Understanding its fate
SOUTHLAKE –
Pity the poor Keller Fossil Ridge Panthers.
At the end
of a joyless season, the 3-7 Panthers trudged into Dragon Stadium last night
for the inescapable beating at the hands of a Southlake Carroll squad lusting
for redemption and reaffirmation after a dismal showing last week against the
soaring Eagles of Trophy Club Byron Nelson.
Fossil
Ridge, understanding its fate and bowing to the inevitability of a thorough
thrashing, hardly put up a fight. Not that it had many weapons with which to
counter the vengeful Dragons, who shredded its defense and dismantled its
offense.
Staggering downfield
The
Panthers’ only visit to the endzone came with only seconds left on the game
clock, when Ridge staggered downfield long after Carroll had emptied its
benches to give its backups some playing time on the last regular game of the
season.
That spiritless
drive ended when a Panther running back finally crossed the goal line after a 30-yard
run, prompting a ragged cheer from the hardy handful of Ridge fans still
huddled in Dragon Stadium’s visitors section.
But the joy
– if you can call it that – was short-lived when a holding penalty negated the
lonely score, thus ending the slaughter, not with a bang but with a whimper.
The Dragons’
runaway victory will do little to erase the memory of last week’s defeat at the
hands of Bryon Nelson, a 34-17 defeat that cost the Dragons a three-peat as District
4-6A champions and first seed in the playoffs.
Assuage the hurt
Only a successful
rematch with the Eagles later in the post season – which is possible depending
on factors too complicated for mere mortals to understand or explain – can assuage
the hurt. That or a deep playoff run that ends with Carroll’s ninth state
championship.
That, too,
is possible, if not probable at this juncture in the road. It’s useful to
remember – but also, perhaps irrelevant – that in the past only undefeated
Dragon squads have garnered the championship trophy.
As widely
expected, the Dragons will compete in Division II of Class 6A, the so-called
“small-school” division. Their first-round, or bi-district, playoff opponents
will be the Fort Worth Boswell Pioneers of District 3-6A next Friday at Dragon
Stadium.
Boswell is 7-3
for the season and only 4-3 in district play. The Pioneers should be easy pickings
for Carroll’s talented 2023 bunch. But as I say with boring regularity, these are
the playoffs, where anything can and probably will happen.
For what it’s
worth, Carroll played well against an overmatched and bedraggled Ridge team.
The beatdown began early when Carroll linebacker Eric Garza stepped in front of
Ridge quarterback Logan Cundiff’s pass and carried it to the Panther 20. From
there, junior running back Riley Wormsley carried it in for the Dragons’ first
score.
Extending the lead
On Carroll’s
next possession, Wormsley scooted 41 yards to extend the Dragon lead to 14-0.
The junior would add a third score early in the 2nd quarter,
muscling his way across into the endzone after a 15-yard sprint.
Wormsley, a
Colleyville transfer, missed the first five games of the season because of
eligibility problems. But he is demonstrating since getting the UIL seal of
approval what a difference-maker he can be.
Head coach
Riley Dodge acknowledged Wormsley’s value in a post-game interview with Fort
Worth Star-Telegram sportswriter Charles Baggarly.
“He’s gotten
better and better each week, and it was good to see he was he was seeing it and
feeling it tonight,” Dodge told Baggarly. “And it was good to get him going as
we enter the playoffs.”
Thanks to
Wormsley and his running mate, sturdy and elusive sophomore Davis Penn, the
Dragon running game regained momentum last night after being largely stuffed by
Byron Nelson’s swarming, swift-footed defense.
Beleaguered D
In addition
to Wormsley’s hat trick, Penn would add two more scores against the beleaguered
Panther D. His first was a 1-yard plunge, which he set up by surging 41 yards
up the middle in the early seconds of the 2nd quarter. Then he
closed the 1st half with a 9-yard scoring sprint.
With Carroll
carrying a 42-0 lead at halftime, Penn and Wormsley, along with most of
Carroll’s starters, sat out the second half.
The Dragon D
took care of business. They harassed Cundiff all night, assaults that prompted 3
interceptions. Cornerback Sam Fuller was a defensive standout, accounting for
two Ridge interceptions, one of which was negated by penalty.
Fuller also
was involved in what, to my mind, was the best play of the game and, perhaps,
of the entire season. It illustrates, better than anything could, why I love
high school football. More than that, it reveals the character of the young men
I write about every week.
Halfway
through the 2nd quarter, Ridge faced a 4th-and-13 at its own
43 and chose to punt. But Garza, the Dragons’ senior linebacker, slipped in
quickly and slapped the ball away. Fuller then snatched it up and headed for
the endzone.
As he
approached the goal line, Fuller turned and pitched the ball to Garza so that
his teammate, who had blocked the kick, could cross the line and get credit for
the score.
'Really good kids'
It all
happened so fast that most Dragonheads – including yours truly – missed it.
Even Dodge had to ask for clarification.
“That was
wild,” Dodge explained to Baggerly of the Star-T. “I didn’t see it until the very last second,
and I was asking the guys on the headset, ‘Did he pitch the ball back?’ ... We
have some really good kids and some really nice kids. And Sam thought since Eric
blocked it, he should score the touchdown.”
Can you
imagine such a selfless act – in the heat of the moment, as the adrenaline is
pumping and the heart pounding? That, my friends, is the very definition of
sportsmanship and comradeship and brotherhood.
All three
Dragon quarterbacks saw playing time against the Panthers. Graham Knowles, who
was intercepted once, led six successful drives during his half at the helm.
Junior Angelo
Renda replaced him after halftime and demonstrated why he’s the odds-on
favorite to take over as Carroll QB when Knowles graduates. On his first drive in
charge, he threw a 20-yard scoring strike to receiver Brock Boyd, the night’s
leading receiver with 8 catches for 65 yards. On his second possession, Renda ran
untouched 21 yards around the right end to score the Dragons’ eighth TD.
Senior Carter
Lind took over for the final quarter, guiding the Dragons on a methodical
47-yard drive before handing off to Jake Fullmer, who rumbled 3 yards to end scoring
for the night.
In the Baggarly
interview, Dodge revealed some good news for Dragonheads. He said senior wide
receiver Jacob Jordan, sidelined with a foot injury two games ago, is “week to
week” and that the Dragons hope to have the Oklahoma commit back in pads by the
second or third round of the playoffs.
Explosive weapon
“He’s our
most explosive weapon, and we can do a lot of different things with him,” Dodge
told the Star-T.
The playoffs
finally are here, thank heavens, and the really interesting part of the season
is upon us. We’ll find out soon enough just how good this current crop of
Dragons is. I know one thing: I like ’em and wish them great success.
I’ll let
Dodge, as quoted by Baggarly in his excellent game story, have the last word.
“Regardless
of who you’re playing, you’re in tournament play now,” Dodge said. “It’s a win-or-go-home
mentality. We’ve been in the playoffs for a long time, and I’m excited about
the opportunity our kids have.”
Go, Dragons!
It's win-or-go-home time, and the Dragons are ready to roll.
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