The Dragons have one of thebrmost inexperienced defenses inbrthe state as they return just onebrstarter from a year ago. But at abrtradition-rich program, the mantra is always reload not replace.
Still, with less experience comes the inevitable problem of a lack of depth.brHead coach Hal Wasson hopes to findbrplayers who can not only make impactsbras starters but as key substitutes.
“One of the biggest concerns for us onbrthe defensive side of the ball is depth,”brWasson says. “We have a small seniorbrclass. We have to find some depth andbrhave some of these underclassmen stepbrup.”br
Southlake Carroll runs a 3-4 odd for-brmation, which means the Dragons usuallybrhave three down linemen. Wasson saysbrhe’s comfortable with six players rotatingbralong the defensive line. Keeping freshbris imperative, especially when facing thebrusual mammoth offensive lines of EulessbrTrinity and Coppell.br
Wasson likes what he’s seen out ofbrjunior Ryan Miller, who made the movebrfrom offensive line this season as wellbras juniors like Jackson Canter and LukebrJeter.br
“We’re not really big up front this year,brso we’re going to have to use more of abrrotation,” Wasson says. “We’re going tobrplay against big, physical teams, so we’rebrgoing to need to do that successfully.”br
Southlake Carroll gave up just a littlebrmore than 21 points per game last sea-brson — a good figure given the explosivebroffenses it faced — thanks in large partbrto its linebackers. But the group loses allbrfour starters including Jake Copeland,brlast year’s Defensive Newcomer of thebrYear.br
“We have four new starters, so therebrare some new faces there,” Wasson says.br“Grant McFarlin is doing a good job. He’sbra hard-working football player. I like whatbrGrant Phelps and IV Seacat are doing in-brside for us. It’s going to take a little timebrwith all the new starters.”
br br br
McFarlin is making the move from run-brning back and will provide some muchbrneeded senior leadership.br
“It’s awesome. I love it,” McFarlin says.br“Anywhere I can get on the field is great.brIt’s definitely a lot different being on de-brfense. But I feel like I got it down. I justbrwant to help the team win, and I feel thatbrwe’re in for a great season.”br
Perhaps the group with the most po-brtential this season is the secondary. ObibrEboh returns at cornerback after notch-bring 52 tackles and 10 pass breakups. Rob-brert Barnes will start at his natural safetybrposition after recording 29 tackles andbrone interception — he started two gamesbrat outside linebacker as a sophomore.br
“Obi is our only starter, so he’s thebrleader of our defense,” Wasson says.br“Robert Barnes and Barrett Buck playedbrsome last year. We’re expecting good seasons out of them. We have some competition going on backbrthere, so I like what we have in the secondary.”
br br brBut if the unit as a whole is going excel, it needs another big sea-brson from Eboh. And not just from his play on the field. As the onlybrreturning starter, it is imperative for him to help all 10 new startersbrget acclimated on Friday nights.br
“I’m the only returning starter, so I know I have to step up thisbryear,” Eboh says. “I have to help some of these younger guys getbrready and get up to speed at this level. We’re going to have somebrtough road games, so I need to help them grow up.br
“We have a lot of potential. It’s up to me to help us live up to it,brso we can win another district title.”br
The Dragons have one of the most inexperienced defenses inbrthe state as they return just one starter from a year ago. But at abrtradition-rich program, the mantra is always reload not replace.br
Still, with less experience comes the inevitable problem of a lackbrof depth. Head coach Hal Wasson hopes to find players who canbrnot only make impacts as starters but as key substitutes.br
br“One of the biggest concerns for us on the defensive side of thebrball is depth,” Wasson says. “We have a small senior class. We havebrto find some depth and have some of these underclassmen stepbrup.”
br br br
Southlake Carroll runs a 3-4 odd formation, which means thebrDragons usually have three down linemen. Wasson says he’s com-brfortable with six players rotating along the defensive line. Keepingbrfresh is imperative, especially when facing the usual mammoth of-brfensive lines of Euless Trinity and Coppell.br
Wasson likes what he’s seen out of junior Ryan Miller, who madebrthe move from offensive line this season as well as juniors like Jack-brson Canter and Luke Jeter.br
“We’re not really big up front this year, so we’re going to have tobruse more of a rotation,” Wasson says. “We’re going to play againstbrbig, physical teams, so we’re going to need to do that successfully.”br
Southlake Carroll gave up just a little more than 21 points perbrgame last season — a good figure given the explosive offenses itbrfaced — thanks in large part to its linebackers. But the group losesbrall four starters including Jake Copeland, last year’s Defensive New-brcomer of the Year.br
“We have four new starters, so there are some new faces there,”brWasson says. “Grant McFarlin is doing a good job. He’s a hard-work-bring football player. I like what Grant Phelps and IV Seacat are doingbrinside for us. It’s going to take a little time with all the new starters.”br
McFarlin is making the move from running back and will providebrsome much needed senior leadership.br
“It’s awesome. I love it,” McFarlin says. “Anywhere I can get onbrthe field is great. It’s definitely a lot different being on defense. ButbrI feel like I got it down. I just want to help the team win, and I feelbrthat we’re in for a great season.”br
Perhaps the group with the most potential this season is the sec-brondary. Obi Eboh returns at cornerback after notching 52 tacklesbrand 10 pass breakups. Robert Barnes will start at his natural safetybrposition after recording 29 tackles and one interception — he start-bred two games at outside linebacker as a sophomore.br
“Obi is our only starter, so he’s the leader of our defense,” Was-brson says. “Robert Barnes and Barrett Buck played some last year.brWe’re expecting good seasons out of them. We have some compe-brtition going on back there, so I like what we have in the secondary.”br
But if the unit as a whole is going excel, it needs another big sea-brson from Eboh. And not just from his play on the field. As the onlybrreturning starter, it is imperative for him to help all 10 new startersbrget acclimated on Friday nights.
“I’m the only returning starter, so I know I have to step up thisbryear,” Eboh says. “I have to help some of these younger guys getbrready and get up to speed at this level. We’re going to have somebrtough road games, so I need to help them grow up.br
“We have a lot of potential. It’s up to me to help us live up to it,brso we can win another district title.”
