District opener: Southlake Carroll 58, Keller 37

Gut-check time

KELLER – If they were to be honest, I suspect the Carroll Dragons expected their first real test in District 5-6A would come next week, when they welcome Denton Guyer to the comfortable confines of Dragon Stadium.

Despite a rocky start this season, Guyer is always a tough opponent for the Dragons. It’s the only team that has ever beaten Southlake twice on its home field, and Guyer head coach John Walsh always prepares his teams well. The Wildcats’ 2-2 season record so far is not typical.

So when Dragon head coach Riley Dodge and his young charges assessed the red-hot Keller Indians’ 3-0 record coming into last night’s district opener, they comforted themselves with the reassuring words “strength of schedule.”

Yes, the Indians were undefeated. And yes, they had wracked up big scores against their last three opponents, out-pacing them 99-6 in the first half alone, thanks to their towering 6-3 quarterback and a swift and sure-handed receiving corps.

But really, folks, who had Keller beaten? Their victories, while impressive, had come against 5A Abilene Cooper, 41-15; pushover Richardson Berkner, 43-7; and lowly Grand Prairie, 43-0.

Prudence demanded that the Dragons not completely discount the Indians, but I doubt they expected last night’s contest in less-than-luxurious Keller ISD Stadium to be the first-half dogfight it turned out to be.

Their illusions were shattered early. After a 3-and-out on Keller’s first possession, Indian quarterback Sloan Henry unleashed an air and ground attack that initially baffled Dragon defenders.

Carroll was able to keep pace, but barely, falling behind 23-14 at one point. From the stands, Keller’s offense looked more crisp and effective than did the Dragons throughout the first half. Carroll defenders had no answer for RB Enoch Ntchobo, who slithered and snaked his way to good yardage. He finished the night with 26 carries for 126 yards and 1 TD.

Henry was simply superb, completing 18 of 29 passes for 334 yards and four TDs. His favorite receiver, Damon Smith, caught 7 passes for 176 yards and 3 TDs. Three others caught in double figures.

Going into last night’s contest, Southlake had held its previous three opponents scoreless in the first half. It had never trailed in scoring. An unimpressed Henry blithely shattered both records.

Only after a gut-check at halftime did the Dragons manage to take control of the game, unleashing the fury of hard-charging running back T.J. McDaniel and putting the brakes on Henry’s high-flying antics and on Ntchobo’s slippery darts through the Dragon D-line.

But a 16-point scoring spree in the first half demonstrated the effectiveness of the Keller game plan. It was set in motion by a 4-play, 68-yard drive that culminated in a 57-yard touchdown pass from Henry to Colton Nelson (4-69).

Dragon linebacker Michael Parish blocked the extra point, a habit he appears to be refining, allowing Carroll to cling to a 14-13 lead. But not for long.

On the first play of the 2^nd quarter, a bad snap resulted in an Indian recovery at the Dragon 32. Four plays later, Ntchobo dashed 1 yard into the endzone, giving Keller a 20-14 lead.

Bowers and company could do no better than a 3-and-out, and an Indian drive powered by the fleet-footed Ntchobo brought Keller to the Dragon 12, where the Carroll D-line dug in and held. A 29-yard field goal brought the score to 23-14.

That’s when the momentum of the game shifted a bit.

In the resulting Dragon possession, McDaniel, running behind his surging front line, ripped repeatedly through the Keller line to move his team into the red zone. From the 8, he plunged through the reeling Indian defenders and emerged untouched in the endzone, narrowing the Keller lead to 23-21.

Dodge said that score, which left 90 seconds on the clock, was a turning point.

“Oh, yes, that was key,” he said in a post-game radio interview. “Trailing only 2 points going into halftime rather than the alternate, that made a big difference.”

He said no locker-room oratory was necessary to inspire his warriors.

“No one blinked an eye at halftime,” he said of his team. “They knew what they had to do, and they went out and did. I’m very proud of these boys.”

Defensive tackle Quentin Bunten said the most important adjustment came in attitude.

“We knew we needed to focus on our job,” he said. “We were trying to do too much in the first half. We just buckled down and did it.”

The Indians, perhaps sensing a rejuvenated Dragon team would emerge from halftime, attempted to regain its ascendency with an unsuccessful onside kick.

Taking advantage of great field position, Bowers went to work, staging consecutive keepers of 9- and 32-yards respectively. From the 2, McDaniel surged into the endzone, then added a 2-point conversion to give the Dragons back the lead, 29-23. They never trailed again.

After a Keller punt pushed the Dragons to their own 15, Bowers engineered a quick, three-play drive that ended when McDaniel caught the right corner and streaked 73 yards for his fourth TD of the night.

It was a classic McDaniel run. After rounding the right corner, he quickly outpaced the Indian linebackers and sped with focused intensity downfield. At about the 35, he sensed Keller defensive backs nearing him. In response, the quicken his steps and lengthened his stride, beauty in motion as he raced over the line.

He would add a fifth touchdown in the closing seconds and ended the night with 253 yards on 36 carries.

The Indians never gave up, twice narrowing the Dragon lead to 7 in the 2^nd half, but the Dragons always responded.

Although McDaniel was the universally acknowledged star of the night, Bowers played one of the best games of his career, completing 11 of 14 passes for 200 yards. He rushed for another 57 for 2 TDs and a 2-point conversion.

WR Glenn Mitchell was the leading Dragon receiver, thanks to the Dragons’ first play of the game, when he snagged a Bowers pass and raced 73 yards for the night’s first TD. Carson White caught 4 passes for 42 yards and Traynor got 2 for 48. Two others caught in double figures.

Before the game, it was generally acknowledged that a key matchup would be Keller’s passing attack against Southlake’s secondary. Last night’s result held no surprises. When faced with a strong-armed passer like Henry and a corps of talented, fleet-footed receivers, Carroll is going to struggle.

It’ll the interesting to see how far Carroll’s defensive backfield can progress as we continue through the season. A long playoff run, the goal of any Southlake team, may depend on that development.

Next week, the hated Guyer Wildcats come calling. Guyer and Southlake have a troubled history, and Guyer’s fanbase has shown contempt in the past for Carroll and its traditions. As for the players, mutual respect probably is the message of the day.

That said, a third defeat by the Wildcats on Dragon Stadium’s cherished turf is painful to contemplate. And if you don’t think that plays a role in high school football, you’ve never seen many games played under Friday night lights.

Go Dragons!