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 10th and 11th 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.
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 4th
quarter, but the Texans fared no better against the backups.
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!
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