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 4th
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.
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!
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