By: Justin Thomas
After maneuvering through District 5-6A without so much as a loss en route to the district corn in 2016 and finishing third on its way to the fourth round of the playoffs in 2017, Southlake Carroll's football team finds a new set of bunkmates in 2018. The Dragons remain aligned in 5-6A, but this time alongside Denton Guyer, Keller ISD (Keller, Central, Fossil Ridge and Timber Creek) and Northwest ISD (Eaton and Trophy Club Byron Nelson).
Carroll will again have loft expectations under first-year head coach Riley Dodge as the Dragons return many key pieces from a squad that came within two games of competing for the state championship a year ago.
The Dragons are the lone team in the district to appear in AP's pre-season Texas high school football media poll (No. 10) and are one of only three Metroplex teams to be ranked alongside reigning champ Allen (No. 1) and Duncanville (No. 9).
Media members believe Guyer to be Carroll's chief competition in district action as the Wildcats did get a nod in the "others receiving votes" category. Last year, Guyer finished second in District 6-6A to Allen and was the No. 1 seed in the Division II playoffs only to be upended in surprising fashion by Byron Nelson in the first round.
While the Wildcats are only slated to return eight starters, including just three on the offensive side of the ball, the sky is the limit for Guyer's attack behind sophomore signal-caller Eli Stowers, who already boasts multiple Division I offers, and junior running back Kaedric Cobbs, who racked up 1,362 yards and 25 touchdowns after transferring from Melissa following his freshman campaign.
Seth Meador returns on the outside for Guyer after pacing the team last season with 22 receptions, 394 yards and two touchdowns, but the Wildcats have multiple starters to replace on the offensive line. Establishing depth and cohesion early there could prove vital to Guyer's success, in particular with its showdown against Carroll coming in just the second week of the district slate.
Guyer isn't Carroll's only district opponent coming off a playoff berth, however. In fact, far from it.
Seven of the eight teams in 5-6A were dancing a year ago, including the aforementioned Bobcats of Byron Nelson (6A Division II) and Eaton (5A Division I) advancing to the area round with Keller (6A Division I), Fossil Ridge (6A Division II) and Central (6A Division II) bowing out in the bi-district round of their respective brackets.
The Fossil Ridge Panthers may be next in line of 5-6A contenders behind a dynamic pair of returning skill players in receiver Jaylen Hearst (896 receiving yards, seven touchdowns) and running back Colione Evans (871 rushing yards, 24 touchdowns). But Fossil Ridge enters the fall unsure of who will be distributing the ball their way as Austin Stohlman and Scotty Colis are in a competition for the starting quarterback position.
Fossil Ridge should be strong defensively as well with eight returning starters, including linebacker Marco Olivas (125 tackles, three sacks) and secondary members DeMarcus Jones (three interceptions) and A.J McGill (78 tackles), while Rafael Hernandez and Klein Mulongo anchor things in the trenches.
The Bobcats should again be in the playoff mix as well after making it to the postseason in consecutive years in a deep and talented 6-6A that Carroll won. The Dragons got the better of Byron Nelson in both 2016 and '17, taking the first meeting, 44-13, before rolling last year to a 50-17 victory. Bobcat coach Travis Pride and his team match V.R. Eaton for tops in the district with seven offensive starters due back, though Byron Nelson is inexperienced at the skill positions.
Byron Nelson's senior running back/cornerback Dylan Bell racked up 545 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in a reserve role and is expected to take on a larger role despite the presence of play-making sophomore tailback Maxwell Modeste. Quarterback Hudson White is also just a sophomore but doesn't lack for talent with Ty Boone, Calvin Wiggins and Noe Diawaku expected to be his top targets through the air. Byron Nelson also has a candidate for Defensive MVP in linebacker Dante Cardinali (87 tackles, two sacks).
As noted, the V.R. Eaton Eagles also brings back plenty of experience (seven offensive, six defensive starters returning) after making the playoffs for the first time in program history in 2017, but now must contend with making the jump from 5A to the state's largest classification.
Carroll's TJ McDaniel should get a firm challenge from Eaton's Titus Swen for top running back in the district billing. As a junior, Swen was a second-team all-state selection after posting 2,291 total yards and 27 touchdowns. Swen is also joined by fellow Eagles running back Dawson Pell, who churned out 871 rushing yards and seven touchdowns last season. A speedy defensive is spearheaded by linebackers Nick Cerniauskas (108 tackles) and Kendall Robinson (70 tackles) and safety Brandon Johnson (61 tackles).
Keller Central can also make a claim as a playoff challenger and is projected to place fifth by some prognostications. The Chargers squeaked into the playoffs and settled on an overall record of 6-5 last year with five starters returning on each side of the ball.
Central junior D.J. Graham fills a role of returner on each side of the ball after hauling in 556 receiving yards with six touchdowns offensively to go with three interceptions in the secondary. Questions remain under center, however. Senior Jack Hecker helmed the offense a year ago, but is naturally a reviewer and could slide back outside if either junior quarterback Gavyn White or junior Sam Hafley emerge as quality passers. Senior running back Williams Vuong, meanwhile, combined to form a strong tandem in the secondary with Graham after recording 119 tackles.
Rounding out Carroll's district foes are Keller and Timber Creek.
The Keller Indians suffered a first-round exit last season and haven't won a playoff game since 2003. Nine combined returners and a shift to a district that features seven playoff squads doesn't figure to see that streak snapping in 2018.
Keller could turn heads, however, if quarterback Sloan Henry (1,829 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, 12 interceptions) continues to develop under center. Damon Smith and Colton Nelson will be weapons for Henry in the passing game, while running back Enoch Ntchobo is also talented.
Linebacker Kayden Steen (120 tackles, three sacks) leads a generally inexperienced defensive unit.
While Eaton just made its first playoff bid, Timber Creek is looking to rediscover its 2016 form that saw the Falcons in the postseason for the first time. Head coach Kevin Golden's squad trails only Guyer in returning starting talent. Fortunately, Blake Irving (1,208 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns) returns in the backfield to power an ideally balanced Timber Creek attack that will feature former junior varsity signal-caller Jason Akers. Timber Creek was also hit hard by graduation in the trenches on both sides of the ball and establishing depth and cohesion up front will be critical for any measure of success in 5-6A.
One final note when examining Carroll's new district regards enrollment: Barring playoff berths from both Keller and Timber Creek (projected to finish seven and eight, respectively), the Dragons will be competing in the 6A Division I playoffs this year as they boast the third-largest enrollment in the district behind the Indians and Chargers.