Not a clash of titans, but …
Greg Riddle
knows a lot about high school football. And he should.
He’s been
covering the subject since 2000 for The Dallas Morning News and doing an
admirable job it.
That makes
the headline on his online game story about last night’s contest between
Southlake Carroll and Cedar Hill all the more curious. “Southlake Carroll
cruises past Cedar Hill in matchup of former dynasties.” (Emphasis mine.)
Riddle’s
story didn’t actually support the premise suggested in the headline that the
Carroll Dragons and the Cedar Hill Longhorns are washed-up has-beens. Was it,
after all, just another contemptible example of digital clickbait?
Of course it
was. And shame on the DMN for sacrificing accuracy for a few extra clicks – if
in fact that’s what the fraudulent headline produced.
Riddle, to
his credit, went to some pains to point out the past glories of the two
programs – the Dragons’ four state titles in five years, a 79-1 win streak
under Todd Dodge that is part of Texas high school football legend. Cedar
Hill’s nine-year span in which it reached the finals four times and took home
three trophies.
He points
out that in 2006 – a year in which both schools won state titles in 5A (then
the largest classification), Divisions I and II – a contest between Longhorns
and Dragons “would have been one of the best matchups in state history.”
A lot has changed
“Both were among the greatest dynasties in Texas high school
football history, but a lot has changed since then,” he writes. “Friday’s game
at Cedar Hill’s Longhorn Stadium was a matchup of two teams headed in opposite
directions.”
The Dragons,
of course, are the team headed upward. Under coach Riley Dodge, Carroll has plunged
deep into the playoffs each year he’s helmed the team. As Riddle rightly points
out, Carroll is poised to do so again this year and last night “showed that it may have the talent to make a
run at another state title.”
As you can see, our local heroes fared very well under the
DMN microscope. My beef with Riddle – and it’s a small round steak, not a big
ole T-bone – is his willingness to dismiss Cedar Hill as down for the count.
It’s only too true that Cedar Hill is in a down cycle and has
been for several years. But that’s the nature of high school football. There
are ups and downs. Graduation poses the single greatest challenge for high
school coaches in sustaining quality and success.
Rare is the program that manages to mitigate the “down” cycle
and keep the Ws coming. Carroll happens to be one of that rare breed.
But winning a state title isn’t easy – even if all the cards
fall the right way. In Texas, which offers the best high school football in the
nation (is this really open to debate?), the playoffs from start to finish are
a battlefield, a struggle marked by endurance, luck and discipline. (Yes,
athletic ability plays a role, too! 😊)
Revisiting the mountaintop
Carroll, with eight
trophies on display, knows that better than anyone. It’s been 2011 since the
Dragons last scaled the highest peak, but there’s no shame in that. They will
revisit the mountaintop in good time.
As will Cedar Hill. Of that I have little doubt. And I
suspect that the worthy Riddle – who I’ve never met but respect mightily –
knows that, too.
But not this year. As the Longhorns demonstrated last night,
they’ve got a lot of work to do.
The stars of the night probably were Dragon defenders, who
stifled the Longhorn offense, forced three turnovers and a number of costly
mistakes, and knocked starting quarterback Jaylen Thomas out of the
game.
Oh, yes, and they held Cedar Hill scoreless until the fourth
quarter when RB Ashton Blake broke through Carroll’s line of defensive
backups, who had just taken over for the starters, and ran 70 yards for the
only Longhorn score. A 2-point conversion attempt failed.
Kyler Granville-Gilbert, a
senior listed on the roster as a wide receiver, took over for the injured
Thomas, but together, they could manage only 71 passing yards for the night.
On the ground, the Longhorns compiled 272 yards, including breakout
runs by Blake and Zhalylen Scott. That eclipsed Carroll’s 218. But it
accounted for nothing other than Blake’s meaningless late-game sprint.
Playing lights out
“Defensively, we were lights out all night,” Riley Dodge
told the DMN’s Riddle. “They were relentless and never got bored with success.
Cedar Hill is a good football team. They really run the football. Our guys had
a great week of preparation and did an unbelievable job.”
The Dragons high-scoring offense, led by Graham Knowles,
had a mostly quiet night. After averaging more than 60 points against its first
two opponents, Carroll settled for 31 last night, all on the ground.
Senior James Lehman (7-25) rushed for two TDs, Knowles
(14-22, 180) added a third, and kicker supreme Kyle Lemmermann booted
his first field goal of the season – a 22-yarder that gave the Dragons a 24-0
lead.
The offensive highlight of the game – at least from where I
sat – came from the defense in the final quarter.
The Longhorns, operating near mid-field, were trying to
convert a 4-1 when Granville-Gilbert couldn’t handle a bad snap and the ball flew
free.
Senior defensive lineman Wyatt Duffy scooped it up and
rumbled 46 yards to the endzone. It was the second consecutive game that one of
the Dragons’ Big Guys has scored a touchdown. Glory be.
A rousing start
The game – played in a 104-degree cauldron – got off to a
rousing, if toasty, start. It took the Dragons only 1 ½ minutes to get on the
scoreboard.
After Carroll marched purposefully downfield – with Knowles
connecting with receivers sophomore Brock Boyd (5-52) and senior Jacob
Jordan (4-32) – Lehman capped the drive with a 5-yard payoff up the middle.
On the ensuing kickoff, Cedar Hill bobbled the ball, and
junior Christian Glenn, racing downfield, pounced on it at the Longhorn
10.
Licking their chops, the Dragons lined up for another score.
But Davis Penn, Carroll’s leading rusher with 116 yards on 11 attempts,
was buried behind the line.
Knowles dropped back on the next play and looked for a
receiver in the endzone. But his pass was intercepted, and Cedar Hill took it
to the 22, ending the threat.
Carroll wouldn’t score again until the middle of the second
period. At that point, a Dragon drive, highlighted by a 45-yard Knowles pass to
senior Caden Jackson (2-64), carried Carroll to the Longhorn 15. From
there, Knowles darted in for the second Dragon score.
Cedar Hill could do no better than a 3-and-out, and the
Dragons capped first-half scoring with Lehman’s second TD of the night.
But the heroics weren’t over for Southlake’s finest.
With seconds left in first half, Thomas quickly led his
Longhorns to the Dragon 35, where the Dragon D buried him behind the line. Then,
two plays later, Dragon defensive back Trey Ferri, waiting at the goal
line, intercepted Thomas’ last-gasp throw.
It was Ferri’s second interception in as many games. Earlier
in the half, Ferri had missed by inches another Thomas pass. This kid has an
instinct for the ball and roams the secondary like a hungry predator.
An interesting sighting
Riddle’s game story included a tantalizing tidbit that
escaped the notice of most Dragon fans, I suspect. He spotted star junior
running back Riley Wormley on the sideline, wearing a jersey top.
Wormley, a transfer from Colleyville, was forced by the UIL
to sit out this year because he transferred to Southlake for athletic reasons,
a serious no-no, particularly for closely scrutinized programs like Carroll.
Call it sour grapes if you will, but it’s only fair to point
out that the holier-than-thou UIL seems to turn a blind eye to other programs facing
similar circumstances. (I know, I know. It’s complicated.)
Regardless, it’s clear that Wormley – who enjoys collegiate
interest from Texas, Oklahoma, TCU and others – already is preparing for his
senior year in the Dragon lineup. That’s a prospect to warm a Dragonhead’s
heart.
But one season at a time. District play begins next week,
with the Dragons traveling to ramshackle KISD Athletic Complex to face Keller Timber
Creek.
Word is that the Falcons are likely candidates to make the
playoffs in District 4-6A. Maybe so. I don’t expect a cakewalk on Thursday, and
I’m sure Timber Creek would love to play the role of Dragon-killer this season.
All I can say to that is: Bring it!
Go Dragons!
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