Adrian Cortes
Chemistry and consistency are often believed to be the key to winning championships. The right chemistry can help a team capture a title, while the consistency of keeping those same players in place is important in turning a single championship into a dynasty.
The Carroll football program knows a thing or two about dynasties, winning three 3A state titles in a six-year span (1988-1993) and four 5A state triumphs in a five-year span beginning nearly a decade later (2002-2006). But how often do entire teams stay together for multiple years to build chemistry and consistency at the pro and college levels, let alone in high school?
For the Dragons defense, fall 2018 at Dawson Middle School was the beginning of a long journey. Little did these young athletes know at the time that they’d be starting together on varsity as seniors five years later.
In fact, 10 of the Dragons’ 11 defensive starters this season began playing together as seventh graders at Dawson Middle School and now begin their sixth season together this fall.
“This is a very connected group,” says Aaron Scherp, senior outside linebacker and a team captain who led Carroll with 100 tackles in 2022. “We’ve been playing together since seventh [grade]... and we’ve been close friends. It’s a closely-knit group.
“The chemistry’s there. The trust is there. We’re all just really good friends who want to play some football.”
These Dragons hope their six-year history of teamwork and determination helps them in their collective goal of bringing home a ninth state title.
Six seasons of talented athletes playing together can accomplish great things. Just look back in sports history to a Pittsburgh Steelers powerhouse that won four Super Bowls in six years in the 1970s. Those teams were bolstered by having several of the same key players during that run, including 10 members who were future Hall of Famers. Maintaining chemistry and consistency can send athletic programs to the proverbial moon.
The power to launch this season’s mission starts up front with the rocket speed of senior defensive end Dustan Mark. Named the Defensive Player of the Year in District 4-6A last season, Mark led the Carroll defense with 13.5 sacks, 26 hurries and caused two fumbles. The Princeton commit was also second to Scherp in total tackles (85) and was second in tackles for loss (11).
“That guy’s a physical specimen,” says Dragons quarterback Graham Knowles, who calls Mark “Dustan the Sack Machine.” “He’ll out-lift anybody. He’ll outrun anybody. I remember when he won the 800-meter in track.
“I’m stuck running away from that guy all practice, so I’m sure other quarterbacks are going to have a hard time.”
Adrian Cortes
Mark anchors an experienced and battle-tested defensive line. Fellow senior defensive end Wyatt Duffy saw plenty of action in the D-Line rotation as a varsity newcomer last season, registering four sacks, 17 hurries, recovering a fumble and causing three. Senior defensive tackle Zac Scarborough was a weapon of size and strength as a first-year starter, compiling 60 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, 11 hurries and even grabbing an interception.
“We’re athletic. We might not be the biggest [defense], but we are strong,” says Scarborough, mentioning the various all-time Carroll weightlifting records owned by members of the Drag- ons’ current defensive unit. “Year after year, we’ve been able to go out and compete against the highest level.
“We go against arguably the best offense in the state every day [in practice], so we’ve got to be good. Iron sharpens iron, and we’ve become an elite unit.”
Southlake Carroll has seen its share of elite linebacking talent over the years, and Scherp is no exception. With five sacks and a pick to go with last season’s tackling numbers, Scherp intends to continue leading the way for the middle section of the defense. Serving alongside his good friend and fellow senior Bridger Jense, this year’s middle linebacker, the two began their defensive duties together in seventh grade.
Scherp wants the linebacking unit to embody the hustle and drive that he says can be felt throughout the whole of this year’s Dragon defense.
“I think what defines us is our effort,” Scherp says. “We always play at 110%. If you pull up any random play of any random game, you’ll see 11 hats to the ball every time.
“The running back’s just getting smashed. If we might miss, he’s getting smashed by three other guys right away. I think that’s what defines our defense. There’s not a specific group that’s better than the other, but everyone working together is what we need to perform at our highest level.”
Adrian Cortes
Fast and dialed-in, Carroll’s defensive backs feature some familiar faces who have earned their stripes. Though some continue playing at their normal spot, others are moving and adjusting to new roles because it should only make the team better.
Senior safeties Carter High and Eric Garza continue at their positions and stabilize the secondary. But senior Sam Fuller slides over from safety to start at cornerback, while senior Trey Ferri — who caught 19 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns in 2022 — converts from wide receiver to corner as well. Senior Zack Englehardt could split time between defensive back and strong side linebacker.
Shifting to different spots is nothing new for Carroll’s athletes, who saw key players injured on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball last season. But the team learned from the challenges and looks to always be ready to step in when needed.
“Our whole defense learned that ‘next man up’ mentality is a real thing,” says High, who recorded 56 tackles and grabbed two interceptions last season. “People go down. It’s part of the game, and we hate to see it. But you have to fill holes wherever the holes are.
“The biggest thing we learned is that we can fight. On our side of the ball, it’s just us. There’s 11 of us on the field and we’re going against that team, and we will win. I think we learned that we have more grit than we think we do and that we’re stronger than we think we are.”
Carroll head coach Riley Dodge hopes the strength the team gained from overcoming adversity, as well as spending extended time under the varsity lights, will pay off in the form of confident play this fall.
“[Some of the] guys that are coming back are now three-year starters,” Dodge says. “For Dustan [Mark], he’s been on varsity for four years... and we have a lot of senior class guys that are coming back that have been in this field house for three or four years now.”
Defensive players are also coming back with a chip on their shoulder after the way last season’s playoff run ended. For a team that gave up just 13.2 points per game on average, falling 45-21 to Denton Guyer in the 6A Region I quarterfinal was a bitter pill to swallow for a 13-1 season end. It was the most points the defense gave up in a single game all season.
“I still think about that game to this day,” Mark says. “We’re learning from our mistakes. We had a few mistakes in that game, and we’ve corrected it this offseason for sure.”
Mark said he continues to see great resolve in this year’s defensive unit.
“We can bend, but we’ll just never break,” he says. “We may give up a play, but we’ll be right back on the next drive.”
That type of resilience is something Dodge is accustomed to seeing from his players. But a win-now mentality is something he’s also seeing develop. He’s hoping his senior-heavy defense in its sixth season together will provide that extra spark needed to ignite its team’s engines for a long journey to the outer reaches of the Texas high school playoffs.
“We’ve got some urgency about us,” he says. “That’s a confident group that’s played a lot of football and has a little swagger about them. I’m pretty excited to get a chance to watch these guys fly around.”