No holiday joy: Southlake Carroll 17, Austin Vandegrift 24

Senior Ethan Fisher gets a pat on the head after yesterday's game. It's a sad substitute for a state title.
 

Hanging on to the bitter end

ARLINGTON – The Vandegrift Vipers certainly didn’t look like the Grinch. No reptilian features, no greenish hue. But steal Christmas joy from Dragonheads everywhere – that they surely did.

Oh, it wasn’t an embarrassing beatdown to be sure. But with a state championship title hanging in the balance, a single-score victory is as good as a blowout. And perhaps more excruciating for the vanquished.

In a blowout, all hope dies quickly, and the blast of pain is intense but soon over, to be replaced by a dull ache and miserable disposition.

In yesterday’s Class 6A Division II championship final, the Dragons hung on until the very end – never able to overtake Vandegrift’s narrow lead, but always within striking distance. Ah, hope. It can be such a brutal and heartless companion.

It offers little solace to the Carroll faithful that the Dragons largely brought the house down upon themselves. Committing three turnovers in a championship game – turnovers that killed promising drives and led directly to one touchdown – is courting disaster.

No crystal ball needed

Add to that a slew of procedural penalties from the normally drilled and disciplined Dragons, and it doesn’t take a crystal ball or a deck of Tarot cards to predict the outcome.

Even with all that, however, the Dragons had a last-gasp chance to turn things around. And the second-guessing about how it all went down began immediately – even before the championship trophy was handed over to the celebrating Vipers – and is likely to continue for some time to come.

Here’s what happened.

Trailing 24-14 with half of the last quarter left, the Dragons had launched their longest drive of the night and fought their way to the Vandegrift 5-yard line. After failing to connect with receivers in back-to-back endzone tosses, Dragon quarterback Angelo Renda faced a fourth down call with 2½ minutes left.

Many of us – including more astute football minds than mine – expected head coach Riley Dodge to order up a Gavin Strange field goal, an almost sure shot at that range, then gamble that his desperate youngsters could recover an onside kick and score a tying TD to send the game into overtime.

 The odds of such a risky strategy working weren’t great, but the Dragons had pulled it off in the past. To many fidgeting Dragonheads, clinging to the edge of their seats in Arlington’s AT&T Stadium, it seemed the most sensible course.

Slapped away

Instead, Dodge called yet another pass play. Renda dutifully drilled the ball, which a Viper defender in the endzone contemptuously slapped away.

Vandegrift took over, milked the clock to 40 seconds before going 3-and-out, and then punted the ball to the Dragons at the Viper 47. Carroll moved to the 30, where Strange booted a 47-yard field goal with 1 second left.

Game over. And Vandegrift, who had made it to the state finals twice but never won, finally took home the ultimate prize.

Dodge defended his decision in an interview with Dallas Morning News sportswriter Ronald Harrod Jr.

“I felt we were in a situation where we needed a touchdown,” Dodge told Harrod. “We were struggling to get down there to begin with, and we felt like when we did get there, we needed to get 6 instead of 3.”

Met with skepticism

In the Jerry’s World suite where I was a guest of the great Mike Golden, a scholar of high school football, that explanation was met with skepticism. Mike was philosophical, as befits his character and general outlook on life. Others opined that Dodge blew it, plain and simple.

The grumbling continued for a while, but faded rather quickly among these football authorities as they all agreed that Dodge is a remarkably gifted coach, son of another remarkably gifted coach, and that Southlake is is extremely lucky to have a football guy of his caliber and temperament in charge of the program.

In seven seasons, he has compiled a 93-9 record, taken his team to at least the fourth-round of the playoffs every year, made two trips to the state finals and, perhaps more importantly, rejuvenated the football program and ignited flagging community support squandered by his predecessor.

Condemn him for a single call in a single game? For heaven’s sake, don’t be silly.

Carroll got off to a decent start yesterday. After its first drive went nowhere, the Dragons scored on their second, a 10-yard pass from junior Angelo Renda to sophomore Brody Knowles (6-75) that ended a lengthy drive and consumed much of the 1^st quarter.

But Viper quarterback Miles Teodecki responded quickly, lofting an 84-yard arc to receiver George Farley on the second play of Vandegrift’s next drive. Viper running back Brendan Fournier soon added a second TD with a 4-yard bolt in the second quarter.

 On their next possession, the Dragons were moving briskly downfield when Renda threw his first interception. Vandegrift was unable to capitalize on that misstep, however. When its drive fizzled out just inside the Dragon red zone, it muffed a 35-yard field-goal attempt.

Fumbled away

But it got another chance after a subsequent Carroll drive collapsed when junior receiver Brock Boyd, who had an otherwise exceptional game, caught a Renda pass, then fumbled it away to an attentive Viper.

Brody Knowles celebrates with teammates after a touchdown. Moments like this were rare in yesterday's game.

Four plays later, Fournier scrambled 9 yards for his second TD. The Vipers ended the half with a 21-7 lead.

The Dragons opened the second half by holding Vandegrift to a 3-and-out, then charged downfield, thanks to a 56-yard pass reception by sophomore receiver Caden Mackey. From the 15, Renda zipped a pass to Boyd (13 for 178) at the 5 and he drifted quickly across the line.

As momentum shifted Carroll’s way, the Dragon D, which struggled to corral Teodecki and disrupt his receivers, stalled a Viper drive inside the Dragon red zone. When Vandegrift failed to convert on a 4th-and-2, the Dragons appeared poised to tie things up.

But three plays later, that effort evaporated when Renda threw his second interception of the day. The Carroll D once again rose to the occasion and kept Vandegrift from extending its lead.

In the decisive 4^th quarter, Vandegrift controlled the ball on a clock-eating drive that ended when Wiley Olsen booted a 33-yard field goal that gave the Vipers a 10-point lead.

That’s when Carroll launched its last drive that culminated in the decision as the clock drained away to go for a TD rather than a field goal.

Dodge acknowledged in post-game interviews that the Viper defense succeeded in largely shutting down the Dragon running game. Vandegrift limited the Dragons to 53 total rushing yards, compared to its own 193.

Carroll senior Christian Glenn, who stepped in to replace injured rushing stars Riley Wormley and Davis Penn, managed only 30 yards on 10 carries. Renda kept the ball 7 times for only 23 yards.

Success in the air

In the air, Renda enjoyed more success, completing 27 of 39 attempts for 351 yards and 2 TDs, balanced against the pair of ruinous INTs.

Teodecki completed more than 80 percent of his passes, 14 of 17, and compiled 248 yards and a score.

By contrast, the Dragon D was unable to shut down the Viper running game. Fournier had an extraordinary day, rushing 29 times for 169 yards and 2 scores.

So in the end, the Carroll awards cabinet won’t have to be reorganized to hold a ninth state championship trophy. That day will come, but not this year.

It’s important to remember that by all rights, this team should never have made it to the state finals, anyway. 

After all, during the course of the season, it lost the services of not one, but two world-class running backs. Renda, a talented, illusive runner, battled a serious case of turf toe and was rendered virtually immobile for most of the regular season. And as is normal for a Carroll team, its defensive squad was inexperienced and undersized.

No happy ending

I’m a sucker for happy endings. And bringing Southlake its ninth state championship seemed like the perfect ending to a story about a group of young men who battled adversity, overcame the odds and achieved sweet victory.

In the final minutes, Angelo Renda tried three straight times to connect with a receiver in the endzone. All three attempts failed, sealing Carroll's fate.

But storybook endings befittingly occur in, well, storybooks. Real life is a little grimmer, the road it travels rockier and trickier to navigate.

Dodge knows that. And because he’s the kind of coach he is, his thoughts after the game turned to his players and staff.

“It hurts no matter what,” Dodge told the DMN’s Harrod. “But I’m just once again proud of our kids and our coaching staff. It wasn’t a lack of effort” that cost the Dragons the game.

As for that ninth state championship?

“It’ll happen one day,” he said. “I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

What the future holds could be pretty bright for the Dragons. The season is over for this group, but it’s a young team and many of its most promising members will return next season.

Renda is a junior. So’s the recovering Penn. Receivers Boyd and Luc Jacquemard are juniors. Knowles, Mackey and Blake Gunter are sophomores.

On defense, backs Parker Harris and William Chen are juniors, as are linebackers Marcus Brouse and Robbie Ladd. All were standouts this year.

Gavin Strange, kicker and defensive back, and Zac Hayes, defensive lineman and punter, both are juniors. So is backup kicker Clark Lemmermann.

On the offensive line, brothers Luke and Nick Wilson are a sophomore and junior, respectively.

I’m certainly missing others who will make a big contribution next season. Apologies for that. My point is that although great players and competitors are moving upwards and onwards from the land of Dragons, a talented, experienced core group remains.

Next year holds great potential. Like Dodge, I’m eager to see what awaits our Dragons.

Meanwhile, enjoy the holidays and remember to laugh. Laughter is a soothing balm that sustains us through the bad times and reminds us, in the words of an old friend of mine, that “life is a funny old dog.”

Go, Dragons!

Head coach Riley Dodge congratulates Viper quarterback Miles Teodecki after yesterday's game. A teaching moment for his devastated team.

Keith Shelton (1932-2024)

 

Keith Shelton, right, and C.E. "Papa" Shuford look over The North Texas Daily on the day it changed its name from the The Campus Chat.

The man who made me a journalist

Tomorrow, I will drive a few miles up I-35W to Denton to attend a memorial service for a great man – a mentor and friend, and the person who helped mold me into the journalist I became and the person I am.

Keith Shelton, journalist and teacher, died earlier this month at the grand age of 92 – his mind still clear, his humor intact, his keen interest in the world around him still active.

And while his passing is being mourned by his former students, his friends and his family, Keith’s memory and the impact he had on several generations of journalists at the University of North Texas will live on.

If we’re lucky, most of us can come up half-dozen or so people who have had a profound influence on our lives.  Our parents, of course. Perhaps our grandparents. But that list almost certainly will include teachers. Those dedicated educators who guided us, who influenced us, who helped us find our way in the world.

For me, Keith Shelton was one of those people.

He was the first person with whom I had contact at UNT.

After graduating from a cowboy junior college in my hometown, I was having trouble deciding where to finish my studies. Then I had a chance encounter in the parking lot with the publisher of the Big Spring Herald, where I had a summer job.

“Where are you going to college?” he asked me.

“I’m not sure,” I stammered.

“Quit farting around,” he barked. “Go to North Texas State. It’s got a great journalism program and a damned good student newspaper. You can’t go wrong there.”

Keith Shelton on the day he was honored by the university he served so well for 23 years.

So I composed a letter to the chairman of the NT journalism department and asked about the possibilities of working on the student newspaper. I noted hopefully that I had been the editor of both my high school and junior college newspapers.

The great C.E. “Papa” Shuford, the founding chairman of the J-department, was on vacation. So Keith Shelton answered my letter.

He was courteous, but direct. There were no guarantees about working on The North Texas Daily, he wrote. It would depend entirely on how I performed – both in the classroom and with my fellow students. He welcomed my choice to attend NTSU and said he looked forward to seeing me on campus.

It was straight-forward and uncompromising – not exactly the welcoming embrace I hoped for. I was being served notice. I was on the brink of a great adventure, and Keith Shelton was welcoming me to take the leap.

And I did.

When I met Keith, it was a surprise. He was not the commanding figure I had envisioned. Instead, I met a short, balding man with a neat mustache, a tight smile and a large – make that huge – left ear.

Keith has written candidly about the birth defect that impacted his life and career, so I won’t shy away from it here. It was his most distinguishing feature. But one that was never – and I mean, never – mentioned in his presence.

In all the years that I knew Keith, the subject never came up. The force of his personality, the strength of his character, the overwhelming respect he enjoyed from both students and colleagues soon erased its significance.

In a few short days, I no longer had to remind myself not to stare at it. Jokes about the “big ear” were not tolerated.

After a single semester, I was chosen to join the Daily staff. I credit my success in large part to Keith’s quiet influence. Although he had no direct voice in the selection, his approval was all-important to the editor who did.

It changed my life, making my long career in journalism both possible – and inevitable.

Truth be told, Keith Shelton was not a great classroom lecturer. Frankly, I don’t remember a single thing he ever uttered in the classroom. But I don’t have a single memory of the time I spent at UNT – known then as North Texas State University – in which he doesn’t play a prominent role.

All his students knew of his professional credentials. He was a former chief political correspondent for the Dallas Times Herald, and, famously, had traveled in the motorcade in which JFK was assassinated.

He was the first journalist to interview Gov. John Connally, who had been in the limo when JFK was hit and had been wounded by the bullet that killed the president.

He wrote a heralded account of former U.S. House Speaker Sam Rayburn’s funeral and accumulated a formidable number of awards for his reporting.

In the autobiography he wrote shortly before his death, Keith credited his career to chance. But there was more to it than that.

He was the real deal, and he radiated professional authenticity. Questioning his judgment, resisting his influence, defying his “advice” was unthinkable. To do so – it happened; after all, we were kids – would seldom result in a scolding from Keith. But peer pressure would be immediate and damning.

He was a fierce defender of his students. One day a chemistry professor called him to complain bitterly about a mistake in a story an NT Daily reporter had written about his course. Keith reminded him that the Daily served a teaching lab for journalism students.

“When one of your students makes a mistake in lab, the only people who know about it are you and maybe their lab partner,” he told the fuming professor. “When one of my students makes a mistake, everybody on campus knows about it. Because we tell them. And then we correct it.”

End of conversation.

When I was NT Daily editor in Fall 1972, we ran a story on the last day of the semester about the president of the university misusing money from the Student Services Fee, a violation of state law.

Instead of using the fee money for “the betterment of student life,” President C.C. “Jitter” Nolen had used it to renovate the presidential residence and build a fancy, state-of-the-art barbecue pit in his backyard.

The story was picked up by the Dallas and Fort Worth papers and was extremely embarrassing for the university and for Nolen, an unpopular president with no advanced degrees who got the job because he was a successful fund-raiser for TCU.

A couple of days after the story ran, Keith attended a faculty reception at the Presidential Mansion, an act of moral courage if ever I’ve heard it. But that was only the beginning.

As he stood sipping a drink, the chairman of the NTSU board of regents, a rich oil man named A.M. “Monk” Willis bustled up to him.

“Goddamn it, Keith, what are you people trying to do to us?” yelled Willis, who knew Shelton from his reporting days.

Keith looked at the irate chairman coolly, then replied, “Just trying to keep you folks honest, Monk.”

Even now, Keith’s response seems both fool-hardy and – incredibly, unbelievably, gloriously – courageous.

Is it any wonder that Keith’s students – if called upon – would charge through a stone wall for the guy?

The desire for Keith’s approval was universal in the NT J-Department of the 1970s. I remember a particular incident that occurred on a Saturday afternoon in mid-summer.

Four of us – all former or future NT Daily editors – decided, out of boredom or just stupidity, to smuggle a suitcase full of beer into the Daily office, where we spent most of our free time.

We sat in the middle of the office – the whole J-building was empty as a tomb, remember it was a Saturday – drinking the beer and luxuriating in our debauchery.

At that moment, the door opened and in strode the last person we expected to see in the Daily office on a summer Saturday afternoon: a grim-faced Keith Shelton.

He stood there, hands on his hips, and stared hard-eyed at us. Caught like rats in a trap, we meekly braced for the tirade we expected and deserved.

His face then softened into disappointment and sadness. It was like a knife slicing into our guts as we realized what the look meant. We had violated his trust.

“You know better than this, guys,” he said mildly. “No drinking on premises.”

Turning on his heel, he walked out. Looking at each other, we all realized we had truly, irretrievably effed up. It never happened again.

He was a complete man – devoted husband, loving father, dependable friend – but also a man of sound judgment and rock-ribbed integrity. A perfect role model for a bunch of young people coping with the turmoil of the times.

Over the years, I managed to keep in touch with Keith. We became, I hope and believe, friends. I spent 37 years as a newspaperman, applying the lessons I learned from him in the rickety old Journalism Building, now long gone from campus.

Among those lessons, these stand out:

n  -- Trust no one completely, but be completely trustworthy yourself.

n  -- Value the truth above all, but understand that, ultimately, it’s unknowable.

n  -- Facts are essential, but pursue them with an understanding heart.

n  -- People are weird – but often wonderful.

Now retired, I’m an adjunct instructor at UNT’s Mayborn School of Journalism. I flatter myself that I’m carrying on his tradition, but who am I kidding? Teachers like Keith Shelton don’t come along too often.

They are oh-so-rare. That’s what makes them so valuable and what makes Keith’s passing so painful.

God speed, dear friend. And thanks.

Keith Shelton was the complete man -- devoted husband, loving father and dependable friend. A man who changed lives. May he rest in peace. 

Defense leads the way: Southlake Carroll 20, Longview 17

 

Senior Christian Glenn muscles his way to a touchdown against the sturdy Longview Lobos.

So close…so very close

Lord-a-mercy, that was a close one. A glorious, righteous, busted-knuckle-and-bared-teeth close one.

Which made the victory, on the very last play of the game, all the sweeter.

We all knew – every last Dragonhead one of us – that yesterday’s playoff contest between the Southlake Carroll Dragons and the Longview Lobos was going to be a rather desperate knock-down, drag-out affair.

The Longview Lobos, two-time state champions and behemoths of East Texas high school football, had demolished the reigning state Division II state champions, the DeSoto Eagles 50-14, to get to the state semi-finals.

And the Dragons, unbeaten but bloodied, were facing a tried and tested Lobo defense without the services of their two star running backs, both sidelined with season-ending injuries.

So it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise when the see-saw matchup came down – the score knotted 17-17 and 3 seconds left on the clock – with the Dragons lining up for a last-gasp field goal on the Longview 24.

Cold-blooded character

Kicker Gavin Strange, a cold-blooded character who already had played an outstanding game as defensive end, lined up for a 41-yard field goal that would send his Dragons to their 11^th appearance in a state championship game.

But the timing of the snap was off, and Strange was hurried by oncoming Lobos. His kick veered wide right.

Expelling held breath with a disgruntled huff, Dragon fans prepared themselves for the agony of overtime.

But flags flew when Strange was spun around by a Lobo defender. The penalty handed the junior kicker another chance five yards closer.

Carroll head coach Riley Dodge told veteran Dallas Morning News reporter Randy Jennings that he expected a 15-yard roughing-the-kicker penalty, but Strange said the second chance was all he needed.

“I wasn’t like, ‘I missed the last one, I got to make this one,’” Strange told Fort Worth Star-Telegram writer Cody Torn. “It was more like, ‘I get to make it.’

“I have visualized this moment hundreds and hundreds of times,” added Strange, who kicked a 40-yard field goal earlier in the contest. “Every time I go to bed, I visualize kicking the game-winning field goal. Now, it’s not a visualization anymore. It’s the best feeling in the world.”

For the second week in a row, it was the Dragon defense that preserved and protected Carroll’s playoff hopes.

Senior defensive lineman Austin Davidge was an absolute beast, keeping Lobo quarterback Johnny Hamilton scrambling and generally disrupting offensive operations. Zac Hays, who also handled punts for the Dragons, also made a nuisance of himself  all night, bless ’im.

Lobo running back Kevin Washington was a pre-game concern, but the Dragon D kept him generally corraled for most of the 1^st half, and limited his effectiveness when he finally sprung free in the 2^nd. He ran for 146 yards on 29 carries but managed only a single score for Longview.

Head coach Riley Dodge is congratulated by one of his assistants, Sean Razloznik, after yesterday's victory over the Lobos.

Carroll head coach Riley Dodge acknowledged the yeomen’s work his defensive squad accomplished yesterday.

“Our defense kept us in the game,’’ Dodge told Jennings. “This team is young and banged up, but resilient. We really didn’t know what kind of a team we were going to have this season.’’

Both teams played determined and effective defense. Carroll barely edged Longview in total yards, 320 to 310. But both totals were well below the per-game averages of the Lobos and the Dragons.

Dragon quarterback Angelo Renda completed 13 of 21 passes for 174 yards, but was intercepted twice by Longview’s talented secondary. He threw one TD pass to super-sophomore Blake Gunter (4 catches for 98 yards).

Hamilton managed 6 completions for 146 yards but no scores. He was intercepted once by, who else, defensive end (and team ball hawk) Ethan Fisher. Hamilton accounted for Longview’s other touchdown – a 1-yard sneaker that tied the game 10-10 at the end of the 1^st half.

While Strange’s second-chance boomer will be the offensive memory embedded in everyone’s mind, another offensive performance deserves a nod, and it does my heart good to acknowledge it.

Running back Christian Glenn, a wide receiver for most of the regular season, was moved to running back after stars Riley Wormley and Davis Penn went down.

He probably was destined to ride the Dragons’ deep receiving bench for most of his senior year, behind WR stalwarts Brock Boyd, Luc Jacquemard and Brody Knowles. But fate – as it often does – had other plans.

Glenn is the son of a famous Cowboys receiver, Terry Glenn, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in 2017. Football is in his blood, and he stepped in and stepped up big when opportunity tapped his shoulder.

He rushed 17 times for 127 yards yesterday.  With Carroll trailing 0-3 near the end of the 1^st quarter, Glenn energized a lengthy Dragon march downfield when he snared an 8-yard Renda pass near midfield. Later in the drive, when Carroll moved to the Lobo 35, Glenn took Renda’s handoff and sprinted into the endzone.

After Carroll and Longview traded 3-and-outs with each other, the Dragons were poised at the Lobo 43 when Glenn sprang around the left end and raced 34 yards to the Longview 23. That set up Strange’s first field goal and extended Carroll’s lead to 10-3.

While Carroll’s battered offense held its ground, it was the defensive struggle that seized the spotlight in yesterday’s confrontation.

That conflict developed early. On the Lobos’ first drive, the Dragons forced two fumbles, although Longview recovered both. After Carroll fielded a punt at its 27, Renda was intercepted by Lobo linebacker Kason Brooks.

Booting a field goal

Eight plays later, Longview kicker Alexandre Mitchell booted a 29-yard field goal to give the Lobos a 3-0 lead.

Renda then led the Dragons on a 75-yard drive that culminated in Glenn’s 35-yard TD run that send Carroll into the lead as the 1^st quarter ended.

Midway through the second, a Dragon drive stalled at the Longview 23, and Strange booted his first field goal. Hamilton and the Lobos responded with a drive that ate up the rest of the 3^rd-quarter clock with a drive that ended up at the Dragon 1.

Facing 4^th-and-1, the Dragon D stopped the Lobos cold, but a last-minute time-out call by Dodge negated the play, and Hamilton bullied across on his second chance, tying the score 10-10.

Given the razor-thin nature of the contest, that ill-timed decision might have loomed large later. Luckily for Dodge, who could be seen chastising himself on the sidelines, it didn’t.

 The 2^nd half started disappointingly for the Dragons.

Renda was intercepted on the second play of the half, but outstanding defensive plays by Davidge, defensive back Parker Harris and linebacker Robbie Ladd handed the Lobos a 4^th-and 4 at the Carroll 25.

Hamilton lofted a pass into the endzone, but Fisher was there to knock it away.

Carroll took over and Renda sent a pinpoint pass to sophomore Blake Gunter who juked around a Lobo defender and raced 63 yards to give the Dragons a 17-10 lead.

Endzone jaunt

Longview responded with a 70-yard drive behind the hard running of Washington, who capped the series with an 8-yard jaunt to the endzone, evening things up.

Here's the moment: Gavin Strange kicks the game-winning field goal to send the Dragons to the state championship game.

Both teams’ offensives then faded into the background as their defensive comrades wrestled with each other, vying for an advantage.

The explosive Fisher blew up a Lobo drive by intercepting a Hamilton pass at the Dragon 5, but Carroll failed to convert on a 4-and-2 and turned the ball over to Longview.

Likewise, the resulting Lobo drive dried up at the Dragon 31, and Longview surrendered the ball on downs midway through the 4^th quarter.

At that point, Renda and company staged a clock-draining, 12-play drive that methodically worked its way downfield to end, finally, at the Longview 24. And that’s where the game’s final dramatic showdown occurred.

And now it comes down to one game, this week’s encounter with Austin Vandegrift, which beat Houston-area Humble Summer Creek, 34-31, last night. The Vipers and Dragons will face off on Saturday at Jerry’s World.

This will be Riley Dodge’s second trip to the state championship game as Carroll head coach.

Hired by Southlake in 2018 at the tender age of 29, Dodge led the Dragons to the highly hyped “Dodge Bowl” in the 2020 6A Division I championship (played in 2021 because of the COVID pandemic). There, he faced his father, legendary coach Todd Dodge, then coach of the Austin Westlake Chaparrals.

The elder Dodge, who captured four state championships in five years while leading the Southlake program, won the 2020 contest, one of three state trophies he brought to Westlake. After a brief try at retirement, he’s now head football coach for Lovejoy High School. And enjoying great success there. Natch.

Eclipsing the father

As for the younger Dodge, he may be headed for a career that eclipses his illustrious father. In seven seasons with the Dragons, he’s already compiled a 93-8 record, led his team to at least the quarter-finals every single year and, now, to the finals for the second time. Not bad for an old man of 36.

“To get to the state championship game is unbelievable,’’ Dodge told the DMN’s Jennings. “I have a lot of people to hug.’’

Some of the people he’ll hug, without a doubt, will be his players. His affection for, and dedication to, the young men who play for him is apparent to anyone paying attention.

“This group’s resilient,” Dodge told the Star-T’s Torn. “They’re young, and they’re banged up. They just keep finding a way. We’ve done it a lot of different ways this playoff run, and I’m just proud of the kids.”

As are we all.

Go, Dragons!

Christian Glenn takes a handoff from Angelo Renda in yesterday's squeaker against Lonview.

Rollercoaster ride: Southlake Carroll 56, Denton Guyer 45

 

Despite a sluggish start, the Dragons held the lead for most of yesterday's matchup with the Wildcats.

Surviving a shaky start

I experienced more highs and lows during yesterday’s regional final contest between the Southlake Carroll Dragons and the Denton Guyer Wildcats than I ever did on a State Fair of Texas rollercoaster.

Fortunately for my heart – I sometimes struggle with an irregular heartbeat – our Southlake heroes survived their encounter with Guyer’s inspired Wildcats and now advance to high school football’s version of the final four.

The Dragons will play Longview in SMU’s Ford Stadium on Saturday for the right to compete for the ultimate prize – the UIL’s Class 6A Division II state championship.

The Lobos whipped the DeSoto Eagles yesterday 50-14, denying the Eagles a chance for a three-peat as Division II state champs and clearing the way for Longview’s advance to the semi-final playoff game.

Longview thus dispatched Southlake’s longtime nemesis, which booted the Dragons out of the playoffs in the semi-finals last year, and it now will confront a new challenge – a rival it has never met before.

But to clear the way for that matchup, the Dragons first had to get past the Wildcats and their phenomenal quarterback – Kevin Sperry, a nimble, whip-smart runner and pinpoint passer. And for a frightful period in the dwindling minutes of yesterday’s game, it appeared Sperry, headed for Florida State when he graduates, might accomplish the improbable – and snatch victory for his Wildcats from the Dragons’ jaws of defeat.

A glance at the statistics will tell you how unlikely this victory was for the Dragons. 

First and foremost, the Wildcats outpaced the Dragons in total yardage, 533-298, and still lost. You don't see that every day, now do ya?

Battle of quarterbacks

That's not all. In what was billed before the game as a battle of the quarterbacks, Sperry out-performed Dragon signal-caller Angelo Renda – at least on paper. He threw for 303 yards and 4 TDs, while Renda compiled 105 passing yards and a single TD.

On the ground, Renda – who had a great night, despite the misleading tale of the tape – ran 161 yards on 15 carries for 1 TD, while Sperry rushed 34 times for 157 yards and 2 TDs.

The difference yesterday – the key to the Dragon victory – was not revealed in the offensive statistics, however. Southlake beat the Wildcats because of the outstanding performance of its defense – which was simply magnificent – and members of its special teams, who played like champions.

Consider this: Of Carroll’s eight touchdowns, three came from the labors of Carroll's special teams, which took full advantage of the problems the Wildcat center was having on long snaps.

A fourth TD came when defensive lineman Zac Hays, who played lights out all afternoon, barged into the middle of a reverse handoff in the Guyer backfield, grabbed the lateral intended for a Wildcat and bolted to the endzone.

Defensive standouts for the Dragons were the usual suspects. But Austin Davidge, Jack Van Dorselaer, Robbie Ladd, Luke Bussman, Marcus Brouse and their comrades-in-arms played with particular intensity yesterday. And their dedication and discipline provided the spark that ignited Dragon fire against a spirited and talented Wildcat squad.

Alarming start

It’s fortunate the defense stepped in and stepped up because things got off to an alarming start yesterday for the Dragons.

Weather may have played a role in Carroll’s staggery start. A light rain fell during most of the game, and the wet field conditions and slippery ball at times hampered both sides.

On the opening kickoff, Carroll’s return man fumbled the ball, which Guyer recovered on the Dragon 30. Four plays later, Sperry sprinted 20 yards to give the Wildcats a 7-0 lead. Amazingly, it was the 14^th time this year that a Carroll opponent scored on its opening drive.

Carroll followed that with a sputtering 3-and-out, and Guyer began its second drive on its own 49. Sperry carried the ball to the Dragon 43, then hoisted a TD arc to Mason White that handed the Wildcats a 14-0 lead.

That woke up the Dragon offense from its winter nap, thank God. Renda hit an 18-yarder to sophomore receiver Blake Gunter at midfield and followed with keepers that brought the Dragons to the 16. Four plays later, senior rusher Christian Glenn slipped across the line to put the Dragons on the board.

Glenn compiled only 32 yards yesterday, but they were impactful yards that accounted for three touchdowns, including Carroll’s first and a leap over the pile in the 3^rd period that sealed the Wildcats’ fate and ended Dragon scoring for the afternoon.

Head coach Riley Dodge paid tribute to his resourceful team in a post-game interview with The Dallas Morning News’ Justin Thomas.

Carroll's defense played its best game of the season yesterday, and it's a good thing, too.

“I can’t say enough about these kids,” he told Thomas. “It’s the most resilient bunch I’ve had since I’ve been here. We’ve faced some really good football teams, and we keep finding a way … These kids still had a great look in their eye even after going down 14.”

Wakeup call

As noted, the Dragons’ wakeup call really came from the outstanding work of its special teams. Trailing 14-7 near the end of the 1^st quarter, Carroll blocked a Guyer punt by Danny Jenkins and the ball rolled to the Wildcat 6, where a Carroll player fell on it. On the next play, Glenn bolted across the line to even things up.

After the Dragon D stopped the following Guyer drive, senior defensive back Ethan Fisher blocked a second Jenkins punt, snatching the ball up inside the Guyer 5 and carrying it in to send Carroll ahead 21-14 with less than a minute left in the 1^st quarter.

Fisher played yesterday with a ferocity that radiated off the soggy field. Later in the game, with the 3^rd quarter winding down, he blocked yet another Wildcat punt and returned it for the score that gave Carroll a 42-24 lead.

They say defense wins championships, and yesterday provided pretty convincing evidence of that. Because whenever the Dragon D made a stop that forced Guyer to punt, bad things happened to the Wildcats. Bad things that ultimately spelled their doom.

Guyer’s problems with its punting team took on a ridiculous air in the 2^nd quarter. The Wildcats were forced to punt when a promising Wildcat drive stalled after defensive standout Jack Van Dorselaer sacked Sperry.

The ball hit the helmet of a Carroll player and in the scramble to recover it, the Dragons ended up with it on their 29. Renda quickly moved his team to the 42, where he burst untouched through the center of the Guyer line and raced alone 58 yards for a TD.

Carroll’s ability to capitalize on Guyer missteps kept it in the lead for most of the game. But that lead – which fluctuated from 11 to 25 points and back again – never provided total comfort, chiefly because of Sperry’s demonstrated ability to score quickly.

Swarming defense

Despite being sacked repeatedly by the Dragons' swarming defense, Sperry kept his cool. He’s a gamer. He sent 2 TD throws each to receivers D.J. Reese (5 for 143) and Mason White (2-87). Meanwhile, he grappled with Dragon defenders on the ground, periodically slipping through their fingers for sizeable chunks of yardage.

Late in the 3^rd period, with the Wildcats trailing 49-24, Dragonheads were beginning to relax a bit, hopeful that the Dragons finally had things well in hand. But Guyer wasn’t ready to call it quits. Not by a long shot.

After a Carroll kickoff settled his team at its 15, Sperry surged to the 20, then lofted a perfect high spiral 80 yards downfield to Reese, who saw the ball drop neatly into his arms. That narrowed the Carroll lead to 18 – a three-score cushion, that’s true. But considering the explosiveness of Sperry and the Wildcat offense, perhaps not cushy enough.

But as the 4th quarter opened, the Dragons -- after their rather sleepy start -- weren’t about to be caught napping again.

When Guyer failed to cover an onside kick, Carroll set up shop on the Wildcat 36. The Dragons clawed to the 1, where Glenn flung himself over the pile into the endzone to increase the Dragon margin to 25 points.

But despite the chilly temps and light rain, shivering fans stayed glued to their seats. We all – those in UNT’s DATCU Stadium and the ones like me hunched over a computer screen at home – had a feeling that we were in store for more high drama and a certain level of anxiety.

Brother, were we right.

Despite heavy pressure from the Carroll D, Sperry moved the Wildcats 67 yards, capping the drive with a 26-yard TD throw to Reese.

The scoreboard now read 56-38 with 6:47 left to play. Did Sperry have enough time for some unlikely – but extremely plausible – heroics?

Maybe. Just maybe.

The next Dragon drive stalled, and the Dragons attempted a fake punt, then switched gears in mid-play and booted the ball, which skidded out of bounds at midfield.

Not to be stopped

Sperry opened the drive with a pass. Overthrown. His next pass brought his team to the Dragon 15. And on the next play, Sperry plunged through the Carroll line, breaking tackles, shrugging off defenders, refusing to be stopped until he crossed the goal line in triumph.

Score: 56-45. 3:53 on the clock.

Everyone knew what would come next. The Guyer kicker booted another onside kick that, horror of horrors, the Wildcats recovered. Luckily, a 15-yard penalty pushed them back to their 39. But an 11-yard pass and 26-yard run by Sperry propelled the Wildcats into Dragon territory.

At the Dragon 33, the Guyer offense ran out of steam – and out of luck. After a series of incomplete passes, Sperry faced 4^th-and-13. His desperation pass, directed at a Wildcat receiver in the endzone, landed in the arms of Dragon defensive back Parker Harris lingering on the goal line. Harris darted to the 43, and three plays later, it was finally, mercifully, thankfully … over!

The excitement continues on Saturday against the Lobos. Could this be the year Carroll finally adds a ninth state championship trophy to its display case? Longview's destruction of proud DeSoto offers fair warning: The Dragons will have their work cut out for them if they are to stay in the hunt for the top of the Texas high school football pyramid.

But don't count 'em out. After all, these kids have that look in their eyes. Just ask their coach!

Go, Dragons!

The Dragons meet Longview this Saturday in SMU's Ford Stadium. Dragonheads are ready!

Herculean struggle: Southlake Carroll 42, Hebron 37

 

Quarterback Angelo Renda had perhaps the best game of his career against the Hawks.

No room for complacency

IRVING – The young Southlake Dragons might be forgiven if they had entered yesterday’s third-round matchup with the Hebron Hawks with a certain degree of complacency.

After all, when they met Hebron in the second game of the season in September, they drubbed the Hawks 59-16. It’s easy to see how they might have thought they could take care of business and advance to the regional finals without too much trouble. Right? Right??

Hardly. The Hawks screeched into Irving ISD’s Ellis Stadium yesterday with blood in their eyes and a thirst for retribution – and redemption.

They got neither, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Lord-a-mercy, how they tried. Led by exemplary double-threat quarterback Patrick Crayton Jr., they engaged the Dragons in a hard-hitting, nail-biting, back-and-forth dogfight until virtually the last seconds of the game.

But Carroll survived the onslaught. It will advance to the regional finals for the eighth straight year and for the 25^th time since 1987 (thanks to The Dallas Morning News for that revealing factoid). The Dragons now will meet the winner of today’s contest between Crowley and Denton Guyer, a bitter rival of old.

Not complacent or unprepared

Carroll lived to fight another day because the Dragons arrived in Ellis Stadium neither complacent nor unprepared. Carroll players knew they were not facing the same team they whipped on Sept. 6. And they understood only too well that they also were not the same team who beat the Hawks to a bloody pulp.

The main difference in the Dragons was illustrated in sad detail on the Carroll sidelines yesterday as two young men on crutches, both wearing their jerseys and standing side-by-side, watched forlornly the struggle before them.

When the Dragons played the Hawks the first time this year, both young men were in pads and riding high as Carroll’s dynamic rushing duo – Riley Wormley and Davis Penn. But that was before Wormley was sidelined in mid-season and Penn had to be helped off the field with an ACL injury in last week’s squeaker with Wolfforth Frenship.

Denied their services, the Dragon offense isn’t as explosive or as overpowering as it was with Wormley and Penn in the lineup. Had they been on the field yesterday, I suspect the game would not have been the gut-wrencher that it turned out to be.

To fill the gaps they left, Carroll has had to turn elsewhere.

Senior Christian Glenn has stepped up and done an admirable job. He was solid as a rock yesterday, rushing 17 times for 87 yards and a TD. But as talented and committed and determined as Glenn is – and he has all three traits in plentiful supply – he is, alas, no Riley Wormley and he is no Davis Penn.

Senior Christian Glenn had a solid night against the Hawks, rushing for 87 yards and a touchdown.

So to bolster the ground game, Carroll coaches have designed more plays to display quarterback Angelo Renda’s agile, elusive rushing skills.

On full display

That strategy was on full display yesterday and Renda rose brilliantly to the challenge, turning in perhaps the best game of his career. On the ground, he gained three rushing TDs, rumbling to 103 yards on 17 carries. In the air, he threw two more TD passes, completing 20 of 28 passes for 304 yards.

After the game, Carroll head coach Riley Dodge heaped praise on his quarterback to the Fort Worth Star Telegram’s Charles Baggarly.

“He’s just an unbelievable competitor,” Dodge said. “He is the ultimate practice player. That is why he is able to play so fast on Friday nights. He wants the ball.”

Renda told Baggarly that the Dragons play better when the game is on the line.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to who wants it more,” Renda said. “One play at a time mentality. When the lights are on, that’s when we play our best football.”

The Dragons needed that kind of herculean effort in order to slip past the surging Hawks and their superb field leader, Patrick Crayton. If the name is a familiar one, it’s because he’s the son of the Dallas Cowboys receiver.

Crayton the younger overwhelmed the Carroll secondary, completing 15 of 22 passes for 224 yards and a TD. On the ground, he rushed 17 times for 77 yards and scored four TDs.

Yesterday’s matchup was an exhilarating battle of the quarterbacks, and even the most stalwart Dragonheads had to shake their heads ruefully at Crayton’s skills and his teammates’ inspired performance.

Hawk Drew Koster was Crayton’s favorite target, making 6 receptions for 91 yards.

For Carroll, Brock Boyd was outstanding – again – making 12 catches for 227 yards and a touchdown, a stunning 40-yard Renda pass he snatched out of the arms of a defender at the goal line.

Renda’s other passing TD was an 8-yard toss to Brody Knowles, Carroll’s first score of the game that tied things halfway into the 1^st quarter, 7-7.

Renda extended the Dragon lead to 14-7 with a 16-yard sprint. Crayton answered promptly with a 3-yard TD pass to Tyler Hoke.

The next Dragon drive featured Boyd's contested reception at the goal line, which pushed Carroll into the lead once more, 21-14

But a 44-yard Hebron field goal narrowed that insubstantial lead to 21-17, leaving a nervous, unsettled Dragon nation to try to enjoy halftime’s “Lids” show by the marching band, Emerald Belles, et al.

A promising Dragon drive in the 3^rd quarter was squelched when Boyd grabbed a Renda pass, then fumbled it away. Hebron’s resulting 71-yard TD drive gave it the first lead of the game, 24-21.

Receiver Brock Boyd fights for yardage during yesterday's matchup against the Hawks.

But Carroll responded immediately. A 63-yard drive marked by hard running from Glenn and Renda sent the Dragons to the Hawk 2, from where Renda sneaked across to give Carroll the lead once again, 28-24. 

Critical drive

In the decisive 4^th quarter, Carroll showed its offensive muscle on a critical drive set up by a Hebron punt. From his 33, Renda sprinted 11 yards to the 44, launched a 36-yard pass to Boyd to the Hawk 20, then zipped one to Blake Gunter at the 3. Glenn punched through to the endzone, and the Dragons seized a 35-24 lead.

But Crayton kept his cool and marched the Hawks back into Carroll territory. From the 29, he bullied to the 14. A penalty brought Hebron to the 7, from where Crayton crashed over to bring the score to a tantalizingly close (at least for Hawk fans) 35-31.

The next Dragon drive, which ate up a good chunk of the 4^th quarter clock, landed Renda and company at the Hebron 6. He dropped back and drifted left, looking for an open receiver in the endzone. Seeing none, he tucked the ball and bolted across the line. With 4:41 left in the game, the score stood at 42-31.

Plenty of time

That left the worthy Crayton plenty of time, and Dragonheads knew it. Our side of Ellis Stadium grew grimly silent as we watched the Hebron QB methodically drive downfield to the Carroll 8, where he sailed, effortlessly it seemed, into the end zone. With 3½ minutes to play, it was 42-37. The Hawks, eager to narrow the Dragon lead to a field goal, attempted a 2-point conversion, but failed.

Hebron, of course, attempted an onside kick, acutely aware of Carroll’s ability to score again. But the well-positioned Boyd grabbed the ball on an awkward bounce few Dragons could have handled and came down at the 49-yard line.

That essentially ended the game. The Dragons ate up the clock and turned the ball over to the Hawks with only 14 seconds left. In a symbolic – but in some ways, heartbreaking – ending to the contest, Crayton was smothered behind the line as the buzzer sounded.

The playoff road, already a rocky one for the bruised and battered Dragons, only gets more treacherous from here.

No one knows that better than Dodge. No matter who wins the Crowley-Guyer matchup, he told the Star-T's Baggarly, the Dragons will have their hands full.

“They’re two great programs,” he said. “It’s going to be a tall task for us. If we don’t play better in a lot of areas, it’ll be tough sledding for us. We’ve got to get back to work next week, focus on the Carroll Dragons and tighten stuff up.”

And they'll do it. Whether it will be enough remains to be seen. That is the glory -- and the agony -- of the win-or-go-home playoffs.

Regardless, this is a great group of young men. They’re talented, disciplined and conscientious. And they’ve handled adversity with maturity and forbearance. They’ve earned our support and affection. Say it with me now:

Go, Dragons!

Dragons celebrate their regional semi-final round victory. They're headed for the regional finals for the eighth straight year.