An early exit
KELLER – Southlake Carroll running back
T.J. McDaniel, the Dragons’ most potent and reliable offensive weapon, had a
short but happy outing last night against the hapless, overmatched and
outclassed Keller Central Chargers.
He carried the ball four times, ran for 81
yards and made 2 touchdowns.
Then he sat down – and never returned.
But before languishing in satisfaction as
his teammates disassembled the injury-riddled Chargers, McDaniel dazzled Dragon
Nation with his customary heroics.
He capped the first drive of the game with
a blast through the middle of the Central front line and a 49-yard dash
untouched to the end zone.
On the second Dragon possession, set up by
a breathtaking 61-yard punt return by double-duty star R.J. Mickens, McDaniel
dispensed with formalities all together. Taking the ball from quarterback Will
Bowers, McDaniel bored through the line, hurtled a tackler in the backfield and
muscled aside two defensive backs on a 23-yard burst to the end zone.
Call for backup
That handed the Dragons a 14-0 lead with
8:20 left in the first quarter, and head coach Riley Dodge judged McDaniel’s
work was done and handed rushing duties to his backup, senior Eli Furgal.
And Furgal, who has the unenviable job of
playing behind the brilliant McDaniel, didn’t disappoint. He ran 21 times for
106 yards and 1 TD, then snared a 16-yard pass from Bowers for another one.
Furgal downplayed his achievement, but
admitted after the game he and McDaniel had anticipated the backup might get
the call early against the one-win Chargers. He thanked the starter for being a
“good guy” about being pulled early.
Dodge freely acknowledged he benched his
star in order to give the senior backup his night in the spotlight.
“I so proud we were able to get him in,”
Dodge said of Furgal. “He’s a workhorse in practice. He works his butt off
Monday through Thursday. He deserved his time on the field tonight.”
Game over
Lots of backups got playing time last
night. The game essentially was over when Carroll pulled ahead 21-0 near the
end of the 1st quarter after Glenn Mitchell (2-63) grabbed a 16-yard
Bowers pass. The Dragons scored on their first 5 possessions and were deep in
Charger territory on their 6th when time expired in the first half.
The first substitutions appeared in the
Dragon secondary midway through the 2nd, a reflection of Charger
quarterback Trent Smith’s ineffectiveness through the air. He completed 4 of 11
passes for 91 yards, most of that on a 68-yard pass-and-run that set up the
first Central TD 4 minutes into the 3rd period. By that time,
Carroll had a 42-0 lead.
Gavyn White, who replaced Smith in the 3rd
period, was somewhat better, completing 3 of 4 passes for 79 yards, including a
50-yard TD toss that completed Central scoring long after Dragon backups had
assumed all on-field duties.
Central was even worse on the ground. It
managed only 78 total rushing yards, almost all in the 1st half.
Andrew Paul was its leading rusher, and he managed only 38 yards on nine
carries.
The Dragon defense was super. According to
The Dallas Morning News report, it
made 14 tackles for losses, including four from Michael Parrish, who also made
two sacks.
Bowers, who entered the game with a 69
percent completion rate, was superb last night, completing 10 of 12 passes,
including 8 straight, for 191 yards and 3 TDs.
Total domination
His touchdown throw to Carson White (2-33)
at the beginning of the 2nd quarter illustrated the Carroll
domination. After Mickens returned a Central punt 48 yards to the Charger 14, Bowers
dropped back and rifled the ball to White, who was drifting near the end zone.
White caught the ball astride the goal
line as a Charger defender closed in. Ball in hand, his feet solidly in pay
dirt, White lowered his shoulder and laid out the Charger, who toppled backward
like an axed tree.
Bowers’ other double-digit receivers were Eric
Windham (3-34) and Julian Roe (2-35).
Mickens, who is only a junior, earned a
dozen D1 offers for his phenomenal work as a defensive back. But he has turned
into an offensive powerhouse, as well, excelling as both a fleet-footed,
sure-handed receiver and as an elusive and deadly punt returner.
Last night, he returned three punts for a
total 120 yards, handing his team short fields for two scores.
Carroll, 8-0 and the only undefeated team
in District 5-6A, clinched a playoff berth last night for the 19th
consecutive year. And because it played on a Thursday, it became the first 6A
school in the state to qualify for post season.
“We’ll take it,” said Dodge when informed
of the peculiarity.
Tough road
But he knows better than anyone that
thoughts of the playoffs must wait. Next up for the Dragons is a potentially perilous road game against Northwest ISD’s V.R. Eaton.
Eaton (5-3, 2-3) fell hard last night to
Denton Guyer (5-3, 4-1), 49-21. But don’t be misled by the lopsided score.
Guyer is damned good, and Eaton can be a tough nut to crack, thanks to a potent
offense and stubborn defense.
Eaton still is fighting for a shot at the
playoffs, and ruining Carroll’s perfect season would be simply lovely for the
good folks in Haslet.
God forbid. Go Dragons!
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