Running away with it
It wasn’t pretty. Soggy, rain-plagued
football often isn’t. But in drowning the Keller Central Chargers last night,
the Southlake Carroll Dragons proved two things:
No. 1, the Dragons, already the
prohibitive favorites to repeat as District 5-6A champions, are going to the
playoffs, clinching a spot thanks in part to Denton Guyer’s demolishment last night of Northwest Eaton.
No. 2, their freshman running back, who
just celebrated his 15th birthday, isn’t just good, he’s scary good.
And if the gods are kind, he just might turn out to be the state’s best, once
his voice changes. (T.J. who?)
Faced
with a slick field and a persistent mist that lasted until the final buzzer,
the Dragons handed the game plan to young Owen Allen. And he ran away with it.
Literally.
Four touchdowns
Allen rushed for four touchdowns, carrying
40 times for 213 yards. My primitive math skills, aided mightily by The Dallas
Morning News, indicate that averages more than 5 yards a carry. And on a
wet field to boot.
By the half, he had accounted for two
scores and already shattered the 100-yard mark. His final pair of TDs came in
the decisive 4th quarter when Carroll shoved an error-plagued 3rd
period behind them and finally put the Chargers out of their misery.
The Dragons can thank their outstanding defense
for not allowing things to get out of hand. Charger quarterback Gavyn White
only managed to stage a single scoring drive all night. That came on Central’s
first possession, which the Dragons generously aided with a short punt that set
the Chargers up at the Dragon 49.
White efficiently marched the Chargers in
8 plays to the 1 before sending Central into the lead with a keeper through the
middle.
After that, the Dragon D snuffed out the
numerous opportunities its offense handed the Chargers. It almost appeared as
if the Dragons were tired of runaway games against weaker foes and sought to
keep things interesting.
Take it, please
And they did. Take the 3rd
quarter, for instance. Take it, please, and don’t ever let me see it again.
Leading 21-7 as the second half opened,
the Dragons looked ready to blow the doors off and let the backups handle
things. But that’s not what happened.
Their first possession, which started on
the Central 48, was hampered by a fumbled snap at the 36. Allen managed to fall
on it, but the drive stalled after two incomplete passes, and kicker Joe
McFadden punted it away.
Their second possession started on the
Charger 27, thanks to a partially blocked punt. Sophomore quarterback Quinn
Ewers (14-20 for 194 yards, 1 TD) took the Dragons to the 14, then threw a pass
to the end zone that was intercepted by Central defender Mitchell Dearing.
On their final drive of the 3rd,
the Dragons got the ball on the Charger 43 and marched all the way to the 2,
where Allen choked up the ball.
Three for naught
Three consecutive drives that started in
Central territory thus went for naught. Against a better team – and without a
standout defensive effort – that could have proved disastrous.
Except it wasn’t. Carroll took over after its
defense denied the Chargers a 4th and 2 at the Dragon 29. Seven plays
later, at the end of a drive powered by Ewers’ arm and Allen’s legs, the freshman sprinted 18 yards
to send the Dragons to a 28-7 lead.
And on their next possession, Ewers led
his team to the Charger 1 in 9 plays before handing the ball to Allen, who capped
his stellar night with a 4th score.
After the game, head coach Riley Dodge was
philosophical. Rather than dwell on his squad’s mistakes – which included a
slew of procedural calls, many on 1st down – he noted the ultimate destination,
not the rocky road it took to get there.
“I like the scoreboard: 35-7,” he told
Dragon Radio immediately after the game. “And hopefully, we punched our ticket to
the playoffs tonight.
“There were too many turnovers, too many
pre-snap errors. We were starting out with too many 1st and 15s. It
was hard to get in rhythm. We have to get to work on that. But our defense
played great. They only allowed one scoring drive, and we put them in a bad situation
on that one.”
Weather dictates
He said the weather dictated the Dragon
game plan, which has featured Ewers’ arm and his talented receiving corps to
make yardage and score points.
“When the ball’s wet, you need to
establish a ground game,” he said. “And tonight, we were able to do that.”
Indeed, they were, and the Dragon
offensive line – which is the strongest and most talented in years – is a
powerful reason for that.
Offensive lineman Addison Penn was asked after
the game if he thought he and his teammates are the best 0-line in school
history. He was quick to demur.
“We had a lot of operational problems
today,” he said. “Too many pre-snap errors. There are things we’ve got to clean
up. It’s not characteristic of the type of O-line that we are, and it’s not the
type of performance you’d expect if we were the best 0-line in Dragon history.”
True enough. But it was good enough for
four rushing touchdowns and for a fifth score through the air, a 15-yard TD reception
by Blake Smith (5-62).
Despite
the fact that last night was the Homecoming game, the crowd at Dragon Stadium
was the sparsest I can remember. When I arrived at about 6:15, the entire green-seat
section of the stadium – reserved for season-ticket holders – was empty.
Endurance
And while the weather was unpleasant, I’ve
endured worst. I seem to recall standing a few years ago in a driving downpour
for the entire game during a playoff contest against Arlington Martin in SMU’s Ford
Stadium. Come on, Dragon Nation, toughen up!
The 8-0 Dragons sit at No. 6 in Dave
Campbell’s Texas Football rankings. I suspect they’ll remain there, despite the
raggedness of last night’s victory.
Next Friday is Senior Night at Carroll.
Every senior on and off the field will be recognized – football players, band
members, Emerald Belles, Crew members, cheerleaders, as will their parents.
Marice and I were a part of Senior Night for each of our kids -- Rachel in the band and Ethan in the Crew. I remember those nights with
tender affection.
The 4-4 V.R. Eaton Eagles of Northwest ISD
will be the Dragons’ next victim. They fell hard last night before Guyer in a
56-20 bloodbath and can expect no easier time against the Dragons. You can be
assured that Dodge and his staff will work hard all week to dispel any hint of
complacency from their high-flying (and fire-breathing) charges.
Go
Dragons!
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