Area playoff champs: Southland Carroll 38, Odessa Permian 7

 On to Round Three!

Mojo is a no-show once mo’

The Odessa Permian Panthers, whose rabid fan base believes the Mighty Mojo is a whole lot better than it really is, left Abilene last night in a very foul mood.

They had watched in growing frustration as their beloved Panthers were whipped soundly by the hard-charging Southlake Carroll Dragons. And they had sat slack-jawed as Permian committed a series of costly mistakes that stymied promising Panther drives and cleared the way for the Dragons to build a comfortable lead before the first quarter ended.

If the noise coming from their section of Abilene Christian University’s Wildcat Stadium is any indication, they no doubt will blame the drubbing on the 117 yards in penalties assessed by the Waco officiating crew against the Mojo.

Of course, they’ll have to ignore the uncomfortable fact that the refs also walked off 117 yards against the victorious Dragons. And they’ll have to overlook the brilliant performance by senior quarterback Hunter Holden, who passed for 257 yards and 4 touchdowns.

And even if the referees were a little heavy flag-happy last night – which they were – it still doesn’t explain why the Panthers’ sleight-of-hand option offense couldn’t put any points on the board until the last 2 minutes of the 3^rd quarter. Unless, of course, you consider the Carroll defense, a disruptive force that played perhaps its best game of the season.

Truth be told, both teams played a pretty sloppy game. The Dragons just had enough offensive clout to survive them.

 That was demonstrated vividly in a sequence in the second quarter, after Carroll had built a insurmountable 24-0 lead over a stumbling Permian.

Wiped out

It started when Dragon Josh Spaeth intercepted a pass by Panther quarterback Harper Terry (6-15, 85, passing; 92 rushing), then sped 91 yards to the end zone, ending the first promising drive by Mojo. But an illegal block in the back wiped out his achievement and the Dragons eventually had to punt.

Panther Hayden Bays erupted through the line and leaped for the ball as it came off Joe McFadden’s foot. It sailed through his outstretched fingers and he crashed instead into McFadden. A roughing the kicker call keep the ball in Dragon hands, but not for long.

Mojo defender Joaquim Hernandez intercepted a deflected Holden pass. The ensuing Permian drive ran aground at the Dragon 20, where the Panthers failed to convert on a 4^th and 12.

Given a second chance, Carroll managed to put points on the board 34 seconds before halftime.

So let the West Texans yelp all they want. It doesn’t change the fact that the Dragons advance to the third-round of the playoffs, and the Panthers took a miserable bus ride back to the oil patch.

Carroll meets the 10-0 Arlington Martin Warriors in the Regional Round on Christmas Eve in Global Life Park. The Warriors have won 10 straight and sent a resounding message through 6A’s Division I when they demolished the Lewisville Farmers yesterday, 68-0.

All we want for Christmas...

It was a thoroughly humiliating beatdown for the proud Farmers. Martin scored on the opening play of the game, then completed discombobulated Lewisville with a series of deceptive special-team plays. By the end of the 1^st quarter, the Warriors held a stunning 44-0 lead.

In Martin, the Dragons will face their biggest challenge of the year. Word is that the Warriors are fast and efficient on offense (I guess!) and sturdy on defense.

But the Dragons aren’t the Farmers, who have been drilled in the playoffs the last two years. Under the steady leadership of Holden, who started his sixth straight game last night for injured superstar Quinn Ewers, Carroll has an explosive offense in the air and on the ground, where sophomore phenom Owen Allen continues to bulldoze defenders. Against Permian, young Allen rolled to 178 yards on 15 carries and made a TD along the way.

Offensive star

But Holden was the offensive star of the night. While Dragon Nation wonders when Ewers will return to the field, Holden has proved to be much more than adequate in filling the cleats of his fallen teammate. Cool in the pocket and a smart, opportunistic runner, he’s deadly in the air and dangerous on the ground.

Last night, he engineered a 5-play, 68-yard drive to open scoring for the Dragons. He nailed a 47-yard pass to Landon Samson to move the Dragons to the Panther 21, then zipped his 16^th passing TD of the year to RJ Maryland. He would loft three more to his favorite receiver, the remarkable Brady Boyd.

Trouble for the Panthers began early on their first drive, when a 27-yard run was wiped out by a holding call. Five plays later, Dragon defender Cade Parks sacked Terry and forced a punt.

It took the Dragons exactly two plays to score. Starting from his own 15, Allen plowed 31 yards to the 46, then Holden sent a zinger to Boyd (5-143), who took it 54 yards for his first touchdown of the night.

Permian fared no better on its next drive. First, it had a 29-yard gain wiped out by a chop-block penalty, then Terry was downed behind the line of scrimmage on a 3^rd and 16.

The Panther punter, shocked to see a mob of Dragons closing in, attempted to outrun them but was buried well short of the first down.

When the Dragons took over, Allen ran to the 3, but the drive stalled and the Dragons had to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Joe McFadden.

Boyd would score twice more before the half. He snagged a 34-yard pass in the end zone early in the 2^nd . And after Allen darted 43 yards down the right sideline to the Permian 4, Boyd grabbed another missile and fought his way across the goal line.

Ending with a flourish

Allen ended scoring for the Dragons in spectacular fashion mid-way through the 3^rd .

When a 28-yard Panther field goal failed, Carroll took over at its own10.

Holden moved the Dragons into Panther territory with a 46-yard toss to Boyd. Allen then scooted through the middle of the Permian line and bolted 46 yards to the end zone.

After that excitement, the Panthers managed to put together a lengthy drive that slogged its way the length of the field before Lucas Salazar put the Mojo on the board with less than 2 minutes left in the 3^rd.

Unfortunately, the frustrations of the Odessa crowd – angry at the refs, angry at the Mojo misfires, just plain angry – also seemed to infect players on the field. Unsportsmanlike-conduct calls flew around, and at one point, Dragons and Panthers had to be pulled off each other by officials and coaches. It’s a reminder to fans that their impact on the game can be both positive and negative.

You can’t say enough about the Dragons defense, which is coming together at just the right time. Facing their first real tests in the playoffs, they have jelled into a smart, stubborn crew. They held Permian’s offense to 85 yards in the first half.

Avyonne Jones was just superb – he always is – as was Cade Parks, who sacked Terry twice and was in his face all evening.

The defense will have to play lights out against the Warriors to extend the Dragon season into the Fourth Round for the third straight year. It can be done, but it won’t be easy.

Not normal times

In normal times, this would be the championship weekend of the playoffs. In fact, Argyle put a cap on a perfect season by winning the 4A, Division I championship yesterday.

But a COVID-delayed beginning to the season for 5A and 6A teams means their playoffs will extend into the new year. A crucial game on Christmas Eve? That makes it pretty rough on families already reeling from the hardships forced on them by the pandemic upsurge.

Much as I’d like to see the Martin game, I’ll spend the day with my family instead. I hope it’s an early kickoff although Dragon Radio was talking about an evening start. If that’s the case, perhaps I can sneak off for a few minutes from opening gifts to catch the score.

I could say that all I want for Christmas is a win against Martin. But that’s a little extreme, don’t you think? (Uh, Santa, if you’re listening …)

Go Dragons!