Sophomores’ delight: Southlake Carroll 66, Haltom 14

 

Davis Penn, shown in action against Flower Mound Marcus earlier in the season, scored 3 TDs against Haltom.

They should have stayed home

SOUTHLAKE – A trio of Southlake Carroll’s talented sophomores – the game against the Haltom Buffaloes placed in their tender hands – took a firm grip on things last night and made the hapless Buffs wish they’d saved themselves the trip to Dragon Stadium’s hostile environs.

Davis Penn, who has been mighty impressive thus far this season, came into his own against the Buffs, crashing into the endzone three times while amassing 210 rushing yards on only six carries. I’ll save you doing the math in your head. That’s an average of 35 yards a carry.

Penn scored on the second Dragon drive of the night, running three straight plays after the Carroll secured great field position following a 3-and-out by the Buffaloes. From Haltom’s 44, the sophomore pushed first to the 34, then to the 11 and finally into pay dirt.

Quick scores

His score, which sent the Dragon ahead 14-7, came on only the Dragons’ fifth play from scrimmage. Their initial score came on the second play of the game when senior Caden Jackson scampered 56 yards through stunned Buffalo defenders into the end zone.

Penn’s heroics were just beginning, however. After Haltom failed to convert on a 4-and-6 in the second period, the Dragons set up shop on the Buff 44. On the first play of the drive, Penn broke through the line and sped untouched to score. Four minutes later, after the Dragons forced another Haltom punt, Penn electrified the Dragons’ Homecoming crowd by sprinting 76 yards to the goal, leaving Buff defenders staring mutely in his wake. 

Less flashy, but no less impactful, was the sturdy play of Angelo Renda. Renda has gotten playing time in most of the Carroll games this season, but it’s been long after those contests have been decided and the starters retired to their rest.

Last night, however, Renda started the game for the ailing Graham Knowles, who was banged up during practice this week – if the online streaming commentators are to be believed.

The Dragons scored 721 yards in total offense against the lowly Buffaloes, who managed only 267.

Knowles reportedly suited up last night and was prepared to play in case of an emergency – Renda suffering an injury, let’s say. But he was benched against Haltom out of an excess of caution and – I strongly suspect – because head coach Riley Dodge wanted to see how the soph handled himself in a low-stakes game against an overmatched opponent.

Happy news

The happy news is that Renda did just fine, completing 80 percent of his passes (16 of 20, if you’re keeping count) for 217 yards and 2 passing TDs. There were a few opening-night jitters that a more talented opponent might have been able to capitalize on. But the young Renda has nothing to be ashamed of in his starting debut.

Both of his scoring strikes went to the night’s third sophomore star – receiver Brock Boyd, who snagged 7 passes for 100 yards. His first TD came after a 38-yard reception near the end of the first quarter which gave the Dragons a 21-7 lead. Boyd’s second closed out scoring in the first half when he caught a 16-yard pass to extend Carroll’s cushion to 45-7.

Carroll’s mastery over the Buffs wasn’t unexpected. But it was brutal in execution. The Dragons scored on all but two of their possessions. And their dominance presented Carroll coaches with an opportunity to give quality playing time to their backup players, those splendid kids who dwell largely out of the limelight, but whose role in helping the starting players prepare each week is invaluable. Invaluable and a key to Dragon success.

It’s a fact that Riley Dodge learned at the knee of his father, the legendary Todd Dodge. The senior Dodge never missed an opportunity to direct attention to the backups and to publicly acknowledge the vital role they play getting the Dragons ready for their next opponent.

He gets it

Not every coach understands that, choosing to devote time and energy to his elite players. But Riley Dodge gets it, bless ’im. And I think that understanding is one of the things that has made him such a rousing success in this, his very first, head-coaching job. Who knows? Before all’s said and done, he could be even greater than his dad. Wouldn’t that be something?

As for last night, it was satisfying to watch players we don’t see very much make a big impact on the field. Junior rusher Christian Glenn (11 attempts for 87 yards) accounted for 2 Dragon touchdowns last night on runs 18 yards and 12 yards.

He and senior Jake Erwin (13-62) carried the ground game for most of the second half.

Third-string quarterback Carter Lind (5-5, 71) saw significant playing time, and he secured the Dragons’ final score with a 27-yard dart at midpoint in the final quarter to senior Erik Bussman.

The Dragon defense kept Haltom’s low-wattage offense dim and flickering all night, limiting the Buffs to 267 total yards compared to the Dragons’ 721. 

Quarterback Ashton Moore could complete only 6 of 14 pass attempts for a puny 104 yards. He rushed 14 times for only 27 yards. Success for Moore was largely confined to a connection with receiver Ishmeah Jalloh (4-93), who darted 28 yards for a meaningless TD late in the slaughter.

The only other bright spot for Haltom came early, when RB Devan Ramirez Powell raced 40 yards down the right sideline to bring the score to 14-7. That run momentarily pumped life into the sagging Buffaloes, who had just watched the Dragons effortlessly score back-to-back TDs in a handful of plays.

The ensuing onslaught

Dreams of making a fight of it died quickly, however, in the ensuing onslaught of Carroll scores.

Next week is a bye week for the Dragons. It comes at an opportune time, considering the absence tonight of the worthy Graham Knowles. It gives him another week to heal and to return energized and ready for the rest of the season.

Because while Angelo Renda epitomized the “next man up” philosophy that governs the Southlake program – and while he proved equal to the challenge – I think all Dragonheads would feel better with Knowles under center as Carroll plunges into the middle of a district race that’s heating up nicely.

Carroll faces the Keller Indians on Oct. 5, and the Byron Nelson Bobcats await on Oct. 27. Both are road games against the programs that appear to pose the most serious threats to Dragon hopes of repeating as District 4-6A champion.

Keller and Byron Nelson are both 5-0 for the season and 2-0 in 4-6A play. Keller destroyed Keller Central last night 35-8, and the Bobcats demolished Timber Creek 63-26.

Fall's here (hooray!) and high school football is in full swing. Strap yourselves in tight, boys and girls. From here, the road gets a little bumpier. But that just makes the ride more exciting, don't it? 

Go Dragons!

The Dragons enjoy a bye week, then journey to Keller on Oct. 5 to meet the surging Indians.

Storming into district: Southlake Carroll 44, Keller Timber Creek 0

 

Senior Jacob Jordan evades a Timber Creek Falcon on his way to a TD. He got two last night.

Raining misery and mayhem

KELLER – Dark, forbidding clouds loomed over the KISD Athletic Complex last night, but the storm coming for the Keller Timber Creek Falcons wasn’t meteorological in nature.

It was a football maelstrom orchestrated and delivered by the Southlake Carroll Dragons, who rained misery and mayhem on the hapless Falcons as both squads began District 4-6A play.

   The Dragons pounced on Timber Creek early and often, shutting down its offense and casually brushing aside its defense, despite a sloppy performance that had diehard Dragonheads blushing in embarrassment.

Hardly noticeable

Against a better team, three interceptions, a pair of near-fumbles and a mishandled punt might have signaled disaster. But Carroll’s dominance over the Falcons was so complete that its missteps hardly were noticeable.

In dismantling Timber Creek with such brutal efficiency, the Dragons announced in no uncertain terms that they expect to repeat as District 4-6A champions.

At this point, who’s going to argue with them? The 3-0 Byron Nelson Bobcats, perhaps. The Dragons best be prepared for their pre-Halloween encounter on the road with the opportunistic ’Cats, who destroyed Keller Fossil Ridge last night 52-7.

Against the beleaguered Falcons, Carroll took early ownership of KISD Athletic Complex. On its first two drives, the Dragons took only two plays apiece to put points on the board.

 The Dragon D, which in the words of its coach played “lights out” all evening – scuttled the first Falcon possession by sacking quarterback Lior Mendji twice – the second on a 4-and-15 at his own 48.

Pass and run

Carroll quarterback Graham Knowles, a Virginia Tech commit, then threw a 43-yard pass-and-run to his leading receiver, senior Jacob Jordan. Sophomore phenom Davis Penn zipped the final 5 yards and put the Dragons ahead.

Defensive back Trey Ferri corrals Timber Creek quarterback Lior Mendji. 

On the ensuing kickoff, the defense – led by rampaging lineman Dustan Mark – held the Falcons to a 3-and-out, first stuffing a Creek runner for an 8-yard loss before defensive back Trey Ferri almost picked off a Mendji pass. Ferri, who has grabbed interceptions in each of the last two games, almost got his hands on a couple more of Mendji attempts.

After Jordan returned the Falcon punt to the Creek 41, Knowles hit Caden Jackson with a 5-yarder before senior Gray Young rumbled 36 yards for the second Carroll score in the space of 2 minutes.

Head coach Riley Dodge told the Fort Worth Star Telegram’s Charles Baggerly that his defensive unit, which held Timber Creek to only 138 total yards, performed last night with relentless intensity.

“All 11 on the field,” Dodge said. “Just being dialed into the game plan. I think the biggest thing is just playing fast and physical.”

He singled out Mark for particular praise.

“He’s the defensive player of the year in our district for a reason,” Dodge said. “We have a lot of seniors on defense that have played a lot of football. The veterans communicate well together, so we’re playing faster now.”

In a preseason article in 76092 Magazine, safety Aaron Scherp, another defensive star, elaborated on the D’s camaraderie.

‘Trustworthy group’

“We have 11 seniors on the defense starting,” Scherp told writer Carlos Mendez. “We’re a tight, trustworthy group. We’re going to be closer than any other group because we all grew up together. Eight of us went to the same middle school.”

Jordan, an Oklahoma commit, was the offensive standout last night, making 7 catches for 168 yards. He accounted for two scores, a leaping catch between two Falcons to close out the first quarter and a full-body-extension catch in the end zone to put the Dragons up 28-0 at halftime.

He also talked to the Star-T’s Baggerly after the game.

Jordan spoke of the chemistry he has built with Knowles (16-22, 2 TDs) over the years.

“That’s my guy,” Jordan said. “I have a ton of trust in him.”

For Knowles, last night was a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, he completed 73 percent of his passes, hitting Jordan twice in the end zone. And his accuracy in throwing the long ball showed marked improvement.

But those two interceptions dampened the celebrations a bit. Perhaps the weather played a role. A light but steady rain fell from the middle of the first period until almost halftime. That soaked everything, including yours truly. But it seems churlish to bitch about something so longed-for and seldom-received, doesn’t it?

Sophomore Davis Penn heads for the end zone, leaving Falcons in his wake.

Besides, weather is something that affects both teams equally, and it seemed Southlake was having most of the trouble last night with ball security.

Plenty to say

If I know Dodge, he will have plenty to say about the subject. And his kids will listen. The coach knows, and so do his young charges, that now – early in the season and against weaker foes – is the time to work out the kinks and get the timing right.

I’m no expert, but the eye test tells me that Carroll’s offense is jelling into the potent force it must have to flourish in the post-season.

That’s the goal, you see, for premier programs like Southlake Carroll, for whom district play is just the prelude for the main event, the UIL football playoffs.

Carroll’s offensive fireworks settled down in the second half. It could manage no more than a 27-yard Kyle Lemmermann field goal in the third period.

Penn (15 carries for 83 yards) made a 3-yard jaunt across the goal line to open the 4^th period, and backup quarterback Angelo Renda zipped a 31-yard pass to senior Erik Bussmann to close out Dragon scoring.

Renda, a junior who clearly has designs on the starting spot next year, showed poise and confidence in the pocket during his minutes on the field. True, he was responsible for the Dragons’ third interception of the night, but he’s a backup, after all.

Looked promising

Junior Christian Glenn, who is listed on the roster as a wide receiver, also was given some rushing duties last night and looked promising. Late in the game, he battled 19 yards to move the ball from midfield to the Falcon 31. That’s where Renda connected with Bussmann for the Dragons’ sixth TD.

Next week, Carroll will host the Haltom Buffaloes for Homecoming. The Buffs are not expected to make much of a stir in 4-6A this year. Anything can happen, of course, this being high school football.

I’m a superstitious soul so I won’t predict a cakewalk. But most likely, it’ll turn into a pleasant stroll with dessert at the end.

And it’s Homecoming, folks, so Mum’s the word!

Go, Dragons!

Head coach Riley Dodge speaks to his Dragons after their first district win.

Successful road trip: Southlake Carroll 31, Cedar Hill 6

 

Quarterback Graham Knowles heads for the endzone.

Not a clash of titans, but …

Greg Riddle knows a lot about high school football. And he should.

He’s been covering the subject since 2000 for The Dallas Morning News and doing an admirable job it.

That makes the headline on his online game story about last night’s contest between Southlake Carroll and Cedar Hill all the more curious. “Southlake Carroll cruises past Cedar Hill in matchup of former dynasties.” (Emphasis mine.)

Riddle’s story didn’t actually support the premise suggested in the headline that the Carroll Dragons and the Cedar Hill Longhorns are washed-up has-beens. Was it, after all, just another contemptible example of digital clickbait?

Of course it was. And shame on the DMN for sacrificing accuracy for a few extra clicks – if in fact that’s what the fraudulent headline produced.

Riddle, to his credit, went to some pains to point out the past glories of the two programs – the Dragons’ four state titles in five years, a 79-1 win streak under Todd Dodge that is part of Texas high school football legend. Cedar Hill’s nine-year span in which it reached the finals four times and took home three trophies.

He points out that in 2006 – a year in which both schools won state titles in 5A (then the largest classification), Divisions I and II – a contest between Longhorns and Dragons “would have been one of the best matchups in state history.”

A lot has changed

“Both were among the greatest dynasties in Texas high school football history, but a lot has changed since then,” he writes. “Friday’s game at Cedar Hill’s Longhorn Stadium was a matchup of two teams headed in opposite directions.”

The Dragons, of course, are the team headed upward. Under coach Riley Dodge, Carroll has plunged deep into the playoffs each year he’s helmed the team. As Riddle rightly points out, Carroll is poised to do so again this year and last night “showed that it may have the talent to make a run at another state title.”

As you can see, our local heroes fared very well under the DMN microscope. My beef with Riddle – and it’s a small round steak, not a big ole T-bone – is his willingness to dismiss Cedar Hill as down for the count.

It’s only too true that Cedar Hill is in a down cycle and has been for several years. But that’s the nature of high school football. There are ups and downs. Graduation poses the single greatest challenge for high school coaches in sustaining quality and success.

Rare is the program that manages to mitigate the “down” cycle and keep the Ws coming. Carroll happens to be one of that rare breed.

But winning a state title isn’t easy – even if all the cards fall the right way. In Texas, which offers the best high school football in the nation (is this really open to debate?), the playoffs from start to finish are a battlefield, a struggle marked by endurance, luck and discipline. (Yes, athletic ability plays a role, too! 😊)

Revisiting the mountaintop

 Carroll, with eight trophies on display, knows that better than anyone. It’s been 2011 since the Dragons last scaled the highest peak, but there’s no shame in that. They will revisit the mountaintop in good time.

As will Cedar Hill. Of that I have little doubt. And I suspect that the worthy Riddle – who I’ve never met but respect mightily – knows that, too.

But not this year. As the Longhorns demonstrated last night, they’ve got a lot of work to do.

Christian Glenn races toward the endzone in the closing moments of the game. 

The stars of the night probably were Dragon defenders, who stifled the Longhorn offense, forced three turnovers and a number of costly mistakes, and knocked starting quarterback Jaylen Thomas out of the game.

Oh, yes, and they held Cedar Hill scoreless until the fourth quarter when RB Ashton Blake broke through Carroll’s line of defensive backups, who had just taken over for the starters, and ran 70 yards for the only Longhorn score. A 2-point conversion attempt failed.

Kyler Granville-Gilbert, a senior listed on the roster as a wide receiver, took over for the injured Thomas, but together, they could manage only 71 passing yards for the night.

On the ground, the Longhorns compiled 272 yards, including breakout runs by Blake and Zhalylen Scott. That eclipsed Carroll’s 218. But it accounted for nothing other than Blake’s meaningless late-game sprint.

Playing lights out

“Defensively, we were lights out all night,” Riley Dodge told the DMN’s Riddle. “They were relentless and never got bored with success. Cedar Hill is a good football team. They really run the football. Our guys had a great week of preparation and did an unbelievable job.”

The Dragons high-scoring offense, led by Graham Knowles, had a mostly quiet night. After averaging more than 60 points against its first two opponents, Carroll settled for 31 last night, all on the ground.

Senior James Lehman (7-25) rushed for two TDs, Knowles (14-22, 180) added a third, and kicker supreme Kyle Lemmermann booted his first field goal of the season – a 22-yarder that gave the Dragons a 24-0 lead.

The offensive highlight of the game – at least from where I sat – came from the defense in the final quarter.

The Longhorns, operating near mid-field, were trying to convert a 4-1 when Granville-Gilbert couldn’t handle a bad snap and the ball flew free.

Senior defensive lineman Wyatt Duffy scooped it up and rumbled 46 yards to the endzone. It was the second consecutive game that one of the Dragons’ Big Guys has scored a touchdown. Glory be.

A rousing start

The game – played in a 104-degree cauldron – got off to a rousing, if toasty, start. It took the Dragons only 1 ½ minutes to get on the scoreboard.

After Carroll marched purposefully downfield – with Knowles connecting with receivers sophomore Brock Boyd (5-52) and senior Jacob Jordan (4-32) – Lehman capped the drive with a 5-yard payoff up the middle.

On the ensuing kickoff, Cedar Hill bobbled the ball, and junior Christian Glenn, racing downfield, pounced on it at the Longhorn 10.

Licking their chops, the Dragons lined up for another score. But Davis Penn, Carroll’s leading rusher with 116 yards on 11 attempts, was buried behind the line.

Knowles dropped back on the next play and looked for a receiver in the endzone. But his pass was intercepted, and Cedar Hill took it to the 22, ending the threat.

Carroll wouldn’t score again until the middle of the second period. At that point, a Dragon drive, highlighted by a 45-yard Knowles pass to senior Caden Jackson (2-64), carried Carroll to the Longhorn 15. From there, Knowles darted in for the second Dragon score.

Cedar Hill could do no better than a 3-and-out, and the Dragons capped first-half scoring with Lehman’s second TD of the night.

But the heroics weren’t over for Southlake’s finest.

With seconds left in first half, Thomas quickly led his Longhorns to the Dragon 35, where the Dragon D buried him behind the line. Then, two plays later, Dragon defensive back Trey Ferri, waiting at the goal line, intercepted Thomas’ last-gasp throw.

It was Ferri’s second interception in as many games. Earlier in the half, Ferri had missed by inches another Thomas pass. This kid has an instinct for the ball and roams the secondary like a hungry predator.

An interesting sighting

Riddle’s game story included a tantalizing tidbit that escaped the notice of most Dragon fans, I suspect. He spotted star junior running back Riley Wormley on the sideline, wearing a jersey top.

Wormley, a transfer from Colleyville, was forced by the UIL to sit out this year because he transferred to Southlake for athletic reasons, a serious no-no, particularly for closely scrutinized programs like Carroll.

Call it sour grapes if you will, but it’s only fair to point out that the holier-than-thou UIL seems to turn a blind eye to other programs facing similar circumstances. (I know, I know. It’s complicated.)

Regardless, it’s clear that Wormley – who enjoys collegiate interest from Texas, Oklahoma, TCU and others – already is preparing for his senior year in the Dragon lineup. That’s a prospect to warm a Dragonhead’s heart.

But one season at a time. District play begins next week, with the Dragons traveling to ramshackle KISD Athletic Complex to face Keller Timber Creek.

Word is that the Falcons are likely candidates to make the playoffs in District 4-6A. Maybe so. I don’t expect a cakewalk on Thursday, and I’m sure Timber Creek would love to play the role of Dragon-killer this season. All I can say to that is: Bring it!

Go Dragons!

Pre-district romp: Southlake Carroll 57, Flower Mound Marcus 15

 

Trey Ferri spoils the party by reeling in an errant Marcus Marauder throw.

Mission accomplished!

SOUTHLAKE – Dustan Mark, a 6-4, 235-pound behemoth who provides the muscle, gristle and fury of Southlake Carroll’s perennially undersized defense, confided to a pre-season interviewer that he had set a special goal for his final year as a Carroll Dragon.

“I kinda said to myself that my senior year, I’m gonna get a touchdown,” he told 76092 Magazine’s Carlos Mendez. “I don’t know how that’s going to happen – a fumble recovery, an interception – but I’m going to get a touchdown. That’s my goal this season.”

Well, Mr. Mark, you can check that box: Mission accomplished.

For the Dragons, Mark's endzone scamper occurred at just the right moment, jolting awake a dozing Carroll team that had allowed Flower Mound Marcus to hang around long after the Marauders should have been rounded up and corralled.

More than half-way through the 3^rd period, the Dragons led by only 21-12 and had committed a series of missteps rarely seen in Carroll’s disciplined program.

A blocked Kyle Lemmerman punt and a James Lehman fumble in the end zone had caused a restless stir to waft through the home side of Dragon Stadium.

Carroll fans then watched in frustration as another Dragon drive stalled at the Marcus 39 and Lemmerman took his place for another punt attempt.

Booting the ball

A delay-of-game call – another rarity in these parts – pushed the ball back to the 44, and that’s where Lemmerman – perhaps still smarting from his earlier blocked attempt – booted the ball inside the Marauder 5, where the Dragons pounced on it at the 2.

Marcus clawed its way to the 9, where disaster struck. As Marcus quarterback Dane Parlin hopelessly juggled a snap over his head, the ball bounced free.

James Lehman fights for yardage.

Mark – who had spent a good part of the night harassing Parlin – scooped it up and threw himself over the goal line with the desperation and exuberance of a man leaping on the last train from a doomed city.

I don’t know about you, but it does my heart good when one of the Big Guys, who perform most of their game-saving heroics in the shadows cast by the offensive stars, finally gets his closeup – in the full glare of Friday Night Lights.

After Mark’s triumph, the Marauders would manage only a 34-yard Owen Gall field goal for the rest of the game, while the Dragons swept the sleep from their eyes and scored on their next four consecutive drives.

Long-ball struggles

Just as he did last week, Dragon quarterback Graham Knowles struggled with the long ball, overthrowing at least two of his receivers as they sped through the endzone.

But he completed 15 of 23 throws (65%) for 203 yards and one TD, a 15-yard toss to tight end Jack Van Dorselaer, before handing the reins to sophomore Angelo Renda.

Knowles also ran for another two scores, zipping 9 yards before diving into the endzone with 12 seconds left in the first half, and later jogging undisturbed 5 yards across the line.

 It was Carroll’s ground game that racked up the points last night. Sophomore Davis Penn was spectacular, rushing for 123 yards on 19 carries and scoring twice. His first TD came late in the 1^st quarter on a 2-yard plunge, and his second was a 17-yard sprint at the beginning of the 3^rd..

 By then, Carroll’s 43-15 lead had the marching band kids reaching for the sheet music to “Hey, Baby,” as if they hadn’t long since memorized the song that declares a Dragon victory.

Lehman, 9 carries for 56 yards, began scoring for the Dragons. Marcus’ first drive of the night was slowed, then stopped, first by a Parlin sack by Mark (he would have three by night’s end) and by a wild snap by the Marauder center that sent Parlin scrambling into his own red zone. Alas for Marcus, it would be the first of many.

Waltzing in for the score

Now set up on the Marcus 21, the Dragons quickly glided to the 8, from where Lehman waltzed into the endzone. Knowles and Penn would each add their pair, and backup Christian Glenn wrapped things up with a 7-yarder as Dragon Stadium began to empty.

 Parlin would end the night with respectable passing numbers, considering his troubles with his center. He completed 15 of 21 passes for 203 yards and one score. But he was intercepted twice, once by senior Trey Feri to set up Davis Penn’s first score, and again by sophomore Austin Bussman, who prevented a Marcus touchdown in the final period when he snared a Parlin pass in the endzone.

The two Marauder TDs came within 4 minutes of each other in the 2^nd quarter. The first was set up by Lemmerman’s blocked punt, which handed Marcus a short field. Parlin took full advantage, scoring on a 4-yard run five plays later.

During the next series, the Dragons turned the ball over on downs, and Parlin immediately connected with receiver Karic Grennan, who raced 67 yards to bring the Marauders to within 2 – 14-12.

But they missed both extra-point tries, tangible evidence of their struggles and of the effectiveness of a swarming Dragon D. In fact, it obliterated the Marauder ground game, limiting it to a laughable 18 yards in the second half.

Carroll's swarming defense held Marcus to 18 rushing yards in the second half.

The beleaguered Parlin’s rushing stats were appalling. He lost 110 yards on seven carries, most of which he spent chasing errant snaps.

Be a Belle!

A special moment occurred during half-time last night. The Emerald Belles, perhaps the state’s best high school drill team (no brag, just fact), were celebrating their 60^th anniversary. More than 400 former Belles joined their contemporaries on the field for a dance routine to the music of “We Are Family.”

The Belles, who have appeared on national TV and performed for most of the area’s professional sports teams, are a special bunch. Their group motto is “Be Kind, Be a Belle,” and these young women, from all accounts, take it seriously.

They work long hours to perfect their routines, and it shows with every performance. They are adored by young and old alike.

After the Belles' halftime extravaganza, one squad member visited her family sitting directly behind me. As she sat serenely on the steps beside her parents’ seats, she immediately was surrounded by a crowd of excited young girls eager to bask in her reflected glory, a mob scene she endured with admirable grace.

Hurrah to the Belles, young and old. Long may they rule!

Road trip, anyone?

Next week, the Dragons travel to Cedar Hill for the beginning of a two-game road trip. The Longhorns aren’t the terrifying ogres of years past, but they still will present a better pre-season test of how good this team is.

I don’t expect Carroll to roll up the numbers in Cedar Hill that it has enjoyed the last couple of weeks again El Paso Eastwood and the Marauders.

True, the Dragons whipped the Longhorns 38-7 last year. But the up-and-down cycles of high school football aside, Carroll still must face the hallmark of the Cedar Hill program – talented, well-coached athletes.

Cooler temps are on the way! Aren’t they? Surely, surely they are.

Go Dragons!

Sophomore Davis Penn led Dragon rushing with 123 yards and 2 TDs.

New season, same outcome: Southlake Carroll 70, El Paso Eastwood 21

 

Bob Ledbetter at Dragon Stadium

An honor long overdue

SOUTHLAKE – The Southlake Carroll Dragons inaugurated their home turf – which last night officially became Bob Ledbetter Field at Dragon Stadium – in a way that the legendary Ledbetter can understand and appreciate.

They put on an impressive offensive fireworks display, obliterated their hapless West Texas opponents and confidently set their sights on a district title, a deep run into the playoffs and – who knows? – maybe even a ninth state championship.

It’s almost impossible to overstate the impact that Bob Ledbetter (he “led better,” get it?) has had on Southlake.

Under Ledbetter, as head football coach and Carroll ISD athletic director, the Dragons football program dominated the UIL’s 3A classification in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He and the Dragons brought home to Southlake state championships in 1988, 1992 and 1993.

He installed a single, united football strategy – including training and terminology – from youth football through the middle schools and on to the varsity under Friday Night Lights. He decreed that every school in the CISD, from elementary on up, would have the Dragon as a mascot. (“We’re all Dragons!”)

Protecting the tradition

It was Ledbetter who heartily endorsed the “Protect the Tradition” marketing slogan, still ubiquitously in use, whose genius lies in the fact that it means so many different things to so many different people.

In the process, he was instrumental in transforming Southlake from a small, undistinguished suburb nestled between the behemoths of Dallas and Fort Worth into the exclusive, proud (some would say excessively proud) upscale enclave it is today.

Without high school football – which is to say, without Bob Ledbetter – Southlake would be just another sleepy, self-satisfied, insular North Texas suburb, dominated by gated neighborhoods and toney, upscale retail outlets.

It is all of those things, but it is something more – a place where its children – or at least a solid proportion of them – are taught that excellence is defined by hard work, discipline and a fierce determination to succeed.

The only question I have about the decision to recognize Ledbetter by naming the turf at Dragon Stadium after him is: What the hell took the powers-that-be so long to do so?

Too busy banning books, tolerating racism and installing a know-nothing approach to education in their classrooms?

(Oops! Sorry. I broke my own rule: Dragon game stories are a politics-free zone.  Oh, well, blame my four decades as a newspaper man and the fact that my daughter is a teacher. Apologies. Sometimes, it just slips out. 😊)

Following the playbook

A lot of people in these parts credit Todd Dodge, another legendary coach and the father of current head coach Riley Dodge, with creating the legacy of football excellence in Southlake. And while it’s true that the elder Dodge brought four more state trophies to Southlake – all in an unbelievable five-year stretch known widely as “The Run” – Dodge was wise enough and lucky enough to follow the Ledbetter playbook.

I don’t mean to take anything away from Dodge, a phenomenal coach who recreated his Southlake success elsewhere. He deserves immense credit in his own right. But it’s only fair and accurate to point out that he enjoyed the benefits of the football factory crafted by the wily Ledbetter.

The Ledbetter family at Dragon Stadium last night.

By my lights, they did right by the legend last night. The Bob Ledbetter Field dedication was quickly and tastefully done.

It took less than 10 minutes, as likely a response to the evening’s blistering heat as to an outbreak of judgment and taste. After all, the kickoff between the Dragons and the El Paso Eastwood Troopers already had been pushed to 8 p.m. to protect both players and fans.

Not much of a contest

Predictably, the game was anticlimactic. The contest, if you can call it that, effectively was over by the end of the first quarter, with the Dragons leading 28-0.

Essentially, it was almost an exact replay of last year’s match up with the Troopers, when Southlake crushed Eastwood 66-14 after jumping to an insurmountable first-quarter lead. To their credit, the game but overwhelmed Troopers never quit, but they still faced another long, dismal12-hour drive home.

Graham Knowles, who guided the Dragons to the fourth round of the playoffs last year, picked up where he left off. The Georgia Tech commit tossed five touchdown passes, completing 70 percent of his throws and connecting with six different receivers in the three quarters he was on the field.

Last season, after stepping in for the injured Kaden Anderson, Knowles threw 18 TDs before the Dragons’ season ended at the hands of the detestable Denton Guyer Wildcats. If the 6-foot-7 senior can keep up this pace – unlikely, but a guy can dream, can’t he? – he’ll equal his 18 TDs last season by the fourth game this time around.

Knowles (19-27 for 322 yards) looked cool and confident in the pocket. Most of his throws zipped efficiently to his targets, although he struggled a bit with the long ball.

“We put in a lot of preparation into this game over the summer so it feels great to go out there and to execute at the level we know we could,” Knowles told Cody Thorn of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

He wasn’t the only star shining brightly in the sultry, overheated air over Bob Ledbetter Field last night. Senior WR Jacob Jordan – Knowles’ favorite target -- met fans’ ambitious expectations by ending three consecutive drives with scoring catches of 19, 31 and 50 yards. The Oklahoma commit led the receiving corps with 7 catches for 157 yards.

Senior WR Erik Bussman (4-74) added two more receiving touchdowns and Caden Jackson ticked off another. Knowles is blessed with a deep and talented receiving corps. Let’s hope he can make good use of them.

A replacement for Allen?

Since the graduation of rushing phenom Owen Allen – headed to Air Force and the great beyond, bless him – Dragon Nation has been wondering about the state of Carroll’s running game.

And while there’ll be no replacing the redoubtable Allen, last night’s contest provided evidence that hope is not all lost.

Graham Knowles threw five touchdown passes and connected with six different receivers.

Dragonheads have been down in the dumps ever since Colleyville transfer Riley Wormley, a worthy successor to Allen, failed to pass UIL scrutiny. (That’s a story that must wait for another day.)

But sophomore Davis Penn boldly stepped up last night to assure the downcast masses, “Forget about him, folks. Here I am.”

Penn – who raised eyebrows late last season as a dew-faced frosh – led Carroll’s ground game with 102 yards on 8 carries. He found the endzone twice, once on a 10-yard blast and the other on a stunning 68-yard dash to the line.

James Lehman, a senior RB plagued by injury last year, had a solid game, rushing 4 times for 57 yards and demonstrating his potential to be a game-changer.

But it was a night for sophomore star turns. Backup quarterback Angelo Renda, who replaced Knowles when Carroll’s starters left the field shortly after halftime, made the most of his opportunity.

He electrified the sweaty and somnolent stadium late in the third quarter when he took the first snap of a Dragon drive, zipped untouched around the left end and zoomed 75 yards to the endzone, the nearest defender 20 yards in his wake.

Best keep your eye on Renda, who also connected with Bussman on one of the senior’s two TD grabs. He could be next year’s starter.

Junior Carter Lind might have something to say about that, however. The third-string signal caller made a brief appearance, guiding the offense to the 1-yard line before capping Dragon scoring with a late-game dart across the line.

Head coach Riley Dodge, beginning his sixth year in charge of the Dragon program, pronounced himself pleased with last night’s result.

“I love how we started the ball game in all three phases,” Dodge told the Star-T’s Thorn. “We had a couple of first-game stuff we need to clean up, but I’m really proud of the guys. We didn’t have a lot of film on the Troopers. We wanted to keep it simple.”

Making a noise out west

As for the Troopers, they went 9-3 last year after their drubbing by the Dragons. They’re good enough to make some noise again out west in the next few weeks. But against one of the state’s premier programs, they looked sadly outmanned and outgunned.

Trooper quarterback Evan Minjarez was under pressure for much of the night by a Dragon defense led by Dustan Mark and linebackers Aaron Scherp and Carter High. The Carroll D gave up 21 points in the effort, but I’ll cut it some slack. Keeping your concentration and intensity while enjoying a four-score lead may be too much to expect this early in the season.

Despite the harassment, Minjarez remained steady and focused, managing to complete 19 of 44 passes for 202 yards and two TDs, both to receiver Rudy Garcia. He also racked up 69 yards on the ground with 13 keepers. Most of Eastwood’s offensive fizz came during a stretch in the second quarter, a TD pass to Garcia and a 4-yard scoring run by Jayden Martinez.

The Dragons will face a stiffer test next week when they host the Flower Mound Marcus Marauders. Dodge said last night’s slaughter served its purpose for the local lads.

“I think it gives us momentum going into next week,” he told the Star-T. “We got guys’ confidence and knocked some cobwebs off. It was nice to compete with someone else besides ourselves every day.”

Dare we expect a break in the furnace-blast heat? I doubt it. Fall, you can’t come quickly enough!

Go, Dragons!

Cancer and me: The journey begins

 

A new life motto?

Particularly unwelcome news

As health scares go, I’d rate it as a solid 8, edging toward a 9.

To cut to the chase, I’m recovering from surgery to remove a tumor from my lower bowel. The pathology report confirmed it’s cancer, officially known as a “well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor, grade 2.”

As a cancer survivor – I had a malignant prostate removed several years ago – this news was particularly unwelcome.

I beat the Big C once, thank you very much. Jeezus, how many times does one person have to go into the ring with such an implacable and indominable foe?

The answer, it appears, is – as many times as it takes.

My doctors tell me that it could be much worse. My tumor is slow-growing and nonaggressive. It isn’t the kind of cancer that spreads wildly and kills quickly and certainly.

My surgeon says his team got all of it they could detect, taking 15 inches of my lower bowel and part of my colon in the process. But because my lymph nodes were affected, the possibility remains that it could spread. Dogged vigilance, it appears, is in my future – forever.

My gastroenterologist, who’s treated me for ulcerative colitis for more than 25 years, essentially told me to take a deep breath. Perhaps he detected the poorly disguised terror in my voice.

“Nobody wants to have cancer,” he said. “But if you’ve got to have it, this is the kind to have.”

It all started with the digestive issues I've been having for months. Normally, my UC has been kept in check by regular infusions of a miracle drug called Remicade, sometimes referred to as the “million-dollar drug,” both for its effectiveness and its hefty price tag. (Thank God for Medicare.)

But fierce cramps and a constant upset stomach had ruined my Zen so I went to the doctor and began searching for answers.

After an MRI, a combined colonoscopy and endoscopy, a stool study (don’t ask), and finally a CAT-scan, the truth began to emerge. “We found a nodule in your lower intestine,” my doc said.

“Hmm, that doesn’t sound good,” I replied. “How much trouble am I in?”

“I dunno,” he said unhelpfully, but not unkindly. “But it’s got to come out.”

So off to a surgeon I went. He went in for a cute little nodule and came out with a big ole scary tumor. Lucky me.

Next in store is a session with an oncologist to decide on next steps. My chief job now, I suppose, is to stay positive. That's easier said than done, particularly for a glass-half-empty kinda guy like me for whom thinking positively isn’t a natural state.

I don’t expect to be a regular chronicler of my “cancer journey.” Mostly because I don’t think it’s going to be very interesting or illuminating.

But my family and some of my friends are aware of the health issues swirling around me so I offer this update and thank them for their continued interest and strong temporal and spiritual support. It makes a difference even if sometimes I'm not gracious enough to acknowledge it.

Onward through the fog!

Randy Riggs, an old friend now gone

 

Randy Riggs

Randy Riggs, who I knew, admired and, yes, loved for more than a half century, is gone, lost to his beloved family and many friends after a quiet and valiant two-year battle against that most merciless of adversaries – cancer.

Randy was a brilliant writer and had a well-tuned sense of humor. He first produced laugh-out-loud observations about the absurdity and mayhem of the world in columns he wrote for the student newspaper at North Texas State University, now UNT, in the early 1970s.

He easily could have become a humor writer for any newspaper in the country. He was that funny. But instead, he chose sports writing as his trade and poured all of his sizable talent into bringing to life for his readers the infinite variety of sports. He spent the last 36 years of his brilliant career at the Austin American Stateman before retiring in 2013.

For a time during our college careers, we worked together on the staff of the student-produced North Texas Daily. When I was chosen as Daily editor in Fall 1972, Randy was the first person I asked to join my staff. His cool judgment and sound advice saved my ass more than once.

Later, we became roommates in Lubbock when we both worked for the Avalanche Journal.

By the time I arrived at the paper in 1974, Randy already was a star on the Sports Desk. We rarely saw each other. He worked days and frequently was on the road covering one team or another, and I was the night cops reporter.

Randy, bless him, showed great patience and forbearance as my roommate. He endured silently the night I brought home after deadline five or six colleagues from the night shift for an “early breakfast.” The gathering broke up about an hour before Randy had to be up for work.

Even today, I wince a bit at my selfish disregard for Randy’s feelings and my utter lack of respect. Randy never uttered a word in protest or rebuke.

He and I caught up with each other again at the American Statesman. There, too, Randy was a standout on the Sports Desk, which was peopled with talented reporters and columnists. But Randy was special – in so many ways. I know his colleagues and friends there are in mourning today.

My heart, too, is heavy today. My condolences go to his wife, Patti, and his children, Adam and Katy.

 Many of my old friends are of an age when this sort of loss becomes more frequent. Randy was 71 and is the third member of my North Texas Daily staff to die from cancer. Steve Monk and Joseph McAnally, great friends for many years, both were taken by the Big C.

I’m comforted, strangely, by a scene I imagine taking place in the Great Beyond. Steve, Joe and Randy are together, drinking beer and reminiscing about the wild and crazy days at North Texas. They're having a grand time.

Soon enough, I suppose, I’ll be joining them. Randy will look up and rumble, “Gunnels, you’re late.”