Nothing to worry about here
ARLINGTON – Quinn who?
Amid the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth that
followed El Supremo Quarterback Quinn Ewers’ stunning announcement this summer
that he would forego his senior season as Southlake Carroll High signal-caller (and
media darling) to become rich and famous in Columbus, Ohio, calm assurances were
issued from Dragon Football headquarters that all was not lost.
And now we know why.
After last night’s 44-21 drubbing of the proud Highland Park
Fighting Scots, Ewers – a fine and worthy young man no doubt headed for
deserved stardom at Ohio State – is but a fading memory in Dragon Nation. Hail
and farewell, and may good fortune be your companion and guardian, young
squire. (And what was your name again?)
Meet the successor
Ladies and gentlemen, meet the worthy Ewers’ successor, junior
quarterback Kaden Anderson, a 6-4, 205-pound warrior who has completed – in rather
spectacular fashion – the transition from third-place backup to leader of a
Dragon offense with enough power, finesse and gumption to plunge deep into the 2021
playoffs.
And a ninth state championship for Carroll? Why the hell
not?
Heaped on Anderson’s tender shoulders was a burden of
responsibility under which most of us would promptly buckle. He handled the competing
tempests of expectation and skepticism with the aplomb of an experienced
diplomat.
In his first start as a member of the varsity, Anderson
looked as if he had been doing this for years – standing cool as a Colorado
sunset in the pocket, eluding desperate Scot defenders with ease and rifling
well-aimed passes to his talented receiving corps at will.
In so doing, he led the Dragons into a season debut that humbled
the mighty Scots – a dominating powerhouse in Division 5A, winner of six state championships
and the school with the best winning record in the history of Texas high school
football.
And he did so on a national stage, thanks to ESPN, which was
hoping that its telecast would feature Ewers, the No. 1 quarterback recruit in
the nation until he decided to forgo the risky prospects of a mere state
championship for the riches of the endorsements he can attract as one of Ohio
State’s future stars.
Ewers signed his first endorsement deal this week, proof –
as if anyone needed it – that he made the right decision, at least financially.
And really, is there any other way to look at it in this day and age?
If you were Ewers, can you honestly look me in the eye and
tell me you would have made any other decision? Of course not.
Most members of the Southlake community, which understands better than most, perhaps, the comfort and security of filthy lucre, accept with regret Ewers’ motivations in abandoning high school for the bright lights of the Big
10.
Spectacular debut
Anderson’s spectacular debut has soothed any lingeringly ill
will that may have remained about the Ewers decision’s impact on the much-cherished
goal of a ninth championship trophy.
A touchdown is all in a day's work for Dragon receiver Landon Samson.
There are no guarantees, of course. Anderson’s performance
last night may well be a fluke, and he may falter over the haul of a long
season. But there’s every reason to be optimistic that Carroll’s new offensive
star is capable of leading this team into a deep playoff run.
State championship or no, I predict it’ll be a fun ride, if
last night is any indication.
Anderson started hot, completing his first seven passes, the
first trio on a 75-yard drive that culminated with a 71-yard catch and run down
the right sideline by leading receiver Landon Samson, the South Carolina
commit’s first of two scores.
Anderson would throw another two TDs, compiling 261 passing
yards in the process, and run for another.
What had he to say about his debut performance?
“It was amazing,” Anderson told The Dallas Morning News’
Greg Riddle. “I had some big shoes to fill. I would say I filled them pretty
well.”
Around here, we like that kind of brashness in a
quarterback, particularly when he can back it up on the field. And last night, Anderson
did.
Dragon head coach Riley Dodge, who knows something about
quarterbacks, being a former high school state champion one himself, told the
DMN’s Riddle that his instructions to Anderson were simple enough.
Humming along fine
“You don’t have to be Superman,” Dodge said to Anderson.
“Just be a distributor, be the point guard. Just get the ball in the
playmakers’ hands. We’ve got a lot of great guys around you.”
Indeed, he did. On both offense and defense, the Dragons
were humming in a way we’ve rarely seen in a season opener.
Samson, who made 5 receptions for 127 yards, was simply superb, snatching catches and fighting for extra yardage.
His second TD came after the Dragon defense, who limited the
usually highflying Scots to only 244 total yards, forced Highland Park to turn
over the ball on downs.
Thanks to some hard running by standout junior running back
Owen Allen, who ended the night with 21 carries for 215 yards and 2 TDs,
Anderson moved Southlake to the Scot 41. Then, eluding heavy pressure by the
Scot defense, he tossed a perfect strike to Samson, who dived over the goal
line.
But unlikely as it may seem, Samson was upstaged in
razzle-dazzle by sophomore teammate James Lehman.
In the closing seconds of the first half, after the Dragons
marched to the Highland Park 15, Anderson lofted a high ball to Lehman at the
back of the end zone. Leaping, his right arm outstretched overhead, Lehman made
a breathtaking one-handed catch, bringing gasps from the Southlake side and a
group hug from the surging Dragons, who took a 28-7 lead into the locker room.
As for Allen, his performance at AT&T Stadium last night
was the 19th time (out of 26 games) in his career he has rushed for
over 100 yards. In the early going, the Scots managed to slow the junior down,
but he grew stronger and more effective as the night wore on. Expect to hear a
lot about him this year.
Graduation was kind to Carroll’s experienced defensive
corps, and it showed. Dodge told Dragon Radio that he believed the Dragon
defense is one of the best in the state.
In most years, that boast could be quickly dismissed. But
not this year, particularly after seeing the cohesiveness of the Big Guys and
their effectiveness in moving swiftly to the ball.
Highland Park, which by all accounts is in a rebuilding phase, was never able to sustain momentum against the Dragons’ smothering defense.
It staged a couple of promising drives – aided immensely by
a blizzard of penalties by the unruly Dragons – but it was forced to turn the ball
over twice – once on downs and the other by a diving interception of Scot QB
Brennan Storer by linebacker Allan Kleiman.
Senior defensive back Avyonne Jones and junior defensive end
Cade Parks were beasts. But the entire front line hammered the reeling Scots
and disrupted the timing of Storer, 12 of 20 for 150 yards, a junior in his
first year as Highland Park field general.
So the Dragons emerge victors in their return to AT&T
Stadium, the scene of last January’s memorable – but vastly over-hyped –
standoff between Todd Dodge and the Austin Westlake Chaparrals and his son,
Riley Dodge and the Southlake Carroll Dragons.
Schooling the son
The father schooled the son, 52-34, in that contest, which
was richer in familial emotion rather it was in football drama. The elder Dodge
says this is his last season as a coach, so it’s unlikely that any kind of rematch
ever will occur. In all likelihood, Todd Dodge’s Chaparrals will compete in the
UIL’s small-school Division II playoffs, while the Dragons are also probably headed to Division I. Alas!
Next week, the Dragons travel to Rockwall to meet Rockwall
Heath. Last year, the Dragons dominated the Hawks, 72-57, in a contest that
highlighted the traditional early-season ying and yang of Dragon football – a mighty offense and a
struggling offense. Things are a bit different this year so Heath had best cinch
up tight for a Dragon onslaught.
Go Dragons!
