IV Seacat, Robert Barnes, Jake Oldroyd, Obi Eboh and Grant McFarlin stand guard of the Dragon end zone. Photo by Bludoor Studios
By EJ Holland
Southlake Carroll head coach Hal Wasson never showed anybrsigns of stress.
Sure, there was reason to be worried — due to the UIL'sbrrealignment, the Dragons were placed in one of the toughest districts in thebrstate. But Wasson and his team remained calm, cool and collective en route tobrcapturing their fourth straight district title.
But the road won't get any easier in 2015. Perennialbrcontenders Euless Trinity, Coppell and Colleyville Heritage bring back a numberbrof talented players and are ready to dethrone the Dragons.
Meanwhile, L.D. Bell, Richland and Haltom all feel like theybrhave something to prove in what should be another competitive year in Districtbr7-6A. Here is a closer look at each of the teams vying for thebrdistrict title.
Southlake Carroll — Traditionbrmatters at the high school level, and there is no doubt Southlake Carroll hasbrplenty of it. The Dragons can always be counted on to make a deep run in thebrplayoffs, and this year is no different. But Southlake Carroll must first findbrits answer under center. Mason Holmes has earned the starting quarterback job and the upstart junior has has the luxury of handing the ball off to one of the best ball carriers in thebrDallas-area — senior Lil' Jordan Humphrey As a junior, Humphrey rushed forbrmore than 1,800 yards and was one of the state’s biggest breakout stars. ZachbrFarrar gives the Dragons a big play weapon at wide receiver. He caught 29brpasses for 554 yards and three touchdowns in his first year at the position.brThe Dragons are extremely young on defense. Senior cornerback Obi Eboh, abrhighly touted recruit, is the only returning starter and will have to step upbras the leader of the unit. Head coach Hal Wasson believes consistency on bothbrsides of the ball will be the key to success in 2015.
Euless Trinity — Euless Trinity is still one of thebrDallas-area’s biggest powerhouses. But the Trojans will be missing a key piecebrto the puzzle this season. Iconic head coach Steve Lineweaver, 68, retiredbrafter 15 years with the program. Lineweaver posted a remarkable 175-29 recordbrat Trinity and helped lead the Trojans to three state titles. Trinity promotedbrveteran offensive coordinator Chris Jensen to head coach shortly afterbrLineweaver’s departure, so don’t expect much to change. The Trojans still planbrto run the ball down their opponents’ throats out of the I-formation withbrdual-threat quarterback Tyler Natee and highly touted running back Ja’RonbrWilson, who rushed for 1,791 yards and 22 touchdowns last season. Trinity isbrknown for having a beefy offensive line, but the unit returns just one starterbrin Latu Maile. Defensively, the Trojans will be extremely young. Just twobrstarters return in their base 4-3 defense. But one is monster defensive linemanbrChris Daniels, one the state’s most sought after recruits. At 6-foot-3, 300brpounds, Daniels recorded 45 tackles and seven sacks last year and currently holdsbroffers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and others. Trinity will have tobrgrow up early and adapt to life without Lineweaver, but the Trojans are alwaysbra threat to win the district title.
Coppell — Defensesbrin District 7-6A can breathe a sigh of relief. Stud running back Charles West,brone of the most electrifying running backs in the state if not the country, isbrgone due to graduation and so is most of the Cowboys’ intimidating offensivebrline — Oklahoma State pledge Dylan Galloway is back, however. So couldbrCoppell be in for a rebuilding year? It’s possible. The Cowboys also losebrstarting quarterback Skyler Bonneau and return just two starters on defense. Abrnumber of inexperienced players will be asked to step up at key positions,brrequiring the Cowboys to grow up quickly. Coppell’s best weapon on offense isbrperhaps the man replacing West. Senior running back Brandon Rice rushed for 343bryards and five touchdowns last year and holds three FBS offers. Coppell willbrlean on Rice as senior quarterback Myles Paschall gets comfortable underbrcenter. Paschall has two solid wide receivers to work with in Obi Obialo andbrJosh Fink. The two combined to record 65 catches for 1,181 yards and 15brtouchdowns a year ago. Senior defensive en Solomon Wise, who holds an offer frombrSMU, is the anchor of Coppell’s 3-4 defense and must step up as a leader tobrhelp this young unit grow.
Colleyville Heritage — Darren Allman left after his first year as head coach atbrColleyville Heritage to take over as the new athletic director at Southlake Carroll.brBut the Panthers shouldn't miss a beat under the new guy in town — Joe Willis.brA veteran coach, Willis led Cedar Park to two state championship appearances inbrthree years. His career record between West Texas Iraan and Cedar Park — six seasonsbroverall and three seasons at each — isbr59-20. Heritage is also getting a boostbrfrom Grapevine Faith Christian quarterback transfer Cam Roane. As a sophomore,brRoane lit up the private school ranks with 3,093 yards and 36 touchdowns withbrjust six interceptions. Roane is quickly gaining notice as one of the state’sbrtop young signal-callers. But the Panthers lean on the running game out ofbrtheir Power Gun offense and lose bruising running back Demarco Corbin tobrgraduation. Senior Jamarie Williams is the team’s top returning ball carrier —brhe rushed for 537 yards and two touchdowns last season. Junior Mario Ortiz willbralso see time in the backfield. Heritage’s 3-4 defense is headlined bybrall-district cornerback and Boise State commit Reid Harrison-Ducros. The seniorbrnotched 57 tackles and three interceptions last season. Heritage will be rightbrin the thick of things at the top of the district.