Seizing the district lead: Southlake Carroll 47, Haslet Eaton 24

 

Star running back Owen Allen was back -- with a vengeance -- last night against Eaton.

Irresistible, immovable

JUSTIN – The Haslet Eaton crowd was primed for an upset last night. The Eagles’ student section was crammed full early and proved loud and boisterous, confident and bold. They were even presumptuous enough to boo the Southlake Carroll Dragons when they first appeared on the field during warm ups.

It’s nice they got an opportunity to yell about something. Because once the game started, they had precious little to cheer about. Their cherished Eagles, undefeated in District 4-6A and cruising to what they hoped would be a district championship, were hopelessly mauled instead by the Dragons’ thus-far irresistible offense and immovable defense.

The 47-24 score might indicate the Eagles at least put up a fight. I’ll give them this: They never gave up. But truth be told, 14 of those points came after Carroll – with an unassailable 47-10 lead – had begun substituting freely.

In the event, Eaton was swept aside early. Leaping with ease to a 21-0 lead, Carroll serenely proceeded to seize a commanding lead in the 4-6A district race.

Spectacular return

On the opening kickoff, the shifty Eagles attempted an onside kick, which Carroll nimbly recovered at midfield. A Kaden Anderson pass to R.J. Maryland brought the ball to the 8. From there, junior Owen Allen – staging a spectacular return after a one-game absence because of a sprained ankle – carried it over in two plays.

The junior phenom ran with overwhelming power and attitude all night, plunging relentlessly through defenders on his way to three touchdowns. He had expressed frustration at missing Carroll’s 63-7 demolition of Keller Central two weeks ago and finished the night with 163 yards on 22 carries.

 The Dallas Morning News reported Allen passed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season last night and for the sixth game this year ran for more than 100 yards.

“After an ankle sprain, you never know how you will play, but it was important to me not to tip toe in this game,” Allen told the DMN’s Rick Kretzschmar. “I was going with confidence and trusting in my O-line. I think I rely more on my strength than my speed. When I get compliments about my speed, it makes me feel good.”

On the following kickoff, Eaton’s drive stalled at its 44 when it failed to convert on 4^th down. That puzzling decision – a bit of hubris on the part of the over-confident Eagles? – cost them. The Dragons, behind the powerful running of Allen, drove the ball to the 1. He then muscled past Eagle defenders unable to stop his churning, churning legs to expand the lead to 14-0.

Costly score

It was a costly score, however. Leading receiver Landon Samson was injured when an Eagle fell on him awkwardly. He was taken to the locker room after the play with what was described as an upper-body injury. Dragon head coach Riley Dodge said somberly after the game that the seriousness of Samson's injury was unknown. That doesn't sound good.

With the playoffs only three weeks away, Samson’s loss for any length of time will be a blow to Carroll’s high-flying offense.  The most important consideration, of course, is the health of young Samson. The South Carolina commit is a great kid and has a bright future at the next level.

On its very next possession, Eaton quarterback Tyler Fussell (21 of 39 for 218 yards) was flushed from the pocket and scrambled for a receiver. Dragon defender Max Reyes intercepted his hurried pass at the Eagle 25. Allen bullied to the 2, where Anderson (15 of 23 for 184 yards and 2 passing TDs) swung around the left end, shed a Eagle tackler at the goal line and soared over for the Dragons’ third unanswered score.

Dodge talks frequently about the importance of a fast start, and his young charges appear to be taking it to heart. Last night was the fourth straight game that the Dragons have scored 21 points in the first quarter.

To their credit, the Eagles – recognizing the game was spiraling out of control – responded with a drive that culminated in a 5-yard TD sprint by J.D. Brown.

The next Dragon drive stalled, and kicker supreme Tyler White (more about him later) punted to the Eagle 23. A methodical march downfield followed, propelled by Brown on the ground and receiver Charles Whitebear in the air. It ate up almost half of the second quarter before running out of steam at the Dragon 9. After all that time and effort, the stubborn Dragon D forced Eaton to settle for a 26-yard field goal that cut the Dragon lead to 11.

Eagle runner J.B. Brown got his yards, but the Carroll D prevented big plays.
Carroll quickly extinguished Eaton’s flicker of  hope for a rebound. It called on the redoubtable Allen to march the Dragons to the Eagle 2. Anderson then flipped a pass to sophomore Jacob Jordan, who scored his first touchdown as a varsity starter.

With Samson injured, more responsibility likely will fall on the shoulders of the talented Jordan, who had an impressive debut against Central and has the sure hands and cunning instincts to be a playmaker.

He got his yards

The Dragon defense played superbly, as expected, harassing Fussell in the pocket and effectively limiting the potent Eagle offense to a single TD against its starting line. Brown, who ran for 135 yards on 24 carries and scored 2 TDs, enjoyed the most success. That’s not surprising. Last night was the eighth time he’s rushed for 100 yards or more this season.

An interesting anomaly in the game statistics serves as a testament to the effectiveness of the Carroll defense in preventing big plays.

Eaton outscored Carroll in almost every category, compiling more total yards (368-352), more passing yards (218-184) and more first downs (20-16).

But Eaton was unable to convert those statistics into scores, and the Dragons scored virtually at will.

Carroll also enjoyed marvelous field position all night, thanks to the lights-out play of its defense. Six Dragon drives started in Eagle territory and resulted in 37 points.

Sacks of Fussell resulted in two scores. The first came in the opening series of the 2^nd half, when Fussell attempted to convert a 4-1 at his own 20, but got stuffed for no gain. That ultimately resulted in a 30-yard field goal by the dependable-as-the-rising-sun White, whose real heroics were still to come.

Eaton quarterback Tyler Fussell was harassed all night by the Dragon defense.
The second Fussell sack was even more costly, occurring on a 3-10 from the Eagle 12, when Dragon defensive back Avyonne Jones, who had a standout night, slipped into the Eagle backfield and downed the QB at the 3. The ensuing punt only traveled to the 35, from where the Dragons set up a 6-yard dash by Allen that gave him his third score of the night and widened their lead to 38-10.

A big snooze?

In the next series, the Dragons forced Eaton to turn over the ball on downs – after yet another unsuccessful 4^th down attempt. From the Eaton 45, Anderson dropped back and found R.J. Maryland at the goal line. Maryland, a Boston College commit, tucked the ball, pushed off one tackler, used a deft spin move to evade another, then rolled into the end zone.

In most games, the 4^th quarter of a blowout is an awful bore, of interest only to parents with kids playing under the lights. Last night was a little different.

With backups at virtually every position, the Dragons had slugged their way against Eaton’s weary starters to the Eagle 38 before the drive petered out. Then, as we die-hard Dragon fans sat in amazement, Dodge sent out White and the field goal team for a 55-yard attempt. That’s quite a challenge at the collegiate and professional level, much less under Friday Night Lights.

But White, a preseason MaxPreps All-American, was undaunted and booted a perfect ball that sailed straight through the uprights with yards to spare. Radio commentators scrambled to determine if the amazing feat was a Dragon record. It appears to have tied the record set by Kole Rampage in 2016 against Tulsa Union. But then again, maybe not.

Regardless, it was a helluva kick, and White immediately was surrounded by cheering teammates, who recognized a remarkable achievement when they saw one.

Dismal outing

Unfortunately for everyone, 8½ minutes still remained on the clock. The Eagles decided to make good use of it. Following White’s boomer, Eaton quickly pushed to the Dragon 49, where Brown took it to the house for his second score of the night. On the very next series, backup Carroll quarterback Caden Jackson and Maddux Reid miscommunicated on a handoff, resulting in a fumble and recovery by Eaton at the 39. Fussell then hit Whitebear, who scored easily to close a dismal outing for the proud Eagles.

 The Dragons, now in comfortable control of District 4-6A for the second year in a row, will face Keller Timber Creek in Dragon Stadium for Senior Night next Friday, then finish the season on Nov. 8 against Keller Fossil Ridge in KISD Stadium. Neither should pose much of a problem.

The playoffs are approaching, fall is definitely in the evening air and the boys are 8-0.

Go Dragons!

The Dragons are 8-0 and the odds-on favorite to win District 4-6A.

District rampage: Southlake Carroll 63, Keller Central 7

Still unbeaten and unbowed.

Ruling the field

SOUTHLAKE – If the Keller Central Chargers were heartened by news that Southlake Carroll’s two best running backs – unstoppable junior Owen Allen and dazzling sophomore James Lehman – would sit out last night’s district matchup, nursing injuries received the week before, they were doomed to disappointment.

Enter sophomore Maddux Reid, who easily stepped into cleats and led a brutal and balanced Dragon offense that quickly overwhelmed the hapless Chargers and set Carroll up nicely for a looming showdownSenior Dragon linebacker Allan Kleiman, a rapacious presence all night, nabbed both interceptions, which set up the pair of Samson TDs.

 for the District 4-6A championship with the Haslet Eaton Eagles.

Reid, who has exhibited a precocious flair this season when he has appeared late in games in which the outcome already has been decided, slipped easily into the dominant role last night. Taking enthusiastic advantage of the holes his O-line ripped in the Central front, he ruled the field, averaging almost 12 yards a carry in rushing 118 yards for 3 touchdowns.

Shining star

Fairly typical of his performance was a dazzling 46-yard run in the 2^nd quarter. Roaring through the middle, Reid led disoriented defenders on a footrace to the goal line, where he evaded a trio of Chargers and threw himself into the end zone.

While Reid’s star shined brightest, it wasn’t the only sparkle in the Dragon constellation.

Quarterback Kaden Anderson had a solid performance, passing for 277 yards and 3 TDs. He also begain the Dragon rampage with a 2-yard dart to the end zone that capped the first Dragon drive.

Anderson threw for one interception and still displayed a maddening tendency to overthrow his receivers downfield. Leading receiver Landon Samson, who caught 2 TD passes, could have had at least two more but for throws sent just beyond his fingertips.

Against a more worthy opponent – such as, say, the upcoming Eaton – a more effective long ball might be decisive. Still, it seems silly to harp on the misfires, considering young Anderson’s output and effective management of the game.

The Dragon defense showed its usual dominance, stifling Central at every turn. It held the hapless Chargers to only 191 total yards and intercepted both of the quarterbacks fielded by Central. This despite the absence of one of its bulwarks, recuperating defensive lineman Cade Parks.

Interception king

The first placed Carroll deep in Central territory. Anderson, facing a 4^th-and-7 at the 24, connected with a wide-open Samson hovering near the goal line, widening the Dragon lead 14-0.

The second was even more dramatic.

The Chargers had installed Kelden Ryan at QB to replace the struggling Jack Helsey. Ryan quickly threw a 6-yard pass, then ran for another 7. But the opportunistic Kleiman extinguished the Ryan spark by snatching his next pass and putting the Dragons back in business at the Charger 36.

After three straight incompletions, Anderson found sophomore Jacob Jordan, making a spectacular debut as a varsity starter, who carried it to the 9. Anderson just missed Samson in the end zone on the next play. Reid bulldozed to the 3.

At that point, Anderson again sought out Samson, who was drifting across the back of the end zone. Reaching high, Samson pulled in the ball as his momentum carried his body over the line. But Samson, a South Carolina commit, desperately dragged his toes as he sailed out of bounds. Dragons extended their lead to 21-0, and savagery Dragon onslaught began in earnest.

Once again, Carroll backups got plenty of playing time last night, always the mark of a blowout. The Dragon secondary began substituting late in the 1^st half. With a 49-0 lead at half, Carroll’s action team was fully in place on both sides of the ball during the entire second half.

That’s always satisfying to see. Not only because it means the Dragons have things safely in hand. But more importantly, it gives kids who work just as hard as any of the starters a chance to shine before family and friends. As head coach Riley Dodge rightly observes at every opportunity, they are the key to Dragon success.

They help prepare the Dragons for each game, and they stand on the sidelines ready to stand in for fallen comrades. Upon their shoulders rests the whole concept of “Next Man Up.”

A scene from last year's contest.

Backup performances

It’s immensely satisfying to see a head coach who understands that. Riley Dodge’s father did, but the younger Dodge’s predecessor didn’t. That’s why the program deteriorated under him, despite its continued winning record.

A couple of the backup performances deserve attention.

When Central went 3-and-out on its first 2^nd half possession, backup QB Caden Jackson carried the Dragons to the Charger 36, a drive powered by two receptions by Brady Johnson. Then Jackson handed the ball to junior RB Conner Hill.

Hill, touching the ball for the first time in a varsity game, rumbled 36 yards to the Dragons’ 8^th touchdown of the night. And that’s why I stay in my green seat long after others have headed for home, confident of victory – or defeat. Even in a blowout, emotion and heart – the things I love most about high school football – remain.

I also call your attention to one Austin Page, a senior normally listed as a linebacker. For the two past games, Page has come in late and taken over rushing duties.

And he has excelled. Last week against Keller, he rushed 7 times for 52 yards during the final 4 minutes of play. Last night, he rolled up 53 yards in 9 attempts, setting up the Dragons’ final score by taking the ball to the 1.

Only human

Then for some inexplicable reason, Page was taken out, and Jacob Marsh was put in his place to make the final Dragon score. Why? The previous week, Page was on the verge of scoring in the final seconds of the game, when Jackson was ordered to take a knee.

 I get it. Good sportsmanship means you don’t unnecessarily run up the score.

But backups are only human. They are called upon to play just as hard as the starters. To hold them back, denying them their normal competitive instincts, doesn’t seem quite right.

Why deny Page the glory of a TD under Friday Night Lights?  I know. Coaches gotta coach. But regardless of the reasons, my heart goes out to the worthy Page.

He labors unheralded, but not unloved.

Next week is a bye week for Carroll. It comes at a perfect time for the 7-0 Dragons. Time to heal. And time to gameplan for perhaps its biggest challenge this season – the Oct. 21 matchup against Eaton. It will be, in all probability, the game that decides the District 4-6A championship.

Eaton, 6-1 and like Carroll undefeated in district, handled Keller 43-21 last night. It could be a tough nut to crack. But with a week to heal and scheme, I like the Dragons to continue their winning ways.

Go Dragons!

Next up, Eaton! A scene from last year's game.

Soundtrack of my life: Changes

He's off on a great adventure.
Change is in the wind for the Gunnels clan. And with it comes a baffling mixture of pride and joy, sadness and uncertainty.

My beloved daughter is now married and embarked on a life with the man she has known and loved since college. She is happy, harried and hopeful. All the things a new bride should be. Her parents are comforted, conflicted and confident. Nothing unusual about that, either.

And now my youngest, my steady and stalwart son, tells us he is moving to Seattle. He and his girlfriend, who his mother and I adore and endorse, will be gone by Thanksgiving – her to a great new job and he on the great adventure he has dreamed about since graduating from college.

His job, at which he has excelled in an unexpected but immensely satisfying manner, will follow him to the Pacific Northwest. They are ecstatic and – although they are loathe to admit it – a bit intimidated by the prospect of leaving friends and family behind them. But that’s all part of the adventure, right?

His mother is handling this shift in the fabric of the cosmos better than his father. She’s already planning trips to visit him, and her delighted anticipation is rather annoying. I am incredibly proud of him – I always have been, even when he teetered on the brink of disaster – and I know the two of them will thrive in their new life.

But as the winds of change buffet the tiny sailboat of my life, I admit it all makes me a little seasick. Marice and I have been luckier than many at having our grown children close at hand since they moved out of the house. Now, that’s about to change, and I’m struggling to feel OK about it.

I was sitting on my patio yesterday, feeling grumpy and heartsick, when what should pop up on Pandora but "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens (he’ll never be Yusuf to me). A message from the universe? Mere coincidence?

The father says:

It's not time to make a change.

Just relax, take it easy.

You're still young, that's your fault.

There's so much you have to know.

Find a girl, settle down

If you want you can marry.

Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy.

The son replies:

All the times that I cried

Keeping all the things I knew inside.

It's hard, but it's harder to ignore it.

If they were right, I'd agree, but it's them they know not me.

Now there's a way, and I know that I have to go away.

I know I have to go.

 Yusuf / Cat Stevens - Father & Son - Bing video

Soundtrack of my life: The best love song ever written

It happened at HemisFair.
Paul Simon was a major contributor to the soundtrack of my life.

For my money, he was the best songwriter of his era. He captured perfectly the angst and disillusionment of the times, and his lyrics are sheer poetry.

“Sounds of Silence” is an anthem of the Sixties, and “The Boxer” is a transcendent testament to the strength of the human spirit and the importance of perseverance in the face of diversity and criticism. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is a soaring hymn of our need to care for each other in times of trouble and travail.

But it is his love songs that I treasure most. And of them, “Kathy’s Song” is my favorite. It’s often overlooked, and that’s a damned shame because it is – simply perfect.

It reminds me of a Kathy I knew back in those long-lost days. We met in San Antonio during the seven-month run of HemisFair ’68, a world exposition that celebrated the cultures of the Americas. Its fairgrounds still exist.

I fell hard for Kathy, as only a 17-year-old can. And it says more about me than her that she remained blissfully unaware. Years later, when I told her of my infatuation – at a celebration of her engagement, no less – Kathy greeted the news with a tender look. “I never knew,” she said.

It’s the best love song ever written. Find a better one – I dare you.

So you see, I have come to doubt

All that I once held as true.

I stand alone without beliefs.

The only truth I know is you.

And as I watch the drops of rain

Weave their weary paths and die,

I know that I am like the rain.

There but for the grace of you, go I. 

Simon & Garfunkel - Kathy's Song - YouTube

Soundtrack of my life: Love, sweet and tender

She wore my senior ring.
 Sweet Judy Blue Eyes. We met in English class in my senior year at Big Spring High School.

She sat across the classroom from me, and I admired her from afar for most of the school year – too timid and unsure of myself to approach her. She had straw-colored hair, which billowed about her face in a meticulously styled cloud, and shockingly clear blue eyes the shade of the West Texas sky as it darkens into early evening.

It took me most of that year to drum up the courage to ask her out, and I was shocked and bewildered when she accepted. By graduation, she was wearing my senior ring – taped heavily to fit on her slender finger. It meant, in the customs of the day, that we were “going steady.”

As we sat with our senior classmates on the field of Memorial Stadium on that May night in 1969, sweating in our graduation robes, she was wearing that ring. I sat tall and proud, still amazed that she had chosen me.

We spent that night together – also a custom of the time for graduating seniors – driving around town, chatting merrily with other couples and spending a few hours in a quiet spot on Signal Mountain east of town in a profound, but completely innocent, interlude. At sunrise, we attended a senior breakfast at a classmate’s home, and I dropped her off at her parents’ house.

I was a clumsy, inexperienced and largely befuddled boyfriend so it’s not surprising the relationship lasted only a few weeks into that summer. She was going to Baylor in the fall, and I was fated to remain in Big Spring to attend community college. We both knew it was impossible. Fate, as they say, is inexorable, and we parted to go our separate ways. My heart was broken.

In September of that year, Crosby, Stills & Nash released “Suite Judy Blue Eyes” – a song Stephen Stills wrote for Judy Collins. Ever since, I have associated the song with my own Sweet Judy Blues Eyes.

Is there anything sweeter, more tender, more excruciatingly painful than first love?

It's getting to the point where I'm no fun anymore.

I am sorry.

Sometimes it hurts so badly I must cry out loud.

I am lonely.

I am yours, you are mine, you are what you are.

You make it hard.

Remember what we've said and done and felt about each other.

Oh, babe, have mercy.

Don't let the past remind us of what we are not now.

Crosby, Stills, & Nash - Suite Judy Blue Eyes - YouTube

Soundtrack of my life: The perfect rock song?

 Chilling on my patio, luxuriating in the peace and satisfaction of the successful execution of my lovely daughter’s wedding celebration – and what should come washing over me but the soul-soothing melody of perhaps the perfect rock ’n’ roll song.

It’s Glenn Frey’s glorious "Take It Easy," made immortal by the able assistance of Jackson Brown:

Well, I'm standing on a corner

In Winslow, Arizona

And such a fine sight to see.

It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford

Slowin' down to take a look at me.

Come on, baby, don't say maybe.

I gotta know if your sweet love

Is gonna save me.

We may lose, and we may win

Though we will never be here again.

So open up, I'm climbin' in…

Take it easy.

Take It Easy - YouTube

Soundtrack of my life: The song that made Dad cry

Rachel and I dancing to "Somebody's Baby."
At some point late in the wedding planning, Rachel asked me, “What should be the song for the father-daughter dance?”

I answered with my default response to any wedding-related question asked by my daughter or wife. “I dunno. You decide.”

She spent a few minutes checking the internet, then punched up a song. “How about this one?” she asked.

Seeing the tears in my eyes as I recognized the tune, she nodded. “OK, that’s the one.”

And here we are, dancing to Jackson Browne’s “Somebody’s Baby.”

Well, just look at that girl with the lights coming up in her eyes.

She's got to be somebody's baby,

She must be somebody's baby.

All the guys on the corner stand back and let her walk on by.

She's got to be somebody's baby,

She must be somebody's baby,

She's got to be somebody's baby 'cause she's so fine. 

Somebody's Baby - YouTube

Soundtrack of my life: When my hands were steady

A rock tune from long ago comes floating softly over the patio, bringing reflection and a glimmer of tears to an old man who feels the weight of his years pressing down.

I was 18,

Didn't have a care.

Working for peanuts,

Not a dime to spare.

But I was lean and

Solid everywhere,

Like a rock.

 

My hands were steady.

My eyes were clear and bright.

My walk had purpose.

My steps were quick and light.

And I held firmly

To what I felt was right,

Like a rock.

Bob Seger was only 40 when he wrote “Like a Rock.” It topped the charts in 1986.

Like A Rock - YouTube

Soundtrack of my life: Thoughts in my eighth decade

Leonard Cohen on a rainy afternoon…watching the smoke of my cigar rise lazily in the lowering sky and listening to the words of a wise and worldly man:

I’m slowing down the tune.

I never liked it fast.

You want to get there soon,

I want to get there last.

It’s not because I’m old.

It’s not the life I led.

I always liked it slow,

That’s what my momma said.

 

Leonard Cohen - Slow (Audio) - YouTube

Spoiling the party: Southlake Carroll 49, Keller 13

 

The Dragons remain undefeated in their bid for a return district championship.
Slam the door

KELLER – It was billed as a “battle of the unbeatens.” But it looked more like a total beatdown.

And while Southlake Carroll’s domination of the Keller Indians was total and unquestioned, its ultimate victory did not come without a cost and revealed a vulnerability that the Dragons must address if they are to meet their goal of a deep and fruitful plunge into the postseason.

First, the good news. The Dragon defense continues to shine, slamming the door shut on a Indian offense that coasted to an early lead and appeared briefly poised to match Carroll score for score.

But save for a handful of showy offensive plays during Keller’s initial two possessions, the Dragon D choked the life out of the Indians, intercepting Keller’s quarterbacks three times and limiting its vaulted ground game to a paltry 85 total rushing yards.

Defensive back Logan Anderson was a beast, snaring two Keller interceptions and disrupting the Indian schemes left and right. Linebacker Aaron Scherp snatched a third errant pass in the Keller red zone to set up a Dragon score.

Ruling the field

Meanwhile, its own offense ruled the field – reeling off 42 unanswered points while running backs Owen Allen and James Lehman shredded the Keller front line and compensated nicely for a struggling Kaden Anderson, who completed only 5 of 14 passes. It’s only fair to note, however, that 4 of those completions were for touchdowns, three by RJ Maryland and one by Landon Samson.

As a result, the 6-0 Carroll remains the odds-on favorite to repeat as champion of District 4-6A. It remains No. 1 ranked team in the Dallas-Fort area and the No. 3 ranked in the state. The Indians, who until yesterday’s matchup had been enjoying their best start since 1967, now slide to 5-1.

They had high hopes, the rascals. The game originally was scheduled for Thursday night, but lightning in the area delayed – and then postponed – the game until 2 p.m. yesterday.

Keller High must had dismissed school at noon because the student section was packed. I’ve never seen a bigger crowd at KISD Stadium, a dismal place to watch a football game, even with the addition of a fancy new electronic scoreboard. Lipstick on a pig.

But after a few early flourishes, the Keller fans didn’t have much to cheer about.

Indian quarterbacks Tre Guerra and Matthew Anderson couldn’t penetrate the Dragon secondary. Guerra completed only 5 of 19 completions for 180 yards and one interception, almost all on a pair of plays early in the game. When Anderson replaced him, he did even worse, throwing two interceptions.

Powered downfield

Keller, digging into its trick-or-treat bag early, took only two plays to score first. When Carroll’s first possession stalled, Guerra sent a 71-yard flea-flicker to Seth Henry that the receiver carried to the Dragon 13. On the next play, Guerra connected with Amarion Henry, who grabbed a 6-0 lead for the Indians. They muffed the PAT.

The Dragons responded immediately, powered downfield by Allen’s stout running and capped by his 5-yard scoring plunge that handed Carroll a 7-6 lead.

The Indians’ second and last score came later in the 1^st period, when Guerra lofted a 82-yard bomb to Amarion Henry, who carried it into the end zone. The Indians would not enjoy that 13-6 lead long, but in seizing the initiative, the Dragons would endure an unsettling loss.

On their subsequent possession, Allen suffered a sprained ankle as he muscled for more yards. He walked off the field with only a slight limp, but he didn’t return for the rest of the game. Allen ended the day with 65 yards on 12 attempts and 1 touchdown. That breaks his streak of double-scoring games at eight.

Coach Riley Dodge said after the game that the injury was not serious and his talented running back probably would be able to return for next week’s game against Keller Central.

With Allen’s departure, sophomore James Lehman stepped into some rather large cleats and kept the pressure on the reeling Keller defense. He rushed 22 times for 133 yards and two 2^nd-quarter TDs: an 8-yard dash that gave the Dragons a 14-13 lead they never relinquished, and a 1-yard plunge that carried Carroll into halftime with a 28-13 lead that sealed Keller’s doom.

But the hard-charging Lehman suffered a shoulder injury in the second half that also took him out of the game. Dodge described it as more serious than the injury to Allen and suggested Lehman may miss some games.

Carried the load

Next up was sophomore Maddux Reid, who ably carried the rushing load until the closing minutes of the game, when backup Austin Page stepped in, the fourth Dragon RB to see substantial playing time against Keller.

The injury roll call was not yet complete, however. Center Walker Anderson, a key member of Carroll O-line, also had to leave the field. The nature, and degree, of his injury isn’t known. And Dragon Radio reported that standout defensive lineman Cade Parks was seen being attended to on the sideline. His status also is unknown.

Yesterday's victory did not come without cost. 
That’s a regrettable and alarming injury toll for a single game. It is testimony, I suppose, to the hard-hitting nature of the contest. Keller may have been over-matched, but it wasn’t a cupcake. It fought to the last whistle.

Despite the lopsided nature of the score, the inability of the Dragons to establish a consistent passing attack helped keep Carroll’s punter busy all afternoon.

The Dragons rolled up a respectable 435 total yards yesterday. But Anderson had trouble all afternoon connecting with his talented receiving corps, particularly on long-pass plays down field. The senior overshot receivers almost a half-dozen times, sending the ball about a foot and a half beyond their grasping hands. Missed opportunities – missed touchdowns.

That was on Dodge’s mind in his post-game interview on Dragon Radio.

Asked what his team needed to work on, Dodge was quick to reply, “We have to have a more balanced offense,” he said, then added, “Our passing game has got to get better.”

They were beauties

It seems strange, does it not, to talk about improving the game of a quarterback who made 4 passing touchdowns yesterday? And those four were beauties. Maryland’s trio included a 32-yarder that gave Carroll a one-score lead, and he captured two more Anderson throws in leaping grabs at the back of the end zone. To finish Carroll scoring, Anderson sailed a 74-yard pass to Samson, who scored after traveling the length of the field down the right sideline.

All of which is fine and good. On the other hand, Anderson finished the game with a puny 36 percent completion ratio and failed to keep drives alive. Carroll punted a season-record of six times yesterday. This Dragon team is too good for that.

Anderson has all the elements he needs to succeed. He has the arm, he has the eye and he has the composure of a top-flight quarterback. He also is graced with an excellent receiving corps, led by South Carolina commit Samson and NFL offspring Maryland.

More than that, he has Riley Dodge.

If anyone can straighten out his game, it will be the former state championship quarterback who learned his trade from another stellar quarterback and coach, his father, Todd Dodge.

 Southlake spoiled the party for Keller yesterday, but it was hardly a surprise. The two school have met 11 times since they entered the UIL’s big-school division. And Carroll has won all 11. It’s a tradition, folks. And you know what we say in Southlake: Protect the Tradition.

Time to heal

With the Indians behind them, the Dragons will turn their attention to Keller Central, which they host next Friday at Dragon Stadium. They should have no problem with the 2-3 Chargers, who fell to Keller 41-7 last week. Perhaps the Central game will give some of Carroll’s battered starters a little extra time to heal.

The real test comes Oct. 21, when Carroll travels to Haslet Eaton to take on the only other unbeaten school in District 4-6A. The Eagles put the hurt to Byron Nelson 45-10 last night and now pose the only serious challenge to the Dragons’ district aspirations.

That said, here’s something to keep in mind. Since Riley Dodge became Carroll head coach, his teams have never lost a district game. Not a single one. I’d say that’s another tradition worth preserving.

Go Dragons!

The Dragons host Keller Central at Dragon Stadium next Friday.