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 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 down. From the Dragon 28, he sent a TD dart to Cash Erdmann.

In between those two scores, backup Dragon QB Preston Perazzo scored 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.

No surprises here: Southlake Carroll 55, Keller Timber Creek 13

 Davis Penn, 3, celebrates a touchdown with his fellow Dragons.

Ripped to shreds

KELLER – No one expected lowly Keller Timber Creek to put up much of a fight last night when it hosted the undefeated Southlake Carroll Dragons, ranked No. 1 in the state since the season began.

And the bedraggled Falcons didn’t, creeping into halftime trailing 49-0, their defense ripped to shreds by Dragon quarterback Angelo Renda and the rampaging Carroll offense. At the same time, Carroll’s starting defensive squad choked what life remained out of the Timber Creek offense, which sputtered and wheezed until the second half, when it faced Carroll’s backup warriors.

Renda completed 68 percent of his passes (15 of 22) for 241 yards and four touchdowns. Two went to Blake Gunter, last night’s leading receiver with seven catches for 88 yards. Brock Boyd (4 catches for 74 yards) and Brody Knowles (2-66) accounted for one each.

Senior running back Davis Penn, showing some of his old form before he tore an ACL last season during the playoffs, ran for two more TDs. The first was a 4-yard scamper that kicked off Dragon scoring 3 minutes into the game. He followed that halfway through the second period with a 2-yard bolt across the line, giving the Dragons a 28-0 lead.

Even the Dragon D got into the scoring frenzy. Less than a minute after Penn scored his second TD, senior defensive back Taevin Kunz stepped in front of a pass by Falcon QB Lane Brinkley, then sprinted half the length of field for his first-ever pick-6.

Only bright spot

The only bright spot for the Falcons in the first half – and it emitted pretty low wattage, if truth be told – occurred when Falcon linebacker Joshua Rakestraw turned around on the left sideline to find a Renda pass aimed directly at his midsection. He had no choice but to catch the damned thing!

Alas for Timber Creek, that gift went unappreciated when the Falcons stumbled to a 3-and-out and punted it back to the Dragons. Three plays later, Renda lofted an arc to Knowles, who rolled 40 yards to the end zone for Carroll’s second score.

For style points, the trophy probably has to go to Brock Boyd. With only seconds left in the 1^st quarter, the Dragons recovered a fumbled snap on yet another Falcon punt. From their own 39, Renda fired a shot to Boyd for 8 yards. Then he lofted a 53-yard missile to a speeding Boyd headed for the end zone. The ball fell into the senior receiver’s arms at the 10 and he zoomed in to send the Dragons ahead by three scores.

But it was Gunter, a junior, who provided the last hurrahs for the Dragon starters, grabbing TD throws of 19 and 25 yards as the half wound down. Head coach Riley Dodge benched his stars for the entire 2^nd half. In fact, he started substituting Dragon defenders halfway through the 2^nd quarter.

Coach Riley Dodge congratulates his quarterback, Angelo Renda, for a job well done.

Gunter and Renda enjoy a special rapport, and Gunter has become the quarterback’s go-to guy when things get dicey.

Shut out in the first half, the Falcons fared better against Carroll’s second teams, capitalizing on Dragon missteps to score twice.

Brinkley, the Creek signal caller, connected with Blaine Everage in the end zone after Dragon backup QB Preston Perazzo was intercepted at the Falcon 25. On the next play, Brinkley connected with Blaine Everage in the end zone.

Deceptive handoff

Perazzo redeemed himself as the final period opened by staging a deceptive handoff to senior Emerson Ziadie and then darting 6 yards to bring the Dragons their final zone, although the PAT failed.

Ziadie, by the way, was the evening’s leading rusher, gaining 95 yards on 8 carries. He’s a stubborn, hard-nosed runner who is getting some good game time as Carroll continues its purposeful stride through District 4-6A.

The backups, who have played extremely well in previous Dragon blowouts this season, were plagued last night by sloppy execution and bad timing. For instance, as the game drew mercifully to a close, the Dragons fielded a Creek punt at their 44. Two plays later, the snap sailed over Perazzo’s head, but he managed to cover the ball at the 25.

Dropping back, Perazzo connected with a receiver, but the ball ricocheted off his chest and into the hands of a Falcon defender. Several plays later, Falcon QB Landon Druyvesteyn zipped a 6-yard TD pass to Tyshon Ellerbe. The PAT failed. Game final: 55-13.

Despite the letdown in the 2nd half last night, the Dragon D has allowed an average of only 5.8 points a game so far this season, at a time when the offense is averaging 47. (Hat tip to the Star-T for that delicious stat!)

High praise

In post-game interviews, Dodge had high praise for his defensive charges.

Brock Boyd caught a 53-yard TD pass last night that propelled the Dragons to a 21-0 lead.

“It's just a relentless group and a really talented group,” he told Darren Lauber of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “There's a lot of veterans over there, and they've played a lot of football. But they're just playing with a fanatical effort that we haven't seen in a long time.”

Carroll linebacker William Leins, who recovered a Falcon fumble on Creek’s first possession, told Lauber that experience is a great teacher.

“We're so much better than we were last year because we've been through the fight playing in 16 games,” he said, a reference to the Dragons’ appearance in the state championship game last season. “It's like a brother love out there. I know that the other 10 are going to do their jobs, which gives me confidence to do mine.

“We're relentless,” Leins added. “The mentality is that if they're up, we're going to punch the ball out, and we're going to get them down as a team with everyone tackling them. No one is selfish, and we just love each other. It's so fun playing with these guys.”

Dodge told Lauber he is most impressed with how hard his defensive unit works to prepare each week. By game time, they’re ready.

“They're able to fly around on Thursday and Friday nights and just have some fun,” he said.

Another week, another Keller school. Carroll hosts the Keller Indians next Friday for Homecoming. All over Southlake, moms are sweating bullets to get the mums ready. I’m a hard guy to impress, but the Homecoming mums in Southlake will make your eyes pop out. I kid you not!

Go, Dragons!

Brody Knowles, who caught two passes for 66 yards, hauls in his TD catch.

An unexpected blowout: Southlake Carroll 44, Euless Trinity 6

 

Dragon quarterback Angelo Renda accounted for five Dragon scores -- two on the ground and three in the air.

Manhandling the Trojans

SOUTHLAKE – For the proud Euless Trinity Trojans, ranked No. 8 in the state by the football gurus, their fall from grace last night at the hands of the fiery-breathed Southlake Carroll Dragons was swift and merciless.

The Dragon offense – hitting on all cylinders under the sure and steady hand of quarterback Angelo Renda – overwhelmed the Trojans, deftly evading their sturdy but slow-to-the-draw front line while Carroll’s deep-bench receiving corps confounded the Trinity secondary.

The Trojans – who were averaging 35 points a game until last night – never gained their footing against the rampaging Dragons. And by dispatching with brutal efficiency Byron Nelson last week and manhandling undefeated Trinity last night, Carroll now stands in commanding control of District 4-6A.

Not only that, but the convincing Dragon victory raises an interesting question. Could it propel Carroll, now ranked 18th in the nation by MaxPreps, into the Top 10?  Hey, Dragonheads, how sweet would that be? 

Spectacular night

Renda, a Pitt commit, was – in a word – spectacular, rushing for two touchdowns and passing for another three. He completed 82 percent of his passes (18 for 22, 278 yards), leading his teammates to a 21-0 lead with 1- and 4-yard dashes to the endzone sandwiching a 36-yard TD toss to Brody Knowles.

In the second half, he added a 43-yard spiral to Brock Boyd (6-90) and a 59-yard beauty to Blake Gunter (4-82) before turning things over to backup Preston Perazzo.

Greg Riddle, chief high school football writer for The Dallas Morning News, spotlighted Renda’s performance in his game story.

He said the senior, who has committed to Pitt, “has made a name for himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in Carroll history.”

As Dragonheads know, that’s a pretty strong statement. But Riddle pointed out that Renda is 19-1 as the starting QB for the Dragons, has had five games with more than 300 passing yards and 18 games with two or more touchdown passes.

Does that make him “one of the greatest”? I ain’t gonna argue with that. Besides, the season’s young, and Renda will have plenty of opportunities to fatten his resume and sharpen his quiver of arrows.

Of course, it’s only fair to point out that Renda enjoys the services of a large and talented group of receivers. And its prowess was on full display against the Trojans.

In addition to the outstanding performances of Boyd, Gunter and Knowles, Caden Mackey had a breakout night, hauling in 5 catches for 53 yards. He is quickly developing into a favorite Renda target.

After the game, Renda gave credit to his receivers, as well he should.

“We have a lot of great weapons on offense,” Renda told the DMN’s Riddle. “We’ve got three of the best receivers in the state of Texas. At the end of the day, it just comes down to executing. I feel like we executed at a high, high level.”

For the second week in a row, head coach Riley Dodge directed high praise at his field general.

Brock Boyd, 1, and Angelo Renda congratulate each other on Boyd's TD catch.

“He is just trusting the guys around him, and doing the little things right, and he puts us in great situations,” Dodge said to Riddle. “When we just take what the defense gives us, we’re going to be OK.”

In Renda’s shoes

Dodge knows first-hand what it’s like to be in Renda’s shoes. And the young man seems to understand that Dodge’s tutelage is a key element to his development.

“I’ve been in the system for a long time, and I feel like Coach Dodge expects a lot out of me, and I love that,” Renda told Riddle. “I want to be coached hard, and I feel like that’s what makes our team great.”

While Renda’s execution nearly was flawless, the same can’t be said for Trojan quarterback Mack Lineweaver (11-19, 96 yards, 1 TD), who threw two interceptions. The first came early in the second half, when Parker Harris – a key member of Carroll’s defensive juggernaut – snatched a Lineweaver pass at the Trinity 45.

Behind the strong running of Brooks Biggers – and a 6-yard Renda dart to Gunter – the Dragon moved inside the 10, where Biggers twisted, turned and plunged 8 yards into the end zone to give the Dragons a 37-6 lead with 6 minutes to play.

On the next Trojan drive, Trinity struggled to the Dragon 34 and faced a 4^th-and-7. Lineweaver zipped the ball to a receiver, but Harris promptly stripped the ball from his grasp.

Carroll recovered the errant missile at the 18 and began the long march down the field. Ten plays later, Renda found Gunter speeding toward the end zone and dropped the ball into his welcome arms.

Lineweaver’s final INT came on the last play of the game, as Trinity – pitted against Carroll backups – approached the Dragon red zone. And to give credit where it is due, Carroll’s second-string players, for the second week in a row, kept opponents scoreless on their watch. (A tip o’ the hat to you!)

Tarnished achievement

As good as the offense was against the Trojans – and it was very good, indeed – the Dragon defense refused to play second fiddle. It currently is performing beyond the wildest expectations of Dragonheads. It limited the Trojans to a single touchdown, an achievement Southlake promptly tarnished by blocking the PAT, which Gavin Strange snatched up and sped 95 yards for 2 points.

(Strange was a busy lad last night. He’s a kicker by trade and by talent, but he regularly lines up in the defensive backfield. As a kicker, he has missed nary an extra point all season. Last night, he also booted an onside kick that practically fell into the hands of teammate Robbie Ladd and was returned for a TD on the next play. That gave the Dragons a 14-0 lead and an irresistible headwind to the end. And, if that wasn’t enough, Strange also sent every Carroll kickoff into the end zone, denying the Trojans any chance of a runback.)

As expected, Trinity fielded a strong rushing attack. It out-gained Carroll 188-99 on the ground. But despite the 114 rushing yards compiled by Trojan runner JT Harris on 20 carries, the Dragons shut things down as Trinity threatened. For the most part, at least.

The exception came at the end of the first half, when Trinity forced Carroll to punt for the first time. Trailing by three TDs, the Trojans then drove the field, aided greatly by Harris bursts through the line. From the 1, Lineweaver flipped the ball to receiver Jaylon Donaldson in the end zone. The PAT fiasco quickly followed.

Receiver Brody Knowles celebrates his touchdown.

For proof of the defensive heroics on display thus far this year, consider this: In the first four games of the season, the Carroll D has restricted opponents to only 16 points.

Against the Trojans last night and Byron Nelson last week – likely to be Carroll’s biggest challenges in the regular season – the Dragons outpaced foes 96-9. That is defensive domination not seen in Southlake environs in many a year.

Dodge told Charles Baggarly of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that his team stepped up when it mattered the most.

“Our kids answered the bell,” Dodge said. “We challenged them all week. We talked about the physical nature of this football game. Opportunity after opportunity, we just lined up, put the ball down and played football all night.”

No mystery here

When Baggarly interviewed Dragon players after the game, they told a similar tale. The stomping of the Trojans was no mystery, they said. It was the result of hard work and perseverance.

“It was a great team effort,” said Gunter, a junior with sure hands and a nose for the end zone. “We put in the work all week, and it showed. We were very physical on both sides of the ball. And Renda puts it right on the money every time. The best quarterback.”

 “This team won’t quit,” added Ladd, who recovered the onside kick early in the game. “We knew Trinity wouldn’t quit on us. So, we had to keep going every single drive. Just keep hitting them in the mouth and never giving up.”

Next week, the Dragons travel to Keller to meet Timber Creek. The Falcons had best be prepared for a beating because the inspired Dragons are on a mission – a ninth state championship. And the first step to that goal is a District 4-6A title.

Don’t bet against them. Carroll has been here before. Since 2020, it holds a 35-1 district record. And it has captured the district crown in all but three of the last 15 years. Nuff said.

Go, Dragons!

Gavin Strange was busy last night. He never missed an extra point, booted a successful onside kick and returned a blocked Trojan PAT for 2. 

Starting district with a bang: Southlake Carroll 52, Byron Nelson 3

 

Dragon coach Riley Dodge told quarterback Angelo Renda last night, "You're a bad dude!" (He meant it as a compliment, of course.) 

The dream spoiled

JUSTIN – The Byron Nelson Bobcats nourished a dream of bringing a District 4-6A championship home to Trophy Club – a fitting tribute to beloved head coach Travis Pride, who died unexpectedly during the off-season.

No disrespect intended, but the Southlake Carroll Dragons quashed that dream flat in the district opener last night, dismantling the overmatched Bobcats with a dizzying aerial attack and a suffocating defense.

The Dragons -- behind the arm of quarterback Angelo Renda, who completed 79 percent of his passes (22 of 28) for 288 yards and three touchdowns, and the rugged rushing of Brooks Biggers (12 carries for 56 yards and 2 scores) and Davis Penn (9 for 25 and 1 TD) -- turned the Bobcats into little more than mewing kittens.

Carroll, after a sluggish start, gained 491 total yards compared to a meager 189 by the Cats. Byron Nelson could manage only 21 rushing yards for the night, and quarterbacks Parker Almanza and Charlie Medrano combined to complete only 9 and 22 passes for 178 yards.

Unanswered scoring spree

After a desultory first quarter in which the two programs exchanged field goals – a 27-yarder each by Dragon kicker Gavin Strange and Bobcat Oliver Bell – the Dragons caught fire and went on a 49-point unanswered scoring spree.

It’s interesting how the momentum in a game can change in a single play.

For the Dragons, it came at the end of the first quarter, a period in which their offense seemed flat and uninspired and their defense slightly off-balance.

After two incomplete Renda passes, the Dragons languished on their 31-yard line facing a bleak 3-10. Renda then dropped back and zipped a ball along the right sideline to Brock Boyd (7-93, 2 TDs). He once again failed to connect.

At that point, the sideline judge threw a pass-interference flag against the Bobcat defender, giving the Dragons a new lease on life at their 46. Three bruising runs by Biggers carried Carroll to the Bobcat 34, where Renda connected with Brody Knowles (6-92) at the 25 as the quarter expired.

Davis Penn slips into the end zone last night, contributing to Carroll's unanswered 49-point scoring spree against the Bobcats.

On the first play of the decisive 2^nd period, Blake Gunter (5-65) finished the drive by snatching a pass and breezing into the end zone.

The Dragons never looked back.

Still healing

In addition to Gunter’s opening TD, the 2^nd quarter saw a rushing score by Penn, who still appears to be healing from his ACL injury last season. He cruised into the end zone standing up from the 3.

Less than 2 minutes later, the Dragon D sacked Almanza, the Bobcat quarterback, who promptly coughed up the ball. Carroll quickly recovered it on the Nelson 42. On the next play, Renda hoisted a perfect spiral to Boyd in the end zone, leaving Dragonheads breathlessly elated.

The Dragons weren’t through, however. They continued to shred the Nelson D and added two more TDs before the half-time bell.

A Carroll drive powered by Renda throws to Boyd and Knowles carried Southlake to the Nelson 16, where Harrison Phillips bullied up the middle to the Bobcat 3. He capped the series by muscling across the goal line on the next play.

Biggers wrapped up 2^nd-quarter scoring with a 3-yard dash to paydirt. The Dragons carried a 38-3 lead into the halftime, while the hapless Bobcats nursed aches and pains and mourned dashed hopes.

The 3^rd quarter offered more of the same. It was highlighted by Boyd’s 7-yard TD catch, his second of the night, and by a dramatic TD plunge by Biggers, who had his best game of the young season against Bryon Nelson.

Fielding a low snap

The Dragons were poised on the 3-yard line, threatening to make their 7^th trip of the night into the endzone when Renda had trouble fielding a low snap. After a couple of swipes, he finally seized the ball and flipped it to a waiting Biggers. The junior then leaped forward, deftly sidestepped a Nelson defender and scored.

It was all neatly done and brought scoring to a totally satisfactory conclusion.

Coach Riley Dodge pulled his starters with a couple of minutes left in the 3^rd, and the backups did well, moving the ball, controlling the clock and keeping the now-exhausted Bobcats off the scoreboard.

After the game, he was so pleased with his team’s performance that he gave his jubilant players today off – a rare reward indeed but one he felt they deserved.

‘That’s a big thing’

“I’m very, very pleased each and every week and just so impressed by the way our guys prepare,” Dodge told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Charles Baggarly after the game. “Man, we’re playing together. I think that’s a big thing. I think it’s things you didn’t see a ton of last year. But our first three ball games and two scrimmages — we’re really connected. And when our defense communicates really well and understands people’s jobs, we’ll be hard to move the football against.”

Dodge told Dallas Morning News sportswriter Emma Moon that his team has something to prove this year – after last season’s defeat at the hands of Austin Vandergriff in the Division II state title game.

Brock Boyd, who scored two TDs last night, evades a Bobcat defender along the right sideline.

“I think this is a group that has a sour taste in their mouth about how last year ended,” Dodge said to Moon. “That’s in the past. But the way they’re working right now and the urgency level, it’s really cool.”

He was particularly pleased with Renda’s performance, and he related to Moon a comment he made to his quarterback during the game.

“I said, ‘You’re a bad dude,’” Dodge recalled. “When you just take what the defense gives you, you trust the guys around you, and he just keep us on schedule. Doing the little things.”

Back to the grind

After their well-earned day off, it will be back to the grind for the high-flying Dragons. Next week, they host the undefeated Euless Trinity Trojans in what could be the contest that decides the District 4-6A championship.

The Trojans won’t make things easy for the Dragons. They always bring their best against Carroll, as Dodge knows only too well – both as a player and as a coach.

Dodge was Southlake’s quarterback in 2006, when the two programs – both reigning state champions in different divisions – met in the second round of the playoffs. That game – which Carroll narrowly won thanks to late-game heroics by Dodge – set an unofficial attendance record at old Texas Stadium for a non-Dallas Cowboys contest.

It also was the best high school football game I’ve ever watched, for what that’s worth.

Dodge told the DMN’s Moon that Trinity is an “unbelievable opponent.”

 “It’s a great rivalry. Gosh, I respect the crap out of them. I love (Trinity coach) Aaron Lineweaver, who’s one of my dear friends in this profession and in life. We’re going to have to go back to work and put the work in if we want to get the W.”

Go, Dragons!

Receiver Brody Knowles snags an Angelo Renda pass despite the gaggle of Bobcats surrounding him.

Short but sweet: Southlake Carroll 35, Hebron 7

 

For the second week in a row, weather played a role under Friday night lights.

Lightning strikes twice

SOUTHLAKE – Nearby lightning strikes ended the Hebron Hawks’ agony early, but their looming threat only seemed to energize the Southlake Carroll Dragons, who easily overwhelmed the proud Hawks last night with a thundering offensive onslaught.

The game, delayed more than an hour by the threatening weather, was halted for good two minutes into the second half. When it became clear – as lightning lit up the northern sky and thunder boomed menacingly – that the game could not be resumed in a reasonable time, both Hebron and Carroll coaches called it a night.

It wasn’t a difficult choice. Even though the Dragons had just kicked their first punt of the season only moments before the game was halted, they led by four touchdowns.

More to the point, they had effectively caged Hebron quarterback Brady Brock and the Hawk offense, limiting Brock to a lonely TD throw to Tyler Hoke to counter a 21-0 Dragon lead.

Hebron frustration

Another 22 minutes of football wasn’t likely to change the outcome and probably only would have intensified Hebron’s frustration. So ended the Hawks’ attempt at redemption from two defeats at the hands of the Dragons last season.

Carroll lost no time in defusing the Hebron threat.

After halting the first Hawk drive deep in Hebron territory, Dragon quarterback Angelo Renda dropped back and launched a high pass to junior Brady Gunter, who darted 68 yards to the endzone, outracing a flock of Hawks in desperate pursuit.

“That first play was scripted all week,” Dodge told Fort Worth Star-Telegram sportswriter Mike Waters. “And it worked great.”

Gunter (3-134) had another great night. He exploded onto the scene last season as a wide-eyed sophomore with sure hands and quick feet. Last week, he scored two touchdowns, demonstrating both a nose for paydirt and – even more significantly – a trusting rapport with Renda.

As such, Gunter adds a potent punch to the Dragons’ aerial might, joining Brock Boyd (5-70), an Ohio State commit and one of the state’s most highly regarded receivers, in the top echelon of a talented receiving corps.

Most of the Dragons’ offensive heroics came in the air. Of their 371 total yards, an astounding 349 came from Renda passes, despite the much-anticipated return of stellar running back Davis Penn.

Hit who’s open

For his part, Renda (17-22, 2 TDs) was superb, zipping the ball to six different receivers on his first six passes of the night. He blithely dismissed the achievement, telling Waters in a post-game interview that he was just hitting whoever was open..

“These are great players, and they all make plays,” he said. “We were clicking in the first half.”

And indeed they were. Junior running back Brooks Biggers, a welcome addition to the Dragon lineup, scored the second Carroll TD when he capped a 9-play, 92-yard drive with a 1-yard dive into the endzone

Then the Carroll D, playing another excellent game, forced the Hawks to punt after linebacker William Chen broke up a 3-and-8 attempted pass. Two plays later, Renda lofted a 44-yard pass to a diving Boyd in the endzone, sending the Dragons into an insurmountable 21-0 lead as the 1^st quarter ended.

Angelo Renda, 2, shown in action last season, completed 17 of 21 passes for 349 yards last night.

At that point, Hebron put together its only effective drive of the game, doggedly marching 75 yards in 11 plays to set up Brock’s TD toss to Hoke.

For Dragonheads, some of the best news of the night – other than the win against a tough opponent, of course – was Penn’s return to the Dragon lineup.

Penn tore his ACL last season and missed most of the Dragon run to the state championship game. He was sorely missed. His absence – along with that of running mate Riley Wormsley, also felled with an ACL injury – probably spelled the difference in the state final against Austin Vandegriff.

Testing the waters

Head coach Riley Dodge held Penn out of the season opener against Midland and only used him gingerly last night as the senior tested the waters.

He was a big part of a 75-yard drive that showcased Southlake’s offensive might. It included a 65-yard pass to Gunter, a reverse run by wide receiver Brock Boyd, bruising runs by Biggers and Renda, and even a 5-yard toss to Penn.

And it culminated with Penn’s 7-yard dash to the endzone that extended the Dragon lead to 28-7.

Penn was still vibrating with pleasure when he spoke to the Star-T’s Waters after the game.

“It was amazing,” Penn said. “Just to finally get back out there. Incredible feeling. Now to build on that next week and rest of the season.”

Dodge spoke for Dragonheads everywhere when he said it was “great to have one of our team leaders out there.”

“I’m so proud of the way he has come back,” Dodge told Waters. “He is such a big part of this team.”

Biggers finished Dragon scoring just as the first half closed. After a Hawk drive stalled at the Dragon 20, Hebron failed to make a 37-yard field goal.

Taking control

Carroll then took control. Fueled by Renda passes of 11 yards to Gunter, 39 yards to Knowles and 18 yards to Boyd, the Dragons moved to the Hebron 7. From there, Biggers churned forward, leaped a defender at the goal line and tumbled into the endzone.

It was a humbled and dejected crew of Hawks who trudged into the locker room at half. Luckily for them, their night was nearly done.

The Dragons launch District 4-6A play next week against Byron Nelson on the road. The Bobcats, who have dedicated their season to former coach Travis Pride, who died suddenly in the off-season – challenged Carroll last season for the district championship.

The Dragons won that battle and are favored against the Bobcats. In a bit of a shocker, Byron Nelson fell to Lewisville this week, 38-21. Playing at home, it’ll be eager to redeem itself.

Once past the Bobcats, Carroll faces Euless Trinity, which likely will enter that matchup undefeated. It'll be eager to snatch the district crown from the reigning Dragons.

As noted here frequently, it’s almost always football magic when these two tradition-rich programs face each other. While the two school may be located only 10 miles apart, the communities of Euless and Southlake couldn’t be more different.

And yet, despite the socio-economic differences, the two fan bases regard each other with respect – and even admiration.

On the field, however, it’s another matter. Trojan-Dragon games are bruising, no-holds-barred affairs, chock-full of discipled emotion and well-coached physicality. Expect a great game on Sept. 19 in Dragon Stadium.

In the meantime, here’s hoping for clear skies and mild temps next week in Justin.

Go, Dragons!

The next two weeks promise Dragonheads plenty of action in contests against Byron Nelson and Euless Trinity.

A not-so-shocking beginning: Southlake Carroll 49, Midland 0

 

Will this be the season Carroll breaks a 14-year drought and wins its ninth state championship?

Who’s the boss?

Electricity filled the air last night as the Southlake Carroll Dragons administered a debilitating shock treatment to the overwhelmed Midland Bulldogs on their home turf.

And not all of it came from the lightning strikes that lit up the skies around Astound Broadband Stadium, delaying the Dragons’ season opener by 1½ hours.

Much of it came courtesy of the Carroll offense, which came roaring out the weather delay like a caged – well, dragon – eager to show everyone who was boss.

Quarterback Angelo Renda did a masterful job as Dragon field general, peppering his young – but oh-so-talented – receiving corps with pinpoint passes and deftly launching the rushing careers of two running backs making their varsity debut.

(I won’t mention the two interceptions Renda lofted, uncharacteristic missteps I’m sure he’s still kicking himself about. Besides, they proved meaningless since the bedraggled Bulldogs went 3-and-out after each one.)

But the Renda-led offense wasn’t the only electrifying performance of the evening. While he and company were marching unhindered up and down Astound field, the Dragon defense restricted Midland’s offensive wattage to that of a guttering candle, a light so dim it might have been a flickering firefly – if fireflies still existed on West Texas’ parched and dusty plains.

Triple-option challenge

Dragon defenders shredded the Midland offensive front, which made it impossible for Midland’s much-discussed triple-option offense to work as intended. When Bulldog quarterback Carson Anderson wanted to hand off the ball, Dragon linemen William Chen, Crawford Taylor and their defensive chums were johnny-on-the-spot to disrupt the exchange. When he wanted to keep the ball, the Dragon horde was stuffing his face into the turf.

And then, alas, there was the unfortunate fact that Anderson isn’t a very good passer. He attempted only 5 passes and completed only 1 – for 6 yards. (You read that right – 6 yards.) That deficiency, made more acute by Carroll’s talented defensive secondary, effectively eliminated the third leg of Midland’s offensive stool, leaving the Bulldogs with what kindly might be called a zero-option offense.

Needlessly brutal? Maybe, but you have to consider the final score: 49-0. Even after Carroll’s backup squads took over for the starters, the ’Dogs were toothless mutts. Truth hurts, don’t it?

Of course, no one figured the Bulldogs would put up much of a fight against the vandals from Southlake. In last year’s matchup at Dragon Stadium, the Dragons started out slowly, but eventually hung a 48-24 loss on their West Texas visitors.

Besides that, respected football journal Dave Campbell’s Texas Football has ranked the Dragons No. 1 in 6A Division II. It predicts Carroll will win its ninth state championship this year, after making it to the state finals last year before falling to the Austin Vandegriff Vipers.

The Dragons return 19 starters this season from that team, 10 on offense and nine on defense. That experience was on full display last night.

William Chen, playing at outside linebacker to take advantage of his impressive football IQ, scampered through the Bulldog 0-line with impunity. Defensive lineman Crawford Taylor spent so much time in the Midland backfield he might as well have worn a blue jersey. Defensive end Zac Hayes, who was shaken up early in the game, nonetheless regularly short-circuited timing and execution by Anderson and his beleaguered comrades.

Impressive debuts

But it was the debut of running backs Harrison Phillips, a sophomore for heaven’s sake, and Brooks Biggers, a junior transfer from Highland Park, that captured the attention of Dragonheads.

The running tandem of Harrison Phillips and Brooks Biggers made a stunning debut against Midland.

Running in tandem, the pair ran wild behind their beefy offensive line, reminding more than a few of us of last year’s running duo of Riley Wormley and Davis Penn, both sidelined with season-ending injuries.

Phillips and Biggers were handed frontline duties because Wormley graduated and Penn still is recovering from the ACL injury that took him out of the limelight last year. Fingers are crossed that Penn will return later in the season. (Please, God, he’s a good kid and deserves his time under Friday night lights. Besides, he got a great career waiting for him at the next level when he graduates.)

But Biggers (16 rushes for 103 yards and 2 TDs) and Phillips (10 rushes for 92 yards and 1 TD) filled in nicely for the mending Penn. How will they fare as the season progresses and opposition stiffens? Hard to know, but the prospects look promising.

Last night, both youngsters showed poise and patience in letting the behemoths on their O-line bulldoze paths through the dazed and confused Bulldogs. The young Phillips was particularly eye-catching. He kicked off the 2^nd quarter by dashing 42 yards untouched through the middle of the Midland line to score Carroll’s third TD.

As for Renda, who has committed to Pitt when he graduates, his season debut couldn’t have gone better, aforementioned INTs notwithstanding.

He completed 16 of 24 passes for 248 yards and 3 TDs. His favorite target – not surprisingly – was senior Brock Boyd (6 catches for 88 yards and 1 TD), an Ohio State commit who’s one of the state’s most highly regarded receivers. Close behind was junior Blake Gunter (5 catches for 88 yards and 2 TDs. Junior Brody Knowles snagged 2 for 29 yards.

The road ahead

For the Dragons, the next few weeks will be a proving ground of sorts as they face off against what perhaps will be their toughest opponents of the regular season.

Next Friday, the Hebron Hawks travel to Dragon Stadium. Carroll whipped the Hawks handily in the regular season last year, easily rolling to a 59-16 ass-kicking.

But when the Dragons faced Hebron in the third round of the playoffs later in the year, it was a different story. The Hawks gave the Dragons all they could handle, and Carroll only managed to eke out a 42-37 victory that wasn’t secured until the final seconds of the game.

Hebron lusts for revenge, you can bet on that. The Dragons can expect a bitter struggle to defend the sanctity of Dragon Stadium.

On Sept. 12, Carroll meets Bryon Nelson, a District 4-6A foe who fell to the Dragons last year 33-21 in a knock-down-drag-out affair to decide district champs. The Bobcats – always tough, well-disciplined and well-coached – will be powerfully motivated this year. During the off season, they lost their gifted and beloved football coach, Travis Pride, who died suddenly last May. They’ll have something to play for this season, and Carroll had best be prepared for an unpredictable, emotion-charged matchup.

Friendly foes

Then on Sept. 19, the Euless Trinity Trojans, another 4-6A resident, come to town. The Trojans are friendly foes, but foes nonetheless. The Trinity and Carroll schools, which are located only 10 miles apart, share a mutual respect and affection for each other, despite the seismic differences in the communities they serve.

The Trojans are fiercely proud, always filled with talent and intensely competitive on the field. Last year, the Dragons managed to outlast a determined Trojan onslaught to win 56-48. Frankly, it could have gone either way. Will this year be any different? Not likely.

But tough competition is good preparation for the playoffs, particularly if you find yourself in a relatively weak district like 4-6A. So despite the challengers, the Dragons will square their shoulders, grit their teeth – and get it done.

The playoffs – and a ninth state crown. It’s time, Dragonheads! It’s time!

Go Dragons!

Carroll won a squeaker against Trinity last year, and it could be another barnburner when the Dragons face the Trojans on Sept. 19. 

Hannukah and the miracles around us

 

A celebration of the last night of Hannukah is taking place tonight at the new home of my darling daughter and son-in-law.

It was supposed to take place at Gunnels Manse on Mad Bird Hill. But the unpleasant case of shingles I contracted shortly after Christmas required a change of venue.

I won’t be there out of deference to my four-month-old grandson and the unborn child that my daughter’s friend, Sam, is carrying. I’m saddened, of course, but the safety of the children, born and unborn, takes precedence.

Hannukah is a celebration of a miracle. In 164 B.C., the militant Maccabees drove out the Syrian occupiers of Israel, who had sacked and desecrated the Second Temple in Jerusalem. After the Maccabees ousted the Syrians, the cleansing of the Temple called for a relighting of the Menorah, the gold candelabrum whose seven branches represented knowledge and creation and were meant to be kept burning every night.

Oil was in short supply, but the decision was made to relight the Menorah anyway. Although only enough oil was available for a single night, the lighted Menorah burned for eight days, by which time a new supply of oil was secured.

Jews believe the miracle of the lighted Menorah was a message from God to his chosen people They commemorate the event by celebrating the eight nights of Hannukah.

A nice story, I think you’d agree. But if it occurred, was it indeed a miracle? Or was it just a fluke – or a misjudgment about the amount of oil needed to last eight nights?

I don’t know, and truthfully, I don’t think it makes a difference. Miracle or fluke, it is a story that sustains belief and gives comfort and guidance to Jews around the world.

You see, I believe miracles are all around us – whether sent by a supreme being or by the vagaries of the cosmos. If you look and listen, you can see them everywhere – in the burgling laugh of a happy baby, the radiant glow of a pregnant woman, the unexpected triumph of the child for whom you almost gave up hope. And, yes, in the doctor’s confident assessment, “We got it all.”

We face difficult and perhaps even tragic days ahead, and we’re going to need all the miracles we can get to endure them and, ultimately, to prevail.

On this last day of Hannukah, remember the miracle it celebrates. And on this first day of a new year, I hope you’ll keep a keen eye out for the miracles around you.

They are there – if only we take time to see and recognize them.

Best wishes to you all. I consider friends and family miracles sent by … well, someone or something. You sustain me and give me hope.