Mere spectators of their fate
Trophy
Club Bryon Nelson served up generous portions of humble pie to its Southlake
visitors last night, and the Carroll Dragons were forced to choke down Every.
Last. Bite.
If it’s true
that humility is good for the soul, then the Bobcats’ 34-17 drubbing of the
Dragons – for a drubbing it truly was, trust me – was a soul-nourishing
experience for the proud scions of Southlake.
I’d like to
say that it was a smashmouth, gut-twisting, head-knocking donnybrook in which
the result was left in doubt until the last second of the game.
But it
wasn’t. Not at all.
Bryon Nelson
ruled the field from the first until the last play of the game. The Dragons
appeared at times to be mere spectators as they watched the Bobcats shut down
their rushing game, short-circuit their passing attack and run roughshod over
the Dragon defensive line and secondary.
Never in the game
For some
strange reason – given the hype devoted to this district clash between
unbeatens – Carroll’s collective head never seemed to be in the game.
Perhaps it was complacency born out of hanging 70 points on their last two opponents, most recently last week's 70-28 demolition of Haslet Eaton. If so, the timing couldn't have been worse to rest on illusionary laurels.
Because the Bobcats, now 9-0 for the season, showed up with something to prove, and they left no shadow of a doubt in proving it.
Since Byron Nelson High School opened in 2009, the Bobcats have never before beaten the Dragons, falling to them seven times. Last year, Carroll ruined a talented BN squad’s perfect season by defeating it 38-23.
Now they have
slain the dragon, and what a thorough and embarrassing spearing it was, too.
Carroll’s
defeat broke its 38-game district winning streak that goes back to 2017, the
year before coach Riley Dodge took over the program.
BN coach
Travis Pride said after the game that this was a crucial moment in his
program’s history.
“You can
work as hard as you want to, but if you don’t believe in the end, it’s very
hard to overcome that,” Pride told Dallas Morning News sportswriter Lia
Assimakopoulos. “I think that’s been part of the Southlake Dragon mystique that
we’ve had to get over a little bit. At some point you just have to jump that
hurdle. Finally, the kids were able to do that.”
Plenty to celebrate
At the final
whistle, the home crowd stormed the field. And they had plenty to celebrate.
The win
makes the Bobcats the champions of District 4-6a and the district’s first seed
in the Class 6A, Division II playoffs. But it does more than that. It propels
the program into the upper ranks of the highest class of Texas high school
football. Byron Nelson finally has hit the big time.
Can it
maintain the level of achievement it has attained this year? Only time will
tell, of course. But anyone at all familiar with the complex and byzantine
world of high school football will attest that it ain’t easy to do. Not easy at
all.
For Carroll,
the defeat is more disappointing than disastrous. Carroll still will make the
playoffs, of course.
The Dragons
most probably will have to settle for the second seed in District 4-6A,
Division II, which usually means a stronger opponent in Round 1 on a neutral
field.
Despite last
night’s performance, Southlake Carroll has the ability and talent to make a
deep plunge into the playoffs. But its fall from grace was swift and
precipitous and raises the thorny question: Just how good are these youngsters?
Online color
man Robert Clayton opined that sometimes a loss like last night is a valuable
wakeup call, particularly for a top-tier program like Southlake in a largely
mediocre district like 4-6A.
If you’ve
got to lose your first game of the year, he reasoned, better now than in the
playoffs where the rule is strict and merciless: Win or go home.
Who knows?
The Dragons might even get a chance at revenge with a possible rematch with BN.
Wouldn’t that be choice? (Or would it? Hmm.)
A taste of the fiasco
Here’s a
taste of last night’s fiasco.
Although the
two teams had only exchanged field goals by the end of the 1st quarter
– the Dragon contribution a 48-yard beauty by star kicker Kyle Lemmermann – things
began to slip away in the 2nd.
A
spectacular play by Dragon defensive back Sam Fuller, who leaped high at the
goal line to intercept a sure Tom Von Grote TD pass, was wasted when Carroll
failed to capitalize. Then Von Grote took full advantage of a second chance at
the end zone by hoisting a 22-yard pass to Pierce Dahlin.
Then, with
seconds left before the buzzer, the Bobcats booted a 27-yard field goal to
seize a 13-3 lead.
The
prayed-for halftime adjustments by Carroll never materialized, and Von Grote
and company picked up where they left off.
Midway
through the 3rd quarter, the killshots were administered when the
Bobcats scored two quick touchdowns, both the results of Knowles interceptions.
That expanded their lead to 27-3.
The first
came after a long, methodical Bobcat drive when Leo Almanza caught a Van Grote
throw and sailed into the endzone.
The second,
spirit-crushing score came after Bobcat defender Jacoven Julian snared a Knowles
pass and surged 27 yards for the second BN TD in 11 seconds.
Never threatened
Carroll
never recovered. Who could?
The Dragons
would score two more touchdowns before the evening’s merciful close, but they never
threatened the Bobcat lead.
Bobcat
running back Tucker James was the offensive star of the night. He ran 28 times
for 177 yards and 1 TD. A hard-driving, elusive runner, James twisted and
muscled his way through Dragon defenders at will. Even when covered in Dragons,
he still managed to stagger for a few more yards.
Von Grote
was excellent, too. He completed 13 of 20 passes for 174 yards, 2 TDs and 1
interception. He also rushed for 43 yards.
Meanwhile,
the superb Bobcat defense lived up to its reputation of being impassable and
unmovable.
Knowles, 15
of 24 for 154 yards and 1 TD, was bedeviled by the BN secondary, which
blanketed his receivers and snagged three of his passes, two of which led to
Bobcat TDs.
One of the
very few offensive bright spots for Carroll last night beamed at tight end Jack
Van Dorselaer, who caught 5 Knowles passes for 65 yards and 1 TD. I suspect he
will be a bigger part of the passing game as the playoffs loom ever closer.
The heralded
Dragon running game got gobbled up by the BN defense. While Carroll’s talented
offensive line was able to punch holes in the Bobcat front wall for rushing
stars Davis Penn and Riley Wormsley, the secondary quickly sealed them before
much damage was done.
Penn, a
soph, was limited to 34 yards on 8 carries and Wormsley, a junior, to 39 yards
on 9 carries. Knowles carried 8 times for 30 yards and a TD.
Playoff
picture
At halftime,
the Dragons had a measly 39 rushing yards. By game’s end, the total rested at
103.
The playoff
picture is beginning to come into focus. But there will be time enough to
calculate all that. Southlake almost certainly will be placed in Division II,
the so-called small-school divide of Division 6A.
Beyond that,
however, the calculations become more complex than a calculus final exam. Frankly,
I just don’t have the strength to attempt it.
Meanwhile,
the last game of the season for the Dragons will be at home against Keller
Fossil Ridge. It will be interesting to see how the Dragons react to last
night’s debacle. If I were a Fossil Ridge fan, I might look at the contest with
some trepidation.
A Dragon is
bad enough. But a pissed-off Dragon? Well, that’s something else entirely.
Go, Dragons!
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