by EJ Holland
Southlake Carroll made a statement on Friday.
The Dragons not only knocked off a red-hot Byron Nelson teambrbut also flat out dominated the game from start to finish. With just two gamesbrremaining, Southlake Carroll is the clear front-runner to capture the districtbrtitle.
“Our kids came out and played well,” said Southlake Carrollbrhead coach Hal Wasson. “We played more physical. The more we work, the betterbrwe're getting. It was just a dominant win. We continued to gain momentum.”
But the win over Byron Nelson came at a cost.
Dragons star DB/WR
Dragons star DB/WR
Robert Barnes will miss
the remainder of the
season after suffering a
oken fibula against
Byron Nelson.
The Dragons lost captain and U.S. Army All-American Robert Barnes for this week’s game against L.D. Bell and beyond with a broken fibula.brBarnes was the heart and soul of the defense and a reliable playmaker onbroffense.
“You just hate it for Robert,” Wasson said. “It's his seniorbryear, and we know how hard he's worked. On the same token, you're happy for himbrbecause the injury can heal and he has an opportunity to continue playing atbrOklahoma. He will continue to be valuable to us with his leadership andbrenthusiastic personality.”
Barnes will especially be missed on the offensive side ofbrthe ball this week. LD Bell has continued to improve on defense throughout thebrseason and is coming off a dominant performance against Lewisville.
The Raiders kept Alabama commit Tyrell Shavers in check andbrcame away with an important 38-7 victory over Lewisville. L.D. Bell now sits atbr3-5 overall and has momentum on its side.
“It seems like we always catch a team after a big win,”brWasson said with a chuckle. “But yes, they have improved. They have good safetybrplay. Their linebackers move well. We're missing Robert, but our team has tobrstep up collectively. Each person has to improve their level of play.”
On the flip side of the ball, L.D. Bell has struggled tobrfind much success. The Raiders average fewer than 20 points per game and havebrbeen held to less than 10 points in three of their last four contests.
Still, L.D. Bell has a strong rushing attack led by IvanbrTraylor and Terry Pace. The two running backs have combined for more than 1,000bryards and 13 touchdowns on the year.
“They feature two really good backs,” Wasson said. “I'vebrbeen really impressed with them. They like to go vertical. They take deepbrshots. But we have to keep the focus on ourselves. We know we are going to getbrL.D. Bell's best.”