A rout no doubt: Southlake Carroll 63, Keller 28

 

Another game, another blowout. Here are Dragons celebrating their victory against Keller Timber Creek last week. Last night, it was Keller High's turn.

Roughed up and left for dead

If it’s any consolation for the battered and bruised Keller Indians, they were able to hang more points on the No. 1 Southlake Carroll Dragons last night than any team has so far this season.

Of course, three of the four TDs captured by the Indians came against Carroll second teams and long after any hope of a comeback had evaporated in the sultry evening air.

But when you’ve been roughed up and left for dead by the Dragons’ rampaging offense and throat-choking defense, you take what solace you can muster and hope for better days.

For the Dragons, the better days are here. They’re 4-0 in district, 6-0 for the season, and have demolished every opponent they’ve faced so far. Moreover, they’re looking stronger every week.

They’re ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 13 in the nation by MaxPreps. USA Today ranks them 15^th nationally. Closer to home, the Dragons appear unassailable in the race to become District 4-6A champions, the first step in bringing home the coveted ninth state championship they came so close to winning last season.

Making history

And if all that weren’t enough, Carroll is on the cusp of handing the brilliant Riley Dodge his 100^th victory as a head coach. If the Dragons defeat their next opponents, the Haslet Eaton Eagles, Dodge will reach the 100-win mark (out of 109 games) more quickly than any head coach in the history of Texas high school football. How ’bout them apples, Dragonheads?

But back to last night’s bloodletting.

Dragon quarterback Angelo Renda, in another spectacular outing, passed for five touchdowns and ran for another. He completed 81 percent of his passes for 401 yards – a career-best performance for the Pitt-bound senior.

As usual, he downplayed his role.

“We have a great group of receivers,” he told Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Mike Waters. “Just get the ball to these guys and let them make plays.”

And get the ball to them he did, completing the first 15 of his passes and peppering his talented receiving corps with spot-on throws. His favorite receivers were junior Blake Gunter and senior Brock Boyd, who commanded their home field at Dragon Stadium last night.

Gunter caught 7 passes for a team record of 191 yards and racked up two TDs, on receptions of 28 yards and 80 yards. His second score, near the end of the 3^rd quarter, handed the Dragons a 56-7 lead and electrified Carroll fans.

Special dynamic

The special dynamic that Renda enjoys with Gunter and Boyd was on full display last night.

Gunter, in his post-game interview with the Star-T, was quick to spread the love.

Angelo Renda, shown in action against Byron Nelson earlier this year, accounted for six scores last night -- four in the air and one on the ground.

 “Brock and I feed off each other’s energy,” he said. “Brock is such a great leader, and I have learned a lot from him.”

Gunter told Waters that he considers himself a blocker first. Mebbe so. But he ain’t bad in the receiving and scoring department, either.

In recounting his heart-racing 80-yard scoring romp, he made it sound almost boring. Which it decidedly was not.

“I was able to freeze the defender and hit the open field,” he told Waters. “And then head to the end zone.”

Boyd, who’s headed to Ohio State after graduation, snatched TD passes of 19 and 9 yards. The first put the Dragons on the scoreboard, 7-0. He set up the second – which came after Keller QB Brock Burkett connected with Bodie Crosby (8-60) in the end zone to tie things up – with a 39-yard grab that carried the Dragons to the Keller 9.

Boyd then hauled in a short toss from Renda to begin a 35-point unanswered scoring spree that carried the Dragons into halftime with a 42-7 lead. He ended the night with 9 receptions for 112 yards.

“We just have a great connection,” Renda told the Star-T, referring to Boyd. “We came out hot. We executed offensively. We were physical. We just came out tonight and took care of business.”

Capitalizing on errors

Carroll capitalized on a series of Indian errors during its 2^nd quarter scoring blizzard. Renda picked up his rushing TD with a 6-yard dash that followed a 42-yard punt return by Parker Harris.

When the next Keller drive stalled on a 3-and-out, Dragon Luc Jacquemard blocked the punt. Caden Mackey grabbed it and scooted 12 yards to score.

Keller continued its Keystone Cops act after Gunter’s 28-yard scoring catch. On the first play of the ensuing Keller drive, Carroll defender Austin Bussmann intercepted a Burkett pass and carried it to the Keller 15. From that point, Renda connected with Brody Knowles to bring first-half scoring to a close.

Dragon domination extended into the 3^rd period, with running back Davis Penn bolting 1 yard across the line to send Carroll ahead 49-7. It was followed later in the period by Gunter’s 80-yard stunner.

Keller salvaged some dignity with a trio of scores in the second half, but frankly, they amounted to not much ado about nothing.

Burkett (18-31, 171 yards, 2 TDs) hit Blake Dyniewski with a a 5-yard TD pass in the 3^rd. Backup Keller quarterback Matt McCroskey engineered two scoring drives in the 4^th, ending the first with a 1-yard dive across the line. On the other, he moved the Indians quickly downfield in two plays as time dwindled. From the Dragon 28, he sent a TD dart to Cash Erdmann.

In between those two scores, backup Dragon QB Preston Perazzo rang up the final Carroll TD with a 5-yard run to the house.

After the game, Dodge once again praised the dedication and hard work of his players.

“We challenged the guys going into this game,” he said to Waters. “We took what the defense gave us. And Angelo played a tremendous game, something we have come to expect.”

Go, Dragons!

Head coach Riley Dodge, shown congratulating Angelo Renda last week, can make Texas football history if the Dragons beat Haslet Eaton on Thursday.