Feeling sorry for the Roos
SOUTHLAKE – Competitive sports can be brutal
sometimes, as the overmatched, overwhelmed and over-and-out Weatherford
Kangaroos learned to their sorrow last night in a merciless beatdown by the
vastly superior Southlake Carroll Dragons.
The Roos – as they like to be called, for some
unfathomable reason – were rated 30-point underdogs in the mismatch by Dave
Campbell’s Texas Football, the unchallenged authority on high school
pigskin action.
And Weatherford lived up – or should I say it lived
down – to that bleak assessment. Rendered helpless by a steel-willed Dragon defense,
the Roos’ first three possessions resulted in 3-and-outs. The fourth ended in
an interception. All the while, the gleeful Dragon offense ran rampart from
goal to goal.
How bad was the massacre? By the middle of the first
half, I was feeling sorry for the miserable Kangaroos.
I’ll resist the temptation to launch into a screed
about the deficiencies of the UIL playoff system, which decrees that the four
teams in each district with the best records get to enter post-season play.
Rewarding success
Moreover, in the first bi-district round, teams with
the best records are paired with weaker teams, a way to reward success during
the regular season.
All fine and good, but it can result in uneven – almost
unwatchable – matchups like the one on display in Dragon Stadium last night
that had even diehard Dragonheads like me wishing the Roos’ agony would end
soon.
But enough grousing. It’s churlish to complain about such
a definitive win that heralds a dramatic entrance to the win-or-go-home crucible
of the playoffs.
The Dragon offense, led by quarterback Hudson Tomcheck
and wide receiver Blake Gunter, defended its home turf with a vengeance.
Tomcheck (13-14, 183 yards) threw for four touchdowns.
He also scored the Dragons’ opening TD by capping a 5-play, 76-yard drive with
a 6-yard dash.
His favorite target was Gunter, who turned three of
Tomcheck’s passes into scores. The senior receiver widened the Carroll lead to
14-0 when he snared a 26-yarder. Later, after teammate Chase Sarver intercepted
Roo quarterback Braelyn Jones, Gunter scored again when he caught a 14-yard
Tomcheck arc in the endzone.
Not finished yet
But Gunter and Tomcheck weren’t finished. In the
opening minutes of the second period, Gunter culminated a Dragon drive – set up
when Dragon defender Kyle Duross recovered a Jones fumble – with a 20-yard
reception.
Then midway through the second quarter, Gunter took a
direct snap from center and darted 27 yards to the end zone to give the Dragons
a 42-0 lead. He ended the night with five receptions for 79 yards.
Did I mention that Gunter, who is a California commit
likely to see action at the next level sooner rather than later, also is highly
regarded as a fierce and effective blocker? He’s a gamer – make no mistake
about that.
Other offensive stars worthy of note were Dez Bryant
Jr., who scored the Dragons’ third TD with a 16-yard bob-and-weave route to the
endzone, and receiver Brody Knowles (4-82), who caught Tomcheck’s final TD
throw – a 21-yard reception that padded Carroll’s already bulging lead to 49-0.
Dragon starters were pulled at halftime, a move that
allowed the Roos to go home with a modicum of dignity.
Dontarius Quimby, Weatherford’s primary offensive
weapon, smashed repeatedly and ineffectively into the Dragon defensive wall all
night. Against Carroll’s backups, he finally managed to snare a 47-yard TD pass from Jones in the third period.
He finished the night with only 36 yards on 14 carries
on the ground, but early in the fourth quarter, Quimby spurted 2 yards to pay dirt,
a hard-fought reward for his night of futility. In the grand scheme of things, it
was much ado about nothing much.
Now that they’ve given the Kangaroos the bum’s rush
out of town, the Dragons turn their full attention to the area round, where
they will face a familiar foe. The Dragons hit the road Friday for the dusty
plains of West Texas.
A familiar face
There, they’ll meet the 6-5 Midland
Bulldogs, who defeated El Paso Franklin last night, 35-24.
As it now stands, the Dragons have a good chance of
reaching another seasonal team goal – to still be in the hunt for a state title
at Thanksgiving. They must get past the Bulldogs to do that, but Southlake’s
firebreathers have every reason to be optimistic.
Remember, Carroll destroyed Midland 49-0 in a non-district
contest last year and rolled over the ’Dogs 48-24 the year before. It’s not
unreasonable to expect a similar result next week.
Beyond that, who knows? The road to a state title is
rock-strewn and treacherous under the best of circumstances. And the Dragons
know that to finish that journey successfully, they’ll probably have to get
past North Crowley.
The Panthers whipped them handily 40-10 at the
beginning of the season and are considered by many to be the best team in the
state. If it comes down to that, can the Dragons beat them?
True, this is not the same team that faced North
Crowley back in September. It has matured and evolved into a more skilled, better
disciplined and smoother operating unit. But successfully taking on the Panthers
is a tall order. Maybe too tall.
We’ll see. Like I always say: This is Texas high
school football, and anything can … well, you know the rest!
Go, Dragons!
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