For the 18th 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 1st 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 1st 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 4th, 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 4th 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 1st 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!
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