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!