This post has been substantially edited to reflect the results of tonight's games.
Looking cool and comfortable
KELLER – If Southlake Carroll fans had any doubts about the
ability of Graham Knowles to carry the Dragons deep into this year’s playoffs –
and we did – they had to be somewhat reassured by how the youngster handled
things last night against Keller Fossil Ridge.
Knowles, who took over from Dragon signal-caller Kaden
Anderson when the talented senior went out with a season-ending injury, threw for 189 yards and 4 touchdowns against the Panthers. And for
perhaps for the first time since he assumed the starting job, Knowles looked
cool and comfortable doing it.
The timing of his breakout performance couldn’t have been better.
It comes on the cusp of the unbeaten Dragons’ eager plunge into the post season
next week. With Knowles’ steady hand now on the tiller, the Dragons will host District 3-6A's Crowley, a second-seed team now headed for the Carroll meat-grinder (we sincerely hope).
But more later on the convoluted playoff picture, which can be as difficult to explain – and comprehend
– as quantum physics.
The important thing for the Dragons right now is the knowledge that star running back Owen Allen won’t have to carry this team alone
on its quest for a ninth state championship.
Knowles stepped up big last night, taking advantage of the
game plan devised by Carroll coaches to place him front and center. He didn’t
disappoint, completing12 of 18 passes and tossing TD throws to three separate
receivers.
Carroll’s meaty offensive line – the most massive (and
talented) in my memory – gave him plenty of time to pick apart the Panther
secondary, and he did so with confidence and precision.
Most of Dragon Nation assumed that the dazzling Allen would
carry the load for Carroll’s offense, just as he did last week in the Dragons’
bruising victory over Byron Nelson.
Secondary role
Instead, Allen stepped into a secondary role, but still rushed for
85 yards on 13 carries. His only score came early in the second half, after he apparently had turned running
chores over to junior James Lehman. But sadly, Lehman limped painfully off the
field with a possible knee injury after he galvanized the crowd with an
electrifying 36-yard run to the Ridge 22.
Allen quickly pushed the ball to the 12, where Knowles
carried it into the end zone, only to have the run called back by a holding
penalty. Shedding defenders, Allen took the rock first to the 1 and then across
the line to expand Southlake’s lead to 24-7. His duty done, he then left the
game for good.
Clearly, however, coach Riley Dodge and his staff wanted to
give Knowles a chance to show us all what he could do. And if his
performance on center stage last night is any indication, the answer is quite a
lot.
He opened scoring for the Dragons midway through the 1st
quarter with a 25-yard pass to Clayton Wayland (6 receptions for 138 yards) and
followed it up in the 2nd with a 9-yard zipline to Jacob Jordan
(3-17). In between, kicker Tyler White booted a 50-yard field goal to give the
Dragons a 17-7 lead at the midway point.
At the time, a 10-point lead didn’t seem very reassuring,
particularly after the first-half antics of Ridge’s rough and ready running
back, Landen Chambers. A rampaging brute of a runner, Chambers played havoc with Dragon defenders
and seemed always to be on the brink of breaking the game wide open.
Running amok
The Dragon D never allowed that to happen, largely keeping
him out of the end zone and making adjustments at halftime that doused his
fervor. But not before he left an indelible impression on Dragon fans as he
barged, again and again, into the middle of the D-line, where he was swarmed
by Carroll players desperate to topple him. Repeatedly, he would suddenly burst free,
lugging the Dragons still grappling with him for another 10 yards.
Chambers rushed for 192 yards on 33 carries and was
responsible for both Ridge scores. The first was a trick play in the 1st
quarter when he snatched a lateral from Panther quarterback Logan Cundiff, then
lofted a 21-yard pass to Isaac Smith in the end zone.
The other came in the final quarter, after Carroll started substitutions,
when Chambers scored from the 1 to punctuate a drive highlighted by a
51-yard pass by Cundiff to set up the Panthers at the Carroll 10.
Not only did the Carroll defense marginalize Chambers after
the break, it also harassed Cundiff, chasing him around his own backfield and
sacking him at least 3 times. His miseries began early, on the third play of Ridge’s
first drive, when Dragon David Sparks intercepted a Cundiff throw. He would
complete only 4 passes for 66 yards.
The 3rd period proved decisive. After Allen
scored 2 minutes after it began, Carroll dominated, gaining 91 total yards to
the Panthers’ puny 9. Knowles threw a 21-yard TD pass to Caden Jackson (3-44), then
found Jackson again with a 13-yard toss on the first play of the 4th.
Carroll now led 38-7, but it had one last dose of humiliation for the sagging Ridge. Parker Thompson replaced Knowles at QB and promptly darted 32 yards
for the Dragons’ final score.
Thompson, a speedy
and slippery runner who strikes sparks whenever he touches the ball, doesn’t
see much playing time. But as a friend of mine observed, Carroll should damned
well design a few plays around the charismatic senior. He might be a valuable
asset in the fire and brimstone of the playoffs.
What happens now?
What’s in store for the Dragons now? As the result of action tonight, they now know they'll be playing in the UIL's Division II, the so-called small-school division. And they'll host the bi-district round in Dragon Stadium against 4-6 Crowley, which ended up as the DII second seed in District 3-6A.
The final details had to wait for the results of tonight's contest between Keller Timber Creek and Keller Central, two of the lesser lights in District 4-6A. Timber Creek whipped up big on Central, clearing the way for Carroll to go DII. Don't ask me to explain why. Frankly, the byzantine calculations of the UIL playoff system always leave me dazed and confused.
All things being equal, the first-round faceoff with Crowley is likely to be a cakewalk for the Dragons. The system is designed to match up first-seed teams, those with the best records, with weaker opponents in the bi-district round -- a tangible reward for excellence during the regular season.
As District 4-6A champ, Carroll was a guaranteed first seed no matter where it landed -- DI or II. It's 10-0 regular-season record -- the third time this class of seniors has achieved such a goal -- didn't hurt.
Opinions differ about which division presents the easier route to a state championship. Logic would suggest that Division I is the tougher row to hoe. But that's not always the case.
Carroll has played in both divisions over the years, depending on the size of the district schools who made the playoffs in any particular season. And it's won state titles in each. This year, many of those in the know believe that DII will be the tougher nut to crack.
For instance, many Dragon fans contemplate with a certain amount of dread the 4th round, where Carroll, if it gets that far, could meet formidable Denton Guyer, a bitter rival that has routed opponents all year.
Regardless of the division, however, teams in pursuit of a state championship must survive an unforgiving environment governed by a merciless creed: Win or go home. That’s what makes the playoffs so special – and such nerve-wracking fun.
Let the games begin.
Go Dragons!
What's a good way to roar into the 2022 playoffs? A 10-0 record, that's what.
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