After a hard fought match, the Southlake Carroll Dragons (13-1) fell to the Duncanville Panthers (13-0) 51-7 Saturday to make an exit from the playoffs and finish the season.
The game started close with the Dragon defense holding the Panthers' high-powered offense to only seven points in the first quarter, but the deficit grew deeper into the second and third quarter before Carroll could close the gap.
Dragon Pride Player of the Week RJ Mickens fought hard against Duncanville, with five receptions for just under 150 yards. One of his receptions resulted in the Dragon's lone touchdown - a beautiful 16-yard pass from quarterback Will Bowers. This added to Mickens' two touchdowns already earned this season.
Emotions were high following the end of the game, as seniors reminisced on their last down of Dragon football. Standout running back and SMU commit TJ McDaniel was especially emotional, as both team members from Duncanville and Carroll consoled him and congratulated him on his many accomplishments. McDaniel surpassed 2,000 yards rushing on the season and is a finalist for the Landry Award which will be announced at a special ceremony tonight.
While they fell short of the state championship, there is no reason for Carroll to hang its head when considering the season's accomplishments.
At the beginning of the season, the Dragons not only had to navigate a newly re-drawn district but also a brand new head coach. Under Riley Dodge, the Dragons went undefeated throughout both non-district and district play, which hasn't been done since the 2013 season.
When asked about the team's performance in his first year, Dodge had this to say: "I don't know what I necessarily expected when I first got here," Dodge said. "As the days, weeks and months went on we started to figure out what these kids were made of, they just wanted to work and they love to play football."
This season alone, the Dragons racked up a total of 22 receiving touchdowns and 52 rushing touchdowns for a grand total of 558 points against their opponents. Thirty-three of those touchdowns came from McDaniel, who finished the season with just over 2,000 rushing yards, breaking the mark against Duncanville.
Bowers finished the season with 2,556 passing yards and throwing for 20 touchdowns. He also accumulated eight rushing touchdowns of his own.
Senior wide receiver Glenn Mitchell finished the season with seven touchdowns, proving to be an exceptional receiver for the Dragons.
The Dragon defense proved potent this season, only allowing three to four touchdowns in a game at most. They shut down high powered offenses like V.R Eaton and Euless Trinity, as well as contained both the pass and run game throughout each game of the season.
While Carroll came short of adding yet another State Championship ring to the dynasty, fans and opponents can be sure the Dragons will be back next season, ready for another chance.