Raining misery and mayhem
KELLER –
Dark, forbidding clouds loomed over the KISD Athletic Complex last night, but
the storm coming for the Keller Timber Creek Falcons wasn’t meteorological in
nature.
It was a
football maelstrom orchestrated and delivered by the Southlake Carroll Dragons,
who rained misery and mayhem on the hapless Falcons as both squads began
District 4-6A play.
The Dragons pounced on Timber Creek early
and often, shutting down its offense and casually brushing aside its defense,
despite a sloppy performance that had diehard Dragonheads blushing in embarrassment.
Hardly noticeable
Against a
better team, three interceptions, a pair of near-fumbles and a mishandled punt
might have signaled disaster. But Carroll’s dominance over the Falcons was so
complete that its missteps hardly were noticeable.
In
dismantling Timber Creek with such brutal efficiency, the Dragons announced in
no uncertain terms that they expect to repeat as District 4-6A champions.
At this
point, who’s going to argue with them? The 3-0 Byron Nelson Bobcats, perhaps. The
Dragons best be prepared for their pre-Halloween encounter on the road with the
opportunistic ’Cats, who destroyed Keller Fossil Ridge last night 52-7.
Against the beleaguered
Falcons, Carroll took early ownership of KISD Athletic Complex. On its first
two drives, the Dragons took only two plays apiece to put points on the board.
The Dragon D, which in the words of its coach
played “lights out” all evening – scuttled the first Falcon possession by
sacking quarterback Lior Mendji twice – the second on a 4-and-15 at his
own 48.
Pass and run
Carroll
quarterback Graham Knowles, a Virginia Tech commit, then threw a 43-yard
pass-and-run to his leading receiver, senior Jacob Jordan. Sophomore
phenom Davis Penn zipped the final 5 yards and put the Dragons ahead.
On the
ensuing kickoff, the defense – led by rampaging lineman Dustan Mark –
held the Falcons to a 3-and-out, first stuffing a Creek runner for an 8-yard
loss before defensive back Trey Ferri almost picked off a Mendji pass.
Ferri, who has grabbed interceptions in each of the last two games, almost got
his hands on a couple more of Mendji attempts.
After Jordan
returned the Falcon punt to the Creek 41, Knowles hit Caden Jackson with
a 5-yarder before senior Gray Young rumbled 36 yards for the second
Carroll score in the space of 2 minutes.
Head coach Riley
Dodge told the Fort Worth Star Telegram’s Charles Baggerly that his
defensive unit, which held Timber Creek to only 138 total yards, performed last
night with relentless intensity.
“All 11 on
the field,” Dodge said. “Just being dialed into the game plan. I think the
biggest thing is just playing fast and physical.”
He singled
out Mark for particular praise.
“He’s the
defensive player of the year in our district for a reason,” Dodge said. “We
have a lot of seniors on defense that have played a lot of football. The
veterans communicate well together, so we’re playing faster now.”
In a
preseason article in 76092 Magazine, safety Aaron Scherp, another
defensive star, elaborated on the D’s camaraderie.
‘Trustworthy group’
“We have 11
seniors on the defense starting,” Scherp told writer Carlos Mendez. “We’re a
tight, trustworthy group. We’re going to be closer than any other group because
we all grew up together. Eight of us went to the same middle school.”
Jordan, an
Oklahoma commit, was the offensive standout last night, making 7 catches for
168 yards. He accounted for two scores, a leaping catch between two Falcons to
close out the first quarter and a full-body-extension catch in the end zone to
put the Dragons up 28-0 at halftime.
He also
talked to the Star-T’s Baggerly after the game.
Jordan spoke
of the chemistry he has built with Knowles (16-22, 2 TDs) over the years.
“That’s my
guy,” Jordan said. “I have a ton of trust in him.”
For Knowles,
last night was a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, he completed 73 percent
of his passes, hitting Jordan twice in the end zone. And his accuracy in
throwing the long ball showed marked improvement.
But those
two interceptions dampened the celebrations a bit. Perhaps the weather played a
role. A light but steady rain fell from the middle of the first period until
almost halftime. That soaked everything, including yours truly. But it seems
churlish to bitch about something so longed-for and seldom-received, doesn’t
it?
Besides,
weather is something that affects both teams equally, and it seemed Southlake
was having most of the trouble last night with ball security.
Plenty to say
If I know Dodge,
he will have plenty to say about the subject. And his kids will listen. The
coach knows, and so do his young charges, that now – early in the season and
against weaker foes – is the time to work out the kinks and get the timing
right.
I’m no
expert, but the eye test tells me that Carroll’s offense is jelling into the
potent force it must have to flourish in the post-season.
That’s the
goal, you see, for premier programs like Southlake Carroll, for whom district
play is just the prelude for the main event, the UIL football playoffs.
Carroll’s
offensive fireworks settled down in the second half. It could manage no more
than a 27-yard Kyle Lemmermann field goal in the third period.
Penn (15
carries for 83 yards) made a 3-yard jaunt across the goal line to open the 4th
period, and backup quarterback Angelo Renda zipped a 31-yard pass to
senior Erik Bussmann to close out Dragon scoring.
Renda, a
junior who clearly has designs on the starting spot next year, showed poise and
confidence in the pocket during his minutes on the field. True, he was
responsible for the Dragons’ third interception of the night, but he’s a
backup, after all.
Looked promising
Junior
Christian Glenn, who is listed on the roster as a wide receiver, also was given
some rushing duties last night and looked promising. Late in the game, he
battled 19 yards to move the ball from midfield to the Falcon 31. That’s where
Renda connected with Bussmann for the Dragons’ sixth TD.
Next week, Carroll
will host the Haltom Buffaloes for Homecoming. The Buffs are not expected to
make much of a stir in 4-6A this year. Anything can happen, of course, this being
high school football.
I’m a
superstitious soul so I won’t predict a cakewalk. But most likely, it’ll turn
into a pleasant stroll with dessert at the end.
And it’s
Homecoming, folks, so Mum’s the word!
Go, Dragons!
Head coach Riley Dodge speaks to his Dragons after their first district win.
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