Thanksgiving in the time of COVID

 

I have struggled to come up with the appropriate Thanksgiving message to share with my friends and family.

The challenges surrounding this year’s holiday are unique and troubling. A national pandemic rages, dividing families, isolating loved ones and destroying lives – both economic and physical. Many of us have lost faith in our country and in our fellow countrymen. We yearn to rediscover that faith and to be reunited in spirit and action.

Many of you will be dining without the comforting presence of family and friends today. I wish you peace and safety in these perilous times. Many of you are hurting, economically, emotionally and physically. May time and circumstance rescue you from those troubles and grant you better and brighter days ahead.

The Gunnels Manse still is quiet on this Thanksgiving morning. Likely, it will remain as such for most of the day. In the stillness, my mind imagines holidays of old – the laughter of children, the noisy chatter of family and friends, the clinking of glasses and rattle of silverware. Sounds of joy and love and comradeship. Such days will return. Faith in that will sustain us in these dark, terrible days.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

De facto district champs: Southlake Carroll 45, Haslet Eaton 30

 

Owen Allen scores,  one of three for the night.

Slugging it out

Remove the first 6 minutes of last night’s contest between the Southlake Carroll Dragons and Haslet Eaton Eagles, and you’ve got a very different ballgame.

Lucky for the Dragons that such a violation of time and space is impossible, because without those 360 seconds of game time, they might not be de facto champions of District 4-6A.

Everyone anticipated that this would be a high-scoring, hard-fought affair. The Eagles were enjoying their best season ever and were 4-0 in district play. The Dragons, meanwhile, were 3-0 in pursuit of their third straight district title despite the loss to injury of their superstar quarterback, the amazing Quinn Ewers.

The game was all it was cracked up to be, a thriller that saw two high-powered offenses slug it out. Carroll put up 436 yards in total offense, Eaton 376. But it didn’t start out that way. It started as a near rout.

It took Carroll only 3 minutes to score on the first possession of the game, a 3-yard keeper by backup quarterback Hunter Holden, who is standing in while Ewers recuperates.

First of 3

A little over 2 minutes later, after holding the Eagles to a 3-and-out, sophomore running back Owen Allen burst over the goal line from the 1, the first of his 3 touchdowns for the night.

On the first play of the Eagles’ next possession, Dragon linebacker Barrett Baker nailed Eagle quarterback Braden St. Ama as he scrambled in his own end zone, forcing a fumble that Carroll lineman Cade Parks immediately fell on.

Boom. The Dragons led 21-0 while the miserable Eagles had run only 4 plays.

But give the boys from Haslet credit. They didn’t panic and they didn’t give up. St. Ama put the fumble behind him and engineered an 8-play, 75-yard march that ended with a 21-yard TD pass to Royal Evans (3-36).

Hoping to capitalize on that score, the Eagles tried an onside kick, but Carroll covered it at its own 49, then staged a 7-play march fueled by an Owens burst through the middle for 20 yards and a reverse by Brady Boyd to the 1.

Allen (27 for 158) finished scoring for the quarter with a leap into the end zone for his second TD, the 7^th game in a row that he has scored at least twice. The Dragons ended the quarter with a record-setting 28 points.

Scoring heroics

The Dragons added another score before the half, notable because it involved some heroics by Boyd, Carroll’s leading receiver who returned to the lineup after being sidelined with a broken wrist in the season opener against Rockwall Heath.

Holden (11 of 17 for 180 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) led the Dragons to their 27. He flipped a pass to Boyd to the 19, then lofted a ball to him as he stood on the goal line. Boyd grabbed it, when struggled with two defenders trying desperately from preventing him from failing into the end zone. They failed.

Despite a disastrous first half, Eaton wasn’t finished yet and signaled its intention to fight on by surging  to the Dragon 33 as the clock drained before settling for a 50-yard field goal by Colby Sessums. That left the score at the break 35-7.

The Eagles came charging out of the locker room with fire in their eyes and revenge in their hearts. St. Ama lived up to his reputation as a lethal double-threat QB, forging two scoring drives that narrowed the Dragon lead to 11, 35-24.

The first was an 11-play, clock-eating drive that ended in an 8-yard pass to Jahbez Hawkins (12 catches for 52 yards). The second came after the Eagle defense forced the Dragons into a 3-and-out. It featured an electrifying 42-yard dash by Isaac Jones (5 rushes for 58) to the 6, where Dragon linebacker Cinque Williams ran him down to prevent the TD. Three plays later, St. Ama connected with Charles Whitebear (5 for 31) in the end zone.

The 4^th quarter was a desultory affair, with both teams trading scores. Eaton’s final TD came after it had failed to convert on a 4^th down at the Dragon 3. Allen lost yardage on consecutive plays, then bobbled and lost the ball during a bad exchange with Holden. Eaton recovered in the end zone to bring the score to 42-30 with 4:21 left.

Hard charging, high flying

Kicker supreme Joe McFadden ended scoring for the Dragons with a 30-yard field goal, only his second of the year on this high-flying, hard-charging Carroll offense.

St. Ama was the standout offensive performer for Eagles, completing 15 of 22 passes for 126 yards, 2 TDs and an interception. He also rushed 22 times for 125 yards.

But despite his effectiveness, the Dragon defense kept the Eagles largely at bay. The much-admired “comeback” involved 17 unanswered points, 3 in the closing minutes of the half, with the Dragons leading 35-7, and 14 more in the 3rd. While some of us were shifting uneasily in our seats when Eaton closed the gap to 35-24, the Dragon lead never was seriously threatened.

You can thank the Dragon D for that. Williams, who was moved from cornerback to outside linebacker, has made a real difference. He was everywhere last night, disrupting timing, interrupting pass routes and chasing down runners.

Holden continues to perform admirably for the absent Ewers. While he doesn’t put up the numbers of his more heralded teammate, he gets the job done. He connected in double digits to three receivers, the nimble RJ Maryland (4-74), Landon Samson (2-41) and Boyd (3-37).

The nature of Ewers injury hasn’t been revealed, but the hope of course is for his return by the playoffs. We’ll see soon enough

Head coach Riley Dodge said after the game that both teams understood the significance of the matchup. The winner almost certainly will emerge as District 4-6A champs.

“There was a lot at stake,” he told Dragon Radio. “Both teams understood that. Frankly, I thought we handled it better than they did. We rose to the occasion tonight.”

 Three goals

Carroll’s football program begins each season with three goals: win district, practice on Thanksgiving Day (this translates in normal years to a deep run the playoffs) and, finally, a state championship.

Dodge acknowledged the unique circumstances surrounding this COVID-marked season.

“District champs three years in a row. That’s our first goal,” he said.

But while the Dragons will practice on Thanksgiving Day because of the rescheduled Keller Timber Creek game on Friday, the playoffs don’t begin for two weeks.

“Goal No. 2 has changed this year,” he admitted. “It’s now to make it to the third round.”

The main obstacle to that goal could be the Euless Trinity Trojans, the Dragons’ likely Round Two opponents. The Trojans aren’t the behemoths of old, but they still are plenty potent, particularly in the highly charged atmosphere of the playoffs. A key to Carroll victory could be the progress of its defense, which took a big step forward last night.

But first, the Dragons have to finish out the season by sweeping District 4-6A. That begins next Friday against Timber Creek and the season finale against Keller Fossil Ridge in Dragon Stadium on Dec. 4.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone and stay safe. Go Dragons!

Knocking ’em down: Southlake Carroll 49, Keller Central 20

 

RJ Maryland reels in a pass

Next man up

When word began to circulate in Dragon football circles this week that Southlake Carroll’s five-star quarterback, Quinn Ewers, would be sidelined by an undisclosed injury for the next several games, many of us wondered how that would affect what we had expected would a waltz through District 4-6A.

We got the answer last night when the next man up, senior Hunter Holden, stepped into Ewers’ cleats and took full advantage of his moment in the bright lights of Friday night.

Under Holden’s calm and steady stewardship, the Dragons made short work of the Keller Central Chargers, taking gleeful advantage of Charger missteps and extending their district record to 3-0.

Hand in glove

Holden eased into the quarterback position like a hand into a well-fitted glove, completing 6 of 11 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns, including a 67-yard scoring strike that hit RJ Maryland in mid-stride and propelled Carroll to a three-TD lead it never surrendered.

In addition to Maryland, Holden sent scoring missiles to receiving leader Landon Samson (3-71) and Jake Whillock.

With Holden controlling the aerial attack, sophomore running back Owen Allen looked after things on the ground, rushing for 156 yards and three TDs, including an electrifying 58-yard romp he made after Dragon defender Avyonne Jones intercepted a pass from Charger quarterback Landon Walker. On the very next play, Allen burst through the Charger line and sprinted untouched to the end zone.

Carroll’s young defense continued to struggle, allowing the Chargers to amass 419 yards in total offense, compared to the Dragons’ 373. Walker  also outpaced Holden, completing 11 of 17 passes for 210 yards and two TDs. But he also threw two interceptions, both of which the Dragons converted into scores.

The march through district continues.

The second Walker misfire came with 6 minutes left in the first half when cornerback Max Reyes enveloped the ball, then gazed at a 61-yard expanse of unguarded turf before darting unmolested to the goal line.

Central would turn the ball over a third time, when Charger Euisol Jung coughed it up and Carroll’s Logan Anderson fell on it. The Dragons went on to score their fifth TD as a result.

A different game

Without the turnovers, it might have been a different game. But you have to credit the beleaguered Dragon defense for being opportunistic – keeping the worthy Walker off balance while giving the offense scoring chances it didn’t waste.

By the time Central could get its offense up and running, the Dragons held a 20-0 lead and were thinking about post-game Mexican food.

Once Carroll’s attack squad began replacing starters, sophomore quarterback Kaden Anderson, 3 for 4 for 39 yards and 1 TD, soon made a late-game appearance. The youngster, who presumably will be Ewers’ backup next year, look comfortable behind center and gained valuable game-time experience.

As for Ewers, Dragon head coach Riley Dodge was tight-lipped about the nature of his star player’s injury or how long he might be benched.

“We want to keep him fresh for the playoffs,” Dodge told The Dallas Morning News. “He may be out for a couple of weeks, but I can't really say.”

Rest and heal

Given the nature of competition in District 4-6A, Ewers’ services probably won’t be needed to keep the Dragons on course for the district championship and a first seed in the playoffs. So it makes sense to let him rest and heal, much as we’ll miss his on-field heroics.

Interestingly, Carroll received word this week that Ewers has been named to the Under Armor Future 50 roster, which is a precursor to the All-America game that honors the top high school football players in the nation. It was another reminder – as if we needed one – that Ewers is something special. Dragon fans, who sometimes have trouble agreeing on the time of day, are united in their hopes and prayers that his recovery is swift and complete.

At the same time, star kicker Joe McFadden was selected to take part in the Army All-American Bowl. Unfortunately, the game has been canceled because of, you guessed it, COVID concerns. But the honor is real – and most deserved.

Prayers that the remainder of the season continues uninterrupted

Fortunately, the Dragons have a bye next week in this strange, COVID-marred season. If all goes as planned, they'll host Trophy Club's V.R. Eaton Eagles the following week. But nothing much has gone as planned this year so who knows what will happen.

Any more cancelled games because of COVID outbreaks on the squads will be hard to make up, and since it’s district games for the rest of the way, how would that impact the district race?

And what about the playoffs? A cancellation during the six-week playoff period could blow up the whole shebang. Tellingly, all this is taking place during a time when COVID cases are exploding in Texas and throughout the country.

The uncertainties are so plentiful that it makes my head hurt just thinking about them. Best to take it one game at a time and hope for the best.

The upcoming game against Eaton – if it happens – could be a tasty one. The Eagles are having the best season in the program’s history. They’re also 3-0 in district play, and the game on Nov. 20 probably will determine the winner of District 4-6A.

The road ahead

Dragon fans already are speculating about the playoffs. Under normal circumstances, we would already be at their threshold. But the UIL delayed the start of the season for 6A schools, and for them, the playoffs won’t begin until mid-December.

As in recent years, Carroll almost certainly will end up in 6A’s Division I, the big-school grouping where competition is most formidable and the road to a championship most rocky.

In the first round, the Dragons will face the Division I second seed in District 3-6A if they emerge as 4-6A champs. And honestly, I have no idea who that is likely to be. But Carroll’s second-round opponent probably will be Euless Trinity, which as expected is dominating 3-6A.

Beyond that, the arcane intricacies of the UIL’s playoff system overwhelm me as I attempt to pierce the mist-shrouded future. But I’ll try to make some sense of it all in a future post – at least as it pertains to the Carroll Dragons.

That is, if I can convince some of the high priests of Texas high school football who possess that byzantine knowledge to share it with mortal men.

Until then, stay safe and go Dragons!

According to plan: Southlake Carroll 42, Keller 10

 

Under tight control

The Southlake Carroll Dragons’ march through District 4-6A continued as expected last night – no fuss, no muss and with little drama as they handily dispatched the Keller Indians.

As the final score indicates, the powerful Carroll offense – led by quarterback superstar Quinn Ewers, who passed for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns, and sophomore running back Owen Allen, who rushed for 95 yards and 2 TDs – reigned supreme all night.

As for Carroll’s defense, it held the Indians to a lonely field goal until the final moments of the game, when Keller managed to post a lonely touchdown against the Dragons’ attack squad. But the hapless Indians had their chances, falling prey instead to a series of missteps that helped the Carroll D keep things under tight control.

Trouble for the Indians started early, when they fought their way into Carroll’s red zone on the first series of the night, only to cough up the ball at the 17.

That set the table for Ewers to engineer a lengthy 13-play march downfield before Allen punched it over from the 22.

On the next Carroll possession, Ewers connected with RJ Maryland – a dynamo on both sides of the ball who ended the night with a pair of passing TDs – to ease the Dragons into a lead they never came close to surrendering.

The Indians threatened again in the second quarter when they drove to the Carroll 8 before a personal foul stalled the drive and forced Keller kicker Conner Lisenbee to drill a 41-yard field goal.

The Dragons then staged two consecutive scoring drives that put the game out of reach for Keller. The second half was a basically a yawn, brightened considerably by Allen in its opening minutes when he caught a screen pass from Ewers and raced 63 yards to the end zone.

Ewers, who completed 75 percent of his passes, ended Dragon scoring a 17-yard toss to Maryland, who caught 6 passes for 74 yards. The leading receiver was Landon Samson, 4 for 102 and 1 TD.

By the way, Ewers made headlines this week by decommitting from UT. I wonder if the rumors circulating in Austin that Longhorn head coach Tom Herman may not last the season had anything to do with young Ewers’ decision. No need to worry about the lad. He’s got offers from most of the blue-ribbon programs in the country. That’s what a 5-star rating will do for you.

On a personal note, I didn’t attend the Keller contest, which was the first Dragon home game I’ve missed in 14 years. My excuse? My daughter got married yesterday, and my wife and I hosted a small reception at our house last night.

And I will hotly deny any suggestion that I might have slipped out a couple of times to catch snippets of the game. What father would do such a thing? Why, it’s despicable. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

 Next up for the Dragons, 2-0 in district play, will be the Keller Central Chargers. I’m going to try to score tickets to this one, not because I think it will be a particularly entertaining game or because I’m fond of the ramshackle stadium in which the Keller schools play.

But it’s fall in Texas, and I’m in need of a fix of high school football. Even with the safety restrictions in place and with COVID-19 running rampart nationwide, I feel the seductive pull of Friday Night Lights.

Stay safe, everyone, and go Dragons!

 

Jerry Jeff Walker, Texas troubadour

 

A loss to all of us

Jerry Jeff Walker was a singer, guitar picker, songwriter, rogue and genial ne-er-do-well. He also was a Texas legend and one of the original cosmic cowboys, a pioneer and gifted practitioner of so-called outlaw country.

He died Friday at 78 after a long battle with cancer. And we all are the lesser for it.

I first saw him in 1973 at the legendary Luckenbach World’s Fair in the miniscule burg 13 miles outside of Fredericksburg, Texas, that Jerry Jeff made famous with his peerless 1973 album “Viva Terlingua,” which was recorded live in the venerable Luckenbach Dancehall.

The World’s Fair was the brainchild of the co-owner of Luckenbach, a bearded, white-haired rapscallion named Hondo Crouch – master storyteller, flamboyant “character” and instintive marketing genius.

What started as a local gag to drum up business for the Dancehall, the music venue located next door to Hondo’s general store (bar), instead drew hundreds (thousands?) of music fans, college students and Hill Country folk just looking for a way to pass a summer afternoon.

They included a delegation from the University of North Texas that included me and a half-dozen or so of my friends and fellow journalism students on a never-to-be-forgotten odyssey organized by Ken Molberg, a Fredericksburg native and now a state appellate judge..

We came to drink beer, listen to music, drink beer, kick back in the Hill Country sunshine and drink beer. The main draw for the World’s Fair was Willie Nelson, well-known in Nashville, mostly as a songwriter, but not yet the national phenomenon he was soon to become.

Jerry Jeff also was on the bill. I had heard the name, but only because he wrote “Mr. Bojangles,” a national hit by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. (I firmly maintain that no one sings that song better than Jerry Jeff. His version will bring tears to the most jaded of eyes.) However, in 1973, I wasn’t familiar with his other songs, the melancholy ballads and foot-stomping, beer-chugging anthems that would make him – like Nelson – beloved from coast to coast.

Nelson performed first and played a solid two hours without a break. He was then as he is now – simply magnificent. “Shotgun Willie,” the album that made him a national music legend, would be released later that year. It is a matter of great personal pride that I saw Willie Nelson perform on a makeshift stage in the Texas Hill Country before he became famous.

A Texas giant

When it came time for Jerry Jeff to appear, there was a lengthy delay. Word filtered through the crowd -- which was growing restless as the magical glow cast by Nelson faded -- that Jerry Jeff was  too drunk to perform, and desperate attempts were underway to somber him up. True or not, I choose to believe the story. Given Jerry Jeff's prodigious fondness for alcohol, it's not that far-fetched.

 When he finally did appear, he didn’t look particularly worse for wear, even though he did forget the words to the new song he said he was debuting at Luckenbach. It was called “Sangria Wine.” It would appear on “Viva Terlingua” and become a national hit.

Over the years, I’ve seen Jerry Jeff and Willie Nelson several times, but nothing can compare to the memorable performances they gave at the Luckenbach World’s Fair on that hot, sweaty day in 1973.

It’s hard to pick my favorite Jerry Jeff song, although my vote probably would go to “Mr. Bojangles.”  Another keeper is “Hill Country Rain.” I thought of it when I heard the news about Jerry Jeff’s passing, this verse in particular.

‘Cause I got a feeling
Something that I can't explain
It's like dancing naked
In that high Hill Country rain
I ain't worried 'bout tomorrow
I'll get by best I can
Lovin' is my will to live
It makes me laugh
Want to sing and dance
Clap my hands, yeah!

Rest in peace, balladeer. You will be missed.

District opener: Southlake Carroll 57, Trophy Club Byron Nelson 21

No-contest contest

Like almost every corner of our lives in the time of corona, Texas high school football has been impacted greatly by the safety measures enacted to lessen the deadly impact of the virus.

And as cases of COVID-19 spiral upward throughout the country, the effects of the pandemic will only get worse.

Don’t misunderstand. I’m not equating the cancellation of a few high school football games with the rising death toll, the ravaged economy and the massive disruptions that have up-ended our society in so many dreadful ways. The inconveniences and disappointments created by the pandemic on high school athletics are minor by comparison.

There are those out there who don’t understand and get riled at the very ideal of complaining about such minor disruptions in routine when so much more serious tragedies harken around every corner.

I get it. But for those of us who love high school football, and recognize the importance with which it is held in high schools and communities across Texas, it’s worth noting when another one of our diversions, one more of our distractions from life’s chaotic barrage, gets battered and kicked around by COVID.

So far, the Southlake Carroll Dragons have been forced to cancel their two most anticipated regular-season games this year. First, the season opener against Austin Westlake, the so-called Dodge Bowl, was wiped out as school districts and the UIL struggled to figure out whether there was going to be a football season at all.

Then, only last week, the non-district game against hated rival Denton Guyer had to be canceled when cases of COVID were reported on the Dragon squad.

Since both the Westlake and the Guyer games were non-conference, their disappearance from the Dragon schedule won’t have any impact on District 4-6A, for which the Dragons are the prohibitive favorite to emerge as district champs.

But with COVID cases rising, and little prospects of a national, state or local response to confront them, the likelihood of Carroll and its 4-6A brethren being able to finish the district race unmolested by the coronavirus seems doubtful at best.

Carroll opened its pursuit of the 4-6A title last night, when it traveled to Trophy Club Byron Nelson to face the Bobcats. Frankly, it wasn’t much of a contest, with the Dragons spanking Nelson, 57-21. Prior commitments forced me to miss the game.

The outcome was no surprise. Five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers led the offense, passing for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns, two of which went to Landon Samson, who caught 5 passes for 136 yards. He is helping fill the gap in the receiving corps left by the injured Brady Boyd.

On the ground, sophomore phenom Owen Allen continued to look impressive, compiling 156 yards on 25 carries for 2 TDs.

The march through District 4-6A begins. 

The Dragons jumped to a 15-0 lead early in the game and threatened to ice it with a third TD before the young Allen coughed up the ball. The Bobcats capitalized on the error and scored, but they couldn’t sustain any momentum against the hard-charging and high-flying Carroll onslaught.

The Dragons return home next week to confront district opponent Keller in the friendly confines of Dragon Stadium. I’ll miss that one, too, dammit. It’s been THAT kind of year.

Stay safe and go Dragons!

 

So close, so very close: Southlake Carroll 42, Rockwall 44

 

Owen Allen eludes a Rockwall defender.

The elements were in place

For one brief, glorious, incandescent moment, it appeared the Southlake Carroll Dragons might actually pull it off – stage a last-minute come-from-behind, snatch-victory-from-the-jaws-of-defeat win against the rampaging Rockwall Yellow Jackets, thus preserving their perfect regular-season record under head coach Riley Dodge.

 All the elements were in place. Rockwall, which had dominated the game since late in the second quarter, finally had erased an early three-touchdown lead forged by the Dragons in the early going. Kicking a 25-yard field goal early in the 4^th, it had surged ahead 37-35.

The subsequent Dragon drive, led by 5-star quarterback Quinn Ewers and powered by sophomore Owen Allen, ended when Ewers was intercepted at the threshold to the Rockwall red zone.

Jacket quarterback Braedyn Locke, a 3-star player in his own right, then crafted a 10-play, 75-yard march to the Dragon end zone, widening the lead to 44-35 after the PAT with 3 minutes left.

Command of the field

At that point in the second half, Rockwall had run 43 plays to the Dragons’ 17, a dismal tale of the tape that documented the Jacket command of the field under the worthy Locke, who probably would take issue with the widespread notion before the game that Ewers is  the best high school quarterback in the nation.

Locke had been magnificent all evening, completing 70 percent of  his 30 passes for 352 yards and 3 TDs, and running for a fourth.

It looked hopeless for the Dragons. But hope dies hard under Friday Night Lights, even when they’re shining on a Thursday.

On the first play of the next series, Ewers stepped back, scanned the field and fired the ball to tight end RJ Maryland, who raced 75 yards to the endzone, cutting the Rockwall lead to 44-42.

RJ Maryland makes a catch.

The Dragons attempted an onside kick, but Rockwall recovered it at the Jacket 46. Two plays later, Dragon defender Matt Reyes sacked Locke at the 38 on a third-down play with 2:20 left in the game.

A glad trade

The Jackets gladly traded a delay-of-game 5 yards to let the clock run down. Neither team had any timeouts left. Rockwall then booted a punt that got past the Dragons and rolled to their 12. Coming to the line, Ewers and his teammates surveyed the 88 yards in front of them, and concluded, “Why not?”

Ewers fired passes to Josh Spaeth (4-27) at the 25 and then to Landon Samson (6-130, 1 TD) at the 37. With a stiff breeze in their face, the young Dragons needed perhaps another 35 yards to put kicker Joe McFadden in range for the game-winning field goal.

Not only was that doable, but with the brilliant Ewers at the helm, a fresh set of downs and more than enough time, it seemed almost inevitable.

As Dragon Nation held its breath, Ewers dropped back and considered his options. He pumped once, then lofted the ball downfield into the arms of … Rockwall defender Dariel Brown. Game over.

Rare misstep

The fatal turnover was a rare misstep for the brilliant Ewers. He had 3 interceptions for the entire 2019 season. Last night, he had 2. It probably made the difference, but I find it hard to attach much blame on Ewers, who played a solid game despite the missteps.

Rockwall's Braedyn Locke riddled the Carroll defense.

Ewers completed 19 of 30 throws for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns. The fact those numbers represent a down night for the junior is an indication of how good he really is.

Riley Dodge had soothing words for his crestfallen team leader.

“There were two good quarterbacks on the field,” he told Randy Jennings of The Dallas Morning News after the game. “I’ll take mine, but Braedyn is very good.”

The Rockwall game was added to the schedule when the much-anticipated contest between Todd Dodge’s Austin Westlake and Riley Dodge’s Southlake Carroll fell through because of COVID-19 safety concerns.

And it proved to be what everyone expected it to be – a shootout between two of the nation’s top-ranked junior quarterbacks. 247 Sports rates Ewers as No. 1 and Locke as No. 5.

No one expected much from the defensive units of either team. And neither distinguished itself to any great degree. To be fair, however, both made stops when they had to – Rockwall in helping keep the Dragons in check during its scoring rampage and Carroll when it helped its offense keep within striking distance up to the very end.

Carroll obviously hoped for a better outcome, but premier programs understand that it is games like this that prepare teams for the rigors they’ll face in the playoffs, which Southlake always has considered to be the real start of its season.

Working on solutions

It was painful to watch the shellacking the young Dragon defense received at the hands of the Yellow Jackets. But now is the time, during largely meaningless pre-district games, to discover shortfalls and work out solutions. Let’s hope that happens.

The night started promisingly enough. Ewers and company jumped to a 21-point lead, scoring on its first four possessions. Rockwall got on the board when sophomore backup quarterback Lake Bennett bulled 4 yards into the end zone.

The Dragons tacked on another TD after a 9-play, 48-yard drive behind the strong running of Allen (22 carries for 142 yards, 2 TDs), who cruised into the end zone untouched from the 13.

But just as Dragon fans began to settle complacently into their seats, the momentum of the game changed dramatically. In the last 5 minutes of the half, Rockwall scored twice more, first on a 44-yard pass and run from Locke to Jax Johnson (5-84) and then on a 23-yard Locke pass to Brenden Bayes (9-94). Both PATs failed, but the score stood 28-19 at the buzzer.

The scramble is on for a rare Ewers fumble. He fell on top of it.

The Jackets onslaught continued in the second half. They scored on their first possession with a 14-yard Lake Bennett pass to Brennan Ray (7-76), followed by a successful 2-point conversion that narrowed the Dragon lead to 28-27.

The teams then traded TDs, Rockwall on a 37-yard Locke TD pass to Goodnews Iwuamadi (great name!) and Southlake with a 9-yard TD run by Ewers that left Carroll with a slender 1-point lead.

A 25-yard Rockwall field goal pushed it into the lead, 37-35. It never trailed again.

The Dragon defense, which had a dismal outing last week against Rockwall Heath, had no answer for Locke and the Jackets’ up-tempo offensive scheme, which rolled up 560 yards in total offense, compared to the Dragons’ 507.

By the 4^th quarter, Carroll defenders were gassed, helpless to prevent Rockwall runners Zach Hernandez (21-108) and Jackson Bennett (8-44) from ripping through the middle of the Dragon line or to deal with Locke’s relentless and deadly accurate aerial attack.

Rockwall coach Trey Brooks, in his first year at Rockwall, expressed satisfaction in a good night’s work.

“It took us a while to get into our rhythm, but once we did, we were solid,” Brooks told the DMN’s Jennings.

Up next is the Denton Guyer Wildcats, who are wicked good and will test the Dragons even more. It’s true that Guyer lost to Denton Ryan last week, but it smashed Mansfield Lake Ridge 56-20 last night.

Carroll will have its hands full with the Wildcats, who would dearly love to the only team ever to have beaten the Dragons twice on their home field. And with Eli Stowers, who also is a nationally ranked quarterback, calling signals for Guyer, you can expect another wild scoring ride.

ESPN knows a good thing when it sees it. It’ll televise the game nationally on ESPN 2.

Stay safe everyone and wear those masks! Go Dragons!

A Rockwall defender breaks up a pass to Landon Samson.