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. 

Setting the stage: Southlake Carroll 42, Northwest Eaton 7

 

The Dragons enter the field in the 2021 game against Eaton. They won that one, too.

No ifs and buts

SOUTHLAKE – The Northwest Eaton Eagles came to Dragon Stadium last night with fire in their eyes and murder in their hearts. They may not have believed they could beat the 7-0 Southlake Carroll Dragons, but they were determined to give it one helluva try.

And they did. But for a handful of dreadful missteps by Noah Lugo, a sophomore with scary good potential, they might have made a game of it.

As the saying goes, however, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a merry Christmas.

Instead, Carroll shook off some 1^st quarter lethargy and dispassionately assessed the Eagles for what they are – a young team full of fight but short on experience. Then the jaws of the Dragon snapped shut and Eagle feathers fluttered metaphorically around the combatants.

Slender hopes

The Eagles may have pinned slender hopes of success on the possibility that the Dragons would be distracted and off-balance as Carroll looked toward next week’s high-stakes matchup with the Byron Nelson Bobcats.

Anticipation and preparation have been underway all season for that clash, which will be a classic battle of the unbeatens for the District 4-6A championship. My palms get sweaty and my breathing shallow just thinking about it.

Even if the Dragons had been caught napping – an unlikely event with a Riley Dodge-coached team – the double-threat Lugo kept shooting himself in the foot, then quickly reloading and shooting himself again. And again.

Thus he sank in the ensuing chaos – taking the hapless Eagles with him.

His troubles started early.

Wicked speed

On the first drive of the game, Lugo flashed his credentials – wicked speed and a rifle arm – and moved his team effectively. Then he dropped back and fired downfield. Carroll defender Carter High spoiled the party by intercepting the missile at the Dragon 40. Three bruising runs later, superstar Owen Allen raced 25 yards for the first Carroll score, which he had set up on the preceding play by a 33-yard scamper through the entire Eaton defensive line.

Just as he did here in 2021, Owen Allen had no trouble keeping Eaton at bay last night.
Things didn’t improve for the stumbling Eagles on its next possession. Lugo ended a steady, inexorable march to the Carroll red zone when defensive back Conner Hill stepped in front of another errant throw.

At that point, both teams seemed to lose focus. The Dragons couldn't capitalize on Hill's interception, turning the ball over after failing to convert on 4^th down. The Eagles returned the favor by going 3-and-out, but Carroll sputtered ineffectively and called on kicker Tyler White to punt it away, a chore White is rarely called upon to endure.

The Eagles could do no better and lined up to punt again. Then, just like that, things changed.

The worthy Conner Hill, who was a beast all night, blocked the punt.

From the Eaton 30, Allen drove the ball to inside the 10, where Dragon quarterback Graham Knowles scored on a 6-yard keeper.

That broke the game open, setting up a 28-point 2^nd quarter that brought the Eagles back to earth.

Sadly, at least for Eaton fans, Lugo, with 2 INTs already haunting him, contributed to that scoring spree. In attempting to rally his team after Carroll’s second score, he fumbled the ball on his own 26.  Five plays later, Allen scored his second TD of the night from the 4.

Allen's third, and final, TD came later in the period when he staged an electrifying 42-yard TD run that left Dragon fans and most of the Eagle defense gasping. After making a mad-bull rush through the Eaton line, he angled right and targeted the end zone, shifting into 4th gear inside the 20 to leave defenders scattered in his wake.

Leaning on the run

Carroll leaned heavily on its running game to vanquish the Eagles. A knowledgeable friend of mine believes that Carroll coaches -- with an eye to their still-new-to-the-job quarterback -- played it safe, devising a game plan designed to ease him into the job and build confidence, rather than display aerial dexterity. Makes sense to me, particularly when you have at your beck and call the services of Allen and sturdy running mate James Lehman.

To absolutely no one's surprise, Allen was his usual unstoppable self, ending the night with 162 yards on 12 carries. Lehman would rack up 142 yards on 18 carries.

Knowles also rushed for 2 TDs, his quick 6-yard dive mentioned above and a head-first keeper from the 1 before he retired for the night at the end of the 3^rd period.

He finished with 9 completions on 19 attempts for 91 yards and 1 passing TD – a 20-yard arc to Jacob Jordan that closed out scoring in the first half. His favorite receivers’ numbers reflected the conservative game plan: Clayton Wayland had 4 receptions for 52 yards and Jordan had 2 for 36, most of those on his TD grab.

That’s not a terrible night, by any means. But it’s not the aerial production Dragon nation has come to expect, thanks to the keen skills and unflappable leadership of Kaden Anderson, injured two games ago and now lost for the season.

 Knowles performed well in his first varsity start last week again Keller Central. And he was more than adequate last night.

But he'll need to take a significant step forward to face Byron Nelson's ferocious defense and keep up with its charging offense. Can he do it? That's why we play the game.

As for the Dragon defense, its starting unit staged another shutout, keeping the Eagles scoreless until a trash-time TD run by Lugo late, late in the 4^th quarter.

It captured 3 turnovers and blocked a punt. And when Lugo wasn’t losing control of the rock, he was dodging defenders in his backfield. He managed only 65 yards in passing, completing 11 of 21 throws. He was better on the ground, gaining 73 yards on 17 carries.

His rushing total was only 1 yard short of that of leading Eaton rusher Ja'Mari Harris, who enjoyed most of his success early.

Classic in the making

Now the Dragons must turn their full attention to Byron Nelson, who like the Dragons has been pushing around the lesser lights of 4-6A all season. The Bobcats dispatched Keller Central 56-24 last night, defeating a team the Dragons bested 49-3 only last week.

In perhaps a better common-opponent comparison, Bryon Nelson beat Keller 45-17 the week after Carroll struggled with the Indians before ruining their perfect season 38-35.

What does all that mean? Honestly, not much. 

Every game has its own dynamic. It's governed by different factors and influenced by a host of intangibles. That's what makes football such a fascinating, infuriating and often mysterious game.

One thing is certain: Next week’s contest has all the makings of another classic – a gut-busting, stem-winding, jim-dandy free-for-all that will showcase Texas high school football at its very best. And glory be, it’s a home game!

Go Dragons!

The Eagles had a better team in 2021, but the end result was the same.

Passing the test: Southlake Carroll 49, Keller Central 3

 

The Dragons head into the final 3 games of the regular season with a 7-0 record.
A sense of relief

KELLER – On a night dominated by Southlake Carroll’s sensational Owen Allen, who scattered Keller Central’s defensive linemen like so many tenpins in a bowling alley, it was the steady, self-effacing and efficient performance of quarterback Graham Knowles that had heads in Dragon Nation nodding in relief and satisfaction.

Knowles, a 6-6, 215-pound junior, has demonstrated acceptable aptitude in replacing the redoubtable Kaden Anderson late in games dominated by Carroll. Then, last week, he was thrust into the spotlight by the season-ending injury Anderson received in the Dragons’ nail-biting win over the Keller Indians.

Questions abounded. Chief among them: How would Knowles handle the pressure of being the starter for a premier program with high expectations of success? Was he up for the task of helping guide the high-flying Dragons on their quest for another District 4-6A title and another shot at winning their ninth state championship?

Cool as a cucumber

Knowles answered the first question rather handily. He appeared cool as a cucumber all evening, keeping his hand steady on the tiller even when the Carroll offense encountered heavy seas in the game’s opening minutes.

Uncharacteristically, the Dragons coughed up the ball on their first two possessions of the game – the second when Knowles was blindsided as he hesitated a tad too long in searching for an open receiver. But Knowles responded calmly to the turmoil, steadying the troops and leading them in scoring drives on their next six possessions.

Along the way, he completed 12 of 14 passes for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. Not bad for his debut as a starter, wouldn’t you say?

Knowles, modest to a fault, gave credit where he felt it was due.

“Coach (Dodge) came up with a great game plan,” he told Dragon Radio. “He made it very easy for me. I followed the game plan and it all worked out.”

As for answers to the second question, they will be determined in due time. First, there is a district title to win. With three games remaining, the biggest remaining hurdle for the Dragons in capturing the 4-6A crown is the undefeated Byron Nelson Bobcats, who have been mercilessly smashing opponents all year.

They face a hurdle of their own tonight, when the Bobcats host Keller in what could be a real humdinger. The 5-1 Indians came dangerously close to defeating the Dragons last week, only to be thwarted by a Carroll interception in the closing minutes of the game.

The talented Indians, stinging mightily from their lost perfect season at the hands of Carroll, will be eager to work out their frustrations on somebody. Byron Nelson could have its hands full. Let’s hope so.

A dirty shame

The injury to Anderson is a damned, dirty shame. He’s a great kid with loads of talent and great potential. He showed both when he stepped in last season to replace nationally acclaimed quarterback Quinn Ewers, who abandoned his senior year at Carroll to pursue the NIL college bonanza. Ewers is now soaring high as starting signal-caller for the Texas Longhorns.

With Anderson at the helm, the Dragons had a perfect regular season, won the district handily and made it to the championship semifinals. This year, he had worked hard to perfect the timing, trust and instinct with his receiving corps that bedevil defenders and score touchdowns.

In his wake, Dragon fans gathered in Keller ISD Athletic Complex to see how Knowles fit into the equation. We were gratified to see that not much has changed.

Despite a gameplan that relied heavily on the sturdy Allen, Knowles scored passing TDs of 25 and 9 yards respectively, both to leading receiver Jacob Jordan. In addition, he showed speed and toughness in a 14-yard dash to the end zone that was negated by penalty.

Denied glory himself, Knowles handed the ball to James Lehman three plays later, and the junior running back cruised over the goal from 3 yards out.

Lehman, who carried 11 times for 77 yards, often gets overshadowed by the dazzling Allen. But he is a clutch player, speedy and dependable, and racked up 2 TDs in his own right last night.

Owen Allen cruised serenely past the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season.
Allen, of course, shined brightest in the Dragon constellation. He sailed over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season and made two TDs, which sent his career TD total to 100.

Ineffectual push

His best run came in the decisive 2^nd quarter, when he broke through the Charger line with ease and raced toward the end zone 64 yards away. As he neared the 20, only one Central defender stood between him and the goal line. Allen juked left and the Charger could only give the bruiser an ineffectual push from behind as he accelerated for paydirt.

Before the game, Dragon radio reported that the Keller game marked the 8^th time Allen has rushed for more than 200 yards and the 18^th game in which he has scored at least 3 touchdowns. He came tantalizingly close last night to extending both records, compiling 195 yards on 12 carries and accounting for 2 TDs.

Both Lehman and Allen ran confidently behind the mammoth (by Carroll standards, at least) offensive line, which dominated the game from start to finish. It is a key to Carroll’s rushing success, a fact quickly acknowledged by its rushers.

The Dragon defense was solid, limiting the Chargers to a single 33-yard field goal (the Big Guys blocked another attempt) while sacking Charger quarterback Kelden Ryan a number of times and frustrating him the rest.

Senior linebacker Nigel Fodor was a defensive standout, recovering two of the three Charger fumbles. His second occurred after Carroll had pushed the lead to 35-3 with a 5-yard plunge by Allen midway through the 3^rd quarter.

 On the second play after the ensuing kickoff, Ryan was decked in his own backfield and yielded up the ball to the greedy Fodor, who seized it at the Central 9 and dashed for the sideline to show his cheering teammates. Knowles immediately zipped a pass to Jordan in the end zone.

Less than a minute had passed since the last Dragon score.

Central is a young team, dominated by hungry sophomores full of fight. But the youngsters were seriously overmatched by the Dragons, despite Carroll’s fledgling quarterback and a secondary that had been reorganized just before the game to accommodate players returning from injury.

Flashy and quick

Ryan, a sophomore with bright prospects, completed 11 of 13 passes for 130 yards. While flashy and quick, he did most of his running in his own backfield to evade the Dragon defenders who haunted him all night.

Admittedly, it’s always dangerous to draw too many conclusions from Carroll’s success against the Chargers, who have managed to beat only lowly Haltom so far this season. The superiority it exhibited last night may evaporate quickly when it comes up against a Bryon Nelson or the Murderers Row that awaits it in the playoffs.

I suspect it’s that realization that fueled a host of critical remarks in my section of the stadium last night, both about Carroll’s slow start and its desultory (to some eyes) response to the meager Charger threat.

Late in the game, a friend of mine observed, “You know, what does it say about us that we’re so critical of a team that’s ahead 49-3.”

Hmm, he may have a point.

Next week, the Dragons meet the Haslet Eagles at home. It’ll be another test for the young Knowles and another chance for Dragon fans like me to brood moodily about the looming threat of the Byron Nelson Bobcats.

Go Dragons!

Can the Dragons repeat as District 4-6A champions? Stay tuned!

Battle of unbeatens: Southlake Carroll 38, Keller 35

 

As usual, the great Owen Allen led the Dragon offensive attack.
A tale of two turnovers

SOUTHLAKE – The unbeaten Keller Indians pulled into Dragon Stadium last night full of fight and confidence, thirsty for revenge against a rival program they haven’t beaten since 1999.

And they almost got it. Mercy me, if they didn’t come very damned close.

At first, it appeared the battle between the unbeaten Keller Indians and the equally unsullied Southlake Carroll Dragons would turn into a shootout, with each team scoring whenever it touched the ball and the victor determined by who had the ball last.

After all, both the Indians and the Dragons reached paydirt on their first three possessions – and rather easily at that. Keller scored its first touchdown in three plays – including a beautiful 44-yard toss from quarterback Tre Guerra to Tre Griffiths – and its second in only five.

Dragon quarterback Kaden Anderson proved equally adept at moving his offense up and down the field, guiding a powerful ground game that featured the unstoppable force that is superstar running back Owen Allen.

Defensive struggle?

But eventually, both defenses managed to tone down the offensive fireworks, and it looked like the game might transition into a defensive struggle.

Almost midway through the second quarter, the Carroll D finally got to the efficient Guerra, sacking him at his 26 and then breaking up a desperation third-down pass to force a punt.

That break in serve by the Dragons would prove crucial as the night wore on.

During the subsequent Dragon drive, Indian defenders kept Allen mostly in check and forced Carroll to settle for a 37-yard Tyler White field goal, which gifted it with an oh-so-narrow 24-21 lead.

Both offensives struggled to regain the initiative as the first half wore on. Finally, with less than two minutes left on the clock, the Indians clawed their way into Dragon territory and scored on a 10-yard Guerra pass to Amarion Henry. They thus sauntered into halftime with a four-point lead. Trust me, that doesn’t happen often at Dragon Stadium.

The third quarter proved decisive. The Dragons managed to hold the threatening Indians in check while scoring 14 unanswered points, thanks to an 8-yard dash by Anderson and a 1-yard plunge by Allen.

Quarterback Kaden Anderson left the game hurt last night but under his own power.
The latter score proved costly for the Dragons – just how costly is yet to be seen.

On a 3^rd-and-2 from the Keller 17, Anderson darted right and fought for yardage along the right sideline, injuring what is believed to be his leg in the process.

As is the nature of high school football, the extent of Anderson’s injury is under wraps. One hopeful sign is that he walked off the field under his own power without a noticeable limp. He did not return, however.

Backup Graham Knowles took over the offense, and Allen advanced the ball across the line on three successive plays.

Uncomfortable lead

While Carroll held a 38-28 lead as the 3^rd period closed, it didn’t feel like a particular comfortable one. And for good reason. Because that’s when the game transitioned yet again into what it will always be remembered as – a tale of two turnovers.

Turnover No. 1 occurred when Keller raised blood pressures throughout Dragon Nation by capitalizing on a rare misstep by Allen to stage a desperate, last-gasp comeback.

It began when Knowles set up shop on the Carroll 44 after a Keller punt. He immediately zipped a ball to Allen in the flat, and the senior bullied his way to the Keller 5, where he prompted coughed up the ball, a gift that the Indians accepted with wild celebration.

Guerra moved his team to the Dragon 28, then handed the ball to Jayden Hart, who hit a wall going up the middle. Instead of toppling, darn him, Hart bounced to the left and sped into the end zone. Keller, with almost 5 minutes left in the game, now trailed by only 3.

On the very next drive, the invigorated Indians held Carroll to a 3-and-out. Fielding the ensuing punt at its 23, Keller had 2:31 to move the length of the field and score the winning TD. It had momentum, it had desire and it had the raucous support of its fans, who very nearly filled the visitors side of Dragon Stadium. (That’s what having a 5-0 record will do for you.)

James Lehman charges in for a 1st quarter touchdown.
It was tough sledding, but Guerra and company fought their way to the Keller 42. There, it faced a 3-and-15. Guerra dropped back and lofted a pass downfield, where senior Dragon cornerback Logan Lewandowski watched it float toward him. He grabbed it, stumbling to the 40. Carroll ran out the clock, and my section of the stadium heaved a deep, cleansing breath.

Make a play

“All it comes down to is, we’re up,” Lewandowski told Dallas Morning News reporter Shawn McFarland. “All we’ve got to do is make one stop. The pressure is on them. We just had to make a play, and we did.”

So Carroll takes a big step toward the District 4-6A championship, burnishing a bright 6-0 record, the fourth time it has done so in the past five years.  (Thank you, DMN, for that tasty statistical tidbit. Here’s another: Carroll has won its last 29 consecutive district games.)

The Dragons face one more serious district hurdle -- the Byron Nelson Bobcats, who also sport an unbeaten record and slapped around Haltom 65-7 last night. Luckily, Carroll meets the fearsome Bobcats on Oct. 28 in the comfortable confines of Dragon Stadium. Three days before Halloween, it could be a scary show!

The aggrieved Indians, who played well enough to win, now fall to 5-1, their ambitions shattered once again by the hated Dragons. But beating Carroll on its home turf is no easy thing. It takes more than just skill and desire, which perhaps explains why only a tiny handful of teams have managed it. A certain football magic dwells there, a place where tradition is cherished and protected fiercely.

But give them credit. The Indians, who now must prepare for Byron Nelson next week, put on an impressive show and succeeded in one thing. They put the fear of God into the swaggering Dragons, who before last night had easily beaten down their first five opponents and enjoyed shutouts against its last two.

A misjudgment

Lewandowski admitted he and his comrades misjudged the Indians.

“I think we got a little cocky,” he told the DMN. “We had a great week of practice, but we’ve got to come out and show that we had a good week. They came out and hit us in the face. Adversity always hits in the games, and we bounced back from that.”

Coach Riley Dodge said last night’s donnybrook provided a learning moment for his youngsters.

“I told them at halftime, ‘We’ll find out what type of character we have,’” he related to The News’ McFarland.

Next week, the Dragons take a short jaunt down FM 1709 (or if you prefer, Southlake/Keller Boulevard, depending on where you are) to meet Keller Central in the rickety KISD Athletic Complex. The 1-5 Chargers should provide a breather of sorts for the Dragons before their big test against Byron Nelson.

Go, Dragons!

Cornerback Logan Lewandowski's 4th quarter interception probably saved the game for the Dragons.