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!