It could have been worse
If the Southlake Carroll Dragons were awed
at the prospects of facing the once Mighty Mojo under the original Friday Night
Lights of Odessa’s famed Ratliff Stadium, they hid it pretty damned well
yesterday.
After enduring a six-hour trek across the
barren, arid wastelands of West Texas and then, irony of ironies, sitting
through an hour-long lightning delay – all on Friday the 13th, mind
you – the Dragons humbled the now 0-3 Panthers, totally, efficiently, but not
without mercy.
Because the thing is, it could have been
worse. Without some liberal substitutions beginning in the middle of the 3rd
quarter, the Panthers likely would have been held scoreless – and Lord knows
when the last time THAT happened at venerable Ratliff – and the Dragons might
have hung 70 or more on the hapless West Texans.
Total domination
As it was, Carroll created considerable
havoc before easing its foot off Permian’s neck. As most predicted, the Dragons
demonstrated total domination on both sides of the ball. They denied Permian
any first downs in the first half, crushing the Panthers’ once tried-and-true
power-run offense and unleashing the Dragons’ rapidly developing sophomore
quarterback to lay ruin to Permian’s proud football legacy, perhaps forever.
Head Coach Riley Dodge, the 30-year-old
wunderkind who has rejuvenated the Carroll program and reintroduced swagger to
the Dragon stride, pronounced himself pleased with last night’s outcome.
“I thought we played a four-quarter game,”
he told the Odessa American. “We traveled well, and I thought our guys
treated it like it was a business trip. They were pretty mature about it. We
loved the energy, and we did a good job.”
Speaking of good jobs, Quinn Ewers was superb.
And I don’t use that word lightly. But how else do you describe a performance
in which the young quarterback completed 30 of 34 passes for 390 yards and four
touchdowns? And if that weren’t impressive enough, he rushed 6 times for another
51 yards and two more scores.
I may have to ration the adjectives I use
to describe this lad, lest I run out of them before his career at Carroll is
over. Did I mention that he’s a sophomore?
Another delay
In the beginning, it looked like last
night was going to be a repeat of last year’s matchup, which Carroll won 24-20,
in more ways than one. Just like last year, last night’s contest was delayed by
nearby lightning strikes. And after the hour-long delay, neither team
demonstrated much firepower in the first period. Only kicker Joe McFadden
managed to get on the scoreboard, booting a 32-yard field goal after a Dragon
drive stalled deep in Panther territory.
But the Dragons came alive in the 2nd
quarter, smothering any attempt Permian quarterback Harper Terry made to get
Mojo moving while gliding easily up and down the field on a 28-point scoring
spree.
That offensive onslaught included a 23-yard
TD run by Ewers, a 45-yard TD catch by sophomore Landon Samson (the first of
his varsity career), an electrifying 56-yard TD catch-and-run by speedster
Brady Boyd and an 18-yard TD catch by Wills Meyer.
With a 31-0 lead at the bell, Carroll
spent most of the 2nd half clearing its benches.
For
much of the game, Ewers operated out of an empty backfield as Southlake sent
five receivers to the line. The befuddled Panthers had no answer to the
Dragons’ offensive scheme, and Ewers peppered passes to a total of seven
separate receivers.
After the game, Ewers told Dragon Radio
that he prepared for the Mojo match up by watching a lot of game film.
“You know, being the film room with Coach
Dodge and all the guys, it just makes you feel better,” he said, heaping praise
on his talented receiving corps and marveling at their commitment to getting better
each week.
Feeling better
As for himself, he said he was settling in
just fine as the Dragon signal caller.
“It’s feeling better every day,” he said.
Oh, brother, and it’s looking better every
day, too. With this kind of trajectory, the sky’s the limit for young Ewers.
For the sturdy Carroll fans who traveled
west with the team – full disclosure, I wasn’t among them – the young Ewers
strived to make the trip worth it, showering his cadre of experienced receivers
with well-timed, well-thrown passes.
John Manero was the leading receiver, with
9 catches for 133 yards and 1 TD. He was followed by Meyer (9-71, 1 TD), Boyd
(3-75, 1 TD) and Blake Smith (3-25).
Samson’s TD catch in the second quarter
ended a 5-play, 93-yard drive that included a 29-yard run by Jack Abram, who
took over rushing duties from the injured Kannon Kadi. Abram, too, was
sidelined in the 2nd half with a shoulder injury, but not before he
had rushed 13 times for 110 yards.
Luckily, the Dragons have a bye this week
so they’ll have some time to heal before they begin District 5-6A play against
the Keller Indians on Sept. 27.
Whatever it takes
Carroll’s beefy offensive line bullied
Panther defenders in the trenches, giving Ewers plenty of time to operate. He
heaped praise on the Big Guys in a post-game interview.
“I
love these guys,” he told a radio interviewer. “I know they’re going to do
whatever it takes to protect me.”
On the other side of the ball, the Dragon
defense swatted down the overmatched Panthers, whose first five offensive
drives ended in punts. Odessa could manage only 31 yards of total offense in
the first half, and only 149 for the entire game, despite playing against
substitutes for much of the 2nd half.
There was a lot of silly hype before the
game about the matchup of two of the state’s legendary programs, which together
have won14 state championships. But Permian’s best days are a distant memory to
the kids who clashed in Ratliff Stadium last night.
Asked before the game whether they were
intimidated by the thought of playing the Mojo in Ratliff, made famous by Buzz Bissinger’s
best-selling book, Friday Night Lights, the Dragon players dutifully
talked about how awesome it all was. But clearly, they had only a faint glimmer
about why they should be so impressed with the place.
Still, last night’s contest was not just
any other game. It came only two weeks after a gunman killed seven people and
injured at least 19 in and around Odessa, shocking that gritty, hardworking
oilfield town to its core.
In recognition of the tragedy, Carroll
defied Dragon tradition and suited its players in black pants to show
solidarity with the Panthers and their city. Black pants are reserved for
playoff games only, a rigid dictum that only rarely has never been broken.
Tangible support
Southlake offered even more tangible
support at halftime when the Dragon cheerleading squad, which on its own
initiative launched a fundraising effort for the families touched by the mass
shooting on Aug. 31, presented a check for $21,000 to the Odessa Community
Foundation.
The money, which was raised by the sale of
“We Are One with Odessa” T-shirts, will help victims’ families pay for funeral
and medical expenses.
The Dragons were dealing with a tragedy of
their own, deeply personal and close to home. The mother of Dragon backup
receiver Gresham Rodie died yesterday, and the entire team was in mourning with
their teammate.
Dodge spoke openly to Dragon Radio about
the Rodie family’s loss, and the impact on his squad.
“It’s been a rough day,” he admitted.
“We’re a family. The guys really love Gresham. He’s an amazing kid. He comes in
every day and works hard. He does everything he can to help us get ready.
“When we get home, we’re going to be there
for that family.”
Sincere condolences to the Rodie family.
May the memories of your loved one give you solace.
Go Dragons!
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