Slicing through district: Southlake Carroll 62, Keller Fossil Ridge 7

Nightmare for the Panthers

KELLER – The Keller Fossil Ridge Panthers must have known they were in for a rough evening when the undefeated Southlake Carroll Dragons came to call.

But only in their worst nightmares could the 1-6 Panthers have imagined the brutal, soul-draining beat down they suffered last night at KISD Athletic Complex.

The Dragons, who led 34-0 at the end of the 1^st quarter, sped to their first touchdown 27 seconds into the game, went on to score on the next six consecutive drives and began substitutions 5 minutes before the half.

Sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers was in top form, executing the Dragon game plan with calm efficiency and moving his team with ease both in the air and on the ground.

Ewers, who is drawing intense collegiate interest, scored the Dragons’ initial touchdown, shooting passes to Wills Meyer (3-65, 1 TD) and Brady Boyd (3-51) before sprinting the last 25 yards to the end zone on the third play of the game.

Gaining in confidence

He seems to gain in confidence game by game. Last night, his powers were on full display. He played only half of the game, yet completed 14 of 18 passes for 205 yards, a success rate of 73 percent. They included TD throws of 5 and 21 yards to Blake Smith (3-57) and 20 yards to Wills Meyer (3-65).  

In yet another remarkable performance, freshman running back Owen Allen, who is only 14 years old, for chrissakes, ran for 3 touchdowns, carrying 13 times for 98 yards. I’ll do the math for you: That’s a 7.5-yard average per carry.

But he wasn’t the Dragons’ leading rusher. That honor went to Cade Wood, who carried 17 times for 103 yards and a touchdown in the 4^th quarter that came long after the starters had departed.

The Carroll defense, meanwhile, strangled the Ridge offense, limiting it to only two first downs in the first half and holding it to a single lonely score 3 minutes before the half when Panther quarterback Austin Stohlman (8- 25, 135) completed six straight passes to carry his team 77 yards to paydirt.

That brief flurry amounted to little more than a straw in a hurricane, however. On the following drive, when Ridge seemed poised to take advantage of a Carroll fumble to score again, Dragon defensive back Jonah Doddridge snagged a Stohlman pass in the end zone to snuff out the threat.

In the limelight

The Panthers would not score again despite wholesale substitutions by the Dragons on their defensive front line. The subs took advantage of their time in the limelight, ending the first three Panther drives of the 2^nd half with 4^th-down stands, one at the Carroll 16.

On the other side of the ball, senior back-up quarterback Davis Clapp played the entire second half and scored the final Carroll touchdown with a 4-yard TD plunge.

Before last night’s game, the Dragons were ranked No. 6 in the state by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and No. 5 by MaxPreps.

Dodge, whose teams have never lost a regular-season game since he became head coach last year, noted with satisfaction that Carroll’s domination last night allowed him to clear the benches in the second half to give members of the attack squad, who help prepare the starting lineup each week, a rare chance to play for real.

“I loved the play of the attack players,” he said in a post-game radio interview. “They did great, and I’m proud of them. I knew we couldn’t let up on the intensity in the second half, and we didn’t.”

Wood, who compiled most of his yards in the second half, praised his front line.

“It’s great playing behind these guys,” he told Dragon Radio. “They make it easy. They almost make it too easy.”

Nothing earned yet

Doddridge, responsible for one of two Dragon interceptions of Stohlman passes (James Miscoll grabbed the other), said Dodge and the coaching staff have drilled into Carroll players that they must maintain focus even when playing lackluster opponents like the Panthers.

“Coach Dodge has told us that we haven’t earned anything yet,” he said. “We have to come out and do our jobs. It’s as simple as that.”

Meanwhile, Doddridge said, the Dragons are having a good time.

“It’s fun to play with these guys,” he said of his teammates. “We’re just flying around and making plays.”

 Next up for the Dragons are the Keller Central Chargers, who travel to a Dragon Stadium awash in mums for Carroll homecoming on Oct. 25. They could prove to be a sturdier opponent than the uphappy Ridge, which likely will miss the playoffs this year for the first time in more than a half-dozen years.

How will they fare?

The Chargers (5-1, 2-1 in District 5-6A) have only lost to Denton Guyer.  But in a district as weak as 5-6A, that doesn’t reveal much. It’ll be interesting to see how they fare against Carroll’s ferocious offense and stubborn defense in front of a Dragon crowd swelled with alumni.

While I don’t predict a bloodbath like last night, I doubt the Chargers can stand up to the combined power of Dragon home-field advantage, Mum Magic and the disciplined menace of Dodgeball 2.0.

A chill is in the evening air, and my green seat awaits. And do you hear it? It’s the faint syncopated whisper of the Dragon Marching Band’s traditional playoff halftime show “Lids.” All aboard the Carroll express as it roars toward the post-season.

Go Dragons!