District blowout! Southlake Carroll 68, Trophy Club Byron Nelson 7

 

District 4-6A play opens with a splash! A big one.

Rampaging offense, opportunistic defense

SOUTHLAKE – Pity the poor fans of the Byron Nelson Bobcats.

For the second straight week, they have watched helplessly as their team has lost in widely divergent – but equally horrific – ways.

Last week, the Bobcats dropped a heartbreaker to McKinney Boyd in a freaky twist of fate.

Trailing 26-20 in the final minutes of the game, the Bobcats desperately fought their way to the end zone to tie things up. But on the winning point-after attempt, Nelson coughed up the ball, which a Boyd defender grabbed and returned 70 yards for 2 points. Boyd wins 28-26.

Then last night, the Nelson faithful sat in numb disbelief as their team disintegrated into complete disarray, shamefully falling 68-7 before a rampaging Southlake Carroll offense and a greedily opportunistic defense.

Two games. Two heart-twisting defeats. Sometimes life can be cruel under the glare of Friday Night Lights.

Resounding roar

For Dragon fans, the circumstances couldn’t be more different. Carroll entered district play with a resounding roar, extending its winning streak to five straight. It now is ranked No. 1 among area teams by The Dallas Morning News, No. 2 in the state by MaxPreps and No. 3 by The Associated Press.

The Dragon defense continues to collect accolades and win games. Last night, the Dragon secondary ravaged the Nelson air attack, intercepting Bobcat quarterback Jacob Wilson five times, twice on throws into the end zone that could have been touchdowns.

Five separate defensive backs feasted on the normally reliable Wilson. In fact, he ended the night with respectable numbers – completing 23 of 41 throws for 244 yards and the Bobcats’ only score – if you discount the mistakes.

But that’s a mighty big “if.”

Four out of five of the Wilson missteps resulted in Carroll scores. The exception occurred after defensive star Avyonne Jones grabbed a Bobcat pass in the end zone and set Carroll up for business on its 20. Two plays later, Dragon quarterback Kaden Anderson crashed through the line and was fighting for yardage when the ball popped loose. Nelson recovered.

The ensuing Bobcat drive stalled at the 18, and Nelson attempted a 35-yard field goal, but a Dragon defender got a hand on the ball at the line of scrimmage.

DBs Aaron Scherp, Logan Anderson and Sloan Miller also snatched errant Wilson throws. And backup corner Logan Lowandowski snared yet another one in the end zone and returned it to midfield. Two plays later, sophomore running back James Lehman exploded 34 yards up the middle to hand Carroll its penultimate touchdown and a 55-6 lead.

Scoring at will

The Dragon offense manhandled the Nelson defense with ease, scoring on 9 of its first 10 possessions before its starters left the field. Junior standout RB Owen Allen, who rushed for the Dragons’ first four TDs, and sure-handed WR Landon Samson, who caught three Anderson TD passes, led the slaughter.

Allen, who now has rushed for at least two touchdowns in eight straight games, finished the night with 16 carries and 146 yards. Leading the way, Allen's inspired offensive line shredded the Bobcat defense, allowing him to barrel repeatedly up the middle in averaging more than 9 yards a carry.

Owen Allen, No. 2, rushed for four touchdowns last night.
Samson, who missed the third game of the season because of injury and who was neutralized by Arlington Martin last week, returned to his old habits last night. He caught eight passes for 131 yards, including TD throws of 37, 38 and 20 yards.

Dragon starters were ordered to the sideline by the end of the 3rd period. Head coach Riley Dodge said one of the most satisfying aspects of last night’s game was the opportunity it afforded Carroll backup players to have a few moments in the spotlight.

“They’ve earned the right to be there,” he told Dragon Radio.

As a result, Dragons fans got a taste of what the future holds, as revealed in a series that unfolded long after the outcome had been decided.

After a Sloan Miller interception gave Carroll the ball at the Bobcat 36, sophomore RB Maddux Reid, a speedster with a low center of gravity, darted 19 yards to the 17, then another 5 to the 13 and 8 more to the 5.

And on the first play of the 4^th, sophomore quarterback Caden Jackson, who showed poise and good judgment when he stepped in for Anderson, bolted in for the score. Jackson ended the night with 55 rushing yards on 4 attempts.

No shootout

It sounds ridiculous now, but in the first few minutes, it looked like it might be a shootout between the Dragons and Bobcats.

Carroll scored first on an efficient 6-play, 76-yard drive highlighted by a clutch 51-yard reception by Lehman on third down. Anderson, who ended the night with 244 passing and 66 rushing yards, pushed for another 11 yards before handing things over to Allen, who scored two plays later.

Byron Nelson responded immediately, staging an 8-play, 75-yard drive than ended in a 25-yard TD pass from Wilson to Gavin McCurley, Nelson’s leading receiver with 93 yards from 7 catches.

On the following kickoff, Lehman collected the ball at the goal line and skittered around grasping defenders to the Bobcat 42. From there, Allen, aided by a 9-yard pass to Samson on a 4th-and-6, powered the drive across the goal line. That gave the Dragons a 14-7 lead with 3½ minutes to play. They never looked back.

 It’s always good to begin district matchups with a big splash. The Dragons' entry into District 4-6A play looked more in the nature of a tsunami.

Landon Samson, back to his old habits, caught three TD passes.
But a better test may come next week, when the Dragons travel to ramshackle KISD Athletic Complex to confront the ascendant Keller Indians.

It will be your classic battle of the unbeatens. The 5-0 Indians, who obliterated Keller Central last night 41-7, are enjoying their best start since 1967, when they won their first 11 games and ended the season 11-1.

Mostly hapless

They’ve been mostly hapless since then, but this is the kind of game that makes coaches nervous. Most observers would agree that Carroll is the superior team – on paper and in practice. Before the season, most experts had predicted Haslett Eaton, not the Indians, would be the biggest challenge to a repeat district championship for Carroll.

The DMN pointed out in its game story that Carroll has never been defeated in district play (21-0) in the four years Dodge has been head coach. That’s an interesting statistic. But it’s basically meaningless.

The real determination always comes on the field. And part of what makes high school football fascinating is the role that intangibles like spirit, discipline, momentum and youthful exuberance can play on outcomes.

But the Dragons have positioned themselves well for the road ahead.

In an interview with DMN writer Randy Jennings last night, the young Allen gave his perspective of the importance of the evening's entertainment.

"This is a statement game for the rest of the district," he said.

Go Dragons!

Pre-district sweep: Southlake Carroll 31, Arlington Martin 7

 

Owen Allen smashed the 4,000-yard career rushing mark, and he's not near finished.

What’s the excuse this time?

SOUTHLAKE – To hear Arlington Martin head coach Bob Wager tell it – and tell it and tell it – Southlake Carroll’s dramatic 30-26 win over the Warriors in last year’s third round of the playoffs was a self-inflicted injury.

“We beat ourselves,” he said last night in a pre-game interview on Dragon Radio, repeating the mantra he chanted after last year’s defeat. “I mean no disrespect to Southlake Carroll’s team. I have a lot of respect for the Southlake program, and its team last year was brilliant, as all Carroll teams are. But the simple truth is that we allowed our emotions to get the best of us, and we committed too many penalties.”

It’s true that last year’s Warriors were a mouthy bunch who played dirty and pouted like spoiled brats when a stubborn Dragon defense refused to yield to a last-gasp comeback effort. I guess it’s too much to expect a Martin team to fess up to the simple truth – that in a hard-fought game, the Dragons remained disciplined, focused and professional. And oh, yes. They benefitted from the return of their five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers from injury just in time to face the Warriors. He would go on to lead the Dragons to the state championship game.

Make no mistake, the best team won last year.

And the best team won last night’s pre-district rematch, too – handily.

Desperate struggle

The Carroll kids remembered the desperate struggle last year and the Martin trash talk that accompanied it, and they prepared for the Warriors accordingly. The pre-game chatter they have come to expect from the strutting Martin crew provided added incentive.

“Martin is an amazing team and proud program,” Dragon running back Owen Allen told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Brian Gosset. “They have some hard hitters, but when you come to our house, talking the way they were talking, you’re going to get a beating on you.”

Sophomore James Lehman fights for yardage.
Allen ran for 163 yards and two TDs last night. His gritty determination against Martin’s stubborn defense pushed him over the 4,000-yard career rushing mark and was the seventh straight game he’s run for two scores.

Coach Riley Dodge heaped praise on his junior phenom.

“People will one day see it -- what we got,” Dodge told The Dallas Morning News’ Arianna Vedia. “We’re very blessed that he wears green, black and white.”

The most telling praise came from his quarterback, junior Kaden Anderson.

“When we need a big play, I know he’s going to go get it,” said Anderson, who had a stressful night, completing 11 of 23 passes for 196 yards and two TDs. But Martin’s pressuring defense hampered his timing and accuracy. Uncharacteristically, he threw two interceptions, both snatched up by Warrior defensive back Josiah Charles.

Open the door

 The Martin secondary succeeded in blanketing Anderson’s leading receiver, senior WR Landon Samson, who was held to a single reception. That left the door open for R.J. Maryland to have the best game of his career.

He caught six passes for 153 yards and two TDS. The first was a lofting 38-yard pass from Anderson into the left corner of the end zone in the closing seconds of the half. Maryland leaped with outstretched hands to grab the soaring pass, which gave Carroll a nervous 17-7 lead going into halftime.

His second score came late in the game, with the Dragons now leading 24-7, after the Warriors went 3-and-out against Carroll’s immovable front line. Anderson’s 63-yard bomb, which Maryland caught in stride and took to the house, erased any lingering doubts about the outcome.

To add insult to injury, Martin muffed Carroll’s ensuing pooch kick. The Dragons recovered at the Warrior 41, and that signaled the end of the night for the starters.

Like last year, the Warriors were their own worst enemies, committing four turnovers – three fumbles and a Ford interception -- and probably giving Wager more excuses for losing.

A critical series midway through the 2^nd quarter was telling.

Edging ahead

Martin had just edged ahead 7-3 when Anderson, working from his 31, tried to connect with a receiver at the Warrior 44. Charles, the Warrior defensive back, stepped in front of the ball and moved toward the end zone. Stopped short, he then arrogantly spiked the ball in front of a Dragon player.

R.J. Maryland goes high in the end zone for one of his two TD catches.
The following penalty set the Warriors up at the Dragon 22. Promptly moving to the 11, Martin called a running play, but Dragon defensive lineman Max Reyes punched the ball loose and linebacker Allan Kleiman fell on it at the 24.

Allen then rumbled 19 yards to the 43, struggling desperately for every foot. Anderson zipped a ball to Maryland, and he fought and clawed to the Martin 28. Two plays later, Allen burst through the middle and angled right 27 yards to the goal line. The Dragons led 10-7 and never trailed again.

Dragon defensive dominance was complete. It held the hard-charging Warriors to only 149 total yards. The capable Cydd Ford, who does everything for Martin, including return kickoffs, was held to only 59 passing yards.

The Warriors’ sole score came in the opening seconds of the 2^nd when Martin’s five-star cornerback Javien Toviano darted 4 yards across the line. That drive began when Carroll turned over the ball on downs after a failed 45-yard field goal attempt by ace kicker Tyler White. White had already nailed a 42-yarder to open Dragon scoring.

Linebacker Allan Kleiman, No. 15, celebrates his fumble recovery.
In Carroll's pre-district march, accolades have been showered on its defense -- with good reason. Linebacker Nate Gall lead a stellar cast last night, including defensive back Avyonne Jones and lineman Cate Parks. Last week against Prosper, Gall forced a fumble that Parks snatched up and carried to the house.

This week, Gall got the glory all to himself.

Excellent position

When a short Carroll kick gave the Warriors excellent field position at their 43, they moved efficiently to the Dragon 33. Ford then tossed a pass that Gall intercepted at his own 24.

Asked after the game which he preferred – to strip a caught ball from an opponent or to snag the pass himself – an ecstatic Gall didn’t ponder long.

“Both are pretty great,” he told Dragon Radio.

Radio color man Justin Padron, a former Dragon defensive star during Carroll’s famed run of state championships in the early aughts, said during last night’s broadcast that the Dragon defense is playing “state championship-caliber football right now.”

“I know it sounds strange to say that this early in the season, but it’s true,” he said.

Without doubt, much of the credit for last night’s win belongs to the defense, which has played a dominant role in the last three games – deflecting the winning field goal against Rockwall Heath and stoppering Prosper’s explosive offense last week.

But in honoring the defense, it would be wrong to overlook the development of the Dragon running game, thanks in large part to the remarkable  Allen, who as a junior is playing in his third year on varsity. As I’ve noted before, he joined the starters when he was a blushing 14.

He’s now passed the 4,000-yard mark after only 29 career games. He had to fight for every one of the 163 yards with which he’s credited against the Warriors.

Comfortable lead

A 98-yard scoring drive in the 4^th that gave Carroll a comfortable 24-7 lead illustrates the tenacity, dedication and skill of the youngster.

After fielding a Martin punt at their own 2, the Dragons faced a long field and a desperate Warrior line. At that point, a 10-point lead seemed precarious at best.

Anderson gained some breathing room with a keeper to the 11, then turned the game over to Allen. On successive runs, the junior pushed against stiff resistance to the 30, then the 39 and on to midfield and beyond. Leaving the game briefly to catch his breath, teammate James Lehman, a sophomore, fought to the 27 and on to the 17.

At that point, Allen reentered the game and, to no one’s surprise, finished the drive he had willed to completion.

“I’ve played with a whole bunch of coaches and a whole bunch of linemen, and different quarterbacks...I just trust my line, and when you do those things, 4,000 yards comes easy,” Allen said to the Star-T’s Gosset.

No one really believes that 4,000 yards comes easy in the UIL’s top division of high school football. This kid earned every inch of those yards. But I honor Owen Allen – in the first blush of victory, with the adrenalin pumping and amid his teammates’ celebrations – for saying it and believing it and living it.

Next up: District 4-6A play opens next Friday for the undefeated Dragons when they face the 3-1Trophy Club Byron Nelson Bobcats at Dragon Stadium. It’s homecoming, y’all. Make way for the mums!

Go Dragons!

Quarterback Kaden Anderson held steady despite heavy pressure and two interceptions.

Defensive dominance: Southlake Carroll 31, Prosper 0

 

The Dragons extend their winning streak to three with their victory over the Eagles.

Once upon a time in Prosper

PROSPER – So it came to pass that the football warriors of Southlake Carroll did travel to the far northern reaches of the Metroplex to confront the high priests of Prosper, reigning mighty and unconquered within the walls of their great cathedral.

There, on the elysian fields of Children’s Health Stadium, grim and dreadful in its awful splendor, the Dragon warriors did smite the Prosper Eagles, humbling them and ending their unsullied rule over North Texas’ burgeoning plain.

And it was good.

Uh, sorry. I still must be a bit overwhelmed from spending an evening within the confines of the Prosper Eagles’ dazzling two-year-old stadium, a $50 million facility that would do proud many a D1 college program.

Children’s Health is a beauty, all right, gaudy and a bit over-wrought, perhaps, but still a striking symbol of Texas’ love of high school football.

Flash and dash

But its flash and dash didn’t intimidate the Southlake bunch very much. The Dragons staged a brilliant defensive effort that choked the life out of the Eagles’ high-flying, high-scoring offense, inflicting a shameful shutout to a team that had been averaging 48 points a game.

The Carroll D forced three interceptions and a fumble, scored one of the Dragons’ four touchdowns and held Prosper to only 41 offensive yards in the entire second half. Coach Riley Dodge said it not only was their best performance of the year, but of many a year.

“Defense was a point of emphasis this week,” Dodge told The Dallas Morning News’ T.J. Reid. “We had a great game plan. The kids worked their tails off all week. When you are getting takeaways and scoring points on the defensive side of the ball, that’s a huge momentum changer. The shutout is important, but the win is more important than anything.”

Last night was the second week in a row that the defense has made the difference. After allowing Rockwall Heath, considered one of the top offenses in the state, more than 540 yards in last week’s 36-35 nail biter, the Dragon D blocked a last-second field goal that would have cost Carroll the game.  

It performed better against the potent Prosper offense, which rolled up 450 yards of offense last week in its 63-7 shellacking of Mansfield Lake Ridge. The Dragons held the Eagles to only 170 total yards and were unyielding after halftime.

Defensive standout

Dragon linebacker Nate Gall was a defensive standout. He snagged one of Carroll’s three interceptions of Eagle quarterback Harrison Rosar passes. Later, he sacked Rosar and set up another dramatic Dragon score.

Here’s how it happened.

As the end of the first half neared, with Carroll clinging to a 10-0 lead, Rosar and the Eagles fought their way into the Dragon red zone. Facing a 3-12 at the Dragon 15, Rosar desperately sought an open receiver. A blitzing Gall burst through the Prosper front and slammed into the quarterback, jarring the ball out of Rosar’s hands.

“I was the lead blitz and it just opened up for me thanks to my D-Line,” Gall said to the DMN’s Reid. “The quarterback had no idea I was there.”

 A melee ensued as both teams scrambled for the ball as it scooted around in the Eagle backfield. Carroll defensive tackle Cade Park finally scooped it up at the 37, sprinting for the end zone as if pursued by stampeding wildebeests. He moves surprising fast for a Big Guy.

Children's Health Stadium is a beauty, but this is not a scene from last night's contest.
“We prepared so well,” Gall told the DMN. “We all came together as a whole. We really started playing as a team, playing together as a whole. It felt great.”

Even a 17-0 lead at halftime offered little comfort for the Dragons.

Throughout the first half, the Prosper defense had been successful in disrupting Carroll’s offensive plans. The Dragon 0-line had been unable to protect quarterback Kaden Anderson from the blitzing Eagles, who sacked the junior repeatedly. Meanwhile, the stingy Prosper D-line had held star running back Owen Allen largely in check.

Forced to settle

Five plays into the Dragons’ first drive, a harassed Anderson threw his first interception of the year. Even though defensive back Josh Spaeth intercepted Rosar on the next Eagle drive, the Dragons were forced to open scoring with a 41-yard field goal from Tyler White.

Adding to that meager total proved troublesome. Even after defensive back Luke Ledbetter intercepted a second Rosar pass on the first play of the 2^nd quarter, the Dragons couldn’t capitalize and had to punt after another Anderson sack.

With difficulty, they managed to fight their way into the end zone midway through the 2^nd , when Anderson – forced to play without his favorite receiver, Landon Samson – connected on a 19-yard pass to R.J. Maryland in the end zone.

We didn’t know it at the time, but a late-hit on Anderson two plays before that scoring strike had caused consternation on the Dragon sideline. Although the junior convinced his coaches to led him finish the series, he never returned after the Maryland TD throw.

Radio commentators said he was yanked “out of an abundance of caution” and was expected to return next week, as is Samson. Let’s hope so. Both will be needed when the Dragons face the worthy Arlington Martin Warriors next week in the first game of the season at Dragon Stadium.

With sophomore backup Caden Jackson standing in for the disabled Anderson after halftime, the offensive scheme narrowed to the ground game, and the burden shifted mainly to Allen.

Lengthening a streak

The junior, who’s been a starter since he was 14, proved up to the task. Before last night, Allen had made two TDs in the last 5 straight games and rushed for over 200 yards in the first two games of the season.

By the end of the night, he had lengthened one streak and damned near extended the other, snaring a pair of TDs while rushing for 183 yards. Those two scores came in the 4^th quarter, a 24-yard dash down the right sideline and a 43-yard scamper set up by teammate Nate Call’s interception.

The Prosper game also was the 18^th time in Allen’s career that he has both run for a TD and rushed for 100 yards.

As with most defensive fistfights, the Southlake-Prosper affair lacked the snap, crackle and pop of many Dragon contests, dominated as they often are with plenty of offensive fireworks. In his post-game radio interview with Dodge, game caller Chuck Kelly alluded to the low-key nature of the game.

“It was kind of a blah game, wasn’t it, Coach?” he asked Dodge.

“Heck, no!” Dodge quickly replied. “What do you mean blah? There’s nothing blah about 31-0. If that’s blah, I’ll take blah anytime.”

Go Dragons!  

Thriller on the road: Southlake Carroll 36, Rockwall Heath 35

 

Calder Bray, No. 91, celebrates with his teammates after blocking a Rockwall Heath field goal on the last play of the game.

The believer

Young Calder Bray believed.

The Dragon defensive lineman had watched Rockwall Heath’s potent offense push around Southlake Carroll’s beleaguered defense all night.

He had watched his offensive teammates sputter and crash against the Hawks’ stubborn defensive formations.

He had watched as he and his Dragons had dug in and hung on, fighting back three times from 18-point deficits to seize finally, when hope was all but lost, a razor-thin 36-35 lead with 3:20 left to play.

And now, with the clock ticking mercilessly toward zero, he watched as Heath lined up to boot a 29-yard field goal to snatch an upset win over the Dragons, who had hung 72 shameful points on the Hawks only last year.

Calder Bray watched and still he believed. He saw a chance, a last-ditch, last-gasp, last-second chance to protect that meager, hard-won lead and preserve sweet, glorious victory for his bruised and battered team.

“Coach,” the senior told Riley Dodge, “I can go get it.”

And he did.

Bursting through the line

As the Heath Hawk kicker – who already had seen one field goal blocked and another disrupted by a bad snap – put his foot to the ball, Calder Bray burst through a hole in the line and, with an outstretched hand, batted it away. Game over. Dragons win.

Truth be told, this is one game most of us thought had got away from the Dragons by the middle of the first half, when the sturdy Hawks sprinted to a 21-3 lead.

Their stingy defense had smothered Carroll’s offensive powerhouse on the ground and in the air, limiting it to a paltry 35-yard field goal by Tyler White.

 Hawk quarterback Josh Hoover shredded the Carroll front, scoring at will over the reeling Dragons. He ended the night with 344 passing yards, a 78 percent completion rate and 3 touchdowns.

Hawk running back Zach Evans was the Heath workhorse, carrying 30 times for 156 yards and 2 TDs. Hoover’s favorite passing targets – Jordan Nabors (4-161) and Fletcher Fierro (7-92) – had a TD apiece.

Dodge didn’t mince words after the final whistle.

“We didn’t play a good game tonight,” he told Dragon Radio. “To be truthful, we were kind of shell-shocked. We were lucky to be in the game, frankly.”

Gut-check time

Trailing 21-10 at the half, the  young Dragons shuffled into the locker room, where they faced gut-check time.

“It says a lot about our team that we completely reset at halftime,” Dodge said. “That’s a lot to ask of 17- and 18-year-olds – to completely reset the game plan. But they did it. We fixed the problems in the second half.

“We cowboyed up.”

The high-scoring third quarter was the key battleground. Hoover and company continued to rough up the Dragon D, while Anderson and his offensive brethren climbed out of the hole Carroll carved for itself in the first half.

Ultimately – and decisively, as it turned out – the Dragons outscored the Hawks 20-14 in that crucial period and entered the 4^th trailing by only 5.

An exultant Calder, hero of the hour, told Dragon Radio that Dodge urged his charges not to give up, that despite the score, victory was possible.

“He kept saying that we weren’t playing well and they were still only X-number of points ahead,” Calder recalled breathlessly. “He said we could still win. So we weathered the storm. We kept pushing away, pushing away and waiting for something to happen.”

The decision was made at half, he said, to platoon the defensive line regularly in order to keep “fresh legs on the ground.” That very well could have made the difference in a game of such narrow margins.

The Carroll Dragons celebrate a narrow win.
Dragon quarterback Kaden Anderson, in only his second game as a starter, didn’t panic under the Heath onslaught. He remained steady and patient, finally connecting with leading receiver Landon Samson (8-153, 2 TDs) on a 72-yard scoring play in the second quarter.

Anderson (21 for 117 yards, 3 TDs), began Carroll’s second-half renaissance with a 3-yard dash to the end zone and followed later with a second TD pass to Samson, a South Carolina commit.

Standout running back Owen Allen (21 carries for 117 rushing yards) contributed to Carroll’s 3^rd quarter heroics, staging a TD run that narrowed the Hawk margin to 35-30.

Later, in the final period, he played a dominant role in the Dragons’ most important drive of the night.

After Heath’s second flubbed field goal, the Dragons took over at their own 15 with about 7 minutes left in the game. Anderson moved them to their 26 before being sacked on successive plays. On a 3^rd and 12 from the 24, the Heath D-line stopped Allen cold.

Now facing a 4^th and 13 from the Dragon 23, Dodge and his staff knew this was probably Carroll’s last offensive play. Turning over the ball willingly was unthinkable.

So they gambled big, instructing Anderson to send a screen pass to a sprinting Allen, who rumbled 56 yards deep into Hawk territory. (He was credited with 112 passing yards for the night.)

Back-to-back penalties against the Hawks pushed the Dragons to the Heath 3. That’s where Allen handed the Dragons their first lead of the night by skittering across the goal line.

Tough as nails

Dodge paid tribute to his junior phenom’s commitment and skill.

“He’s tough as nails,” the coach said of Allen. “There’s not another running back in the state that I’d rather have on this team.”

But last night’s stunning final act was yet to be played.

After receiving the Dragon kickoff, the Hawks roared downfield in four plays to the Dragon 12 where they let the clock run down to 3 seconds.

That’s when the young Calder saw his chance as the Heath offensive line settled into place.

“When we lined up, I saw an opening and thought I could squeeze through,” Bray told The Dallas Morning News’ Randy Jennings.

His final judgment to Dragon Radio: “It worked out great!”

The road ahead

The Dragons now stand at 2-0. They face another stout pre-district challenge next week, traveling to Prosper to meet the high-flying Eagles, 1-0. After whipping up on South Grand Prairie 34-19 last week, the Eagles face Mansfield Lake Ridge tonight.

The Dragons’ pre-district schedule is a rough one, made deliberately so by the Carroll coaching staff to prepare its charges for the postseason. The Dragons are the odds-on favorites to win District 4-6A this year, even though it may be a tougher nut to crack than in previous years.

But it’s hardly a powerhouse, and so the Dragons must sharpen their claws where and when they can. And a pre-district schedule that started with Highland Park and includes both Prosper and Arlington Martin is a good way to do so.

A tight win against a sturdy team like Heath is likely to give Carroll players increased confidence. They looked into the abyss last night, relied on their teammates and coaches and emerged stronger than ever. So far, so good.

Go Dragons!

  

Season opener: Southlake Carroll 45, Highland Park 21

 

Kaden Anderson stands cool and collected in the pocket.

Nothing to worry about here

ARLINGTON – Quinn who?

Amid the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth that followed El Supremo Quarterback Quinn Ewers’ stunning announcement this summer that he would forego his senior season as Southlake Carroll High signal-caller (and media darling) to become rich and famous in Columbus, Ohio, calm assurances were issued from Dragon Football headquarters that all was not lost.

And now we know why.

After last night’s 44-21 drubbing of the proud Highland Park Fighting Scots, Ewers – a fine and worthy young man no doubt headed for deserved stardom at Ohio State – is but a fading memory in Dragon Nation. Hail and farewell, and may good fortune be your companion and guardian, young squire. (And what was your name again?)

Meet the successor

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the worthy Ewers’ successor, junior quarterback Kaden Anderson, a 6-4, 205-pound warrior who has completed – in rather spectacular fashion – the transition from third-place backup to leader of a Dragon offense with enough power, finesse and gumption to plunge deep into the 2021 playoffs.

And a ninth state championship for Carroll? Why the hell not?

Heaped on Anderson’s tender shoulders was a burden of responsibility under which most of us would promptly buckle. He handled the competing tempests of expectation and skepticism with the aplomb of an experienced diplomat.

In his first start as a member of the varsity, Anderson looked as if he had been doing this for years – standing cool as a Colorado sunset in the pocket, eluding desperate Scot defenders with ease and rifling well-aimed passes to his talented receiving corps at will.

In so doing, he led the Dragons into a season debut that humbled the mighty Scots – a dominating powerhouse in Division 5A, winner of six state championships and the school with the best winning record in the history of Texas high school football.

And he did so on a national stage, thanks to ESPN, which was hoping that its telecast would feature Ewers, the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the nation until he decided to forgo the risky prospects of a mere state championship for the riches of the endorsements he can attract as one of Ohio State’s future stars.

Ewers signed his first endorsement deal this week, proof – as if anyone needed it – that he made the right decision, at least financially. And really, is there any other way to look at it in this day and age?

If you were Ewers, can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me you would have made any other decision? Of course not.

Most members of the Southlake community, which understands better than most, perhaps, the comfort and security of filthy lucre, accept with regret Ewers’ motivations in abandoning high school for the bright lights of the Big 10.

 Spectacular debut

Anderson’s spectacular debut has soothed any lingeringly ill will that may have remained about the Ewers decision’s impact on the much-cherished goal of a ninth championship trophy.

A touchdown is all in a day's work for Dragon receiver Landon Samson.

There are no guarantees, of course. Anderson’s performance last night may well be a fluke, and he may falter over the haul of a long season. But there’s every reason to be optimistic that Carroll’s new offensive star is capable of leading this team into a deep playoff run.

State championship or no, I predict it’ll be a fun ride, if last night is any indication.

Anderson started hot, completing his first seven passes, the first trio on a 75-yard drive that culminated with a 71-yard catch and run down the right sideline by leading receiver Landon Samson, the South Carolina commit’s first of two scores.

Anderson would throw another two TDs, compiling 261 passing yards in the process, and run for another.

What had he to say about his debut performance?

“It was amazing,” Anderson told The Dallas Morning News’ Greg Riddle. “I had some big shoes to fill. I would say I filled them pretty well.”

Around here, we like that kind of brashness in a quarterback, particularly when he can back it up on the field. And last night, Anderson did.

Dragon head coach Riley Dodge, who knows something about quarterbacks, being a former high school state champion one himself, told the DMN’s Riddle that his instructions to Anderson were simple enough.

Humming along fine

“You don’t have to be Superman,” Dodge said to Anderson. “Just be a distributor, be the point guard. Just get the ball in the playmakers’ hands. We’ve got a lot of great guys around you.”

Indeed, he did. On both offense and defense, the Dragons were humming in a way we’ve rarely seen in a season opener.

James Lehman's one-handed catch was a highlight of the nationally broadcast contest.
Samson, who made 5 receptions for 127 yards, was simply superb, snatching catches and fighting for extra yardage.

His second TD came after the Dragon defense, who limited the usually highflying Scots to only 244 total yards, forced Highland Park to turn over the ball on downs.

Thanks to some hard running by standout junior running back Owen Allen, who ended the night with 21 carries for 215 yards and 2 TDs, Anderson moved Southlake to the Scot 41. Then, eluding heavy pressure by the Scot defense, he tossed a perfect strike to Samson, who dived over the goal line.

But unlikely as it may seem, Samson was upstaged in razzle-dazzle by sophomore teammate James Lehman.

In the closing seconds of the first half, after the Dragons marched to the Highland Park 15, Anderson lofted a high ball to Lehman at the back of the end zone. Leaping, his right arm outstretched overhead, Lehman made a breathtaking one-handed catch, bringing gasps from the Southlake side and a group hug from the surging Dragons, who took a 28-7 lead into the locker room.

As for Allen, his performance at AT&T Stadium last night was the 19^th time (out of 26 games) in his career he has rushed for over 100 yards. In the early going, the Scots managed to slow the junior down, but he grew stronger and more effective as the night wore on. Expect to hear a lot about him this year.

Graduation was kind to Carroll’s experienced defensive corps, and it showed. Dodge told Dragon Radio that he believed the Dragon defense is one of the best in the state.

In most years, that boast could be quickly dismissed. But not this year, particularly after seeing the cohesiveness of the Big Guys and their effectiveness in moving swiftly to the ball.

Avyonne Jones was a beast on defense.
Highland Park, which by all accounts is in a rebuilding phase, was never able to sustain momentum against the Dragons’ smothering defense.

It staged a couple of promising drives – aided immensely by a blizzard of penalties by the unruly Dragons – but it was forced to turn the ball over twice – once on downs and the other by a diving interception of Scot QB Brennan Storer by linebacker Allan Kleiman.

Senior defensive back Avyonne Jones and junior defensive end Cade Parks were beasts. But the entire front line hammered the reeling Scots and disrupted the timing of Storer, 12 of 20 for 150 yards, a junior in his first year as Highland Park field general.

So the Dragons emerge victors in their return to AT&T Stadium, the scene of last January’s memorable – but vastly over-hyped – standoff between Todd Dodge and the Austin Westlake Chaparrals and his son, Riley Dodge and the Southlake Carroll Dragons.

Schooling the son

The father schooled the son, 52-34, in that contest, which was richer in familial emotion rather it was in football drama. The elder Dodge says this is his last season as a coach, so it’s unlikely that any kind of rematch ever will occur. In all likelihood, Todd Dodge’s Chaparrals will compete in the UIL’s small-school Division II playoffs, while the Dragons are also probably headed to Division I. Alas!

Next week, the Dragons travel to Rockwall to meet Rockwall Heath. Last year, the Dragons dominated the Hawks, 72-57, in a contest that highlighted the traditional early-season ying and yang of Dragon football – a mighty offense and a struggling offense. Things are a bit different this year so Heath had best cinch up tight for a Dragon onslaught.

Go Dragons!

 

Larry McMurtry, leaving well enough alone

 Larry McMurtry tried to demythologize the West, but couldn't.

Larry McMurtry's passing is to be mourned, of course. At his best – The Last Picture Show, Leaving Cheyenne, All My Friends Are Going To Be Strangers and, of course, Lonesome Dove – he was superb, one of the country's strongest, most honest writers.

His masterpiece, Lonesome Dove, an attempt to demythologize the American West, was breathtaking in scope and power. And he created an immortal character in Gus McRae. When McMurtry killed Gus off -- as he did to almost all his most beloved characters -- it was like a death in the family, and I wept like a child.

(Of course, he failed spectacularly at altering in any appreciable way our perceptions of the West. Instead, he added a cast of indelible characters to the myths permanently engraved on the national psyche.)

Sadly -- and I consider this an important qualifier -- he devalued much of his best work with ill-conceived and sub-par sequels.

That's only my opinion, of course. But after reading his sequel to The Last Picture Show, the excretable Texasville, I was deeply shocked. When I eagerly grabbed Some Can Whistle, the sequel to All My Friends Are Going To Be Strangers, my favorite McMurtry work, I was bitterly disappointed, even angry, at how he portrayed Danny Deck in middle age.

And let's not even talk about the prequels and sequels to Lonesome Dove. A writer as talented as McMurtry should have known that what you leave out is just as important -- perhaps more important -- than what you keep in.

It makes me sad to admit -- and perhaps it's just a failing in myself -- that his attempts to continue his characters' stories have tainted my appreciation of the original novels. I feel cheated.

McMurtry at work in his Archer City bookstore.

I sound like an old grouch, but I liked and respected McMurtry. My friend Roy Appleton and I traveled to Archer City years ago to visit his bookstore, Booked Up, which once took up most of downtown. Seeing him at work in his office overlooking the bookstacks was an amazing experience.

One of the signs of greatness is the ability to surprise. And McMurtry's New York Times obituary told me something I never would have expected about the writer who was proud of his ranching heritage and spent most of his life in Texas.

He was a Stanford graduate school classmate of Ken Kesey (counterculture icon and leader of the Merry Pranksters), was briefly included in Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (his classic take on the Pranksters' wild cross-country bus trek in the 1960s) and eventually married Kesey's widow.

He was, according to his writing partner, quite the ladies man. What could be more surprising than that?

Larry McMurtry: Ladies man?

Jim Mahoney, master of The Moment

 Jim Mahoney on Window Trail in Big Bend National Park (Photo by Robert Hart)

Instinct, perception and experience

When Jim Mahoney, my friend and colleague for more than 40 years, died this past weekend, he left behind a body of work that testifies to his position at the apex of the photographic profession he served so well.

As a photo editor at The Dallas Morning News, Jim was an integral part of the team that made The News one of the best photographic newspapers in America.

A perfectionist forced to live in an imperfect world, Jim was a world-class photographer who during a long newspaper career nurtured, mentored and worked alongside a generation of prizewinning photographers.

He was a master at capturing “The Moment,” using instinct, perception and experience to identify the single image that best represented his assignment – be it car crash, city council meeting or intimate interview in someone’s living room.

As a young reporter, I worked with Jim at the Denton Record-Chronicle, where he was chief photographer. After covering a story together, Jim – as a courtesy – would show me the photo he planned to turn in to the news desk.

Invariably, without any discussion between us, his photo illustrated the central theme, the basic idea, the essence of the story I hadn’t finished writing yet. He was, in every sense, a photojournalist, a marvelous combination of photographer, journalist and – most of all – storyteller. 

A wizard of his trade

He was a master of composition and a wizard at the tools of his trade. His photographs were not the products of “darkroom magic.” Most were printed full frame, just as he composed them through the viewfinder. The decisions Jim made in milliseconds in the middle of chaos became beautiful, insightful, startling, shocking and, occasionally, horrifying moments frozen in time.

For years, I displayed a framed Mahoney photograph from those years. He took it at a Denton High football game. It was a wonderous – yes, even magical – image. In a single, wide-angle shot, Jim captured every aspect of Friday Night Lights, at least a decade before the term was even coined. The photo had everything: the marching band, prancing drill team, jumping cheerleaders, cheering fans and both teams running on the field at the same time.

Sadly, I lost track of the photo in one of my many moves. What I wouldn’t give to have it back.

Jim never did anything half way. His darkroom, back in pre-digital days when such a thing existed, was immaculate. Not a speck of dust anyway, chemicals lined in exact rows, countertops gleaming, negatives organized with loving care.

Even outside of work, he was meticulous and obsessive. He mowed his lawn twice a week during the summer because he thought it looked “shabby” if he didn’t.

He also was an excellent, if unimaginative, cook. He insisted on following any recipe down to the letter. I remember one Saturday afternoon when we went to a half-dozen different stores looking for a particular Mexican pepper specified in the recipe he was using to make – wait for it – chili.

After no luck at the second store, I made the mistake of saying, “Jim, let’s just get some damned jalapenos!” He gave me a withering glare and didn’t speak to me for an hour. When we finally chased down the elusive pepper, he shot me a triumphant smile and announced, “Now, we can proceed!”

More than a hobby

Jim was a largely self-taught photographer. It was a hobby that became something more after he returned home from serving two years in the U.S. Army.

 Drafted when he left North Texas State in 1968, Jim expected to be sent to Vietnam. But because he had played trumpet for his high school band, he was sent to West Germany to serve in the U.S. Army band stationed in Wiesbaden.

At the height of the Vietnam War, Jim spent his Army career playing at Octoberfest celebrations and in goodwill concerts across West Germany, an ironic twist of fate that was not lost on him. He later said his greatest honor came when he was selected to play Taps during the primary Armistice Day commemoration at Verdun, France.

At the Record-Chronicle, he presided over a three-member photo staff, including himself. His reputation extended beyond the R-C’s modest circulation area. Talented young photogs beat a path to his door for a chance to work with him, among them Robert Hart, Lon Cooper and Bill Clough.

He persuaded R-C managing editor Frank Kelly to create a showcase for the work of his photo staff. It was called Kaleidoscope, a weekly full page with no ads devoted exclusively to photos of a single subject or event.

Devoting such an extravagant amount of space solely to photos was rare in newspapers of the day. For small dailies like the R-C, it was unheard of.

No explanation needed

But Jim and his staff eagerly took advantage of the opportunity and produced marvelous photo essays on a dizzying array of subjects. Text was kept to a minimal. Jim believed if a lengthy explanation was needed to explain the photos, the photos weren’t good enough. Mostly, Kaleidoscope photos spoke for themselves.

When The Dallas Morning News inevitably came calling, Jim accepted a job as its first photo editor, leaving behind his days as an active shooter. His years on the photo desk coincided perfectly with The News’ rise and reign as a premier photographic newspaper, staffed by some of the best shooters in the nation. That was no coincidence.

Although he took his work seriously, bringing a single-minded dedication and intensity that made some less-focused colleagues squirm, Jim possessed a droll, well-honed sense of humor that he often kept well-hidden. When he shared it with you, it was something special.

I sat next to the photo desk for years, and every so often – as the newsroom on deadline careened and buzzed around us – Jim and I would glance across at each other. With a raised eyebrow or a slight shrug, we would confirm what the other was thinking. “This is a damned crazy way to make a living, isn’t it?”

After years on the photo desk, Jim returned to active shooting, and some of his friends wondered how he would adjust. Turns out, he adjusted quite well and took up where he left off, producing terrific photos regardless of the assignment.

Keeping pace

He employed the same instinct, skill and attention to detail that he had at the front end of his career, easily keeping pace with his younger colleagues. He demonstrated, day in and day out, on every assignment no matter how routine, that the old dog already knew all the tricks.

The photo below was taken by Robert Hart, who worked on the DMN photo desk for years with Jim, on Window Trail in Big Bend National Park, a place where both traveled together several times over the years.

Jim hired Robert at the Record-Chronicle in the 1970s after the latter’s dismal first job out of college at Dean Singleton’s Fort Worth Press.

“Jim was editor, teacher, mentor and friend to an entire generation of young photojournalists,” Robert says. “He led by example – by the way he approached every assignment and by the care he took with every photo.”

Jim, dear friend, your journey is at an end. Rest in peace.