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.