Rollercoaster ride: Southlake Carroll 56, Denton Guyer 45

 

Despite a sluggish start, the Dragons held the lead for most of yesterday's matchup with the Wildcats.

Surviving a shaky start

I experienced more highs and lows during yesterday’s regional final contest between the Southlake Carroll Dragons and the Denton Guyer Wildcats than I ever did on a State Fair of Texas rollercoaster.

Fortunately for my heart – I sometimes struggle with an irregular heartbeat – our Southlake heroes survived their encounter with Guyer’s inspired Wildcats and now advance to high school football’s version of the final four.

The Dragons will play Longview in SMU’s Ford Stadium on Saturday for the right to compete for the ultimate prize – the UIL’s Class 6A Division II state championship.

The Lobos whipped the DeSoto Eagles yesterday 50-14, denying the Eagles a chance for a three-peat as Division II state champs and clearing the way for Longview’s advance to the semi-final playoff game.

Longview thus dispatched Southlake’s longtime nemesis, which booted the Dragons out of the playoffs in the semi-finals last year, and it now will confront a new challenge – a rival it has never met before.

But to clear the way for that matchup, the Dragons first had to get past the Wildcats and their phenomenal quarterback – Kevin Sperry, a nimble, whip-smart runner and pinpoint passer. And for a frightful period in the dwindling minutes of yesterday’s game, it appeared Sperry, headed for Florida State when he graduates, might accomplish the improbable – and snatch victory for his Wildcats from the Dragons’ jaws of defeat.

A glance at the statistics will tell you how unlikely this victory was for the Dragons. 

First and foremost, the Wildcats outpaced the Dragons in total yardage, 533-298, and still lost. You don't see that every day, now do ya?

Battle of quarterbacks

That's not all. In what was billed before the game as a battle of the quarterbacks, Sperry out-performed Dragon signal-caller Angelo Renda – at least on paper. He threw for 303 yards and 4 TDs, while Renda compiled 105 passing yards and a single TD.

On the ground, Renda – who had a great night, despite the misleading tale of the tape – ran 161 yards on 15 carries for 1 TD, while Sperry rushed 34 times for 157 yards and 2 TDs.

The difference yesterday – the key to the Dragon victory – was not revealed in the offensive statistics, however. Southlake beat the Wildcats because of the outstanding performance of its defense – which was simply magnificent – and members of its special teams, who played like champions.

Consider this: Of Carroll’s eight touchdowns, three came from the labors of Carroll's special teams, which took full advantage of the problems the Wildcat center was having on long snaps.

A fourth TD came when defensive lineman Zac Hays, who played lights out all afternoon, barged into the middle of a reverse handoff in the Guyer backfield, grabbed the lateral intended for a Wildcat and bolted to the endzone.

Defensive standouts for the Dragons were the usual suspects. But Austin Davidge, Jack Van Dorselaer, Robbie Ladd, Luke Bussman, Marcus Brouse and their comrades-in-arms played with particular intensity yesterday. And their dedication and discipline provided the spark that ignited Dragon fire against a spirited and talented Wildcat squad.

Alarming start

It’s fortunate the defense stepped in and stepped up because things got off to an alarming start yesterday for the Dragons.

Weather may have played a role in Carroll’s staggery start. A light rain fell during most of the game, and the wet field conditions and slippery ball at times hampered both sides.

On the opening kickoff, Carroll’s return man fumbled the ball, which Guyer recovered on the Dragon 30. Four plays later, Sperry sprinted 20 yards to give the Wildcats a 7-0 lead. Amazingly, it was the 14^th time this year that a Carroll opponent scored on its opening drive.

Carroll followed that with a sputtering 3-and-out, and Guyer began its second drive on its own 49. Sperry carried the ball to the Dragon 43, then hoisted a TD arc to Mason White that handed the Wildcats a 14-0 lead.

That woke up the Dragon offense from its winter nap, thank God. Renda hit an 18-yarder to sophomore receiver Blake Gunter at midfield and followed with keepers that brought the Dragons to the 16. Four plays later, senior rusher Christian Glenn slipped across the line to put the Dragons on the board.

Glenn compiled only 32 yards yesterday, but they were impactful yards that accounted for three touchdowns, including Carroll’s first and a leap over the pile in the 3^rd period that sealed the Wildcats’ fate and ended Dragon scoring for the afternoon.

Head coach Riley Dodge paid tribute to his resourceful team in a post-game interview with The Dallas Morning News’ Justin Thomas.

Carroll's defense played its best game of the season yesterday, and it's a good thing, too.

“I can’t say enough about these kids,” he told Thomas. “It’s the most resilient bunch I’ve had since I’ve been here. We’ve faced some really good football teams, and we keep finding a way … These kids still had a great look in their eye even after going down 14.”

Wakeup call

As noted, the Dragons’ wakeup call really came from the outstanding work of its special teams. Trailing 14-7 near the end of the 1^st quarter, Carroll blocked a Guyer punt by Danny Jenkins and the ball rolled to the Wildcat 6, where a Carroll player fell on it. On the next play, Glenn bolted across the line to even things up.

After the Dragon D stopped the following Guyer drive, senior defensive back Ethan Fisher blocked a second Jenkins punt, snatching the ball up inside the Guyer 5 and carrying it in to send Carroll ahead 21-14 with less than a minute left in the 1^st quarter.

Fisher played yesterday with a ferocity that radiated off the soggy field. Later in the game, with the 3^rd quarter winding down, he blocked yet another Wildcat punt and returned it for the score that gave Carroll a 42-24 lead.

They say defense wins championships, and yesterday provided pretty convincing evidence of that. Because whenever the Dragon D made a stop that forced Guyer to punt, bad things happened to the Wildcats. Bad things that ultimately spelled their doom.

Guyer’s problems with its punting team took on a ridiculous air in the 2^nd quarter. The Wildcats were forced to punt when a promising Wildcat drive stalled after defensive standout Jack Van Dorselaer sacked Sperry.

The ball hit the helmet of a Carroll player and in the scramble to recover it, the Dragons ended up with it on their 29. Renda quickly moved his team to the 42, where he burst untouched through the center of the Guyer line and raced alone 58 yards for a TD.

Carroll’s ability to capitalize on Guyer missteps kept it in the lead for most of the game. But that lead – which fluctuated from 11 to 25 points and back again – never provided total comfort, chiefly because of Sperry’s demonstrated ability to score quickly.

Swarming defense

Despite being sacked repeatedly by the Dragons' swarming defense, Sperry kept his cool. He’s a gamer. He sent 2 TD throws each to receivers D.J. Reese (5 for 143) and Mason White (2-87). Meanwhile, he grappled with Dragon defenders on the ground, periodically slipping through their fingers for sizeable chunks of yardage.

Late in the 3^rd period, with the Wildcats trailing 49-24, Dragonheads were beginning to relax a bit, hopeful that the Dragons finally had things well in hand. But Guyer wasn’t ready to call it quits. Not by a long shot.

After a Carroll kickoff settled his team at its 15, Sperry surged to the 20, then lofted a perfect high spiral 80 yards downfield to Reese, who saw the ball drop neatly into his arms. That narrowed the Carroll lead to 18 – a three-score cushion, that’s true. But considering the explosiveness of Sperry and the Wildcat offense, perhaps not cushy enough.

But as the 4th quarter opened, the Dragons -- after their rather sleepy start -- weren’t about to be caught napping again.

When Guyer failed to cover an onside kick, Carroll set up shop on the Wildcat 36. The Dragons clawed to the 1, where Glenn flung himself over the pile into the endzone to increase the Dragon margin to 25 points.

But despite the chilly temps and light rain, shivering fans stayed glued to their seats. We all – those in UNT’s DATCU Stadium and the ones like me hunched over a computer screen at home – had a feeling that we were in store for more high drama and a certain level of anxiety.

Brother, were we right.

Despite heavy pressure from the Carroll D, Sperry moved the Wildcats 67 yards, capping the drive with a 26-yard TD throw to Reese.

The scoreboard now read 56-38 with 6:47 left to play. Did Sperry have enough time for some unlikely – but extremely plausible – heroics?

Maybe. Just maybe.

The next Dragon drive stalled, and the Dragons attempted a fake punt, then switched gears in mid-play and booted the ball, which skidded out of bounds at midfield.

Not to be stopped

Sperry opened the drive with a pass. Overthrown. His next pass brought his team to the Dragon 15. And on the next play, Sperry plunged through the Carroll line, breaking tackles, shrugging off defenders, refusing to be stopped until he crossed the goal line in triumph.

Score: 56-45. 3:53 on the clock.

Everyone knew what would come next. The Guyer kicker booted another onside kick that, horror of horrors, the Wildcats recovered. Luckily, a 15-yard penalty pushed them back to their 39. But an 11-yard pass and 26-yard run by Sperry propelled the Wildcats into Dragon territory.

At the Dragon 33, the Guyer offense ran out of steam – and out of luck. After a series of incomplete passes, Sperry faced 4^th-and-13. His desperation pass, directed at a Wildcat receiver in the endzone, landed in the arms of Dragon defensive back Parker Harris lingering on the goal line. Harris darted to the 43, and three plays later, it was finally, mercifully, thankfully … over!

The excitement continues on Saturday against the Lobos. Could this be the year Carroll finally adds a ninth state championship trophy to its display case? Longview's destruction of proud DeSoto offers fair warning: The Dragons will have their work cut out for them if they are to stay in the hunt for the top of the Texas high school football pyramid.

But don't count 'em out. After all, these kids have that look in their eyes. Just ask their coach!

Go, Dragons!

The Dragons meet Longview this Saturday in SMU's Ford Stadium. Dragonheads are ready!

Herculean struggle: Southlake Carroll 42, Hebron 37

 

Quarterback Angelo Renda had perhaps the best game of his career against the Hawks.

No room for complacency

IRVING – The young Southlake Dragons might be forgiven if they had entered yesterday’s third-round matchup with the Hebron Hawks with a certain degree of complacency.

After all, when they met Hebron in the second game of the season in September, they drubbed the Hawks 59-16. It’s easy to see how they might have thought they could take care of business and advance to the regional finals without too much trouble. Right? Right??

Hardly. The Hawks screeched into Irving ISD’s Ellis Stadium yesterday with blood in their eyes and a thirst for retribution – and redemption.

They got neither, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Lord-a-mercy, how they tried. Led by exemplary double-threat quarterback Patrick Crayton Jr., they engaged the Dragons in a hard-hitting, nail-biting, back-and-forth dogfight until virtually the last seconds of the game.

But Carroll survived the onslaught. It will advance to the regional finals for the eighth straight year and for the 25^th time since 1987 (thanks to The Dallas Morning News for that revealing factoid). The Dragons now will meet the winner of today’s contest between Crowley and Denton Guyer, a bitter rival of old.

Not complacent or unprepared

Carroll lived to fight another day because the Dragons arrived in Ellis Stadium neither complacent nor unprepared. Carroll players knew they were not facing the same team they whipped on Sept. 6. And they understood only too well that they also were not the same team who beat the Hawks to a bloody pulp.

The main difference in the Dragons was illustrated in sad detail on the Carroll sidelines yesterday as two young men on crutches, both wearing their jerseys and standing side-by-side, watched forlornly the struggle before them.

When the Dragons played the Hawks the first time this year, both young men were in pads and riding high as Carroll’s dynamic rushing duo – Riley Wormley and Davis Penn. But that was before Wormley was sidelined in mid-season and Penn had to be helped off the field with an ACL injury in last week’s squeaker with Wolfforth Frenship.

Denied their services, the Dragon offense isn’t as explosive or as overpowering as it was with Wormley and Penn in the lineup. Had they been on the field yesterday, I suspect the game would not have been the gut-wrencher that it turned out to be.

To fill the gaps they left, Carroll has had to turn elsewhere.

Senior Christian Glenn has stepped up and done an admirable job. He was solid as a rock yesterday, rushing 17 times for 87 yards and a TD. But as talented and committed and determined as Glenn is – and he has all three traits in plentiful supply – he is, alas, no Riley Wormley and he is no Davis Penn.

Senior Christian Glenn had a solid night against the Hawks, rushing for 87 yards and a touchdown.

So to bolster the ground game, Carroll coaches have designed more plays to display quarterback Angelo Renda’s agile, elusive rushing skills.

On full display

That strategy was on full display yesterday and Renda rose brilliantly to the challenge, turning in perhaps the best game of his career. On the ground, he gained three rushing TDs, rumbling to 103 yards on 17 carries. In the air, he threw two more TD passes, completing 20 of 28 passes for 304 yards.

After the game, Carroll head coach Riley Dodge heaped praise on his quarterback to the Fort Worth Star Telegram’s Charles Baggarly.

“He’s just an unbelievable competitor,” Dodge said. “He is the ultimate practice player. That is why he is able to play so fast on Friday nights. He wants the ball.”

Renda told Baggarly that the Dragons play better when the game is on the line.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to who wants it more,” Renda said. “One play at a time mentality. When the lights are on, that’s when we play our best football.”

The Dragons needed that kind of herculean effort in order to slip past the surging Hawks and their superb field leader, Patrick Crayton. If the name is a familiar one, it’s because he’s the son of the Dallas Cowboys receiver.

Crayton the younger overwhelmed the Carroll secondary, completing 15 of 22 passes for 224 yards and a TD. On the ground, he rushed 17 times for 77 yards and scored four TDs.

Yesterday’s matchup was an exhilarating battle of the quarterbacks, and even the most stalwart Dragonheads had to shake their heads ruefully at Crayton’s skills and his teammates’ inspired performance.

Hawk Drew Koster was Crayton’s favorite target, making 6 receptions for 91 yards.

For Carroll, Brock Boyd was outstanding – again – making 12 catches for 227 yards and a touchdown, a stunning 40-yard Renda pass he snatched out of the arms of a defender at the goal line.

Renda’s other passing TD was an 8-yard toss to Brody Knowles, Carroll’s first score of the game that tied things halfway into the 1^st quarter, 7-7.

Renda extended the Dragon lead to 14-7 with a 16-yard sprint. Crayton answered promptly with a 3-yard TD pass to Tyler Hoke.

The next Dragon drive featured Boyd's contested reception at the goal line, which pushed Carroll into the lead once more, 21-14

But a 44-yard Hebron field goal narrowed that insubstantial lead to 21-17, leaving a nervous, unsettled Dragon nation to try to enjoy halftime’s “Lids” show by the marching band, Emerald Belles, et al.

A promising Dragon drive in the 3^rd quarter was squelched when Boyd grabbed a Renda pass, then fumbled it away. Hebron’s resulting 71-yard TD drive gave it the first lead of the game, 24-21.

Receiver Brock Boyd fights for yardage during yesterday's matchup against the Hawks.

But Carroll responded immediately. A 63-yard drive marked by hard running from Glenn and Renda sent the Dragons to the Hawk 2, from where Renda sneaked across to give Carroll the lead once again, 28-24. 

Critical drive

In the decisive 4^th quarter, Carroll showed its offensive muscle on a critical drive set up by a Hebron punt. From his 33, Renda sprinted 11 yards to the 44, launched a 36-yard pass to Boyd to the Hawk 20, then zipped one to Blake Gunter at the 3. Glenn punched through to the endzone, and the Dragons seized a 35-24 lead.

But Crayton kept his cool and marched the Hawks back into Carroll territory. From the 29, he bullied to the 14. A penalty brought Hebron to the 7, from where Crayton crashed over to bring the score to a tantalizingly close (at least for Hawk fans) 35-31.

The next Dragon drive, which ate up a good chunk of the 4^th quarter clock, landed Renda and company at the Hebron 6. He dropped back and drifted left, looking for an open receiver in the endzone. Seeing none, he tucked the ball and bolted across the line. With 4:41 left in the game, the score stood at 42-31.

Plenty of time

That left the worthy Crayton plenty of time, and Dragonheads knew it. Our side of Ellis Stadium grew grimly silent as we watched the Hebron QB methodically drive downfield to the Carroll 8, where he sailed, effortlessly it seemed, into the end zone. With 3½ minutes to play, it was 42-37. The Hawks, eager to narrow the Dragon lead to a field goal, attempted a 2-point conversion, but failed.

Hebron, of course, attempted an onside kick, acutely aware of Carroll’s ability to score again. But the well-positioned Boyd grabbed the ball on an awkward bounce few Dragons could have handled and came down at the 49-yard line.

That essentially ended the game. The Dragons ate up the clock and turned the ball over to the Hawks with only 14 seconds left. In a symbolic – but in some ways, heartbreaking – ending to the contest, Crayton was smothered behind the line as the buzzer sounded.

The playoff road, already a rocky one for the bruised and battered Dragons, only gets more treacherous from here.

No one knows that better than Dodge. No matter who wins the Crowley-Guyer matchup, he told the Star-T's Baggarly, the Dragons will have their hands full.

“They’re two great programs,” he said. “It’s going to be a tall task for us. If we don’t play better in a lot of areas, it’ll be tough sledding for us. We’ve got to get back to work next week, focus on the Carroll Dragons and tighten stuff up.”

And they'll do it. Whether it will be enough remains to be seen. That is the glory -- and the agony -- of the win-or-go-home playoffs.

Regardless, this is a great group of young men. They’re talented, disciplined and conscientious. And they’ve handled adversity with maturity and forbearance. They’ve earned our support and affection. Say it with me now:

Go, Dragons!

Dragons celebrate their regional semi-final round victory. They're headed for the regional finals for the eighth straight year.

Fight to the finish: Southlake Carroll 49, Wolfforth Frenship 42

The Dragons' encounter last night with the Wolfforth Frenship Tigers went a little differently than the teams' two previous playoff contests.

Giving them all they could handle

For a while there … Oh, honestly, who are we trying to fool? Up until the final seconds of last night’s black-eyed, bloody-nosed contest, it looked like the Wolfforth Frenship Tigers might finally get their long-yearned-for revenge and boot the Southlake Carroll Dragons from the Class 6A Division II playoffs.

On the two previous occasions the two teams met in the post-season, in 2022 and 2023, the Dragons administered no-nonsense butt-kickings to the proud Tigers.

But this year, at Abilene Christian University’s Wildcat Stadium, things went a little differently, didn’t they? Indeed, they did.

Frenship gave the Dragons all they could handle – and perhaps a little more. The Tigers outgained the Dragons in total yards, 524 to 409, and their hard-slinging quarterback outpaced the Dragons’ Angelo Renda by completing 33 of 47 passes for 484 yards and five passing TDs.

And it’s not as if Renda had a bad game. Far from it. He completed 80 percent of his passes (23 of 29) and rolled up 265 yards and two TDs in the air. That’s a praise-worthy performance in anybody’s book, thank you very much.

Except maybe in a side-by-side comparison with Frenship’s Holden Phillips. Lordy, even the most dedicated Dragonhead watched in open-mouthed awe as Phillips – under considerable duress for a good chunk of the evening – zipped ball after ball to his sure-handed, hard-charging receivers, Chase Campbell (12 catches for 206 yards and 1 TD) and Leyton Stone (8-167 and 4 TDs).

But in the end, it’ll be Renda playing in the Region I semifinals next week while Phillips gnaws on left-over turkey and reheated sweet-potato casserole.

That’s thanks to a never-say-die defense that shut the Tigers down when it mattered most and to a let’s-don’t-panic, stick-to-the-game-plan offense.

Cool customer

Renda remained a cool customer even after the Tigers leaped to a 21-7 lead in the second quarter. As good as he was in the air, Renda may have been even more impactful on the ground, rolling up 72 rushing yards on 9 carries and smashing to three rushing TDs – including the game-winning, go-ahead score in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.

Dragonheads – smugly confident of victory by the last two encounters between the Tigers and Dragons – were jolted out of our complacency when Phillips, on the first play of the game, tossed a short pass to Campbell, who then raced 82 yards to hand Frenship the early lead.

Then, after a stalled Dragon drive and a failed fake punt, he drove his Tigers 56 yards in seven plays to the Dragon 6, where Campbell plunged in for Frenship’s second TD.

Clearly something unpleasant was afoot in Abilene. And as I struggled with my pay-for-view version of the game – NFHS Network, you know who you are – I felt a tiny spark of panic ignite in my belly.

My concerns were assuaged somewhat when the steady Renda guided the Dragons to the Tiger 31. Just as the first quarter ended, he lofted a perfect TD pass to sophomore receiver Blake Gunter gliding downfield.

The satisfaction didn’t last long. On the next Frenship drive, Phillips completed six straight passes, the last a 43-yard TD missile to Stone. Frenship now led by two touchdowns, and Phillips seemed incapable of missing a target.

That’s when a momentum shift occurred that changed the tenor of the game. On the ensuing Dragon drive, Carroll faced a 4^th-and-5 at the Frenship 30. Renda aimed a pass at WR Luc Jacquemard, thankfully back from injury, but it was tipped in transit. A quick-thinking Gunter then snatched it out of the air and darted to the 11. From there, Renda carried it across the line to narrow the Tiger lead.

Attempting to respond, Phillips was introduced to a rejuvenated Dragon defense. Dragon defensive back Zac Hays got to the Tiger quarterback on the next three plays, and Frenship was forced to punt.

Junior Parker Harris fielded the Tiger punt, then rumbled his way to the endzone to tie things up, 21-21.

After the Dragon kickoff, Hays kept the pressure on Phillips, who hurried a throw downfield that was promptly intercepted by William Chen.  Two plays later, Renda dashed 9 yards to the endzone through a corridor cleared of Tigers by running back Christian Glenn.

A leading role

Glenn, who has been getting a lot of playing time since star RB Riley Wormley went down earlier in the season, assumed the leading rusher role last night after the sterling Davis Penn had to be helped off the field in the first quarter.

Thanks to last night's win, the Dragons will fulfill a well-honored Southlake playoff tradition -- football practice on Thanksgiving Day.

Penn never returned to action, and the nature of his injury – and its seriousness – are unknown. But suffice it to say, a lot more responsibility now has landed on the senior’s shoulders. Glenn finished the night with 12 carries for 71 yards and 1 TD, a 47-yard bolt up the middle that opened the second half.

The third quarter soon devolved into a tit-for-tat shootout between the Tigers and the Dragons. Seizing a 42-35 lead at the beginning of the fourth, the Dragons finally appeared poised to put things away.

When Carroll forced a turnover on downs at the Tiger 45, the resulting drive ended when Renda committed a rare misstep, throwing an interception that eventually resulted in a tying Frenship touchdown.

 With 3:18 left in the game, Renda capped an 11-play, 70-yard drive with a 1-yard TD smash through the middle. Resulting score: 49-42.

High drama followed as the clock wound down, and Frenship moved steadily to the Dragon 40. A bad snap sailed over Phillips’ head, but he managed to seize it and toss it away before being smothered in Dragons.

Phillips then sent a pass into the endzone, but it fell incomplete. The drive seemed all but dead, but no. Carroll was assessed two penalties on the play: pass interference AND roughing the passer.

Relentless scourge

Good grief, what next? Phillips and company now had the ball on the Dragon 25 with 1:18 left on the clock. The Tiger quarterback tried to pass. Incomplete. On the next play, he was sacked (you guessed it, it was that relentless scourge, Zac Hays, bless him!). The ball was knocked loose, but the refs said Phillips already was down. Drat!

The ball now rested on the Dragon 36, 3^rd down, 21 yards needed and 48 ticks left on the clock. Phillips attempted another pass. No good. Now 4^th-and-21. A Tiger false start then made it 4^th-and-26.

Long odds, but not impossible. Phillips dropped back and who should he encounter but a horde of Carroll D-men with blood in their eyes. Boom. That finally finished things for the Tigers. The ball went to the Dragons. Renda took a knee. And Carroll will hold a practice on Thanksgiving Day.

At game’s end, much of the attention was directed at the defense’s effectiveness in throttling Frenship hopes on that final drive.

One of the night’s defensive stars told the Fort Worth Star Telegram’s Mike Waters that his defensive teammates knew it all rested on their shoulders.

“We knew the situation,” senior Jack Van Dorselaer told Waters. “We needed a stop. It was our turn to make a play and we did. We came in the game expecting a shootout but also knowing we needed to make some key plays on defense. Great job by our defense on that final drive, against a great offensive team.”

Head coach Riley Dodge, who notched his 90^th win as Dragon coach last night, lauded his defense, praising it for “making some crucial plays at critical moments.”

“We found a way to win,” he told the Star-T. “That is all that matters. It is all about advancing to the next round, and we did that.”

If the strength of the Frenship Tigers surprised some of their fans (ahem), the Dragons themselves said they knew what to expect and prepared for it.

 “We beat a great team tonight,” Renda told Waters. “We knew it would be a challenge, and we answered that challenge.”

Junior Brock Boyd, Renda’s favorite target (12 catches for 109 yards), said the Dragons were ready when the Tigers came out with claws bared.

“We did a good job of keeping our composure early,” he said to the Star-T. “We knew coming in this was going to be a high-scoring game.”

A worthy foe

It was, all in all, a helluva game. Frenship was a worthy foe and one the Dragons and their fans won’t soon forget. If the injury to Penn is serious enough to knock him out of the playoffs, the consequences of this contest may be dire, indeed.

Dodge told Waters that his staff doesn’t know yet how badly Penn is hurt.

 “We will get him evaluated and go from there,” he said.

Meanwhile, Carroll faces a familiar foe next week. It will meet Hebron (8-4) at a time and location yet to be determined. You’ll recall the Dragons dispatched Hebron quite handily early this season, defeating the Hawks 59-16. Hebron whipped Arlington Bowie last night 51-35 to reach the third round.

Sounds like a manageable task for the Dragons. Just remember, that’s what most of us thought about last night’s matchup, too. It’s like I always say: This is high school football and (say it along with me, folks) anything can happen!

Go, Dragons!

 

The Dragons will face a familiar opponent in the third round -- the Hebron Hawks, who fell to Carroll 59-16 early this season.

A playoff joke: Southlake Carroll 69, Mansfield Legacy 7

 

The Dragons came roaring into the playoffs last night, effortlessly demolishing the outclassed Mansfield Legacy Broncos.

No business being here

SOUTHLAKE – What business, you may ask, does a 3-7 team have in making the high school football playoffs?

None, I say. None at all. And as evidence, I offer you the embarrassing performance rendered last night at Dragon Stadium by the outgunned, outcoached and generally outclassed Mansfield Legacy Broncos.

The Broncos, poor souls, made the playoffs as the fourth-best team in District 3-6A, landing in Division II of 6A by virtue of Legacy’s enrollment. That gave them the dubious honor of getting the snot kicked out of them by the Carroll Dragons in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

The University Interscholastic League, which governs high school competitions, in sports and academics, expanded the playoffs years ago to include the top four teams in all districts. In 6A, made up of the state’s largest high schools, the two schools with the largest enrollments of the top four compete in Division I. The two smaller schools go Division II.

Over the years, Carroll has competed in both divisions, depending on what district it is assigned by the UIL and on the schools who make up the top four in that district. This year, the Dragons are shooting for the Division II state title.

Sound complicated? Brethren, you have no idea.

Fairness and inclusion?

The UIL defends its expansion of the playoffs as an effort to give more teams an opportunity to play in the post-season. And to ensure that all playoff-worthy teams get a shot at the big prize, even in talent-heavy districts like the District of Doom that includes both DeSoto and Duncanville.

But while fairness and inclusion might have played a role in the expansion decision, greed had a lot to do with it, too.

Angelo Renda, pictured earlier in the season, threw four TD passes and rushed for another score against the Broncos.

It’s simple economics. The larger the number of schools involved, the more playoff tickets are sold, and the more money goes to the UIL.

The way it works in practice is that the first playoff round often results in a slaughter of the innocents – like last night’s debacle in Southlake.

A strong team from one district is matched with a weaker team from a nearby district. The ensuing blowout thins the bloated playoff ranks and gives the programs who belong there a chance to ease into the playoff race. Everybody wins. Well, almost everybody.

Frankly, Dragonheads expected a cakewalk against Legacy. And brother, we got one. In fact, we got extra servings of cake, along with a giant heaping bowl of ice cream, a jar full of gumdrops and some bracing fruity punch.

But the public spanking delivered by the Dragons was more than a little sad to watch. And I couldn’t help feeling sorry for the lads from Legacy. Last night’s beatdown couldn’t have helped their self-esteem much. And I’m not sure what lessons can be gained from such a mismatch.

Still throwing punches

Give the Broncos credit. They were still in there throwing punches – and getting pummeled in return – to the bitter end. Even after they trailed 28-0 before getting their only score of the night. Even after a 35-point scoring spree by the Dragons in the second quarter. Even after carrying a 49-7 deficit into the locker room at half. Even after watching Dragon backups put up 13 points in the final period while holding them scoreless.

Angelo Renda led the Dragon offense in his usual calm, efficient manner. He completed almost 80 percent of his passes, gaining 346 yards in the air and completing 4 TD passes. He also rushed for another score.

His favorite target was sophomore Blake Gunter, who caught five passes for 155 yards and two TDs. The first came half-way through the second quarter, after a Bronco punt started the Dragons on their 23. Renda ran a keeper to the 34, where he lofted an arc to Gunter speeding for the Legacy end zone.

Gunter’s second score came on a quick one-play strike that Dragonheads, spoiled brats that we are, expect to see at least once in every Carroll game.

After another Legacy punt put the ball on the Bronco 28, Renda started – and ended – the drive with a strike to Gunter, who slipped over the goal line, leaving the Dragons with a 42-7 lead.

Wide receiver Brock Boyd also drew Renda’s attention, snagging 12 catches for 146 yards and 1 TD.

Renda got Dragon scoring underway early, after the feisty Carroll D held the Broncos to a 3-and-out. In three plays, the junior moved Carroll to the Legacy 15, where he zipped a TD pass to Davis Penn.

Penn, in his regular role as runner extraordinaire, would score three more TDs, all on the ground. He finished the night with 14 rushes for 84 yards.

Having a field day

The Dragon defense had a field day against the befuddled Broncos. Leading the way were the usual suspects – junior defensive back Luke Bussman, senior lineman Austin Davidge, senior Jack Van Dorselaer.

But junior defensive back Gavin Strange, who doubles as the Dragons’ main kicker, deserves special attention. He had an outstanding night, blunting one Legacy threat by recovering QB Nathan Wilson’s pass in the Dragon end zone and later killing another Bronco drive by falling on a Bronco fumble. Carroll turned both Legacy miscues into scores.

Painful as it was to witness, I stayed until the very end of last night’s mauling. And I’m glad I did. Those of us – we hardy few! – who hear the final buzzer at Dragon blowouts get to see the backups in action – the kids whose primary, often thankless, job is to prepare the first teams for game night.

When these youngsters get their chance on the field, it’s inspiring to watch their enthusiasm and share their love of the game. And last night was no exception.

Backup quarterback Clayton Fowler stepped in for Renda at the end of the third period after the Broncos failed to convert on fourth down. He quickly moved his team to the 15, helped them claw to the 1, where he bolted across the line to bring the score to 63-7.

Later in the fourth, another backup QB, junior Preston Perazzo, took over after yet another 3-and-out by the sagging Broncos. Behind the running of senior RB Jesse Hill, the Dragons moved inside the 5, where Hill bullied into the endzone for the final score of the night.

Agile and elusive

I love to see this kid play. Hill is an agile, elusive runner, hard-nosed and fearless. He has never gotten much playing time this year – overshadowed by stars like Penn and the injured Riley Wormley. And given the toughening competition ahead for the Dragons in the next playoff rounds, we may not see much more of him.

But trust me, Hill and players like him are a big reason why the Dragon program is one of Texas’ most successful. And they are the ones who actually do – week-in, week-out – protect the tradition we all hear so much about.

The least I can do is to stay a while and cheer them on.

Carroll’s opponent in the next round will be Wolfforth Frenship, a West Texas team the Dragons faced – and whipped handily 49-14 – in the second playoff round last year. Time and location of this year’s contest hasn’t been announced yet. But if I had to guess, I’d put money on Abilene.

That’s where the Dragons played Frenship in 2023. Since Wolfford is a suburb of Lubbock – as strange as that sounds – a neutral venue almost inevitably is going to be in the middle of The Big Empty.

That’s a long drive to a joyless locale, even for an old West Texas hand like me. And it almost certainly would mean an overnight in Abilene. Yes, it could be time to look into pay-for-view.

Age thus makes a timid soul of us all!

Go, Dragons!

Davis Penn, pictured earlier in the season, rushed for three touchdowns and caught an Angelo Renda pass for another score against Legacy.

Ending on a good note: Southlake Carroll 48, Keller Central 15

 

An unbeaten regular season and a district championship is a nice way to enter the playoffs.

Not much of a challenge

KELLER – The slaughter started early. It took the Southlake Carroll Dragons less than 2 minutes to score their first touchdown against the lowly Keller Central Chargers. And it took them only one play to do it.

No one expected the Chargers to pose much of a challenge to the unbeaten Dragons. And they weren’t. But in effortlessly dispatching Central, Carroll lacked a little of its usual disciplined swagger and displayed a sometimes distracted air to the proceedings.

But what the night lacked in crisp execution and flawless devotion to the game plan, it made up for in an entertaining mishmash of weirdness that had fans on both sides of the stadium shaking their heads in wonderment.

Perhaps it was the lingering effects of Halloween.

As usual, the stars of the Dragon offense led the blood-letting.

Quarterback Angelo Renda completed 75 percent of his passes, compiling 249 passing yards and TD throws to Brock Boyd (3-112, 2 TDs) and Brody Knowles (2-34, 1 TD). On the ground, he rolled to 2 more TDs, both on short-yardage hops inside the 5.

Boyd was his favorite receiver. They connected early – on the first Dragon play of the game in fact. Following a quick 3-and-out and a botched Charger punt, Renda lobbed a perfect 61-yard arc to Boyd as the receiver raced toward the endzone.

Errant punt

The sluggish Chargers’ second drive ended with another errant punt that started Carroll’s next possession at its 43. Six plays later, running back extraordinaire Davis Penn surged 2 yards to send the Dragons a 14-0 lead. He ended the night with 16 carries for 120 yards.

Meanwhile, the Dragon D had no trouble with the Charger offense led by quarterback Landon Smith. Smith managed only 38 yards in the air and was held to 6 rushing yards in the 13 times he attempted to run the ball. He is credited with the 4-yard dash that culminated the Chargers only sustained drive of the night.

Charger running backs Spencer Martin (20-90) and Jordan Brown  (3-68) enjoyed a little better running room, but they were never factors in the contest.

The third Central drive was typical. Carroll D lineman Zac Hays sacked Smith on his own 25 as he struggled to convert on 4^th down. This time, the Charger punter managed to get the ball to the Dragon 39, but Carroll’s ensuing possession was plagued by procedural penalties.

Despite some hard running by Penn, the drive ran aground when Penn was stopped for no gain at the Charger 26. Dragonheads then experienced a few minutes of acute concern when Penn got up limping and hobbled off the field.

The junior, a Baylor commit, walked off his discomfort on the sideline and soon returned to play with no further apparent difficulty. But the prospect of losing him – after a knee injury ended Riley Wormley’s season earlier in the year – was bitter, indeed.

The bad mojo created by the scare doomed the Dragon drive, and Carroll had to settle for a 43-yard field goal by Gavin Strange.

Agonies continue

But Central’s agonies would continue. The next Charger drive ended when Carroll D-back Taevin Kunz snagged an interception – his second straight week to do so – and set up a bizarre sequence of plays that transfixed us all.

The Dragons kicked off their drive with a double pass – Renda to Boyd to Brody Knowles – that looked snazzy but didn’t work. But while Dragonheads still  were musing about the failed trick play, Carroll returned to basics and sent Penn plunging through the line and rumbling 65 yards to the end zone.

His labors went unrewarded when a penalty wiped out the score. To add insult to injury, Christian Glenn fumbled the ball on the next play, and Braydon Nichols of the Charger D returned it 77 yards for Central’s first score.

Dragonheads were treated to a slightly crazy game against outmatched Keller Central.

But the craziness didn’t end there. Central’s PAT was blocked by Luke Bussman, who then snatched up the ball and sped 88 yards to the Charger endzone. That denied Central the extra point, added 2 to Carroll’s total and put the score at 19-6.

Renda would add another rushing TD before the end of the half, and the Chargers would claw their way close enough to complete a 27-yard field goal with 28 seconds left in the half.

The fireworks weren’t over, yet. After a kickoff we all thought was perfunctory, Glenn fielded the ball and raced 95 electrifying yards across the Charger goal line.

But once again, Dragon labors went for naught. Glenn’s heroics were erased by penalty, and Carroll – with time running out – lined up for a 49-yard Strange field goal. Befittingly, it failed.

Not what we expected

A 26-6 halftime lead emphatically was NOT what many of us expected to see against Central, a team that has won only one game all season and is winless in 4-6A play.

The third quarter reassured most Dragonheads that the stars were properly aligned and the music of the spheres restored.

Renda got things started with a 6-play, 62-yard drive that he ended with a 5-yard bolt across the line. Things then veered off course again.

On the PAT, the snap went awry, and Dragon holder Zac Hays scrambled to recover it. Barely eluding a pack of Chargers, he completed a desperate side-arm pass as he fell to the turf. Don’t ask me how, but Jacob Bobrowski caught it in the endzone.

Carroll forced a 3-and-out on Smith and company, and two plays later, Renda zipped the ball 17 yards to Knowles, who brought the score to 41-9.

Smith managed to engineer the Chargers only sustained drive of the night, then punctuated it with a 4-yard TD dash.

Scoring for the night ended on the very next Carroll drive in an appropriately upbeat note and with a perfectly predictable cast.

Renda began work on his own 39 (Carroll enjoyed excellent field position all night). He took the snap, looked downfield for Boyd and lofted a 61-yard pass that fell into the junior’s hands.

So ends Carroll’s regular season – its unbeaten season unsullied, its District 4-6A championship secure and with the welcome prospects of a bye week to prepare for the playoffs.

I’m not going to delve into the complicated playoff picture in this post. There’ll be time enough for that next week and the next. For now, it’s time for the Dragons to recoup, regroup and enjoy their accomplishment.

Go, Dragons!

 

The Dragons have a bye week to recoup and regroup for the playoffs.

District 4-6A champs! Southlake Carroll 73, L.D. Bell 7

 

The undefeated Dragons demolished an overmatched and under-gunned L.D. Bell.

A merciless beating

SOUTHLAKE – Well, it’s official. The Southlake Carroll Dragons are the champions of District 4-6A, thanks to the merciless beating they inflicted last night on the nearly helpless Blue Raiders of L.D. Bell.

That will come as a surprise to no one, particularly since the Dragons already had toppled the best that District 4-6A had to offer even before the Raiders had the misfortune to poke their noses into Dragon Stadium.

To recap briefly, the Dragons – in their first district game of the year – whipped reigning 4-6A champ Byron Nelson 33-21, then slipped past Euless Trinity 56-48 a week later. Only last week, they demolished the unbeaten Northwest Texans 48-7.

Last night, the poor pitiful Blue Raiders arrived in Southlake to face a Dragon team breathing fire and fixated on capturing the district crown. That accomplished, they can now proceed to the other two season goals for any Carroll team – a deep run in the playoffs signified by holding a practice on Thanksgiving Day and, ultimately, gloriously, finally, another state championship, their ninth.

Carroll quarterback Angelo Renda was chief fire breather against Bell. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 273 yards and two TDs.

Favored receiver

He threw three of those passes to favored receiver Brock Boyd, who returned two of them for touchdowns. The first was a 20-yard zinger that gave the Dragons their first lead with seconds left in the first quarter, and the second a 38-yard arc into the endzone midway through the second.

But Renda also was Carroll’s leading rusher against Bell, carrying six times for 90 yards and another score. His success on the ground, first unveiled this season in last week’s win over Northwest, comes just in time for the high-stakes, winner-take-all environment of the playoffs.

The rushing threat posed by the quick and elusive Renda on the ground is a welcome addition to an arsenal that lost a major asset earlier in the year when a knee injury felled star running back Riley Wormley.

A mobile Renda only adds to the embarrassment of offensive riches Carroll already enjoys. Junior running back Davis Penn, a Baylor commit, has developed into a potent force – fearless, rugged and hard to bring down. Against the Raiders, Penn rushed 11 times for 44 yards and two TDs.

Penn’s 6-yard dart tied things up in the first quarter after a long 75-yard Raider drive ate up a third of the clock. Facing a 4^th-and-2, quarterback Cameron Johnson barreled into the endzone to give Raider fans an ever-so-brief glimmer of hope.

That hope had been ground to dust by the time Penn, with only 25 ticks on the clock, rolled to his second score, a 1-yard dash across the line that gave the Dragons an unassailable 35-7 halftime lead.

Senior Christopher Glenn also is seeing additional duty in the backfield and has shown great potential. He was the Dragons’ second leading rusher last night, running six times for 76 yards and one score, a17-yard scoot into the endzone.

Not finished yet

Despite a four-TD halftime lead, the Dragons weren’t finished. Not yet. Not by a long shot.

Glenn’s TD and a 34-yard field goal by Gavin Strange were the only scores in the third quarter, a quiet precursor to what turned out to be a wild and woolly fourth.

Despite the game’s lopsided margin, Carroll did not appear to be trying to run up the score on a hapless foe. But how can a coaching staff in good faith put backup players in the lineup and then not expect them to play all out?

To me, it’s ridiculous even to think they should.

To their credit, Carroll coaches didn’t attempt to hold the backups in check. And the kids went for blood, on both sides of the ball. Not only did the defensive second team force an interception from Raider quarterback Aden Madsen, who replaced Johnson the starter late in the game, but it immobilized the Raider offense.

Offensively, the Dragons didn’t stop exercising their will over the bedraggled Raiders even after the second team began filtering into the lineup late in the third quarter.

Backup running back Sal Esposito was the third leading rusher of the night (7-60) and scored twice. Backup defensive back Taevin Kunz scored a pick-6 exactly 1 minute after Carroll had widened its lead to 52-7 when backup Jack McCaskill scooted 8 yards for the Dragons seventh (!) touchdown.

Here’s how ridiculous it became: In the final period, the Dragons’ second team, now in command of the field, scored 28 unanswered points.

Heart-clutching run

Four TDs! McCaskill’s 8-yard dash, Kunz’s pick-6, and Esposito’s two TDs, which included a heart-clutching 49-yard bolt to the endzone to end scoring for the night.

Beating up on an overmatched opponent may not be the best way to prepare for the playoff caldron ahead. Given their druthers, the Dragons probably would prefer to face a tough opponent who can challenge them and help them sharpen their claws for the post.

But in high school football, you play the opponent in front of you. And the Dragons have faced some worthy opponents this year in addition to creampuffs – I’m being rude, but you know it’s true – like the Blue Raiders, now 2-6 for the season and 1-5 in district.

Carroll faces another weak sister next week, when they travel to Keller to end the season in the dimly lit confines of KISD Athletic Complex.

Under normal circumstances, I’d say it won’t be much of a contest. And I doubt very much that the Chargers are looking forward to the encounter. But this is high school football, folks, and anything can happen.

That said, I’ll make a prediction: Head coach Riley Dodge will have his young charges fired up and ready to shake the foundations of Keller’s disgrace of a stadium. The Dragons ought to do the stingy folks of Keller a favor and knock it to the ground. But that’s just my opinion.

Go, Dragons!

One more game before the playoffs, and Dragonheads are ready!