A long drive to defeat
The Midland Legacy Rebels and their sturdy fans drove a long
way yesterday for the butt-kicking they received at the hands of the Southlake
Carroll Dragons in Arlington’s Globe Life Field.
Some suggested that the 300-mile bus ride may have impacted
the Rebels’ lethargic performance in the area round of the UIL 6A Division I
playoffs. Legacy, formerly known as Midland Lee, went 3-and-out on its first
five possessions and saw the Dragons promptly and efficiently cruise to an
insurmountable 28-0 lead.
And while even short jaunts on a school bus can be bone-jarring,
brain-rattling affairs, I don’t think the trek from the wind-swept West Texas
plains had much to do with the debacle the Rebels suffered yesterday.
Instead, you need look no further than Carroll’s experienced,
self-assured defense to find the culprit behind Legacy’s woes.
The Dragon-D never looked better, handily dispatching Legacy’s
high-powered offense led by quarterback Marcos Davila, a sophomore wunderkind
with a rocket arm and pinpoint accuracy, and 2,000-yard running back Makhilyn
Young, who had averaged 191 yards per game all season.
But Young never penetrated the Dragon front line, which had
focused all week on devising ways to shut him down. And it did. The proud Young
only managed 26 yards – on 20 carries.
The entire Legacy offense, which had been averaging 48
points a game, could manage only 2 total rushing yards, once quarterback sacks
were taken into account. In the air, Davila threw for only 127 yards and the
Rebels’ single TD. He was intercepted once.
Defensive lineman Travis Keener said his compatriots had an
early clue to the evening’s outcome as they made their traditional entry
onto the field through the Dragons’ huge inflatable helmet.
“When we came out onto the field, they wouldn’t look over at
us,” Keener recalled to Dragon Radio after the game. “We knew then. We said as
we came out through the helmet, ‘We’ve got them!’”
Lost luster
Legacy held hopes that it could recapture some of the lost
luster of West Texas high school football. When I was a youth, West Texas teams
ruled the football roost, regularly making trips to the state championship game
and dominating the conversation each year.
In fact, as I’ve related before, my high school district was
known as the Little Southwest Conference, testimony to the football murderer’s row it
contained – schools such as Midland Lee, Abilene, Abilene Cooper, San Angelo
Central and, of course, Odessa Permian.
Permian’s storied program was the subject of perhaps the best book ever written about high school football. “Friday Night Lights” certainly is the most painfully accurate one, depicting both the very good and the very bad aspects of a game played by kids and followed by obsessive grownups. Its veracity can be measured in part by the fact that Odessa in general – and Permian fans in particular – despise the book.
But in the years since Permian’s mighty Mojo cast its giant
shadow over Texas high school football, West Texas’ gridiron star has dimmed to
a mere glimmer. In its place, suburban programs like Carroll, Katy and Austin
Westlake have gained prominence.
Legacy’s head coach, Clint Hartman, is building a program in
Midland that seeks to be competitive in the playoffs and challenge the preeminence of programs in the state’s urban centers.
Yesterday’s takedown by the surging Dragons illustrates he
has a long way to go.
The loss was still stinging when Hartman talked to the Midland
Reporter-Telegram.
“I just wish that we gave them our best shot,
and we didn’t,” he told reporter Chris Hadorn. “If anybody needs to blame
somebody, blame me.”
Bah, I say. It’s
always the same with coaches. In Hartman’s eyes, his Rebels lost, not because
they faced a dramatically better team, but because they didn’t play their best
game. He didn’t lose because he was outcoached, but because his kids didn’t
play up to their potential. Believe what you will, coach. This game was a
mismatch from the opening whistle.
Before kickoff, some folks were predicting a running-back
duel between Young, only one of three backs in Legacy history to post
2,000-yard seasons, and the Dragons’ leading all-time rusher, Owen Allen, who
as a junior already has topped the 5,000-yard career rushing mark.
No duel here
Turns out, it wasn’t much of a duel. While Young crashed
ineffectively against the Dragons’ front wall, Allen ruled the field. He rolled
up 247 yards on 29 carries, averaging more than 8 yards a try, and made 4
touchdowns. That’s the first time that’s ever been done by a Dragon in a playoff
game.
"Owen is
freaking amazing. You cannot stop the kid,” said his quarterback, Kaden Anderson,
who also played inspired football.
Anderson completed 18 of 27 passes for 216 yards and 1 TD.
His receiving corps is back up to strength. Leading receiver Landon Samson
returned to the lineup last night, catching 3 passes for 30 yards. Jacob Jordan
led in passing against the Rebels, snaring 8 catches for 133 yards and 1 TD. R.J.
Maryland caught 5 for 44.
With this dynamic trio – Samson and Maryland on the outside and
Jordan lining up in the slot – Carroll’s passing attack has lethal striking
power.
Allen, however, is likely to remain the straw that stirs the
Dragon cocktail. He is closing in on a 2,000-yard season and has 79
career touchdowns.
He scored Carroll’s first TD, sprinting 23 yards to the end
zone on its first possession. That unlatched the scoring floodgates.
On Carroll’s second drive, Anderson, facing a 3rd
and 4 near midfield, lofted a pass to Jacob Jordan, who raced 51 yards to
paydirt. Anderson followed up next with a 3-yard stroll into the end zone to cap
a drive shouldered downfield by Allen’s methodical dismemberment of the Legacy
defense.
With a smothered Rebel offense helpless before them, the
Dragons continued to push, staging a 6-play, 60-yard drive that displayed the
efficiency of both their ground and aerial weapons. Allen ended the demonstration
with a 2-yard plunge to bring the score to 28-0.
At that point, with 4 minutes left in the half, the Rebels
eked out their first 1st down of the night, but then were forced to
punt for the 6th time, ultimately pinning the Dragons at their own
1.
Novel experience
Anderson and company fought their way to the Rebel 46, but
failed to convert on 4th down when Allen was stopped cold – a novel
experience for the youngster against Legacy.
Davila, harassed in the pocket all night, succeeded nonetheless in bringing his team to the Dragon 12. There, he sent a pass to receiver Addison Akbar, 5 for 47, who grabbed it inside the 5 and fought his way across the line with 2 ticks left in the 1st half.
The first few minutes of the 2nd half quickly
ended Rebel hopes of a momentum change.
The Dragons’ opening drive stalled at their 30, forcing a punt.
Operating from his 33, Young coughed up the ball on the first play of the drive
after a hit from defender Calder Bray. Defensive back Luke Ledbetter fell on it
at the 42.
Three plays later, Anderson handed the ball to Allen, who coasted
untouched 36 yards for the Dragons' 5th TD. On the first play after
the ensuing kickoff, the pocket collapsed on Davila, who almost lost a loose
ball. Instead, on the very next play, he threw a pass that safety Josh Spaeth promptly
intercepted.
Allen would add a final TD early in the 4th
before backups took things in tow. And for the hapless Rebels, a joyless trip
home, full of regret and recrimination, beckoned.
I hope they stayed
the night instead of facing a nighttime return on the treacherous roads of West
Texas, which vividly demonstrated yesterday their cruel and dangerous nature.
A band bus from Andrews High School, on its way to a playoff
game in Sweetwater, was struck by a pickup headed the wrong way on Interstate
20 in Big Spring. The driver of the pickup, the bus driver and the band
director were killed. Kids were injured, but not fatally. The game was
postponed.
Big Spring is my hometown, and I’ve traveled that stretch of
highway in all types of weather. It looks deceptively innocent – lightly
traveled, wide open spaces and clear sight lines. But lined with the small crosses
that mark where travelers have died, it lays in wait for the unwary.
Next up
On to happier subjects. Thus far, the playoffs have
posed no challenges for the high-flying Dragons. They dispatched with ease
North Crowley last week, and obliterated the Rebels yesterday.
At 2 p.m. next Saturday, they face the Lewisville Fighting
Farmers in Coppell. The Farmers pulled an upset yesterday, defeating the
Arlington Martin Warriors 35-18. The Dragons last met Lewisville in the 2019
playoffs, humiliating them 84-6. You can be certain the Farmers would dearly
love some payback.
Are they likely to get it? It seems unlikely, but nothing is
impossible in the playoffs. Stranger things have happened and will happen again.
But this version of the Dragons will be a tough field to plow
for the eager Farmers. They’d best come prepared for the fight of their lives.
The Carroll defense, which started the season in fine
fettle, is playing its best football of the year. The offense is back to full
strength. Allen is running stronger than ever, and Anderson seems to have settled in nicely as field manager. Third round, we're ready!
Go Dragons!
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