District 4-6A champs! Southlake Carroll 73, L.D. Bell 7

 

The undefeated Dragons demolished an overmatched and under-gunned L.D. Bell.

A merciless beating

SOUTHLAKE – Well, it’s official. The Southlake Carroll Dragons are the champions of District 4-6A, thanks to the merciless beating they inflicted last night on the nearly helpless Blue Raiders of L.D. Bell.

That will come as a surprise to no one, particularly since the Dragons already had toppled the best that District 4-6A had to offer even before the Raiders had the misfortune to poke their noses into Dragon Stadium.

To recap briefly, the Dragons – in their first district game of the year – whipped reigning 4-6A champ Byron Nelson 33-21, then slipped past Euless Trinity 56-48 a week later. Only last week, they demolished the unbeaten Northwest Texans 48-7.

Last night, the poor pitiful Blue Raiders arrived in Southlake to face a Dragon team breathing fire and fixated on capturing the district crown. That accomplished, they can now proceed to the other two season goals for any Carroll team – a deep run in the playoffs signified by holding a practice on Thanksgiving Day and, ultimately, gloriously, finally, another state championship, their ninth.

Carroll quarterback Angelo Renda was chief fire breather against Bell. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 273 yards and two TDs.

Favored receiver

He threw three of those passes to favored receiver Brock Boyd, who returned two of them for touchdowns. The first was a 20-yard zinger that gave the Dragons their first lead with seconds left in the first quarter, and the second a 38-yard arc into the endzone midway through the second.

But Renda also was Carroll’s leading rusher against Bell, carrying six times for 90 yards and another score. His success on the ground, first unveiled this season in last week’s win over Northwest, comes just in time for the high-stakes, winner-take-all environment of the playoffs.

The rushing threat posed by the quick and elusive Renda on the ground is a welcome addition to an arsenal that lost a major asset earlier in the year when a knee injury felled star running back Riley Wormley.

A mobile Renda only adds to the embarrassment of offensive riches Carroll already enjoys. Junior running back Davis Penn, a Baylor commit, has developed into a potent force – fearless, rugged and hard to bring down. Against the Raiders, Penn rushed 11 times for 44 yards and two TDs.

Penn’s 6-yard dart tied things up in the first quarter after a long 75-yard Raider drive ate up a third of the clock. Facing a 4^th-and-2, quarterback Cameron Johnson barreled into the endzone to give Raider fans an ever-so-brief glimmer of hope.

That hope had been ground to dust by the time Penn, with only 25 ticks on the clock, rolled to his second score, a 1-yard dash across the line that gave the Dragons an unassailable 35-7 halftime lead.

Senior Christopher Glenn also is seeing additional duty in the backfield and has shown great potential. He was the Dragons’ second leading rusher last night, running six times for 76 yards and one score, a17-yard scoot into the endzone.

Not finished yet

Despite a four-TD halftime lead, the Dragons weren’t finished. Not yet. Not by a long shot.

Glenn’s TD and a 34-yard field goal by Gavin Strange were the only scores in the third quarter, a quiet precursor to what turned out to be a wild and woolly fourth.

Despite the game’s lopsided margin, Carroll did not appear to be trying to run up the score on a hapless foe. But how can a coaching staff in good faith put backup players in the lineup and then not expect them to play all out?

To me, it’s ridiculous even to think they should.

To their credit, Carroll coaches didn’t attempt to hold the backups in check. And the kids went for blood, on both sides of the ball. Not only did the defensive second team force an interception from Raider quarterback Aden Madsen, who replaced Johnson the starter late in the game, but it immobilized the Raider offense.

Offensively, the Dragons didn’t stop exercising their will over the bedraggled Raiders even after the second team began filtering into the lineup late in the third quarter.

Backup running back Sal Esposito was the third leading rusher of the night (7-60) and scored twice. Backup defensive back Taevin Kunz scored a pick-6 exactly 1 minute after Carroll had widened its lead to 52-7 when backup Jack McCaskill scooted 8 yards for the Dragons seventh (!) touchdown.

Here’s how ridiculous it became: In the final period, the Dragons’ second team, now in command of the field, scored 28 unanswered points.

Heart-clutching run

Four TDs! McCaskill’s 8-yard dash, Kunz’s pick-6, and Esposito’s two TDs, which included a heart-clutching 49-yard bolt to the endzone to end scoring for the night.

Beating up on an overmatched opponent may not be the best way to prepare for the playoff caldron ahead. Given their druthers, the Dragons probably would prefer to face a tough opponent who can challenge them and help them sharpen their claws for the post.

But in high school football, you play the opponent in front of you. And the Dragons have faced some worthy opponents this year in addition to creampuffs – I’m being rude, but you know it’s true – like the Blue Raiders, now 2-6 for the season and 1-5 in district.

Carroll faces another weak sister next week, when they travel to Keller to end the season in the dimly lit confines of KISD Athletic Complex.

Under normal circumstances, I’d say it won’t be much of a contest. And I doubt very much that the Chargers are looking forward to the encounter. But this is high school football, folks, and anything can happen.

That said, I’ll make a prediction: Head coach Riley Dodge will have his young charges fired up and ready to shake the foundations of Keller’s disgrace of a stadium. The Dragons ought to do the stingy folks of Keller a favor and knock it to the ground. But that’s just my opinion.

Go, Dragons!

One more game before the playoffs, and Dragonheads are ready!

Clinching a playoff berth: Southlake Carroll 48, Northwest 7

 

Davis Penn crosses the goal line to score one of his two touchdowns against the Texans.

The boss of District 4-6A

The Southlake Carroll Dragons demonstrated last night with brutal efficiency and almost nonchalant ease who’s boss of District 4-6A, humiliating the overwhelmed Northwest Texans and blowing up their loudly touted undefeated season.

The Texans were no pushovers. Well, not quite, anyway. They were well-coached and showed grit and character in their embarrassing butt-whipping by the Dragons.

But the simple truth is they were like boys among men against the Dragons’ offensive steamroller and proved unable to contain – or even slow down -- Carroll’s thrilling junior trio of quarterback Angela Renda, wide receiver Brock Boyd and running back Davis Penn.

No doubt the Texan faithful will want to blame the blowout at least in part on the absence of starting quarterback Ryder Norton, injured in last week’s game against Keller Central.

But it’s doubtful Norton would have fared much better than backup Trey Poe, who was bedeviled by the Dragon D, with defensemen Austin Davidge and Jack Van Dorselaer leading the ravenous horde. And although primary Northwest rusher Nate Jean ran for more than 100 yards, his labors amounted to nothing – nothing at all.

Odds-on favorite

In drubbing the Texans, Carroll clinched a berth in the upcoming playoffs and confirmed it’s the odds-on favorite to capture the 4-6A crown. Making the playoffs was never really in doubt, of course. And after crushing Byron Nelson and Euless Trinity earlier in the season, all roads to the district championship run through Southlake.

The real news – not a shocker, either, but oh-so-lovely to contemplate – is how this Dragon team is jelling, three weeks before the postseason begins, into such a formidable force. Despite injuries that would cripple another team.

Head coach Riley Dodge said in postgame interviews that it’s gratifying to see his squad come together at this critical moment.

“I think the big thing is we’re getting better,” Dodge told Charles Baggarly of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “We’re growing up on the fly. We’re becoming a better practice football team, and it’s showing up the last three or four weeks.”

He said he’s urged his players to keep their sense of urgency. To treat every week “like it’s the Super Bowl.”

“They’re starting to learn and take it seriously,” Dodge said to Baggarly. “So I think the biggest thing for this group is just going through the process and diving into it. That’s how we win football games.”

It took Carroll only six plays and 2½ minutes to launch its scoring spree, with Penn barreling 5 yards to paydirt.

Hard-charging runner

The hard-charging Penn carried 19 times for 107 yards and 2 scores – his 10^th and 11^th TDs so far this season. Last night was the fourth time in the last five games that Penn has run for more than 100 yards.

“We really went into this game just trusting our training, really taking pride in our preparation,” Penn told The Dallas Morning News after the game. “We had so much confidence in our game plan, and how we practiced during the week. Short week, but we still made it happen.”

For anyone who doubted Penn, a Baylor commit, could slip into the primary running role vacated by injured four-star recruit Riley Wormley, don’t you feel just a little silly?

After its frisky opening drive, Carroll stopped Poe and company cold. But its next possession ended ingloriously when Renda threw an interception. Luckily, the Dragon D stepped up and stalled the Texans on the Dragon 26. A 43-yard field goal failed.

Leading receiver Brock Boyd caught two TD passes from quarterback Angelo Renda.

 
Just three plays later, Renda redeemed himself when he sent a spiral to favored receiver Boyd, who then streaked 64 yards down the left sideline for the second Dragon score.

After forcing another Northwest punt, the Dragons flubbed the return. Unnoticed by everyone – except the guys in striped shirts – a Carroll player barely brushed the descending ball, which bounced once and was buried beneath a couple of Texans.

Signs of life

Northwest showed its first signs of life on the subsequent drive. Behind the running of Jean and Poe, the Texans moved to the Dragon 2, where receiver Kobey Wall, taking a direct snap, scored the first and only Texan touchdown.

During the next Dragon drive, Penn carried the ball 31 yards in three plays to the Texan 44. That’s where Renda sent another arcing pass 44 yards to Boyd who nimbly stepped across the goal line for his second TD of the night.

Dodge heaped praise on his junior receiving star, who finished the night with 4 catches for 135 yards.

“He is the ultimate competitor,” Dodge told Baggarly. “He is a team captain for a reason. One of the best practice players and a coach’s kid. He’s been around the game a long time. He is playing like a star, and he wants the football. All good wide receivers want the ball.”

Now leading 21-7, the Dragons turned up the heat. After moving 71 yards, aided by a 36-yard keeper by Renda, they lined up at the Texan 4. Renda narrowly evaded the clutch of some unwelcome guests in his backfield, then slipped the ball to Penn, who juked left and plunged across the line, sending the Dragons into halftime with a 28-7 lead.

Carroll’s dominance extended into the third period. Defenseman William Chen stopped Jean behind the line on Northwest’s first play of the half. Forced the punt, the Texans then watched as Renda marched the Dragons downfield in four plays before tossing a 31-yard TD pass to sophomore Blake Gunter.

A bit later, after Southlake forced a turnover on downs, Renda demonstrated that his earlier rushing jaunt was no fluke. After leading the Dragons to the Northwest 10, he charged for the endzone himself, with the hardy Penn sweeping the lane clear of would-be tacklers.

Thus, the Dragons unveiled yet another offensive weapon they no doubt plan to hone as the playoffs approach.

Running prowess

In his backup role last season, Renda – who rushed 4 times last night for 63 yards – frequently displayed his running prowess. This year, he has left the rushing chores to Wormley and Penn, for obvious reasons. But as he demonstrated last night, under the right circumstances, his quick elusiveness can be an effective threat.

Dodge said a lingering health issue has kept Renda in the pocket for much of the season. He hinted to the Star-T’s Baggarly that we now may see more of a scrambling, rambling Renda.

“He’s had turf toe for a long time and hasn’t been able to use his wheels,” Dodge said. “I think he is not accustomed to using his legs.”

Widespread Dragon substitutions began in the 4^th quarter, but the Texans fared no better against the backups.

Dragon defensive lineman Austin Davidge plugs a hole in the line against a Northwest runner.

When a Texan drive was halted inside the Northwest red zone, senior Dragon defender Mateo Fodor blocked a punt, which Christian Glenn scooped up at the 5 and carried over the line. The PAT failed.

And to add insult to injury, the final Texan drive of the night ended when junior linebacker Robbie Ladd intercepted a Poe pass.

An interesting sidelight to last night’s game is the interconnecting relationships between the opposing coaches. Texan coach Bill Poe once worked for Riley Dodge’s dad, the legendary Todd Dodge, and coached Riley. Later, when the young Dodge began his coaching career, he was a Poe assistant in Justin.

“I’ve worked for Bill,” Dodge told the Star-T. “He’s a mentor of mine. I knew exactly how he was going to prepare his team. The way our guys prepared this week – they treated this game like it should have been treated. I’m so proud of our guys.”

Next week, the Dragons host L.D. Bell on Senior Night. They end district play on Nov. 1 with a road game against Keller Central. Neither team should prove to be much more than a bump in the road to District 4-6A glory.

But that’s the kind of attitude that can bite you in a tender place. Boyd told Baggarly the Dragons will be ready – regardless of the quality of their next opponent.

“We’ve talked about being a mature football team and just playing a complete game. Just taking it one play at a time,” Boyd said.

Go Dragons! 

Quarterback Angelo Renda threw for one TD and ran for another against the overmatched Texans.

No surprises: Southlake Carroll 50, Haslet Eaton 14

 

After making mincemeat out of the Eaton Eagles, the Dragons get ready for a battle of unbeatens.

The methodical march continues

SOUTHLAKE –Southlake Carroll wasted no time last night in dispatching the floundering Eaton Eagles, effortlessly brushing them aside as it continues its methodical march through District 4-6A.

The Eagles didn’t put up much of a fight. It took them until halfway through the third quarter to finally get on the scoreboard. And that’s only because the Dragons mercifully had begun wholesale substitutions after scoring six unanswered touchdowns.

Carroll QB Angelo Renda lacked a bit of his usual crispness against the sluggish Eagles. But considering the runaway farce in which he found himself, you can forgive him if his mind wandered a bit. Even so, he got the job done, completing 13 of 20 passes for 135 yards and sending TD throws to three separate receivers.

Sophomore Blake Gunter, who is turning into a go-to guy for Renda, got things started by catching a 19-yarder in the endzone on the second play from scrimmage after Eaton went 3-and-out on its first possession.

Near the end of the first quarter, the Dragon D forced another Eagle punt, which gave the Dragons the ball on their 29 yardline. Renda immediately dropped back and sent a beautiful arc that fell neatly into the hands of lead receiver Brock Boyd as he ran full tilt downfield. Boyd, without breaking stride, raced 71 yards to give Carroll a 21-0 lead.

Right on target

And just before the first half ended, Renda zipped a 7-yarder to the left corner of the endzone, where it landed in the arms of Brody Knowles. Knowles, another promising sophomore, made the catch despite the Eagle defender draped over his shoulders.

All in all, not a bad night’s work, wouldn’t you say?

The Dragon ground game also flexed its muscles against the helpless Eagles.

Junior running back Davis Penn has adjusted well to his new role as the Dragons’ leading rusher, now that superstar Riley Wormley is sidelined for the season.

Penn riddled the Eagle defense, rushing 11 times for 131 yards and a touchdown.

During the Eagles’ second possession, Dragon defender Luke Bussman crashed into an Eagle receiver just as he enveloped a Mason Stubbe pass, jarring loose the ball, which Bussman quickly pounced on at the Carroll 40.

Penn’s hard-nosed running then powered the Dragons to the Eaton 20, where Penn bulldozed his way across the goal line.

Boyd also saw some action on the ground. After the Dragons took a 35-0 lead into halftime, the Dragons’ first drive of the third quarter stalled, and kicker Gavin Strange failed to make a 43-yard field goal.

Desperate conversion

But Eaton couldn’t do any better and faced a 4^th down at its 32. Carroll defensive leader Austin Davidge crushed the desperate conversion attempt when he sacked Stubbe.

The Dragons took over at the 29, and on the next play, Renda handed off to to Penn, who ran right, then pitched the ball to Boyd coming the other way.

Boyd slipped around the left end and raced untouched to the goal line, leaving a trail of stunned and confused Eaton defenders in his wake.

Carroll easily smothered a feeble Eagle offense while rolling to six unanswered touchdowns.

Even the Dragon action squad, which carried the load for 1½ quarters last night after the starters left the field, got a taste of Friday Night Lights glory. But they had to work for it.

Quarterback Coleman Fowler led a lengthy drive downfield after taking over from Renda. But the drive was upended when Fowler was intercepted as he attempted to move the Dragons across the 34.

Four plays later, however, junior linebacker Robbie Ladd recovered an Eagle fumble and gave the Dragon offense another shot.

Muscling it over

Hard running by seniors Christian Glenn and Jesse Hill carried the Dragons to the Eagle 3, where Fowler muscled the ball across the line. Junior Crawford Taylor caught a pass in the endzone to make the 2-point conversion, thus ending Dragon scoring at 50-7.

The Eagles would fight their way to a second TD in the last minute of play. But it was a meaningless gesture – despite loud efforts by the Eaton band to give some sparkle to an otherwise dismal evening for the visitors.

The Dragon defense – once again led by Davidge and Luke Bussman – shut down Eaton’s puny offense, keeping the pressure on Stubbe (13 of 20 for 78 yards) and limiting lead running back Micah Rivers to 42 yards on 17 carries.

Dragon defenders harassed Eagle quarterbacks all evening and sacked them regularly. Dragon defensive back William Chen got a pick-6 at the beginning of the third quarter, extending an already insurmountable lead to 28-0.

The Dragons now turn their attention to the still undefeated Justin Northwest Texans, who have ambitions to seize the 4-6A title for themselves.

Not so impressive

The Texans slipped past the Keller Central Chargers last night 28-14, a not-so-impressive win against a team that has lost five straight games. Northwest will host the Dragons next Thursday in Justin.

Carroll already has toppled two of 4-6A’s top teams – Byron Nelson and Euless Trinity. Facing a tough opponent brimming with confidence late in the season can be a blessing for a team like Carroll, which hungers for a district championship, but whose ultimate goal is, and always has been, a ninth state championship.

Hard tests during the regular season only help prepare playoff teams for the win-or-go-home ordeal of the postseason. It’s a sure bet that’s the message head coach Riley Dodge will be delivering to his young charges in the days ahead.

So bring it on, Texans, and let the chips fall where they may.

Go Dragons!

Head coach Riley Dodge's message to his team: Sharpen your talons on Justin Northwest to get in shape for the playoffs!

Rude Homecoming guests: Southlake Carroll 52, Keller 21

 

The Dragons ruined Homecoming for the Keller Indians, defusing their offense and overwhelming their defense.

Resting on sturdy shoulders

KELLER – The Southlake Carroll Dragons, denied the services of Riley Wormley, their star-power running back, shifted their potent ground game last night to the sturdy shoulders of Wormley’s running partner, junior Davis Penn.

And Penn didn’t disappoint. No, indeed.

While Wormley watched on crutches from the sidelines, Penn roared to four touchdowns, rolling up 136 yards on 15 carries in leading the Dragons to a pitiless dismantlement of the proud Keller Indians before a buoyant Homecoming crowd at ramshackle KISD Athletic Complex.

Wormley suffered a season-ending knee injury in last week’s 44-7 massacre of Keller Timber Creek. And while the Dragon offense lacks a little of the razzle-dazzle it displayed with Wormley in the lineup, it demonstrated against Keller that it has plenty of punch left.

And can you blame the laconic Penn for showing just a smidge of satisfaction that he’s emerged from Wormley’s imposing shadow and done so in such an emphatic fashion?

“It was a very unfortunate loss for us,” he told Mike Waters of the Fort Worth Star Telegram, referring to Wormley’s injury. “The rest of us have to step up. I am prepared and ready for the challenge.”

Head coach Riley Dodge paid tribute to his injured star, but made it clear that the Dragon march to district and beyond must now proceed without him.

“We will obviously miss such a great player in Wormley,” he said to Waters, then turned the spotlight on the young man who will replace him.

 “Davis had a huge year last season for us,” Dodge said. “We know what he is capable of doing.”

As a result, Dragon quarterback Angelo Renda -- after kicker Gavin Strange’s 25-yard field goal got Southlake on the board during Carroll's first possession -- turned to Penn to get things really rolling.

When Dragon defensive back Taevin Kunz snagged an errant pass by Keller quarterback Beckham Robinson at the Indian 47, Carroll marched briskly to the 6, where Penn breezed in for his first score.

Booting it back

After a Carroll punt pinned the Indians on their own 5, they were corralled inside the 10 and had to boot it back.

Renda then led a 7-play, 54-yard drive that ended when Penn juked his way through the Keller line and raced 14 yards for his second score.

Keller built momentum on its next drive. Bolstered by a thrilling 31-yard run by Indian running back Quinton Shropshire, Keller drove to the Dragon 1. Shropshire darted in and finally got his team on the board midway through the first quarter.

But it took the Dragons only 16 seconds to reestablish their command of the situation, except this time the score came through the air. On the first play of its very next drive, Renda sent a 56-yard spiral to junior receiver Brock Boyd to widen the Dragon lead to 24-7.

With less than a minute left in the half, the Dragons muffed a punt return, turning the ball over to the Indians at the Carroll 18. Three plays later, Robinson capitalized on that rare Dragon misstep, connecting with Brock Meek to make the halftime score an uncomfortably close 24-14.

It’s not unreasonable to assume that at this point the Keller crowd – the largest audience I’ve ever witnessed at a Keller athletic event – may have entertained for a brief moment a pleasant fantasy.

In that other-worldly daydream, the Indians came rampaging into the second half, teeth bared and blood in their eyes. With clockwork precision and masterful execution, they forced the Dragons into uncustomary mistakes, panicked disorder and a complete system breakdown, thus giving Keller the hallowed title of Dragon Killer.

Evaporating quickly

But that didn't happen. Not by a long shot. Like all daydreams, this one evaporated rather quickly as the decisive third quarter unfolded before the horrified eyes of the Keller faithful.

Dragonheads keep their eyes on the prize -- a District 4-6A championship.

Carroll promptly marched 81 yards in 5 plays, culminating in a 24-yard pass from Renda (15-20, 3 TDs) to Boyd, the junior receiver’s second TD of the night. He would end the evening with five catches for 144 yards.

Now leading 31-14, the Dragons bedeviled Robinson and crew as they struggled to ignite some offensive fire. Robinson was sacked once and almost lost the ball on another play in the first Indian drive of the second half, testimony to the harassment he faced from an inspired defensive squad led by Austin Davidge and Luke Bussman.

After a Keller punt set Carroll up at its own 38, Renda handed the ball to the redoubtable Penn, who plunged through the Indian line and raced 62 yards to paydirt, high stepping the last 15 yards to keep out of the grasp of his only Indian pursuer.

He would score again later in the quarter after Davidge and company forced Robinson into a 4^th-and-11 and then prevented Keller from converting.

Four plays later, Penn bulldozed 13 yards for his fourth – and final – score.

As the third period drew to a close, with the Dragons in a now soothing 45-14 lead, Keller went 3-and-out and lined up to punt. The kicker mishandled the snap, and the resulting melee ended with the Dragons sitting on the Indian 16.

Renda zipped the ball to receiver Brody Knowles (2-31), and the promising sophomore ended Dragon scoring for the night. The quarter ended with the Dragon band striking up “Hey, Baby,” signaling to all there would be no Dragons slain this night.

Give the Indians credit. They fought long and hard to the last. As the final quarter opened, with substitutions starting on both squads, backup Keller quarterback Brock Burnett briefly stirred the dispirited Homecoming crowd – now considerably thinned – by speeding 32 yards for a meaningless touchdown.

Wormley on crutches

Despite the night’s successful conclusion, more than a few Dragonheads were sobered by the sight of the remarkable Wormley on crutches, his senior year ruined by injury and his promising future endangered.

Our depression only deepened when junior Luc Jacquemard, a talented receiver and excellent kickoff returner, went down and had to be supported off the field.

It was a sad reminder that glory under Friday Night Lights can be brief indeed, and often comes at a cost. Those of us who follow these young men’s endeavors and hail their successes – which quicken our pulses and prompt our cheers – shouldn’t forget that they sacrifice a lot to pursue their dreams.

Best wishes to both Wormley and Jacquemard, and here’s hoping their recoveries are rapid and complete.

The Dragons play Haslet Eaton next week at home, then face the still undefeated Northwest Texans in Justin on Oct. 17. At this stage, the Texans seem to pose the only serious challenge to the Dragons as they pursue a District 4-6A championship.

Northwest boasts a 5-0 season record, but its non-district wins over Mansfield Legacy and McKinney North don’t count for much. The Dragons, on the other hand, have faced the best of 4-6A already, sending both Byron Nelson and Euless Trinity down in flames.

Even at home, the Texans best be prepared for the Dragons' fiery visit.

Fall may not be in the air yet, folks, but it’s coming. It’s coming. Ain’t it?

Go, Dragons!

Fall may not be in the air yet -- but the Dragons are in the second half of their regular season and still going strong.