When legends meet: Southlake Carroll 24, Odessa Permian 20

Worth the wait

For the second straight week, unwelcome Mother Nature made an appearance at Dragon Stadium last night, bringing buckets of rain, thunder and lightning, delaying proceedings and generally making a nuisance of herself.

She showed up about a third of the way into the 3^rd quarter, with Southlake Carroll clinging to a precarious 10-0 lead over the Permian Panthers. But the one-and-a-half-hour weather delay proved worth the wait as it set the stage for a wild and woolly 4^th quarter in which the Panthers made a spirited – and damned near successful – comeback effort.

Last night was only the second meeting of Permian and Carroll, two of most storied high school programs in Texas. Both are helmed by first-year coaches, both are trying to recapture some of their past glories and both have something to prove – to their detractors and to themselves.

“It was a really crazy night,” Dragon head coach Riley Dodge said in a post-game radio interview. “For the second week in a row, we faced some challenges – weather, a delay and so on. I couldn’t be prouder at how these guys handled it. They played well. We knew Permian was going to be tough, and they were. Our guys rose to the challenge.”

Dragon players acknowledged that this was no ordinary game.

“I grew up watching Permian play on ‘Friday Night Lights,’” said star running back T.J. McDaniel, whose rushing heroics sealed the victory for Southlake. “Playing them here is unbelievable. The atmosphere in the stadium tonight was – amazing. I can’t even begin to describe it.”

Linebacker Michael Parrish agreed. “It’s crazy playing Permian,” he said. “I grew up watching them on TV. Playing them here … well …”

For the second consecutive game, Carroll played an opponent who outgained them in first downs and in total yardage. Permian made 19 first downs compared to Carroll’s 14. And it rolled up 411 total yards to Carroll’s 378.

But thanks to McDaniel, who rushed for 233 yards in 15 attempts and three touchdowns, Carroll’s rushing yards outpaced Permian, 276 to 167. On McDaniel’s first run of the night, during Southlake’s second series, he sprinted through the Permian line and roared 56 yards for the first Dragon score.

The only other score of the half came in the closing seconds, when kicker Neal Koskay booted a 27-yard field goal to make it 10-0.

McDaniel also accounted for Carroll’s final TD, a 90-yard bolt in which he outran his blockers and outraced a Panther defensive back 35 yards to the end zone.

The Dragon defense bent but refused to break for three full quarters, keeping Panther quarterback Peyton Powell and his hard-charging offense out of the end zone until the decisive final quarter. And in the closing minute, when momentum had shifted to the Panthers as they attempted to snatch away a 4-point Dragon lead, it stood tall and shut Powell down. On the final down of play, Permian lost 19 yards.

Powell was superb in the losing effort. He completed 13 of 20 passes (65 percent) for 210 yards and rushed 10 times for 65 more and a TD. His offensive weapons included a hard-charging running back, Ed Williams (21 for 57), and receivers Justin Hammond, Mason Sellers and Justin Ramage.

Expect Permian, which is favored in its district, to make some noise come playoff time.

Carroll struck first after play resumed following the rain delay. After a Permian punt, quarterback Will Bowers set up shop at the Panther 33. Three plays later, he handed the ball to McDaniel, who bolted 24 yards for the score.

A quirky 15-yard penalty and a nifty 25-yard kickoff return moved Powell and company to midfield. Seven plays later Powell pitched a 3-yard pass to Tyler Ramage in the end zone, ending the shut out in the early minutes of the 4th.

Later in the period, Powell had moved the Panthers into Dragon territory when his coach, Jeff Ellison, thumbed through his playbook and came up with a dandy.

Facing a 4^th and 5 at the 34, Powell took the snap and immediately threw a lateral pass to Sellers, who appeared to veer left toward the sideline as a clutch of Dragon defenders closed in on him. Instead he lofted the ball to a wide-open Hammond who loped leisurely into the end zone.

Boom. A 3-point ballgame and plenty of time to play. You could almost hear the gulps among the scattered Dragon fans remaining in the stands.

That’s when McDaniel stepped forward to keep it real.

The series didn’t begin well. After a touchback, a penalty started the Dragon drive at their 13. On the first play, Bowers lost 3 yards on a keeper. From the 10, he then handed the ball to McDaniel, who tucked it and followed his blockers through the line.

He said after the game that Dodge had told him the Dragon offensive strategy against Permian would rest largely on his shoulders. So far, he had met Dodge’s wildest expectations. Now, he would exceed them.

By midfield, he had outpaced his blockers and was running alone. At the Permian 35, only one black uniform still pursued him and the Panther was closing fast. McDaniel slipped into another gear and beat him to the end zone.

“I knew No. 33 was coming, but I just kept running,” McDaniel would recall.

At that point, my teeth began chattering. I’m not sure if it was because of the slight breeze on my wet clothes or from pent-up tension. I let out a sigh and hoped a 24-14 lead would end the long night’s drama.

It didn’t.

On the next series, Powell engineered an 8-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended with a 23-yard quarterback keeper. The extra point, however, was blocked by Parrish, a critical blunder because it meant the Panthers couldn’t tie the game with a field goal. They would need a touchdown to win.

An onside kick attempt failed and the Dragons got the ball at the Permian 44 but stalled after only a 6-yard gain. Facing a 4^th and 4 at the 38, they burned their last 2 timeouts considering whether to go for it and drain the clock. Dodge admitted he was tempted.

But Carroll punted instead, giving Powell a desperate last chance to trumpet the return of Mojo glory.

He got no closer than the Dragon 33 before time ran out.

Bowers was overshadowed by Powell’s gritty performance, and McDaniel was the offensive showcase, but Carroll's senior quarterback did not have a bad night. To the contrary, he completed 9 of 13 passes for 102 yards (69 percent) and 1 INT. He also ran 14 times for 43.

Carroll players were generous in their praise of their vanquished foes.

“They’re a lot like us,” McDaniel said. “They have a lot of tradition. They’re an awesome team and they played a great game tonight.”

But he saved the highest kudos for the big guys up front.

“I can’t give my O-line enough credit,” McDaniel said. "They created the holes and I ran through them all night. It was like the parting of the Red Sea. They earned a steak dinner tonight.”

For Dodge, the victory against such a legendary program was particularly sweet. His father, Todd Dodge, one of the most successful coaches in Texas football history and the man who carried Southlake to heights of glory, was on the sidelines last night to cheer on his son. His Austin Westlake Chaparrals played Thursday, blasting Akins 67-0. I guess he figured he could afford to slip down I-35 for a few hours to see his son coach.

“He coached in this stadium,” an emotional Riley Dodge told Fox Southwest TV. “He coached me in this stadium. Having him here, it was … special. Very special.”

How does it feel to be 3-0 as a head coach?

“It’s great. It feels good,” Dodge said. “We worked hard to be where we are. It’s a good place to be going into a bye-week. We have some work to do. We have to iron out a few things.”

Mostly, he said the team will focus on fundamentals during the two weeks before they face a rejuvenated Keller on Sept. 28.

The Indians once were just another Keller ISD pushover. Not this year. With a talented quarterback and an explosive offense, Keller is a likely playoff contender in District 5-6A if it continues its winning ways. To do that, it has to get past Carroll.

As mighty Mojo can tell you, that’s a task easier said than done. Go Dragons!