Area Round: Southlake Carroll 33, DeSoto 15

FRISCO – OK, here’s a test. In last night’s game between the Southlake Carroll Dragons and the DeSoto Eagles, reigning 6A Division II state champions, the winners staged a series of quick-strike big offensive plays, interspersed between long, grinding drives that kept their talented opponents cooling their heels on the sidelines.

Now, who won? That’s easy. The Dragons, of course. Who did you pick?

Last night’s victory, which advances the Dragons to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2014, was as surprising as it was satisfying.

When the Dragon Nation arrived at the Dallas Cowboys’ impressive Ford Center at The Star, most of us hoped, but didn’t really believe, that Carroll’s young defense had the mojo to stop DeSoto’s swift-footed, hard-charging offense.

The Eagles had run roughshod over opponents all season, led by quarterback Courtney Douglas, a 6-1, 215-pound charger with quick moves and a rifle arm, ably assisted by a platoon of scary-good running backs. They had skill, ability and confidence -- and they were convinced they were cruising to a repeat of their first state championship last year.

The young Dragons, meanwhile, had clawed their way into the playoffs after their first three-loss season in years. They had played unevenly in their last three games, struggling against L.D. Bell, the worst team in District 5-6A, and falling before worthy Hebron in the finale. But they had shut out the McKinney Lions 42-0 in last week’s bi-district round, showing complete dominance on both sides of the ball.

The Dragons appeared to be finally coming into their own, and at just the right time, too. They certainly were capable of pulling off the upset. More realistically, however, most Dragon fans knew the Lions weren’t the offensive powerhouse that DeSoto was, and we figured the Dragons might hang tough through the first half, but finally be overwhelmed by the Eagles in the second.

Brother, did we figure wrong. Ain’t high school football grand?

The stars of the night were the young members of the Dragon defense, who blunted Douglas’ prowess and held the high-flying Eagles scoreless for the two middle quarters, just as their offensive brethren seized control of the game.

As any coach will tell you, timing is everything in football, and Carroll’s defensive unit has picked the opening two contests of the post-season to up its game. Douglas got his yards last night, and the Eagles remained dangerous until the last minutes of the 4^th quarter, but Dragon defenders kept DeSoto on its heels for most of the night and not roaring up and down the field.

The Carroll win had an inauspicious beginning. The Dragons went 3-and-out on their first possession, and the Eagles followed up with a frighteningly efficient 5-play, 66-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead.

Uh-oh, I thought. This could be a long evening. Little did I know it would be the Eagles’ last score until the closing minutes of the 4^th quarter.

 On the next series, the Dragons stalled again, but an outstanding punt by Neal Koskay pinned DeSoto on its own 4-yard line. That marked a quiet turning point in the game.

Led by the inestimable Jacob Dodderidge, the Carroll defense stiffened, and DeSoto could go no farther than the Dragon 45.

The Dragons struggled on the subsequent drive, hampered by highly suspect officiating that failed to flag obvious pass interference on receiver R.J. Mickens, then punished the Dragons for nonexistent offensive interference two plays later.

From his own 22, quarterback Will Bowers connected first with Mickens for a 41-yard catch-and-run, then immediately followed with a 37-yard TD pass to star running back T.J. McDaniel.

Carroll had things in hand from that moment on, completing its next two drives with touchdowns, the first of which was set up when linebacker Matty Werner snagged a Douglas pass around midfield. The Dragons led at half 20-7 and never looked back.

Bowers was superb, completing 8 of 12 passes for 170 yards and 3 TDs, and rushing for 38 and 1 TD. His sole rushing score occurred on the Dragons’ second scoring drive of the first half. Sacked at the DeSoto 33, Bowers ran the ball twice to the 5 and handed off to McDaniel, who was stuffed at the 4. Facing 3^rd down, Bowers faked to McDaniel, who plunged left, fooling most of the DeSoto line, while the quarterback veered right and slipped over the goal line.

It was a beautiful play that handed the Dragons a lead they never surrendered.

McDaniel also gave a good accounting, rushing for 128 yards on 25 carries and 2 TDs. He averaged more than 5 yards per carry and bedeviled the DeSoto line, which never effectively controlled the elusive runner.

The success of its ground attack allowed Southlake to control the tempo of the game and keep the talented Douglas – 23 of 35 passes for 213 yards, and 77 yards rushing on 15 attempts – on the bench. For example, Matt Wixon of The Dallas Morning News reported that one Dragon drive in the scoreless 3^rd took almost 7 minutes off the clock.

The Dragons managed some yardage-gobbling plays, too. In the closing seconds of the 1^st half, Bowers engineered a time-consuming 85-yard drive that ended with a 34-yard TD strike to Mickens, giving the Dragons their two-score lead at the break.

Another big play resulted in their first score of the second half, midway through the 4^th . A DeSoto punt gave Carroll excellent field position on its own 45. McDaniel ran three straight times before capping the effort with a 28-yard sprint to the end zone.

That gave the Dragons an insurmountable 26-7 lead with 5 minutes left. Or so we thought.

The Eagles, to their credit, refused to give up and showed they had the weapons -- and the determination -- to score quickly, perhaps quickly enough to overcome Carroll's hefty 19-point lead. They demonstrated the threat on the next series when Douglas competed two quick passes to bring his team to the Dragon 19. There, he struggled first to the 11, then into the end zone, a 4-play drive that took little more than a minute. A two-point conversion narrowed the Carroll lead to 11.

On the inevitable onside kick, the Dragons bobbled the ball at midfield, and players from both teams converged. A tense stadium waited as officials disentangled the pile.

I was thinking that 11 points might not be enough cushion to prevent DeSoto’s powerful offense, which we’d just witnessed at its breathtakingly efficient  best, from stealing a last-gasp victory.

But fate favored Southlake. It was awarded the ball and marched methodically down the field for its fifth score of the night, a 3-yard Bowers pass to Preston Forney in the back of the end zone.

By halting the Eagles' march to state, Carroll progresses to the regional semi-final round, facing the surprising Arlington Colts (10-2) in the Ford Center next Saturday.

The Colts obliterated El Paso Montwood last night, crushing the Rams 77-42 in a wild affair that saw three Arlington backs run for more than 200 yards. Quarterback D’Montae Davis rushed for 220 yards and 3 TDs, Kenland McCray ran for 223 yards and 2 TDs and Zander Benson made 229 yards and 4 TDs.

That’s scary stuff, and the Dragon defense must step up and be counted for the third straight week. In the third round, nothing comes easy.

Last night was the Dragons’ first trip to the glitzy Star complex in Frisco. The Ford Center is dazzling on the outside. It’s nice inside, too, but at its heart, it has the feel of an indoor practice facility, only with a fancy giant screen, nice seating and expensive concessions. I like it.

I also like that December is near, and the Dragons are still playing. What an unexpected Christmas present for Carroll fans and those who love us.

Go Dragons!

Bi-District Round: Southlake Carroll 42, McKinney 0

It wasn’t supposed to be that easy. The McKinney Lions, Southlake Carroll’s first-round playoff opponent, were supposed to be a tough nut to crack.

Everyone expected the Lions to be full of piss and vinegar after making it into the postseason for the first time since 2009. And what chance did the Dragons have, after struggling to contain lowly L.D. Bell two weeks ago, in stopping McKinney’s leading rusher, the worthy Matt Gadek?

Gadek, it must be remembered, possesses the state’s single-game rushing record for an astounding 599-yard performance earlier in the season against Plano East.

Stopping the hard-charging Gadek, who came into the game with 2,207 rushing yards and 17 TDs, promised to be a tall order. And then there was senior quarterback Damon Witmer, who had thrown for 1,360 yards and 16 TDs in the regular season. Many football wizards predicted the Carroll-McKinney contest would be an “entertaining” affair sure to the get the playoffs off to a rousing start.

Such talk filled many Dragon fans with a grim foreboding and raised a couple of haunting questions. Was Carroll’s 18^th consecutive playoff appearance doomed to be a short-lived affair? Would the struggling Dragons fail to make it out of the first round for the first time in almost two decades?

The Dragons answered at least one of those questions in a decisive manner last night, holding McKinney scoreless and limiting Gadek to a mere 61 rushing yards on 21 carries. Thus ended McKinney hopes for its first playoff victory since 1994.

For their trouble, the Dragons won the right to face the DeSoto Eagles, who destroyed the Copperas Cove Bulldogs last night to make it to the area round. Last year, the Eagles, helmed by the remarkable Shawn Robinson, eliminated Southlake in the second round of the playoffs on their way to the 6A Division II state championship.

Robinson, recruited by TCU, will be starting today for the injured Kenny Hill, a former Dragon signal caller, in a crucial game against Texas Tech. It’s a small world, ain’t it?

And in a new wrinkle for Dragon fans, the DeSoto game will be played next Saturday at The Star in Frisco. It’s a new venue, at least for Southlake denizens, but an old foe in what promises to be a classic matchup.

The Dragons would like a little payback for the results of their last two encounters with the high-flying Eagles. In addition to last year’s early exit at the hands of DeSoto, the Dragons fell before the Eagles in the fourth round in 2012.

That game was Kenny Hill’s last for the Dragons, and it ended in heartbreaking fashion for Carroll, at the time the defending Divison II state champion. In the closing seconds of that game, the Eagles staged a brilliant goal line defense, barring a desperate Hill from the end zone on three consecutive plays and ensuring their 49-45 victory.

Even now, the memory brings a flush of frustration to many of the Dragon faithful.

To put it mildly, the teams have history, and the next chapter will be written on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

DeSoto head coach Todd Peterman summed it nicely for The Dallas Morning News. “Who doesn’t want to play Southlake Carroll? Who doesn’t want to play DeSoto? Two great teams are going to go after it.”

Indeed.

As for last night, it was billed as a battle of running backs – the heralded Gadek versus the Dragons’ brilliant rusher, junior T.J. McDaniel.

In the event, it wasn’t much of a battle. Not even a skirmish. More of a dispute, really, quickly settled.

While Gadek was getting stuffed by an inspired Dragon defense, McDaniel was leading the Dragon charge, literally. He staged back-to-back runs of 70 and 72 yards in a rip-snorting 2^nd period, rushed for a season-record 311 yards, and scored 5 – count ’em, 5 – touchdowns.

McDaniel, who missed the last two games of the regular season because of injury, said in a post-game radio interview that he had something to prove last night.

“I really wanted a big game to make up for the two games I missed,” he said. “I just did what I do. I run physical and I run tough. I see green grass and I run.”

Senior defensive lineman Ryan Thompson, asked to compare Gadek and McDaniel, dismissed the opinion of many before the game that the Lions had the better runner.

“In my opinion, T.J. is the best running back in the state,” he stated flatly. “He does amazing things on the field. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Carroll controlled things from the opening kickoff, scoring on five consecutive possessions in the decisive 1^st half. It rolled up 541 total yards, compared to the Lions’ meager146.

McDaniel accounted for most of the Dragons’ 399 rushing yards, of course. Backup Tavian Gould, who performed admirably during McDaniel’s two-game absence, got 27 yards on 8 carries after the starter was pulled in the middle of the 3^rd.

Quarterback Will Bowers, who has played hot and cold in the regular season, was red-hot in the playoff opener. He peppered his receiving corps with sharply thrown passes, completing 13 of 15 (an 86 percent completion rate) for 142 yards and 1 TD.

Cade Bell, 3 catches for 54 yards, was the leading receiver, followed by Hudson Shrum, 4 of 32, and Eli Fergal, 1 for 26.  Defensive standout R.J. Mickens, who also plays on offense and special teams, snagged 2 for 14, including a TD.

But the real heroes of the night were the Dragon defenders who smothered one of the state’s premier running backs and pitched a perfect game.

McDaniel acknowledged as much when he described his phenomenal 72-yard scamper in the 2^nd, after the defense forced a Lion punt. On the first play from scrimmage at the Dragon 9, McDaniel plunged through the center of the McKinney line, veered to the right, then crossed the entire field and continued his run along the left sideline before finally being downed at the Lion 19.

That run was all the more amazing because the previous Dragon drive had ended with a 70-yard McDaniel dash down the left to the end zone. Two consecutive plays, 142 yards.

All in a day’s work for McDaniel, who said he and his offensive line work hard to get the timing right.

“When they’re clicking, I’m clicking,” he said.

Jacob Dodderidge, one of the most athletically talented players on the Dragon bench, accompanied McDaniel on his 72-yard race. Dodderidge plays everywhere, occasionally lining up as fullback in the Dragon backfield.

“I was running behind Jake,” McDaniel explained. “I don’t know how many people he blocked. He was just hammering people.”

Thompson, the Dragon defensive lineman, admitted that injuries to McKinney’s two leading rushers – one in last week’s game against McKinney Boyd and the other on the first series against the Dragons last night – forced the Lions into a one-dimensional game and allowed him and his teammates to “focus on the running backs.”

A pleased Hal Wasson, Carroll head coach, praised his defense’s success in shutting down Gadek.

“They came in snarly today,” he said in a postgame radio interview. “And I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

After a lackluster performance against Bell two weeks ago and a losing effort against Hebron last week, Wasson said he noticed a difference in his players now that the playoffs are here.

 “I saw a new attitude tonight,” he said. “I’m excited about it.”

Thompson said the Dragons will be ready for some payback against the Eagles.

“We’re going to come out with a passion,” he said. “We’re going to be ready to fight.”

Sounds good to me. Go Dragons!

Game Day: Hebron 36, Southlake Carroll 31

CARROLLTON – The Hebron Hawks, propelled by a double-threat quarterback and a host of fleet-footed receivers, finally overwhelmed a stubborn Southlake Carroll team last night, saddling the unhappy Dragons with their first three-loss regular season in many a moon.

Radio statisticians said it was the first three-loss season for Carroll since 2010, a year – it must be remembered – when the Dragons made it into the fourth-round of the playoffs, which begin next week.

A comparable finish for the 2017 squad would be a lofty accomplishment, considering its youth and athletic prowess. But such a feat, at least from where I sit, seems unlikely – although hope springs eternal, etc., etc.

I suspect head coach Hal Wasson thinks so, too. In his post-game comments with radio commentator Kelly Milligan, he cited his team’s lack of focus and shoddy tackling as a top reason for the evening’s failing effort.

“We have to be consistent in our discipline. We have to be consistent in our execution,” he said grimly. But he sounded like a man who knows that those are problems that should be ironed out by the last game of the regular season.

They were on full display last week during Carroll’s much-criticized performance against hapless L.D. Bell, turning what should have been a cakewalk into a thrilling stroll down terror lane.

Wasson, a man prone to seek euphemisms for unpleasant truths, blamed the desultory play on a “mindset issue,” meaning I suppose that his players mistakenly thought they could coast against the unworthy Blue Raiders.

They certainly couldn’t have labored under that impression last night when they lined up against the high-flying Hawks. Hebron has been a beast this season, cruising past all its District 5-6A foes, save for Euless Trinity, which clinched sole possession of the 5-6A crown last night by downing Flower Mound Marcus 21-16.

And yet, breakdowns in assignments led to at least three Hebron scores and spelled the difference in a hard-fought, back-and-forth contest that was both entertaining and infuriating – at least for the Dragon faithful who drove across the Metroplex to see the game.

Despite their lack of focus at critical moments, these young Dragons gave a good accounting of themselves against the skilled and disciplined Hawks. In the decisive 4^th quarter, with the Hawks in control, the Dragons dug deep and clawed their way from a two-score deficit twice to keep the game close.

In the end, however, after running back Tavian Gould capped a desperate 11-play, 75-yard, clock-draining drive with a 2-yard TD plunge, the Dragons lined up for an onside kick with 2:12 left.

Kicker Clayton Webb booted a perfect blooper that Hebron bobbled, resulting in a thrashing free-for-all at midfield. It took the refs a while to untangle the melee, but when they did, Hawk receiver Trejan Bridges had the ball. A relieved Hebron then ran out the clock.

Stellar Hawk quarterback Clayton Tune, fleet-footed and rocket-armed, set up the exciting climax with a 3-play, 65-yard TD drive that ended in a perfect pass to Jaren Mitchell (9 catches for 130 yards and 2 TDs). In an eyeblink, the speedy Mitchell raced 57 yards down the right sideline to his second TD of the night.

Tune was phenomenal, completing 24 of 36 passes for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns. He only managed 31 rushing yards, but that’s deceptive since he made them at critical times, including a 2-yard TD lunge in the 2^nd after Carroll had scored twice in 41seconds and led 14-3.

He was particularly effective on 3^rd-down plays, repeatedly defeating efforts by the scrappy Dragon defense to get off the field.

Deadly in his own right, Tune had some potent offensive weapons in his arsenal. RB Jatyn Taylor scampered 118 yards on 11 carries, including a dramatic 55-yard TD run.

And the aforementioned Mitchell preceded his dagger-to-the-heart TD catch in the 4^th with a 28-yard catch-and-run in which he fought his way inside the 10, outmuscled the defender and plunged across the goal line.

In many ways, that play epitomized the winning Hawk strategy against Carroll – using Tune’s pinpoint accuracy and smash-mouth football to beat down the Dragons.

Perhaps the most painful thorn in the Dragon side was Bridges, who dashed their desperate hopes with his onside kick recovery. His jaw-dropping 70-yard punt return in the 2^nd, aided by shoddy execution along the length of the field, served notice to Carroll that it might be a long night.

To their credit, the Dragons were never out of it. They led, in fact, 17-15 at the half. And when the Hawks slipped into the lead and kept it, they fought to the end. Their epic 4^th-quarter struggle to overtake the Hawks is a worthy entry in the Carroll football archives.

For the second straight week, they were hampered by the absence of standout running back T.J. McDaniel. Losing a difference maker like McDaniel had an impact on the results, no doubt. But a trio of Dragons – Gould, quarterback Will Bowers and defensive back Jacob Doddridge – stepped into McDaniel’s role and performed outstandingly.

Yes, you heard that right, Doddridge, a mainstay on Dragon defense, was moved to running back for several crucial plays, and he was a charging bull, carrying 7 times for 47 yards.

On a series in the 3^rd quarter, after the Hawks seized the lead 22-17, he plunged three straight times through the Hawk front line, dragging multiple tacklers, to make 21 precious yards and keep the drive alive.

The single proudest moment of the game for me came later in that series.

The Dragons faced a 4-4 at the Hawk 39. Doddridge took the handoff from Bowers and powered his way forward. Three Hawks met him at the line of scrimmage, and soon the entire defensive line converged on the struggling Doddridge.

But he refused to go down and continued to push, inch-by-inch, yard-by-yard, forward. Finally, inevitably, he was forced to the turf, first to his knees and then on his face. A measurement revealed he was inches short, and Hebron took control of the ball.

Gould led in rushing for the Dragons, showing a graceful power as he carried 18 times for 108 yards and 1 TD. He will be a solid asset for the Dragons when McDaniel returns for the playoffs next week. The tandem of McDaniel and a confident, hard-charging Gould should give the Dragons a formidable ground game in post-season play.

They’ll need it, I’m afraid. The Carroll aerial attack still leaves much to be desired. Bowers performed well last night, rushing 93 yards on 14 carries. In the air, he was less successful, completing 12 of 21 for only 134 yards, most of those in the 4^th.

Cade Bell (5-49) was his favorite receiver, but they had trouble connecting all night. Some of Bowers passes sailed over the worthy Bell’s head. Other catchable balls weren’t.

On the other hand, five of Bowers’ receivers compiled double-digit yardage, and two – Preston Forney (1-18) and Hudson Shrum (3-24) – scored TDs. Moreover, in the desperate 4^th quarter, Bowers kept the Dragons alive, completing 6 of 9 passes for 84 yards.

So the regular season ends on a down note. Lacking the momentum they had hoped, the Dragons must shake off their disappointment quickly. They host the McKinney Lions from District 6-6A at Dragon Stadium next Friday in the bi-district round.

At least, I think they do. Confusion reigned supreme last night about whether the Dragons will get a home game in the first round, as I so confidently stated last week.

I could go through the convoluted calculations that caused the knowledgeable hosts of Dragon Radio to report that Dragon Stadium would, then wouldn’t, then would, then wouldn’t, and finally, just as the radio show was signing off, yes, would indeed be the site of the Dragons’ first-round game.

But I’m not going to. In addition to the labyrinth mysteries of UIL playoff rules, each district has its own set of confounding regulations governing post-season play. Chuck Kelly and company were almost in tears by evening’s end. If they’re confused, what chance do the rest of us have?

Suffice to say, I’m assuming nothing until game time.

McKinney lost to cross-town rival McKinney Boyd last night, 20-17. It will be no first-round patsy for the Dragons, compiling a similar season record (4-3, 7-3) as the Dragons (5-2, 7-3).

The Lions’ fearsome running back, Matt Gadek is the area’s leading rusher, piling up 279 yards in the losing effort to Boyd. Simply put, Gadek is a nightmare.

He holds the Texas UIL rushing record for an unbelievable feat he achieved against Plano East earlier in the season. In McKinney’s 63-50 victory over East, he ran for 599 yards. Oh, dear.

But time to worry later. It’s the high school football playoffs. There a zip in the air, the holidays beckon and everything starts on Friday. See you in Dragon Stadium. I think.

Go Dragons!

Game Day: Southlake Carroll 24, Hurst L.D. Bell 17

The guy three rows in front of me at Dragon Stadium last night turned to a buddy as the 4^th  quarter wound to a sorry close, with Southlake Carroll in safe control of the ball and victory – sweet, precious victory – all but assured.

“This is the worst performance by a Southlake team in – maybe forever,” he opined as his friend nodded in glum agreement.

I can’t attest to the validity of the critique. After all, I’ve only watched every game the Dragons have played – give or take a contest or two – in the last decade. But in that time span, last night’s outing against the cellar-dwelling L.D. Bell Blue Raiders would have to rank high on the “boy, what an ugly game” list.

I sat and stewed for most of the night as the Dragon offense sputtered and stalled and the Dragon secondary leaked like a sieve, in the process making the Blue Raiders look like a playoff team, instead of the pitiable mutts they really are.

What the disappointed critic failed to acknowledge – something of which I continued to remind myself as the Dragons stumbled around the field like a drunken wino on Saturday night – was that they were without the services of their best player – star running back T.J. McDaniel.

You can’t lose players of the caliber of McDaniel without it having an impact on performance and outcome. On the other hand, this is a program that trumpets “the next guy up” philosophy, and that guy performed admirably last night. Besides, McDaniel's absence doesn't explain the Dragon defense's difficulty in grounding the Raider aerial assault.

You also have to give due credit to the Raiders for preparing well for their trip up SH 121 and for coming into the Dragons’ den last night fired up and eager to be a giant-killer. They very nearly were. But for a fumble at the Dragon 24 as they were moving steadily for the tying score, the Blue Raiders might have handed the Dragons the most humiliating of defeats on their cherished home field. And on Senior Night to boot.

It happened this way.

Bell had pulled within 7 midway in the 4^th quarter after kicker Juan Rodriguez booted a 25-yard field goal, bringing the score to 24-17. The Dragons’ subsequent drive went nowhere, ending with a 3^rd-down sack of quarterback Will Bowers (8-14, 118) at the 14. A short punt handed the Raiders, who now had their blood up, excellent field position at the Dragon 39.

Two plays later, Bell lined up at the 27 for the final push into the red zone when disaster struck. RB Beni Kabongo coughed up the ball as he fought for yardage at the 24, and opportunistic Dragon linebacker Matty Werner pounced on it with 2:41 on the clock.

Sighs of relief whooshed through my section of the stands as fans realized Carroll would escape the ordeal with a win, instead of a disgraceful loss.

The celebration – muted as it was by the Dragons’ subpar performance – was dulled even further by the knowledge that this was no way to prepare for next week’s showdown with the Hebron Hawks, 5-1 in District 5-6A play. The Hawks are loaded with talent and eager to soothe the sting of their defeat last week by the Trinity Trojans.

The Trojans, 6-0 in district, already have assured themselves a share of the district title. The winner of Hebron-Carroll could secure a portion of the crown. Both Hebron and Carroll carry 5-1 district tallies into next week’s matchup, the sole blemish on both teams’ records being at the hands of the Haka masters of Trinity.

Of course, in terms of the playoffs, the tilt with the Hawks has little impact.

The Dragons already are assured top seed in Division II, the “small school” unit of the 6A playoffs. That means they will face the second seed in District 6-6A in the first round. More importantly, they’ll play that game in the friendly confines of Dragon Stadium.

Don’t ask me who their bi-district opponent from 6-6A will be. Nothing much has been decided there going into the last regular season game, except that mighty Allen, a Division I lock, is district champ.

6-6A is chock-full of tough nuts to crack – Denton Guyer, McKinney, Plano and McKinney Boyd – so the first round will be no picnic, regardless. As things sort themselves out in 6-6A, the Dragons will have their hands full in readying for the Hawks.

The Bell game was supposed to be a restful sojourn, an opportunity to fine-tune things and let aching muscles and stretched tendons heal a little before confronting Hebron. It was never supposed to be the nail-biter it became.

After all, the Raiders have won only one game this season and were winless in 5-6A going into last night. They’re terrible and have been pushed around by everyone in the district.

But like the meek target of a schoolyard bully who finally decides to strike back, they arrived in Dragon Stadium spoiling for a fight.

What Southlake, hardly a bully but still one of the big dogs in 5-6A, thought would be a harmless  scuffle turned out to be a desperate knife fight.

Blame the coaches. Blame the kids. Heck, blame the alignment of the planets. Regardless, the Dragons misread their opponents, and it nearly cost them dearly.

 A simple statistic tells the tale quite well. The Raiders rolled up 335 total yards, mostly in the air, while the Dragons managed only 282.

Carroll mostly handled Bell’s rushing attack, limiting its leading runner, Zion Hardy, to only 38 yards on 18 carries. But Raider quarterback Mason Ornelas had his way with the Carroll secondary, completing 20 of 31 passes (65 percent) for 240 yards.

He stung the Dragon D with a flurry of passes into the mostly uncovered flats. His receivers played catch while Dragon defenders scurried hither and yon to little effect.

In contrast, Southlake’s offense never fully engaged. Bowers threw two TD passes, a 42-yarder to Carson White and a 19-yarder to Preston Forney. But many of his tosses were off target, and his receivers dropped several catchable throws.

On the ground, senior RB Tavian Gould, tapped to fill in for the missing McDaniel, took full advantage of his Senior Night starting role, carrying 22 times for 115 yards and a TD.

I’ve been hard on the Dragons, and I'm feeling a bit guilty about that. They’re only kids, after all, and much of the responsibility for last night’s dismal showing should be shouldered by head coach Hal Wasson and his assistant coaches, who apparently were looking beyond the modest Bell to the more imposing Hawks of Hebron.

They were lucky. If the Raiders had been even slightly more talented, the Dragons would have been nursing embarrassing lumps on their collective head today.

Next week, we battle crosstown Metroplex traffic to enjoy – I hope – a matchup that promises to be a fitting finale to the regular season.

Go Dragons!