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.