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 14th
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 3rd 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.
“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 1st
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 1st quarter.
Fisher played yesterday with a ferocity that radiated
off the soggy field. Later in the game, with the 3rd 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 2nd 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 3rd 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 4th-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!
No comments:
Post a Comment