The team left standing
The sturdy Dragonheads who endured a four-hour-plus
weather delay last night were rewarded for their patience and forbearance with one
of the most outstanding performances by a Southlake Carroll team in the
program’s storied history.
And it came on a rain-soaked evening fit for neither
man nor beast. Players and fans alike were driven from the field by a prolonged
driving downpour and – more alarmingly – by lightning strikes that flashed around
Arlington’s Choctaw Stadium like the strobe lights at a 1980s disco.
But when the final buzzer rang, the weary Dragons were
the team left standing, having dispatched a talented and determined Prosper
Eagles squad in the third round of the Class 6A, Division II playoffs.
Carroll’s reward will be a regional showdown next week
against an old and hated foe – the Denton Guyer Wildcats, who narrowly survived
a third-round encounter with the Byron Nelson Bobcats 24-21. Time and venue to
be determined.
The Dragons were brilliant on both sides of the ball.
Their offense, led by supremo quarterback Angelo Renda, ruled rain-choked
Choctaw, evading the Eagle defensive effort and picking apart its besieged
secondary.
As for the Dragon D, it played – in a phrase favored
by head coach Riley Dodge – lights out all night. This defensive squad could
well be the finest the Southlake program has ever produced.
Championship hardware
Although the Dragons always have been acclaimed for
their high-powered and quick-striking offenses, it frequently has been the
success of their defenses that brought home the championship hardware.
And so it was last night.
The Dragon D brought pressure and disrupted the timing
of Eagle quarterback Braeden Imhoff, who was sacked a number of times, threw
three interceptions and overthrew his receivers all evening.
Despite the harassment, he managed to throw for 298
yards – eclipsing Renda’s worthy 235 – and two touchdowns. Left to his own devices,
he and Prosper’s splendid running back, Bryce Robinson, could well have spelled
doom for Carroll’s playoff plans.
But they
didn’t. Dragon defenders largely kept Robinson in check, limiting him to only
88 yards on 25 carries and a single TD, and preventing him from blowing the
game wide open, a propensity he has demonstrated all season.
Senior lineman Jake Lucky deserves special attention. The
Eagle O-line had no answer for him. He was involved in almost every tackle, causing
havoc and disarray everywhere and generally being a lugwrench in Prosper’s
offensive machinery.
The Dragons signaled early that the four-hour weather
delay hadn’t dulled their senses or their scoring appetite.
It took Renda 75 seconds on Carroll’s opening drive to
lead the Dragons 70 yards in four plays before sending a 36-yard pass to junior
Brody Knowles (2-48) waiting in the end zone.
Renda completed an awe-inspiring 87% of his passes
against Prosper (13 of 15) for 235 yards and 3 TDs. He also rushed for 72 yards
on 12 carries, proving in the last two games that he can be a threat on his
feet as well as with his arm.
His coach heaped praise on his young protegee in a post-game
interview with Charles Baggarly of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“He’s the best in the state of Texas for a reason,”
Dodge said. “He has done it for the last two years. He’s just calm. He’s the
steady presence for us offensively.”
Interestingly, however, it wasn’t Renda – as special
as he undoubtedly was – who took center stage at Choctaw last night.
Stellar team player
That honor goes to senior Parker Harris, perhaps the
Dragons’ best all-round athlete and a stellar team player who normally plays at
defensive end.
Last night, Harris enjoyed the best game of his life.
He was everywhere, roaming the field on both sides of the ball. He scored two
rushing TDs, passed for another (you read that right: He threw a TD pass!),
intercepted an errant Imhoff throw, and generally made a nuisance of himself to
the struggling Eagles on every play.
Dodge told Baggarly that Harris was a spark plug for
his team. And I’d say that “electrifying” is a pretty apt description of his
performance in Arlington on a storm-tossed fall evening.
Harris’ interception was a key moment in the game. After
Carroll’s initial score, both teams had traded punts, and the Eagles had driven
to midfield. That’s where Imhoff – evading grasping Dragon defenders – sent an
ill-advised pass downfield.
Harris snatched it away, and Carroll immediately
capitalized on the misstep. Renda marched the Dragons to the Eagle 35, where he
zipped the ball to star receiver Brock Boyd.
Boyd, the night’s leading receiver, headed for the end
zone, and the Dragons pulled to a 14-0 lead with less than a minute left in the
first period.
It was Boyd’s first TD of the game, but not his last. He
would score again in the second half on his way to a 5-reception, 126-yard
game.
It looked for a while like the game might evolve into
a shooting match. After Prosper got onto the scoreboard with a 30-yard field
goal, it held the Dragons to a 3-and-out.
The Eagles then blocked the Jack Hays punt and covered
the ball at the Dragon 21. Five plays later, Imhoff scored from the 1, and
Prosper narrowed the Carroll lead to 14-10.
Momentum shift
Momentum can shift in an instant, and this Dragonhead
leaned forward in concern.
But not to worry. Much. Luc Jacquemard returned the
Prosper kickoff to the 47, handing the Dragons excellent field position. One
play later, Renda sent a 43-yard arc to Boyd, who carried it to the Eagle 2. A
penalty backed Carroll to the 7.
At that point, Harris lined up in the wildcat
formation and took the snap. Dropping back, he zipped the ball to junior Blake
Gunter in the end zone. Score: 21-10.
But Prosper responded quickly. It staged a 6-play,
80-yard drive that ended with a 20-yard bolt to pay dirt by Robinson, pulling
the Eagles once again to within 4 points.
But another excellent kickoff return by Jacquemard set
the Dragons up at the Prosper 46. Two plays later, Renda tossed a 31-yard pass
to Gunter, who rumbled to the Eagle 10.
Running back Davis Penn carried it to the 1. Then
Harris – remember him? – sped untouched across the line with 21 seconds left in
the half.
Southlake carried a 28-17 lead into the locker room. It
would never trail by less than 11 points for the rest of the game.
The third quarter saw both teams trade touchdowns. Renda
connected with Boyd on a 29-yard TD pass, a perfectly executed play that
prompted Dragon Sports colorman Robert Clayton to exult to his online audience:
“Are you entertained?”
Um, yes. We were.
Meanwhile, Imhoff hit Eagle receiver Lathon Latiolais
with a 16-yard missile to keep Prosper close: 35-24.
Dragon defensive back Austin Bussmann opened the final
quarter by intercepting an Imhoff pass (his second INT) at the Dragon 45.
Harris, who had lined up largely unnoticed in the Dragon backfield, grabbed the
ball from Renda and took off 55 yards for the end zone.
What a night to be Parker Harris! I mean, seriously.
Never gave up
To their credit, the Eagles never gave up, never let
down. They quickly moved to within 11 points again with a 16-yard Imhoff pass
to Robinson, his first passing TD of the year.
With less than 6 minutes left, the Dragons staged a
clock-eating 5-play, 70-yard drive on the ground, with Penn and Harris pounding
inexorably downfield. From the 31, Penn, who had been bottled up during the
first half, dashed up the middle to the end zone. He would end the night with 74
yards on 14 carries.
And in a final stab to the heart, Gavin Strange ended
any thought of a last-gasp Eagle comeback when he intercepted Imhoff, the embattled
Eagle signal caller’s third INT of the night.
Some may question the decision of the Southlake and
Prosper coaches to insist on playing last night. Kickoff was delayed by 4 hours
and 15 minutes. The contest started at 11:15 p.m., and the final buzzer sang
out at 1:42 a.m.
That put a lot of stress and pressure on the young
players of both teams. And it posed a difficult challenge for the coaching
staff to keep the youngsters focused and physically ready.
But postponing a playoff game is a complex affair, coming
up with last-minute venues a nightmare and rearranging pregame practices a
harrowing experience. Coaches would rather play late and face the consequences.
“We put a lot of work into playing a game on Friday,”
Dodge told the Star-T’s Baggarly. “Obviously, we had a lot of delays,
stops and starts. It felt like we had 20 meetings underneath Choctaw just
trying to figure out what was going on. Credit to coach (Tyler Moore of Prosper)
over there. ... We both decided we wanted to get this football game in, and,
you know, there was no other option.”
It worked out all right – for the Dragons, at least.
And it reveals, I think, the importance of preparation and leadership in the
locker room. From both players and coaches.
It is a strength, an important one, of the Dragons.
It’s a major part of what makes this program special – and oh so successful.
Go, Dragons!
The waiting game: Lightning strikes delayed last night's game for more than four hours, giving these Dragons plenty of time to stand and think.
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