wrestled the ball away from a Bobcat defender in the back of the end zone. On his second, he reached over his head for the reception, then fought past a defender at the 3 to score.

Bowers sounded slightly awestruck when he talked of Mickens after the game.

“When you throw it to him, you know the ball is never going to touch the ground,” he said. “And it’s going to be a touchdown.”

Southlake plays its last home game of the regular season against cellar-dweller L.D. Bell next week, but it won’t be Carroll’s last home game this year. Last night’s victory not only guaranteed it a playoff berth, it also means it will host a first-round game.

That’s because Carroll will be the top Division II seed in District 5-6A. I think. Trying to unravel the byzantine mysteries of  UIL playoff rules often is beyond me.

The top 2 contenders in Division I, district-leading Hebron and Trinity, meet tonight for what promises to be a bruising and entertaining contest. Hebron is favored, but anything can happen.

As for the Dragons, they should brush past lowly Bell with ease next week, setting up a desperate clash against Hebron in the last game of the regular season. A victory could win them a share of the district crown, but don’t ask me how. See above.

 I’ve been toying with the idea of watching the Hawks and Trojans go after each other tonight. But the thought of fighting rush-hour travel along I-35E to Hebron fills me with despair.

So I’ll probably stay home and drink brandy-lacked hot chocolate on the first truly chilly night of the season, dreaming of Friday Night Lights to come.

Go Dragons!

Jeff Weiss, a true mensch

Jeff Weiss, a friend and colleague from my days at The Dallas Morning News, died today, felled too young after a courageous and very public battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive and almost always fatal form of brain cancer.

Jeff knew his chances and didn’t shy away from the inevitability of what he called “the egress.” He desired only to live a quality life for as long as he could and then to exit with grace and dignity. By all accounts, he succeeded in that.

A journalist to the end, he wrote extensively and eloquently about his disease and his reactions to it. His work, published in the DMN and elsewhere, served as inspiration, comfort and support for others with glioblastoma and their caretakers.

To those who knew him, Jeff’s insistence on recording the process of his cancer fight – and the straightforward, understated and even humorous way in which he addressed it – was typical Weiss. He was a true professional, a storyteller, crafting well-researched, skillfully written articles that kept emotion at bay, but nevertheless were heartbreaking to read.

Simply put, Jeff Weiss was a mensch.

It’s a term I think he would appreciate. Mensch is a Yiddish word that means “a good person,” someone imbued with the qualities of decency, empathy, compassion, strong character, integrity and honor. Yes, Jeff was a mensch, but he also was a quirky eccentric, an American original who followed his own drummer and traveled his own path.

His curiosity was deep and expansive. During his newspaper career, he covered a stunning array of topics – politics, religion, education, energy, bringing to each an exhaustive amount of energy, imagination and creativity. He prided himself on being able to make any subject interesting – and understandable. He succeeded more times that he failed.

And when he did fall short of his own expectations, he didn’t let that eat at him. He squared his shoulders and surged ahead, ready for the next challenge, the next story, the next deadline.

Jeff and I were not close friends. We worked in the same newsroom together for many years, went to lunch occasionally and for a brief time, I edited his stories. He was both a joy to work with and a royal pain in the ass, sometimes simultaneously. The same can be said for most good reporters. And for most good people, too.

I followed his progress on Facebook and through his DMN stories. Like many of his work friends today, I wish I had taken the time to visit him in his final months. I suppose such regrets are common on days like this.

Across the country today, newspaper men and women are hard at work, laboring under deadline to bring understanding and illumination to their readers. Jeff spent his life doing that, including his last few precious months.

So I pay honor to Jeff Weiss, newspaperman, and to the beleaguered and maligned profession he loved and served so well. May you enjoy fair winds and following seas for whatever comes next.

Game Day: Southlake Carroll 35, Flower Mound Marcus 21

When the Southlake Carroll Dragons, leading Flower Mound Marcus by a mere 7 points, lined up to punt the ball about midway through the 4^th quarter last night, I turned to my wife and said, “They sure could have used another score. Seven points isn’t going to be enough.”

The Carroll coaches must have agreed. Instead of booting the ball and relying on a defense that had struggled to blunt Marcus’ hard-charging offense all night, the Dragons staged a crowd-pleasing fake punt. After a direct snap to running back T.J. McDaniel, he quickly tossed it to WR Cade Bell sprinting down the right sideline.

Bell rumbled 32 yards before he was stopped at the 5. Three plays later, the Dragons widened their lead and soon the Carroll Marching Band struck up “Hey, Baby,” the traditional sign that we could all begin planning our post-game celebrations.

Marcus, which falls to 2-2 in district play, did not go gentle into that good night. It fought hard on both sides of the ball, keeping pace with Dragon quarterback Will Bowers and company for most of the game and making Carroll work hard for every score.

But ultimately, the Dragon defense made the difference. Marcus’ hard-charging running back, Justin Dinka, scored twice, once on a 30-yard pass from quarterback Xavier Maxwell and again on a 25-yard run. But he was held to a total of 70 rushing yards, far below his normal rate.

Marcus was more successful in the air, with the connection between Maxwell and WR Evan Green bedeviling the Dragon secondary, at least in the first half. Locker room adjustments presumably addressed that because the Marauders managed only a single score in the second half. In the crucial 4^th quarter, they were held to only 21 total yards and 10 plays.

Marcus did not make it easy for the Dragon offense. The Marauder defense keyed on the phenomenal McDaniel all night, but the Coppell transfer couldn’t be denied, rolling up 154 yards on 26 carries and 2 TDs. The two longest plays of the game were his back-to-back runs of 35 and 40 yards to set up the Dragons’ first score.

Bowers, 10 of 19 for 138 yards, had a frustrating night, missing several key passes and watching experienced receivers drop catchable balls. He rushed 10 times for 35. On the other hand, he passed for 1 TD and ran for another.

Once again, the remarkable sophomore, R.J. Mickens, excelled on both sides of the ball, breaking up running plays, disrupting pass routes, returning punts and catching a 14-yard TD pass. It’s all in a day’s work for perhaps the Dragons’ most talented athlete.

Until Carroll's fake punt, the contest had been a seesaw affair. Both squads had traded touchdowns to arrive at the end of the 3^rd tied at 21-21.

Then Bowers, at the Marauders’ 14, dropped back and pitched to Mickens, who caught the ball over his head as he fell backwards in the end zone.

That gave Carroll the tenuous 7-point lead it enjoyed when Marcus, driving to respond, failed to convert on a 4-1 at its 45.

Taking over, the Dragons could do little better. After 3 plays, they faced a 4-8 at the Marcus 37. As they lined up to punt, I began to worry about a Marauder comeback.

Instead, Carroll rolled out the tricky play it had been practicing all season but never used.

"We work on things for a reason," head coach Hal Wasson told The Dallas Morning News after the game. "We're not going to keep anything in the back pocket."

Wasson, once the most predictable of coaches, has changed his cautious ways as he’s gotten older. Some of us, which is to say me, believe Wasson was forever altered by his team’s amazing come-back victory over Dallas Skyline in the 2011 state semifinals.

During the game-winning drive, with time expiring, a wild fox wandered onto the field and encountered Dragon quarterback Kenny Hill – now playing for TCU – as he weaved his way to the end zone. That astounding victory set up Southlake’s last state championship, and Wasson became forever “The Silver Fox.”

My theory is the incident, which holds a prominent spot in Dragon football lore, prompted Wasson to embrace the unexpected. Ok, ok, that’s probably nonsense. But one thing is certain, trick plays have become a much bigger part of the Dragon play book than in Wasson’s earlier years. And to me, that’s a good thing.

The importance of last night’s win over Marcus can’t be overstated. A loss would have left the Dragons with a 2-2 district record and dropped them to fourth in district rankings. That would be the lowest district ranking they have endured in years.

Only the top four teams in any district qualify for the playoffs, and the lower the ranking, the tougher opponent in the first round of the playoffs. Generally.

With the win, however, Southlake stands at 3-1 in district play, with Trophy Club Byron Nelson next up. The Bobcats are 2-2 in district, beating Flower Mound and Lewisville, both of whom were easily dispatched by the Dragons. Next in line is lowly L.D. Bell, which at 0-4 in district shares the 5-6A cellar with Lewisville.

Things get considerably tougher for the regular season finale on Nov. 10. Carroll travels to Lewisville for a critical, gut-busting contest against district leader Lewisville Hebron, which sports a 4-0 district record along with Euless Trinity.

A win against the Hawks could give the Dragons a shot at the 5-6A crown, despite their earlier loss to Trinity. To give wings to that hope, and increase the stakes mightily for a Hebron-Carroll showdown, the Hawks would have to defeat the Trojans next week, a definite possibility, and the Dragons would have to best Byron Nelson and Bell, which should happen.

Grounding the Hawks can be done. Hebron is a beast, but not unbeatable. It whipped Flower Mound last night 34-21, a team the Dragons defeated 45-31. Such comparisons don’t mean much, of course, and probably only prove that Flower Mound, despite a 1-3 district record, is no pushover.

For their part, the Hawks have a potent offense and an effective defense. Mess around with these guys, and they’ll hand your head to you and bid you good day.

But those worries are for another day. It’s fall in Texas, and there’s a nip in the evening air at game time. I know where I’ll be for the next few Fridays. What about you?

Go Dragons!

Game Day: Southlake Carroll 51, Lewisville 0

The only suspense in last night’s contest between the Southlake Carroll Dragons and the Lewisville Fighting Farmers was whether Carroll’s practice squad could keep the desperate Farmers out of the end zone in a big-yawn 4^th quarter.

They did, to the satisfaction of the scattering of die-hard Dragon fans who stuck around for the post-game handshakes of a mismatch that was settled decisively by the middle of the 2^nd period.

In many respects, it was the Will Bowers Show, as the junior quarterback threw for four touchdowns to four separate receivers and rushed for two more.  He completed his first 11 throws of the game before ending the streak with an interception inside the Lewisville 10 with seconds left in the half.

But most of us were willing to forgive Bowers of the mishap, considering his effectiveness for most of the game. He completed 12 of 14 for 183 yards, including TD passes of 34 yards to Darryl Crockett, 23 yards to R.J. Mickens, 15 yards to Hudson Shrum and 7 yards to Jacob Doddridge.

He also ran 4 yards for a TD in the Dragons’ first-half scoring spree and capped his night with a 32-yard scamper in the 3^rd before turning over QB duties to senior Clayton Webb.

It was an impressive showing for Bowers, after his desultory performance last week in a losing effort to Euless Trinity. True, it was against a team inhabiting the cellar of District 5-6A along with L.D. Bell and Trophy Club Bryon Nelson. And true, Bowers still struggles with his long ball and with protecting the rock.

But he shook off any lingering effects of last week’s debacle against the Trojans, which certainly ended Dragon hopes of another 5-6A championship, and engineered successful drives in 5 of Carroll’s first 6 possessions.

An interesting side note of the game was the fact that both teams’ leading rushers shared the same last name. During the first couple of Lewisville possessions, when Farmer RB Treshaun McDaniel got the bulk of rushing assignments, the Dragon Stadium announcer kept referring to McDaniel this and McDaniel that. It occurred to me that perhaps the Dragons, in the spirit of good sportsmanship against an overmatched foe, had loaned the hapless Farmers the services of their standout RB, T.J. McDaniel (9 carries for 67 yards).

I know, I know. That’s ridiculous, of course, probably the result of a mind seeking a diversion from the slaughter of the innocents taking place on the field below.

Also providing entertainment during the rout were Mickens, the Dragons' sophomore phenom, and kicker Neal Koskay.

Mickens, who plays both sides as cornerback/receiver, probably could kick the ball and order a pizza, too, if the need arose. Along with the 1^st-quarter TD pass, he snagged a 3^rd-quarter punt and scooted 70 yards, virtually untouched, to the end zone.

Koskay, who had missed an extra point earlier, ended Carroll scoring late in the 4^th when he booted a 50-yard field goal, a feat to be celebrated at any time, even when it occurs with the night’s opponent thoroughly chastened and backups playing at every position, save kicker and holder.

After the frustration of watching the Dragons blow a 17-point lead in last week’s “tale of two halves” performance against Trinity, it was satisfying to see a Carroll offense clicking in rhythm both on the ground and in the air and to watch its young defense effectively smother a running game and completely disrupt a passing one.

The Farmers (1-5, 0-3) managed only 6 first downs for the night in compiling a paltry 28 yards in the air and 84 on the ground. It was truly an epic butt-kicking by the Dragons

But the massacre didn’t quell nagging doubts about this team’s ability to handle the more challenging foes it faces down the district road.

Flower Mound Marcus (4-2, 3-1) is coming up next, and district-leading Lewisville Hebron (5-1, 3-0) face the Dragons Nov. 10 on the last game of the regular season. Hebron defeated Marcus last night 33-10 to keep pace with Trinity at the top of 5-6A.

Despite the quality of the opponent, last night’s Dragon victory represents, one hopes, a definitive shift into high gear for this young squad as it plunges into the last half of its district schedule and prepares mentally and physically for the playoffs.

Head coach Hal Wasson said as much in post-game radio interviews.

“This was a real confidence builder for us,” he said. “Our players prepared hard, and they played hard. We’ll observe the 24-hour rule (enjoy the victory) and get ready for the next one.”

Last week, Wasson had called out his players, with uncharacteristic bluntness, for sloppy play and the failure to finish drives. Last night, he said he was delighted with the Dragons’ scoring efficiency and defensive effectiveness against the Farmers.

 Dragon Stadium was awash in Homecoming mums. One Emerald Belle’s gigantic mum covered her entire body and obscured much of her face. It was impressive, even from the green seats where I admired it – and marveled at the sheer glorious excess it represented.

I know it’s hard for Midwesterners and northerners to understand the big deal about mums. But I’d predict that about 65 percent of the girls – and guys – wearing mums last night have parents who hail from up north. Many Dragon parents may not understand it, but they have embraced the concept imaginatively and enthusiastically. God bless ’em.

Tread carefully, Marauders. The Imaginary Creatures are waiting for you. Go Dragons!

Game Day: Euless Trinity 21, Southlake Carroll 20

BEDFORD – Ho-hum. Another classic Carroll-Trinity match up, another gut-wrenching, down-to-the-wire, last-gasp finale that had both sides gulping for breath and thankful that it was over.

One side won, the other side lost, but no one can say they didn’t get their money’s worth, even the losers who are licking their wounds today. Slurp, slurp.

I don’t know why this particular neighborhood rivalry produces such entertaining, close-fought games. But it does. And Dallas-Fort Worth high school football fans ought to be grateful, I suppose, even those of us who did a fair amount of tossing and turning last night as the game’s critical moments replayed in our aching heads.

The Dragons had their chances, God knows. They led at half 17-0 and outpaced the Trojans in first downs and total yardage. But a different team showed up at Pennington Field for the second half, utterly unable to blunt a determined Trojan offense -- helmed by quarterback Esteban Larranaga and fueled by hard-charging running back Courage Keihn -- and incapable of mounting any effective offense of its own.

The Trojan O-line won the battle of the trenches in the second half, particularly in the crucial third quarter, insuring Keihn that he had four or five yards by the time he even touched the ball. And when he hit the line, he shed tacklers as if he was playing against children as he bulldozed his way to 213 rushing yards on 27 carries for two touchdowns.

The Trojans staged their impressive comeback entirely on the ground. Larranaga threw only 6 passes all night, none in the second half.

After the game, head coach Hal Wasson stated the obvious when he blamed the defeat on two things: the Dragons’ inability to score touchdowns on their trips into the Trojan red zone and Carroll defenders’ ineptitude (my word, not his) in making tackles.

What made last night’s defeat particularly unpleasant was the stark distinction between the first and second halves. It was as if the Dragons were channeling the Dallas Cowboys’ “tale of two halves” against the LA Rams last Sunday. Talk about choosing the wrong heroes to emulate!

In the first half, they kept the Trojans out of the end zone, while they capitalized on Trinity mistakes and employed an effective ground game behind the hard running of RB T.J. McDaniel, who rushed for 157 yards on 29 carries for two TDs.

The Dragons first two scores gave many of us hope that we were in store for a replay of last year’s Trinity game, when the Dragons whupped up on the Trojans 42-28 and effectively secured the District 5-6A title.

In the first quarter, they sacked Larranaga on Trinity’s first possession – set up by quarterback Will Bowers’ interception – and forced the Trojan signal caller to cough up the ball. Carroll then marched 47 yards in 7 plays to set up McDaniel’s 12-yard sprint to the end zone.

Later, they sacked Larranaga again, forcing a 4^th-and-long that Trinity couldn’t convert. In the ensuing 10-play, 66-yard drive, powerful running by Bowers and McDaniel set up McDanel’s 1-yard plunge though the pile for Carroll’s second score.

The Dragons’ final score of the first half came after they recovered a fumbled kickoff reception inside the Trinity 10, offering the promise of a three-score lead. Overcoming a 21-point deficit would have been difficult for a team like Trinity, which relies on a grinding ground attack. And such a lead might have given the Dragons a sufficient cushion to smother the Trojan comeback.

But, alas, Carroll’s drive stalled,  forcing it to settle for a 28-yard Neal Koskay field goal.

Trinity successfully bottled up the Carroll offense during its second-half scoring spree, limiting McDaniel to only 49 yards and only allowing Carroll a solitary field goal for the entire half.

The game ended, as so many of us knew it would, in highly dramatic fashion. With Carroll leading 20-14, Larranaga, the Trojan QB, engineered a soul-killing, clock-draining drive down field that arrived at the Carroll 10-yard line with 3 minutes left in the game.

Keihn took it to the 3, where Carroll used its first timeout. He then drove to the 1, where Carroll took its second timeout. On the next play, he was stopped by the desperate Dragons inches from the goal line, and Carroll took its final timeout.

Then, inevitably, inexorably, Larranaga crashed into the end zone, and Trinity’s extra point gave it the lead for the first time with 2:44 left on the clock.

At that point, all was not lost. Victory, sweet, glorious, last-minute victory still was within reach. All the Dragons had to do was drive to within field goal range, where Koskay could put a satisfying cap on another classic encounter between two programs that have won a total of 11 state championships.

The Dragon drive started out promisingly. Starting at its own 25, Bowers connected with WR Cade Bell for a 24-yard reception. On the next play, he connected with Hudson Shrum for another 10.

Then disaster. With 1:40 left, he hefted a high arching long ball for the end zone. But Trojan cornerback Nigel Blount grabbed it at the 5, and there hope died.

Bowers had a up and down night. He threw two interceptions, and narrowly missed making at least two more. His difficulty in connecting down field continues to haunt the Dragon offense. But he completed 8 of 14 passes for 98 yards and two TDs, rushing for 70 more. He and McDaniels were lethal in the first half, but a point-barren second dulled their accomplishment.

So at mid-season, Carroll’s record stands at 3-2, 1-1 in District 5-6A. That’s unusual for a proud program like Southlake, whose sights are always on a district championship, followed by a long run in the playoffs.

But it’s not terribly surprising. Pre-season predictions were that the Dragons would struggle this year. Question marks abounded about Bowers and his inexperienced receiver corps. And there were deep concerns about Carroll’s young defense.

Turns out those concerns were justified. It’s too early to give up on these Dragons, of course. It’s a young squad, filled with talented sophomores on both sides of the ball who are learning their trade in the rough-and-tumble of Friday Night Lights. They still are capable of achieving great things.

As you’ve heard me say repeatedly, anything is possible in high school football. That’s what makes it fun – and infuriating, all at once. At the end of the day, however, it’s best to be realistic. Although the Dragons almost certainly will make the playoffs, how long they hang around is sure to be debated hotly around Southlake patios in coming weeks. Upcoming contests with district foes Marcus and Hebron, who both won handily last night, take on a different tenor.

One casualty of the loss to Trinity is the district championship. The Trojans (3-2, 2-0) are odds-on favorites to capture that honor.

So best not to look too far into the future. It’s time to concentrate on the next game on the schedule. The Lewisville Fighting Farmers are winless in district play, falling to Marcus last night 18-7. They’ll get a special treat when they arrive at Dragon Stadium on Friday night.

It’s Homecoming, y’all, and mum’s the word. Literally. After all, this is Southlake, where Carroll’s female students risk neck sprains every year to support the state’s largest, fanciest and most expensive Homecoming mums.

Critics say they’re a colossal waste of time and money, and perhaps they are. But the world needs a little innocent craziness now and then, particularly in this, our season of political and social discontent. And a long life observing human nature tells me that money spent on mums will never go to more worthwhile projects. It’ll just be directed at something equally silly and useless. So why not mums?

 Here’s to happier days for us all. Go Dragons!

'I know you. You're ... famous"

Tom Petty is at peace. And the confusion and fixation about the circumstances of his death can be attributed in large part to our fascination with celebrity and fame.

For many of us, Petty was more than just a famous person. He was an important part of our lives. His music brought us joy, offered us solace, sustained us in an often bleak world. He rocked and we rocked with him. But fame is a double-edged sword.

It brings public adoration but something darker, too. At a time when he and his loved ones deserved privacy and respect, his final hours were a public spectacle. Petty was smart enough to understand that. He even made gentle fun of his celebrity.

In the movie The Postman, a guilty pleasure of mine, Kevin Costner’s character encounters Petty, who portrays the leader of a group of post-apocalyptic survivors. In amazement, the Postman says, “I know you. You’re … famous.” Petty sheepishly replies, “I was once. Sorta. Kinda. Not anymore.”

Fame is fleeting. But Tom Petty will be remembered for as long as music of his era is played and enjoyed. Which is to say – forever.