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 2nd 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.
In effect, Carroll’s defensive starters held Crowley to a
single score. That occurred in the 2nd 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 2nd 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 1st 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 2nd
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 2nd half settled quickly into a methodical
beatdown of the Eagles. Jordan captured his 2nd 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!
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