The wild madness of Christmas

 

Presents galore between the branches of The Beast, our beloved Christmas tree.

The in-between time

Squeals of childish laughter no longer echo through the halls of Gunnels Manse on this Christmas Day evening. Marice and I are in the in-between time – our children grown up and moved out and no grandchildren yet to take their noisy, messy place.

Photos of friends enjoying Christmas with their children fill Facebook, and it makes me a little melancholy for the days when my kids were small and the lights of Christmas filled their eyes and swelled their hearts with joy. I miss the scattered toys, half-eaten Christmas cookies and shredded wrapping paper in every corner.

God help me, but I even miss the desperate, last-minute assembly of toys in a drafty garage on Christmas Eve. It was a dreaded task that couldn’t begin until after midnight because Rachel and Ethan had to be in bed and pretending to be asleep in order to guarantee the arrival of Santa Claus on time and loaded with loot.

I remember in particular the frigid Christmas Eve I assembled a Barbie Dream House – all 12 million pieces of it – in 30-degree weather while seated on an ice-cold concrete floor.

 As I gradually lost feeling in my frostbitten extremities, I started hallucinating that my night-owl daughter, investigating the wild swearing that had awakened her, had interrupted my labors and discovered – horror of horrors – the true identity of Santa Claus. Even now, I get a little sweaty just thinking about it.

Luckily, Rachel remained asleep that night, one hopes with visions of sugar plums dancing in her head. And Barbie’s Dream House? It was a monster hit. We discovered stray pieces of that toy from hell in nooks and crannies of Gunnels Manse for years afterward

Those days are gone, but not forgotten. The house at the top of Mad Bird Hill is quiet today, the stillness of a chilly Christmas night broken only by the occasional barking of our Westie in her eternal vigilance against invaders of hallowed Gunnels ground.

If you have kids – or grandkids – young enough to be mystified, captivated and rendered mad by the magic of Christmas, I hope you realize how blessed you are. Embrace the chaos, glory in the wild happiness of it all and remember every single second.

Ask me – if I had it to do all over again, would I do it? Oh, hell, yes!

Michael Lindenberger: Taken too soon

 

Michael Lindenberger, everything a journalist should be.

Michael Lindenberger’s legion of good friends and admiring colleagues mourn his loss. At 51, he is dead too soon, felled by a mysterious illness that his doctors couldn’t identify.

Given time, Michael would have become, I am confident, one of America’s best-known and best-loved writers. He was that good and he worked at it that hard. Time was all he needed, time that has been denied him – and all the people who loved and admired him.

During the time we worked together at The Dallas Morning News, Michael was everything I believe a good journalist should be: a compelling writer, effective interviewer and diligent researcher.

But he was more than that. He was tough-minded but kind-hearted, suspicious of power but tolerant of human frailty, courageous without being foolhardy, thoughtful but no egghead, confident but not egocentric.

His untimely death cuts short a career that was beginning to soar. Earlier this year, he was a part of a team that won the Pulitzer Prize for a series of stories in the Houston Chronicle about “The Big Lie,” the myth of stolen ballots, rigged elections and fake voters.

He only recently had moved to the Kansas City Star to become the editorial page editor and vice president.

He spent 14 years as a reporter at The News, where he had few peers. There were no holes in a Lindenberger story. It was thoroughly reported, carefully organized and skillfully written. He was an editor’s dream.

We sat at adjacent desks, and I would get a running commentary about the progress of his stories. Michael liked to talk things through. I suppose it helped him organize the story before he sat down to write. His telephone interviews, which I couldn’t help but overhear, were like a master’s class in the art of interviewing.

He was among the first reporters at The News to use the internet to engage his readers. He was a devoted blogger and would write long, fact-filled posts about the news of the day, inviting his sources to participate in an online discussion. Often, he would mine his blog for his print stories.

Such things are common today. Back then, not so much.

Aside from journalism, Michael loved to cook – and was good at it. An invitation to one of his dinner parties promised mouth-watering cuisine, good liquor and sensational dinner conversation, over a wide range of topics and presided over with gusto by the host himself. On such occasions, he reminded me a bit of Winston Churchill – all the charm and intellect without the insults and suffocating egotism.

He showed his judgment and good taste by being a lover of good bourbon. Kentucky bourbon, thank you very much.

A proud native of Louisville, he believed devoutly that the best bourbon was distilled within its environs. He wouldn’t gargle with that Tennessee mash crap.

If fate had been kinder, Michael would have had time to finish his biography of fellow Kentuckian Robert Penn Warren, the only writer to have won a Pulitzer Prize for both prose and poetry.  His most famous work is All the King’s Men, a novel loosely based on the career of Louisiana Gov. Huey Long.

I consider All the King’s Men as the best American novel of the 20^th century, and Michael and I had long conversations about the book and about Warren’s creative process. I had read somewhere that Warren originally conceived the book as a long, epic poem, but had abandoned that idea and rewritten it as a novel, leaving much of the poetic imagery intact. The idea captivated me, but Michael’s research gave lie to the myth. I remember his discreet amusement at my disappointment.

Michael’s other literary hero dwelled at the other end of the spectrum. He was an enthusiastic fan of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, like Michael a Louisville native. Michael saw beyond Thompson’s flamboyant personality and detected the serious writer often overlooked by critics.

The last year had been an up-and-down ride for Michael. Along with his career accomplishments came personal tragedy when his partner of many years, Phil Clore, died after a lengthy battle with cancer. Clore’s death rocked Michael, who dealt with his anguish in typical fashion – by writing about it.

In a Facebook post at Thanksgiving, he wrote about living with grief and finding a path beyond the pain.

“I’ve been a writer all my life. And one thing I have learned is that writing is thinking. We writers often don’t know what we think, or even what we feel, until we put our brains through the process of spelling it out on the page.”

A season's end: Southlake Carroll 21, Denton Guyer 45

 

Carroll had no answer for Jackson Arnold, Guyer's five-star quarterback. He's headed to OU.

Not this year

JUSTIN – Not many folks gave the Southlake Carroll Dragons much of a chance in yesterday’s fourth-round playoff match against the fearsome Denton Guyer Wildcats.

Even the homiest of homers, after examining the evidence and hardening their green-tinted heart, would have been compelled to peer into the earnest, shining faces of their children and say – with infinite sadness – “Sorry, my darlings, but not this year.

“Not. This. Year.”

And so it came to pass on a brisk fall Saturday in December that the 14-0 Wildcats dismantled the Dragons with brutal efficiency, ending Carroll’s undefeated season,  and sailed alone into the semi-final round of the Division II playoffs.

Guyer will face the always dangerous 12-2 DeSoto Eagles in Frisco next Saturday at the Ford Center at the Star. That game has “automatic classic” written all over it. It’ll certainly be the hottest playoff ticket in the Metroplex. Count on it.

Punch their ticket

To punch their ticket to the Big Show – the Division II state championship game – the Eagles will have to get past Jackson Arnold, Guyer’s five-star quarterback who has committed to Oklahoma. After his performance this season, Arnold has convinced a lot of OU fans that he could just be the guy to turn things around in Norman.

One thing’s for certain: Arnold almost single-handedly turned Carroll upside down and inside out. The Dragons simply had no answer for him either in the air or on the ground.

He was sacked four times and spent a brief spell on the sideline to recover from the last one. But Arnold wasn’t distracted by the pressure. He had a hand in all six Wildcat touchdowns against the Dragons, rushing for four and throwing for another two.

By all rights, he should have been a holder on the Wildcats’ second-quarter field goal, one of the few times Arnold and his receivers were denied the end zone by the beleaguered Dragon D. Then he could have attained a clean sweep.

Yes, I almost feel sorry for DeSoto fans, the poor dears. The Eagles – as always, athletic, well-coached and focused – are on a mission this year. But they haven’t faced a threat like Arnold, and if anybody can derail the Eagle train roaring to a state title, it could be him.

Greg Riddle of The Dallas Morning News devoted his entire game story to a recitation of Arnold’s heroics. I call your attention to this paragraph, which focuses on his playoff output:

‘Unstoppable runner’

“Arnold has suddenly become an unstoppable runner, going over 100 yards on the ground for the third straight game after his season high during the regular season was 86 yards. He scored on runs of 49, 16, 2 and 10 yards (against Carroll) and has run for a team-high 22 touchdowns — averaging a touchdown run every six carries.”

According to Riddle, Arnold’s 303 passing yards against Carroll was the fifth time this season he’s surpassed the 300-yard mark. Arnold guided Guyer in converting nine of its first 11 first downs, five on QB keepers and three on passes.

Jacob Jordan fights for yardage as he's swarmed by the Wildcat defense.

On the sixth play of the game, Arnold gave a preview of the afternoon’s playbill, careening around the right side and speeding 49 yards to put Guyer on the board.

The Dragons responded immediately to the threat when supremo runner Owen Allen roared 34 yards to score on the second play of the next Carroll drive.

But the euphoria among Dragon fans was short-lived. Arnold then led the Wildcats in scoring 21 unanswered points, making TD runs of 16 and 2 yards and zipping a 38-yard TD pass to Landon Sides (8 catches for 137 yards).

Now trailing 28-7, the Dragons were forced to play catch-up for the remainder of the game. The die had been cast, however. When you allow a team like Guyer to seize a 21-point lead, your chances of success sink to zero.

By far the least

Guyer gained 537 total yards – for which Arnold was responsible for 449 – while limiting the Dragons to a modest 294, by far the least they have gained all season.

Allen, who ends his high school career with 7,488 rushing yards, earned every inch he gained yesterday, a total of 149 hard-won yards on 24 carries, including two TDs.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Brian Gosset, Allen finishes with 120 rushing TDs and 42 games with at least 100 yards. He ends his senior year with 2,200 yards – his third straight 2,000-yard season – and 37 TDs.

 His exploits, which began when he joined the varsity as a 14-year-old freshman, will be remembered in Southlake for a long time. Where he goes from here still is uncertain, but whichever school snatches him up will be damned lucky to get him. So says me.

Quarterback Graham Knowles had a difficult day, juggling two snaps and throwing two interceptions. He had trouble connecting with his receivers – sailing several passes over their heads and never getting into a rhythm. Credit the industrious Guyer secondary for much of the mayhem.

Knowles was limited to 9 of 18 passes for 132 yards. His only TD pass was a 48-yard beauty to Clayton Wayland (2 for 63) that narrowed the Wildcat lead to 38-21 late in the 3^rd period.

Get no closer

But Carroll would get no closer, and Guyer added the coup de grace four minutes later with an 18-yard TD pass from Arnold to Josiah Martin.

At the harsh rattle of the final buzzer, the Dragon season was over, two games short of the ultimate goal – a ninth state championship.

That dream must wait. The rules of the playoffs are fixed and unforgiving. You keep playing only as long as you keep winning. Falter and it’s all over.

Owen Allen earned every one of the 149 yards he gained against a stingy Guyer defense.

Tears flowed yesterday at Northwest ISD Stadium. How could they not? When you leave everything out on the field – as these young Dragons did – you have earned an emotional release. And sometimes, there’s nothing more therapeutic than a good cry. (I’ve been told that, you understand. I have no real knowledge of such things. Ahem.)

These Dragons have nothing to be ashamed of. They played with spirit and heart to the limit of their abilities, and they lost to a better team. It’s as simple – and as heartbreaking – as that.

I hope they’re comforted by the knowledge that they are part of a great and continuing tradition of excellence and achievement. This is the sixth straight year that Carroll has reached at least as far as the regional finals. It is an eight-time state champion. That’s a record most programs can only dream about.

That said, a season’s end always is a sad affair. For these Dragons, it is especially hard. Their sense of brotherhood and family – common in almost any high school team sport – was particularly strong.

Their next step

Life goes on, however, and there’s always next season to consider. The seniors must now focus on their next step. College, career, the Future. Best of luck to them all.

Meanwhile, the prospects for next year are bright.

Lots can happen in the off-season, of course. But from where we stand now, here’s an inkling of what could be in store.

Knowles will be back at quarterback, along with most of his receiving corps – Jacob Jordan, Clayton Wayland, Trey Ferri and Caden Jackson. Runner/WR James Lehman, whose absence because of injury was sorely felt, will be back. Backup quarterback Parker Thompson also will be on hand, perhaps in an offensive role that takes advantage of his explosive and elusive running style. On defense, linebacker Aaron Scherp returns, as does lineman Dustan Mark, both stalwarts of this year’s D and sturdy building blocks for next year.

I’m sure I’ve left out some important names. Apologies for that oversight. We will all get to know them better as times goes on.

For now, it’s time to put another Dragon season in the book. May you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Joyous New Year.

Go Dragons!

Guyer receiver Landon Sides pulls in a pass despite the best efforts of Logan Lewandowski.

Dragon Magic: Southlake Carroll 42, McKinney 35

 

Owen Allen ran for more than 200 yards for the 10th time in his career. Oh, and he scored four touchdowns.

Watching over the Dragons

Southlake Carroll head coach Riley Dodge called it Dragon Magic. And perhaps a little hocus-pocus was responsible for the transformation of the Dragons yesterday from the gang that couldn’t shoot straight to the comeback kids.

Thank goodness someone – or something – was watching over the Dragons in their third-round 6A Division II contest against the McKinney Lions.

Carroll needed all the help it could get to overcome an embarrassing series of first-half gaffes that had Dragon fans scratching their heads in wonder and reaching for the aspirin bottle.

McKinney came to Arlington’s Choctaw Stadium ready to play and hungry for an upset. And the Dragons very nearly played into its hands before they righted the ship at halftime and turned in a superb second-half performance that kept their playoff hopes alive.

For the sixth straight year, the Dragons have made it to the fourth round of the playoffs. Dodge has taken them to the area finals and beyond in each of his five years as head coach.

Playoffs midpoint

They now are at the midpoint in the playoffs. Next up, Carroll will face the winner of today’s contest between Denton Guyer, the clear favorite, and Byron Nelson, Carroll’s nemesis in District 4-6A.

Who would the Dragons rather face? Byron Nelson, of course. Carroll beat the Bobcats 38-23 earlier in the season to capture the 4-6A title. Guyer, on the other hand, is a monster this year and will pose the bigger challenge, by far.

But frankly, at this stage of the playoffs, there are no easy opponents. Take the 8-5 Lions, for instance. Most folks had Carroll as the favorite in yesterday’s match up. But Dodge, who had personally scouted McKinney in the first round, knew his team was in for a dogfight.

“Going into it, McKinney scared the crap out of me, to be honest with you,” Dodge told Arianna Vedia of The Dallas Morning News. “I got to see them first-hand in the first round … That’s a very talented football team that started playing their best football toward the end of the year, and we knew what we were getting coming into it.”

He also acknowledged the Dragons were their own worst enemies for a good chunk of the afternoon.

“Offensively, we couldn’t play any worse than the first half. Just penalties after penalties,” he told Vedia. “We were doing good stuff, it was just — positive yards, then a setback — like a yo-yo effect.”

Things got off to a dismal start. On Carroll’s first drive, the offensive line was flagged five times for false starts, including on the first three consecutive plays. But quarterback Graham Knowles kept the Dragons on track, despite the hiccups. He pitched a 37-yard pass to junior receiver Jacob Jordan, then followed it with a 12-yarder to Caden Jackson to bring Carroll to the Lion 23.

Stupefying sight

But it could get no farther so kicker Tyler White, as dependable as the dawn, was called in to boot a 40-yard field goal. His kick struck the upright, a sight so stupefying, I was tempted to rub my eyes in disbelief. It was White’s first missed field goal this season.

Quarterback Graham Knowles stayed cool and composed while miscues mounted.

McKinney couldn’t do much better. On the Lions’ first possession, quarterback Keldric Luster was sacked on the second play and intercepted by Dragon defender J. David Sparks on the third.

From the 30, the Dragons, behind Allen’s brilliant running, moved to the 11. Facing a 4^th and 2, Allen was stuffed at the line of scrimmage, a failure so rare that I began to fear the Dragons were ensnarled in some kind of bad-luck vortex.

Taking possession of the ball, McKinney promptly marched into Dragon territory, where Luster hefted a 42-yard TD pass to Tyler Stanley, the first of the receiver’s two scores for the night. It would take Carroll until half-way through the final period to finally take the lead and preserve its perfect (so far) season.

Carroll would even the score 7-7 with 29 seconds left in the first half. After a series of pass plays to Caden Jackson (11 catches for 87 yards), Allen moved the ball to the Lion 44. Knowles then connected with Jordan at the 5, and Allen finished the drive.

McKinney responded in a flash, moving to near midfield in two plays. Then, with only 8 ticks before the buzzer, Luster found Khali Best drifting near the goal line, and Best breezed in to score.

The Lions began the second half in much the same fashion. On their first possession after the break, Luster, a powerful and slippery runner, carried the ball to the 45, passed to the 17 and then handed off to Bryan Jackson, who galloped into the end zone. Less than 2 minutes into the half, McKinney led 21-7.

Lethargy disappears

The lethargy that had haunted the Dragons through much of the first half dissipated at that point, and the game settled into a back-and-forth shootout. For its part, Carroll would score on all five of its second-half possessions.

Leading the Dragon charge were Knowles, who completed 80 percent of his passes for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns, and – naturally – Allen, who rushed 34 times for 221 yards and four touchdowns. It was the 10^th time in his career Allen has rushed for more than 200 yards.

Carroll wasted no time in narrowing the Lion lead. On the third play of the ensuing drive, Knowles lofted a 73-yard bomb to Jordan (7-214), who took it to the house.

The teams traded scores, with the Dragons first cutting the Lion lead to 28-21 with a 2-yard dash by Allen.

That’s when things began to unravel for the Lions. Dragon defensive back Logan Lowandowski sacked Luster, forcing a fumble that the quarterback managed to fall on but that forced a punt.

On the next drive, the Dragons drove deep into Lion territory, where Knowles tried unsuccessfully to connect with Jackson in the end zone. But a pass interference call put the ball on the 2, from where Allen darted untouched to tie things up 28-28.

On McKinney's first play from scrimmage, Lester fumbled the ball yet again, but this time Dustan Marks recovered it at the Lion 20. Allen took it first to the 13, then to the 9, where Knowles connected with Clayton Wayland (6-51) for the go-ahead score.

The Lions weren’t finished yet, however. They came roaring back to tie the game again on a 11-yard Luster pass to Stanley (3-84, 2 TDs) in the end zone.

With 4 minutes left to play, Caden Jackson fielded the Lion kickoff at the Dragon 24. A penalty pushed Carroll back to its 9, where Knowles went to work. Peppering passes to Jackson and Wayland, he led the Dragons into Lion territory.

Two carries by Allen brought the ball to the 26. A quick pass to Jordan landed it at the 13, from where Allen added his fourth TD of the night with less than a minute to play.

Jacob Jordan, the Dragons' leading receiver, caught 11 passes for 222 yards and two TDs.

The night ended on an ignominious note for the Lions. They faced a 4^th and 2 with half a minute left in the game, time enough for McKinney’s explosive offense to hijack the game. Fading right and looking downfield, Luster slipped and fell at his own 29. The Dragons ran out the clock and another playoff classic was in the books.

McKinney’s offensive tandem of Luster, Stanley and Jackson (16 carries, 96 yards) deserve a lot of credit. Luster, a SMU commit, was the Lions’ rushing leader with 139 yards on 19 carries. He also completed 7 of 12 passes for 131 yards and 2 TDs. The Ponies should be licking their chops.

Luster and company couldn’t be completely stifled. But the Dragon D proved disruptive enough to keeps things from careening out of control, making key stops that finally disrupted the tit-for-tat scoring exchange. It sacked Luster several times and forced a fumble and an interception.

In the decisive fourth quarter, when the Dragon surge sealed the Carroll victory, Dragon defenders limited McKinney to a single score.

It’s magic

In his DMN interview, Dodge credited “Dragon Magic” for the Carroll turnaround in the second half. I suspect he had his tongue tucked firmly in cheek. The real ingredients for the shift in focus and execution had more to do with some tough love in the locker room at halftime (call it good coaching if you like), the inherent motivation and discipline that are hallmarks of the Dragon program – and intangibles like pride and brotherhood.

These guys regard each other as family. Many have played football together since grade school and Dragon Youth Football, a subject that frequently comes up in postgame player interviews.

In the playoffs, the imperative is win or go home. These Dragons don’t want to break up the family, and who can blame them? They are willing to fight hard and sacrifice much to keep that family intact. If you choose to call that magic, I have no objection.

“Dragon Magic is hard to explain,” Allen told the DMN’s Vedia, who obviously was entertained by the idea. “You don’t really know when it’s coming, but once it’s there, you know it. We were feeling it tonight, and I think everybody was, too.”

Go Dragons!

Coach Riley Dodge credited a little "Dragon Magic" for the win. Who's gonna argue with that?

De-clawing the Tigers: Southlake Carroll 69, Wolfforth Frenship 14

 

Owen Allen, for the second time in his career, rushed for five TDs last night.

A brag without much power

On paper, Wolfforth Frenship looked pretty intimidating.

Frenship emerged from District 2-6A – the modern-day version of the legendary Little Southwest Conference that dominated Texas high school football in the 1960s and ’70s – with a share of the district title and only two loses: a squeaker against Odessa Permian and its season opener against Lubbock Coronado.

Until they met their betters last night in the second round of the UIL 6A Division II playoffs, the Tigers averaged 432 total yards a game, thanks to an explosive offense led by dual-threat quarterback Hudson Hutcheson and his two 1,000-yard receivers, Tate Beeles and Leyton Stone.

All things considered, Frenship could legitimately regard itself as among the cream of the crop of West Texas programs.

As it turns out, that’s a brag that doesn’t hold much power these days.

It took only the first Tiger possession to reveal the ugly truth. The cream of the West Texas crop sours rather quickly when confronted by the premier programs of Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and Houston areas.

Caging the offense

With brutal efficiency, the Southlake Carroll Dragons dismantled Frenship, caging its heralded offense and daring its overwhelmed defense to stop Owen Allen, the Dragons’ irresistible force.

Did the Frenship D rise to that challenge? You be the judge.

Against the Tigers, Allen rushed for 149 yards on 14 carries and scored – wait for it – five touchdowns. That’s a remarkable feat all by itself. But when you consider it’s the second time this season he’s done it, well, that’s enough to give you the vapors, ain’t it?

Allen averaged almost 11 yards a carry, but his most crowd-pleasing moment came during Carroll’s second scoring drive. After the Dragons pushed into Frenship territory, a procedural penalty knocked them back to the 50. From there, quarterback Graham Knowles handed the rock to Allen, who darted around the right end and outraced the Tiger secondary to the end zone.

And the senior was just getting started. Allen would add scoring runs of 5, 21 and 12 yards before retiring for the night at half-time.

As much as I enjoyed seeing Allen embarrass the Frenship defensive line, I understand the reason for his early departure. The Dragons are fortunate they can afford – at this point in the playoffs – to rest their most important offensive asset to keep him fresh for the treacherous road ahead.

Nobody really expected the Tigers to carry the day against the Dragons. They were heavy underdogs. But I don’t think many expected them to fold up like a card table with a bad leg, either.

Unfolding disaster

Signs of the unfolding disaster came early for Frenship. Quarterback Hutcheson was sacked by Carroll lineman Dustan Marks on the first play of the game. It would be the first of six sacks Marks would make last night.

Although Hutcheson recovered sufficiently to guide his team into Dragon territory, the drive ended when a Dragon defender snatched an errant pass and gave Carroll the ball at its 46. That’s when Allen took over, marching the Dragons to the 1 before bullying into the end zone to begin the scoring avalanche.

The Dragons would score on all seven of their first-half possessions, taking advantage of the excellent field position they enjoyed all night. They carried a 42-7 lead into the dressing room. Carroll punted only once, and then got a new set of downs on a roughing-the-punter call.

It was that kind of night.

Knowles managed the Dragon offense with his usual steady hand. While the Carroll game plan called for Allen, and still more Allen, Knowles got his licks in, completing 10 of 11 passes for 173 yards.

Jacob Jordan was excellent as well, handling kickoffs and leading the receiver corps with 3 catches for 82 yards. Interestingly, his only TD came on the ground, the result of a pitchout from Knowles, which Jordan took 25 yards to the house. Plug this kid in anywhere. He’s a baller.

When the Dragon offense wasn’t slapping around its High Plains opponents, the defense was busy nullifying, stupefying and generally mystifying the Frenship offense. Hutcheson managed to complete 21 of 30 passes for 284 yards, a respectable night’s work. But it all amounted to nothing much.

The Dragons blunted the Frenship offense and rampaged through its defense at will.

He was sacked 10 times by the Dragon D, which spent almost as much time in the Tiger backfield as Hutcheson did. It also forced one interception and three fumbles, although it fell on only one.

As mentioned above, Marks was a rampaging beast, but his brilliant performance was aided and abetted by outstanding effort from his defensive comrades, who easily turned in their best game of the year. And for this bunch, that is saying a lot.

Under a pile

The Dragon D held Frenship to a modest 279 total yards, well below its usual output. the Tigers' rushing yardage stood at -30, a result of Hutcheson spending much of the night under a pile of Dragons.

Hutcheson’s highlight reel won't include any plays from this game, save perhaps one.

Near the end of the first half, after the Dragons had cruised to a 35-0 lead, Hutcheson began the ensuing Tiger drive by completing a 73-yard pass and run to Leyton Stone (3-118), which landed Frenship on the Dragon 5. Three plays, Hutcheson found his brother, Landon (12-116), in the end zone.

The score gave shivering Tiger fans something to cheer about – oh-so-briefly – as they endured the icy West Texas wind sweeping across San Angelo Stadium. Frenship would manage one more score, a 34-yard TD pass from Hutcheson to Stone (3-118) in the final seconds of the third period.

That was long after Carroll had cleared the field of its starters to give its backup players some time in the limelight.

 These kids, sometimes referred to as “the 2s and 3s,” are the stalwarts who labor largely unheralded to prepare the starting squad for each game. Also known as the action squad, they are an essential – but too frequently overlooked and unappreciated – ingredient in Dragon success.

Head coach Riley Dodge understands their value and works hard to spotlight their contributions. And to let them know how essential they are.

It’s a lesson he learned at the knee of his father, legendary coach Todd Dodge, who led Carroll to four state championships in five years in the early 2000s. And it’s a lesson Riley’s predecessor, Hal Wasson, sadly never learned.

Given a chance

After the game, the younger Dodge spoke of his ability to give his secondary players a taste of gridiron glory, a luxury not often possible in the post season.

“At this point in the playoffs, you don’t anticipate that you’ll have this kind of opportunity,” he told Dragon Radio. “But our guys went out and got the job done tonight so we were able to do it. It was awesome.”

For their part, the backups did themselves proud.

Running back Davis Penn, who like Allen is starting his varsity career as a freshman, scored on a 3-yard run during the Dragons’ opening drive of the second half. I expect we’ll be seeing a lot of this youngster in coming years. It’s clear the coaches have their eye on him and have been giving him an opportunity to stick his toe in the water during the last couple of games.

Backup quarterback Parker Thompson, a junior, also got into the scoring act. The tall and lanky Thompson, a facile and elusive runner, warmed up the Dragon side of San Angelo Stadium with blood-pumping TD runs of 67 and 41 yards.

Lord, this kid is fun to watch. When he gets the chance, he makes the most of it. And while his achievements occurred long after the game was decided, he was running against Frenship starters.

In between Thompson’s electrifying runs, senior Todd Mallory also added to Carroll’s massive lead with a 3-yard bolt to the blue.

Four TDs by backup players. You don't see that very often. Maybe ever.

A confession

(I feel the need to confess. I passed up the long trek to my old West Texas stomping grounds in favor of watching NFHS Network’s live stream of the game. I had to endure the play-by-play commentary of two San Angelo yahoos, who were painfully inept and ill-informed, but I did so in the warm comfort of my home office. For the hardy souls who did venture west, they were treated to frigid blasts of mist-filled wind and a nighttime drive home on lonely West Texas highways. No thanks. I’m an old man and should start acting like it.)

And so the Dragons have achieved another of their seasonal goals. The first was to win the district championship. Done. The second was still to be playing on Thanksgiving. That, too, has been accomplished.

The Dragons will face the McKinney Lions next Friday at Choctaw Stadium, the new moniker for old Rangers stadium. McKinney breezed past Dallas Jesuit to reach the third round. They won’t have as easy a time with the Dragons.

As for the final goal – a state championship – we’ll have to wait and see. It won’t be easy, but good things rarely are.

Happy Thanksgiving, all. And go Dragons!

The Dragons face the McKinney Lions this Friday on their march to a ninth state title.

Right time to shine: Southlake Carroll 52, Crowley 13

 

Photo flashback: Dragons celebrate a 2018 playoff victory against Euless Trinity.

A giant leap forward

SOUTHLAKE – With perfect timing, Southlake Carroll quarterback Graham Knowles’ evolution from stand-in to stand-out continued apace last night, as he confidently led the Dragons in dismantling a feisty but outmatched Crowley squad in the bi-district round of the Division II playoffs.

Quarterback Graham Knowles, a replacement player no more, took firm command of the Dragon offense, passing for a career-high 324 yards and 4 touchdowns. It was his second consecutive game to score four passing touchdowns, demonstrating his impressive performance last week against Keller Fossil Ridge was no fluke. And he did it last night against a much better team.

Knowles made TD throws to three different receivers – Clayton Wayland (3 catches for 59 yards), Trey Ferri (2-14) and a pair to junior Jacob Jordan, the night’s other breakout offensive star.

 In easily his best game of the season, Jordan caught 11 passes for 222 yards and 2 touchdowns. But he’s no shrinking violet just emerging from the shadows. Jordan has been the go-to receiver for both Knowles and the sidelined Kaden Anderson all year. Last night, however, was special.

Sheer beauty

His first TD came early in the 2^nd period after he fielded a Crowley punt at his 35-yard line. On the next play, he snagged a Knowles pass and raced down the left sideline toward the end zone. At the 20, a pursuing Eagle defender desperately tried to push him out of bounds. But Jordan nimbly shifted his weight and kept inside the line. It was a thing of beauty.

He was still a little dazzled by it all when he was interviewed after the game by The Dallas Morning News’ Rick Kretzschmar.

“I’m amazed at this especially considering this is my first playoff game,” he admitted. (This is his first year on varsity.)

Jordan gave credit to the Dragon O-line for protecting Knowles. And he praised his quarterback for “some great plays” and head coach Riley Dodge – who does double duty as the quarterback coach – for calling good plays. (Praising the boss: He’s no dummy.)

His general conclusion about where the Dragon offense now stands?

“I think now we can kill them with the run and the pass,” he said.

Jordan's reference to the run was a nod to Carroll’s phenomenal running back, the esteemed Owen Allen, who darted, dashed and rumbled to 138 yards on 13 carries against the Eagles, scoring a TD in the process. It was the eighth time this season that he has rushed for more than 100 yards.

Allen, who already has passed the 1,600-yard rushing mark this season, left the game midway through the third period or his numbers would have been more impressive. But Carroll coaches want to keep him fresh and upright for what the Dragons hope will be a deep playoff run. Besides, his departure coincided with Jordan’s second TD, achieved when he caught three consecutive Knowles passes, propelling the Dragons 53 yards to extend their lead to 38-7.

Light’s out play

The Dragons not only displayed a super-charged offense to dispatch Crowley. They brought a smothering, swarming defense, as well.

Photo flashback: Carroll players celebrate a 2019 playoff victory against DeSoto.

In effect, Carroll’s defensive starters held Crowley to a single score. That occurred in the 2^nd quarter when Eagle quarterback Caleb Williams lofted a pass to Jordan Green, who then sped 74 yards down the left sideline to finally put the Eagles on the scoreboard after the Dragons had leaped to a 21-0 lead by scoring on their first three consecutive possessions.

The Eagles wouldn’t score again until the last play of the game, a 1-yard plunge by Treyshuan Ford against the Dragon action squad that played much of the 2^nd half.

The Dragon secondary played soft against the Eagle passing attack, allowing Williams – when he wasn’t flat on his butt – to complete13 passes for 218 yards. Except for Ford’s big play, however, it amounted to nothing much.

That’s because the Carroll D guarded its home field with the ferocity of a – well – fire-breathing dragon. In the first half alone, it limited Crowley to only 38 rushing yards on 23 carries. It totaled 14 tackles-for-loss and sacked Williams eight times. Frankly, it seemed like more from where I sat. One thing’s a fact: Williams will remember his visit to Southlake for some time.

Dragon defensive star Cade Parks was his usual disruptive self, forcing a fumble in the 1^st half and sacking Williams twice. He joined fellow linemen Dustan Mark and Zach Scarborough in making three tackles-for-loss each. (Thanks to the DMN for the defensive stats.)

Dodge keeps his enthusiasm under strict control during post-game interviews, reserving his unbridled joy at winning for celebrations with his players. As usual, he expressed satisfaction last night with his team’s performance and its prospects going forward.

Better and better

“Our offense settled in and performed well, and the defense made several key stops when it mattered,” he told the Fort Worth Star Telegram’s Robert Thomas. “Our guys continue to get better and better each week, and tonight was a good way to start the playoffs.”

For Crowley, better days are ahead. This is its first year of competition in 6A, the UIL’s largest and toughest bracket, and it deserves a lot of credit for making the playoffs at all. Its kids never quit, but they were outgunned from the get-go.

 Even their few bright spots were dimmed by disaster.

Crowley stalled a Dragon drive midway through the 2^nd quarter, forcing Carroll to settle for a 26-yard Tyler White field goal to widen its margin to 24-7. On their next drive, the Eagles were moving steadily downfield when Parks forced a fumble and Mark fell on it at the Crowley 44.

After Jordan ran 29 thrilling yards to the 27, Knowles dropped back to pass. But the Eagles’ Jonathan Blake snatched the ball at the goal line and darted to midfield. A 15-yard penalty against the Dragons set the Eagles up at the Carroll 37.

Things unraveled quickly. The Carroll defense sacked Williams on three consecutive plays, snuffing out the Eagle threat. After fielding a short Crowley punt at its 19, Carroll marched 81 yards in 9 plays to score on a 16-yard Knowles pass to junior Trey Ferri. Carroll carried a 31-7 lead into halftime.

Methodical beatdown

The 2^nd half settled quickly into a methodical beatdown of the Eagles. Jordan captured his 2^nd TD on a 23-yard reception, backup running back Todd Mallory plunged 2 yards to add the Dragons’ sixth TD and backup quarterback Parker Thompson finished scoring for Carroll with a thrilling 25-yard untouched romp up the middle.

The Dragons’ opponent in the area round will be decided by tonight’s game between Wolfforth Frenship, located on the High Plains near Lubbock, and El Paso Eastlake – at a time and date to be determined.

 I don’t know anything about either team, except that historically, West Texas programs don’t fared very well in the playoffs. The days when juggernauts like Odessa Permian, Abilene High and San Angelo Central dominated the playoff scene are long over.

But you never know. In high school football, particularly during the playoffs, anything can happen. And usually does.

Go Dragons!

Photo flashback: Brady Boyd's memorable catch in a 2019 playoff victory against Midland Lee.

Unbeaten: Southlake Carroll 45, Keller Fossil Ridge 14

 

Quarterback Graham Knowles, man of the hour.

This post has been substantially edited to reflect the results of tonight's games.

Looking cool and comfortable

KELLER – If Southlake Carroll fans had any doubts about the ability of Graham Knowles to carry the Dragons deep into this year’s playoffs – and we did – they had to be somewhat reassured by how the youngster handled things last night against Keller Fossil Ridge.

Knowles, who took over from Dragon signal-caller Kaden Anderson when the talented senior went out with a season-ending injury, threw for 189 yards and 4 touchdowns against the Panthers. And for perhaps for the first time since he assumed the starting job, Knowles looked cool and comfortable doing it.

The timing of his breakout performance couldn’t have been better. It comes on the cusp of the unbeaten Dragons’ eager plunge into the post season next week. With Knowles’ steady hand now on the tiller, the Dragons will host District 3-6A's Crowley, a second-seed team now headed for the Carroll meat-grinder (we sincerely hope).

 But more later on the convoluted playoff picture, which can be as difficult to explain – and comprehend – as quantum physics.

The important thing for the Dragons right now is the knowledge that star running back Owen Allen won’t have to carry this team alone on its quest for a ninth state championship.

Knowles stepped up big last night, taking advantage of the game plan devised by Carroll coaches to place him front and center. He didn’t disappoint, completing12 of 18 passes and tossing TD throws to three separate receivers.

Carroll’s meaty offensive line – the most massive (and talented) in my memory – gave him plenty of time to pick apart the Panther secondary, and he did so with confidence and precision.

Most of Dragon Nation assumed that the dazzling Allen would carry the load for Carroll’s offense, just as he did last week in the Dragons’ bruising victory over Byron Nelson.

Secondary role

Instead, Allen stepped into a secondary role, but still rushed for 85 yards on 13 carries. His only score came early in the second half, after he apparently had turned running chores over to junior James Lehman. But sadly, Lehman limped painfully off the field with a possible knee injury after he galvanized the crowd with an electrifying 36-yard run to the Ridge 22.

Allen quickly pushed the ball to the 12, where Knowles carried it into the end zone, only to have the run called back by a holding penalty. Shedding defenders, Allen took the rock first to the 1 and then across the line to expand Southlake’s lead to 24-7. His duty done, he then left the game for good.

Clearly, however, coach Riley Dodge and his staff wanted to give Knowles a chance to show us all what he could do. And if his performance on center stage last night is any indication, the answer is quite a lot.

He opened scoring for the Dragons midway through the 1^st quarter with a 25-yard pass to Clayton Wayland (6 receptions for 138 yards) and followed it up in the 2^nd with a 9-yard zipline to Jacob Jordan (3-17). In between, kicker Tyler White booted a 50-yard field goal to give the Dragons a 17-7 lead at the midway point.

At the time, a 10-point lead didn’t seem very reassuring, particularly after the first-half antics of Ridge’s rough and ready running back, Landen Chambers. A rampaging brute of a runner, Chambers played havoc with Dragon defenders and seemed always to be on the brink of breaking the game wide open.

Running amok

The Dragon D never allowed that to happen, largely keeping him out of the end zone and making adjustments at halftime that doused his fervor. But not before he left an indelible impression on Dragon fans as he barged, again and again, into the middle of the D-line, where he was swarmed by Carroll players desperate to topple him. Repeatedly, he would suddenly burst free, lugging the Dragons still grappling with him for another 10 yards.

Chambers rushed for 192 yards on 33 carries and was responsible for both Ridge scores. The first was a trick play in the 1^st quarter when he snatched a lateral from Panther quarterback Logan Cundiff, then lofted a 21-yard pass to Isaac Smith in the end zone.

The Dragons will host the bi-district round of the playoffs at Dragon Stadium.

The other came in the final quarter, after Carroll started substitutions, when Chambers scored from the 1 to punctuate a drive highlighted by a 51-yard pass by Cundiff to set up the Panthers at the Carroll 10.

Not only did the Carroll defense marginalize Chambers after the break, it also harassed Cundiff, chasing him around his own backfield and sacking him at least 3 times. His miseries began early, on the third play of Ridge’s first drive, when Dragon David Sparks intercepted a Cundiff throw. He would complete only 4 passes for 66 yards.

The 3^rd period proved decisive. After Allen scored 2 minutes after it began, Carroll dominated, gaining 91 total yards to the Panthers’ puny 9. Knowles threw a 21-yard TD pass to Caden Jackson (3-44), then found Jackson again with a 13-yard toss on the first play of the 4^th.

Carroll now led 38-7, but it had one last dose of humiliation for the sagging Ridge. Parker Thompson replaced Knowles at QB and promptly darted 32 yards for the Dragons’ final score.

 Thompson, a speedy and slippery runner who strikes sparks whenever he touches the ball, doesn’t see much playing time. But as a friend of mine observed, Carroll should damned well design a few plays around the charismatic senior. He might be a valuable asset in the fire and brimstone of the playoffs.

What happens now?

What’s in store for the Dragons now? As the result of action tonight, they now know they'll be playing in the UIL's Division II, the so-called small-school division. And they'll host the bi-district round in Dragon Stadium against 4-6 Crowley, which ended up as the DII second seed in District 3-6A.

The final details had to wait for the results of tonight's contest between Keller Timber Creek and Keller Central, two of the lesser lights in District 4-6A. Timber Creek whipped up big on Central, clearing the way for Carroll to go DII. Don't ask me to explain why. Frankly, the byzantine calculations of the UIL playoff system always leave me dazed and confused. 

All things being equal, the first-round faceoff with Crowley is likely to be a cakewalk for the Dragons. The system is designed to match up first-seed teams, those with the best records, with weaker opponents in the bi-district round -- a tangible reward for excellence during the regular season.

As District 4-6A champ, Carroll was a guaranteed first seed no matter where it landed -- DI or II. It's 10-0 regular-season record -- the third time this class of seniors has achieved such a goal -- didn't hurt.   

Opinions differ about which division presents the easier route to a state championship. Logic would suggest that Division I is the tougher row to hoe. But that's not always the case. 

Carroll has played in both divisions over the years, depending on the size of the district schools who made the playoffs in any particular season. And it's won state titles in each. This year, many of those in the know believe that DII will be the tougher nut to crack. 

For instance, many Dragon fans contemplate with a certain amount of dread the 4th round, where Carroll, if it gets that far, could meet formidable Denton Guyer, a bitter rival that has routed opponents all year.

Regardless of the division, however, teams in pursuit of a state championship must survive an unforgiving environment governed by a merciless creed: Win or go home. That’s what makes the playoffs so special – and such nerve-wracking fun. 

Let the games begin.

Go Dragons!

What's a good way to roar into the 2022 playoffs? A 10-0 record, that's what.

Meeting the challenge: Southlake Carroll 38, Byron Nelson 23

Owen Allen does what he does best -- run for daylight.

The Dragon has awakened!

SOUTHLAKE – Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

Southlake Carroll emerged from a spell of rainy-day dreaming last night and handily captured another district championship – its fifth straight under coach Riley Dodge.

As it turns out, the much-discussed, highly anticipated showdown between the Dragons and the unbeaten bully-boys of District 4-6A – the Byron Nelson Bobcats – turned out to be not so dramatic after all.

Oh, it had its moments of anxiety for sodden Carroll fans and exultation for the rowdy Byron Nelson crowd that braved rain, thunder and lightning in hope of watching its heroes dispatch the haughty, undeserving Dragons.

But alas for the swaggering Bobcats – who were averaging 55 points a game as the state’s No. 1 scoring offense – those moments came early and lasted only briefly.

At that point, the showdown became a showcase for the awesome talents of Carroll’s superstar running back, Owen Allen, who rushed for 216 yards and racked up a personal record of five touchdowns.

Eye-popping performance

Allen, whose off-field modesty and genial manner belie his ferocity on the field, credited his eye-popping performance to his coaches’ gameplan and his offensive line.

“People can say that I took over the game and carried my team on my back, but that’s never how it really is,” he told Dragon Radio, which had just characterized the game in such heroic terms. “When I’m doing well, it’s because things are going well for the big guys up front.”

That’s undoubtedly true – and bless Allen for being smart enough to realize it.

But it also was his damn-the-torpedoes running style and never-surrender attitude that shook the Dragons out of their early-game lethargy. It emphatically ended the stream of vitriol and insult that had wafted eastward all week from Trophy Club, home to the Bobcats and Southlake’s next-door neighbor.

Byron Nelson, perhaps inspired by last night’s rain showers, sprang to a 13-0 lead with lightning speed. Its first score – a 44-yard bomb from veteran Nelson quarterback Jake Wilson to favorite receiver Gavin McCurley – came after only a 5-play series kicked into overdrive by speedster Aaron Darden’s 24-yard dash. A 2-point conversion attempt failed.

Carroll responded feebly to the challenge with a 3-and-out, and Wilson picked up where he left off. He guided the Bobcats on a 12-play, 82-yard drive that ended with another TD pass to McCurley. Presto! Nelson led 13-0 with 3 minutes left in the first quarter.

  “But like in most fairy tales,” wrote the Fort Worth Star Telegram’s Brian Gosset in his game story, “you never want to wake up the dragon.”

Particularly when that dragon is named Owen Allen.

Over the course of the next 15 minutes, as described by Dallas Morning News writer Lia Assimakopoulis, Allen rushed for 138 yards and scored 3 TDs to put the Dragons in the lead, 21-13, at the half.

Allen-up-the-middle

The first of those scores came on an 8-play drive, 7 of them runs by Allen straight into the teeth of the Bobcat defense. The only deviation from Allen-up-the-middle was a 24-yard pass from Carroll quarterback Graham Knowles to Clayton Wayland.

Allen’s 3-yard smash across the goal line was his 20^th rushing score of the season and the beginning of a 31-point unanswered scoring spree by the now aroused Dragons.

The second Carroll score also was all Allen and came after the first of two key first-half stops by the Carroll defense that stalled key Nelson drives and doused its hopes.

When the Bobcats failed to convert on 4^th down at the Dragon 27, Allen carried the Dragons downfield before scoring from the 8. On one 19-yard carry, he displayed what makes him so special.

After breaking through the Nelson line at its 37, Allen emerged into the secondary slightly off-balance. Lurching upright, he was hit from behind and nearly went down. Wrenching himself free of the Bobcat’s grasp, he crashed into another defender and bounced sideways, once again almost toppling. Still churning forward, he finally was brought down by a host of Bobcats at the 18. He scored two plays later.

The last Dragon score of the first half occurred after Carroll stalled a Bobcat drive at its 35 and forced a punt. Allen then spearheaded another drive that included a stunning 41-yard Knowles pass to Jacob Jordan (2-59) that brought the Dragons to the Nelson 6. Allen wrapped things up with a jolt across the line.

Cade Parks (52) and Nigel Fodor (29) wrap up Byron Nelson quarterback Jake Wilson.
With only an 8-point lead at halftime, the Dragons could ill afford to rest on their laurels. And they didn’t. Kicker Tyler White booted a 39-yard field goal to open the second half for the Dragons, and Allen would add a couple of more TDs.

A comeback crushed

The Carroll defense, which had held its opponents to an average of 9 points a game before meeting the Bobcats, couldn’t completely stifle the talented Wilson (24 of 33, 250 yards, 2 TDs). But he was pressured all night and saw his 3^rd-period comeback effort crushed before it ever had a chance to develop.

In the closing seconds of the 3^rd, the Bobcats kicked a 37-yard field goal by Pierce Dahlin to narrow the gap to 31-16. Then, just when it looked like Allen and company were poised to ice the game, Carroll fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Nelson recovered on its 46.

With rising hope, Wilson quickly took his team to the Dragon 15 despite constant harassment by Carroll defenders. He was sacked twice, the second time by the worthy Cade Parks, a play that snuffed out the Bobcats’ last flicker of hope. Two plays later, they turned the ball over on downs.

Another rushing series later, Allen whipped across the goal line to end Dragon scoring. Nelson would add a meaningless TD by Landon Farco with less than 2 minutes left, and then it was over.

Before the game, Dodge had freely admitted that Allen was the key to the Dragon offense, and not just because the rainy conditions – the game was delayed by lightning for 80 minutes – supposedly favored the ground game.

Allen has been the fierce heart of the Dragon offense all year, but especially after injury sidelined quarterback Kaden Anderson for the year.

With the untested Knowles now at the helm, the focus turned increasingly on Allen and his running mate, junior James Lehman (10 for 91). They haven’t disappointed.

After the game, his coach gave Allen – who has now rushed for over 6,500 yards and 105 TDs in his 4-year Dragon career – his due.

“He’s the best running back in the state of Texas for a reason,” he told the DMN. “Look at the stats. You don’t have to go too far to figure that out.”

Cinderella story

As radio commentators pointed out, it’s not often that you see two undefeated teams face each other this late in the season. For that reason alone, a lot of attention was directed at the matchup. Another reason for all the hoopla, of course, is that the public loves a Cinderella story.

And Byron Nelson fits that bill nicely. Only last year, it fell to Carroll 68-7 – a soul-draining, ego-destroying affair that could have demolished many programs. Instead, the Bobcats went on to make the playoffs, an astounding comeback that was only reinforced by their domination of opponents this year.

We’ll see if Bryon Nelson can sustain the progress it’s made. Winning traditions aren’t forged out of a single season. Certainly, its fan base has a lot to learn about handling success gracefully. The hateful chatter directed at the Dragons in recent weeks went beyond the normally good-natured trash talk that accompanies most games.

Haters gotta hate, I guess. It served one good purpose, though. Carroll coaches used the provocative dribble – and the media’s total focus on Byron Nelson’s storybook season while largely ignoring the Dragons’ equally impressive credentials – as a motivational tool.

Southlake, of course, is used to being the bad guy everyone roots against. It’s an attitude fueled by Carroll’s phenomenal success over the years and the public perception (largely accurate) that it’s a haven for the rich and privileged.

Dodge, who grew up in Southlake and is a product of the Dragon program, said his players consider it a point of pride that every team they play consider a victory against Carroll as a season-making event.

“It’s a group that’s had a target on their back from day one coming off a semifinal run in the playoffs last year, and these guys continue to answer the bell,” he told the DMN.

 No easy route

The Dragons, de facto district champs, end their regular season next Thursday against Keller Fossil Ridge. Next week’s final games will determine whether the Dragons play in Division I or Division II. 

Neither route to the state championship will be a cakewalk. In fact, Division II, the so-called small-school division of 6A, may prove the tougher path this year. Carroll most often qualifies for Division I.

But the manner in which the Dragons rose to smite the ascendant Bobcats bodes well for a deep playoff plunge. In their first real challenge of the season, the Dragons passed the test, bless ’em. Watch out, Fossil Ridge, the Dragon has awakened!

Go Dragons! 

Owen Allen lunges for the goal line. He crossed it five times last night.