Kent Crawford
The opportunity to field a high school football team with either a good dose of varsity game experience or a high level of maturity is something no coach would ever turn down.
When it comes to this year’s edition of Carroll’s defensive unit, there’s plenty from column a and column b from which to draw, giving Dragons head coach Riley Dodge and staff a sunny outlook on how their team will respond this fall. Call it a good case of senioritis. Every single defensive starter on Carroll’s roster is a senior, meaning the Dragons will have their fair share of wisdom and maturity on the field. Though not every starter has logged tons of varsity minutes, several have, including seven all-district performers who return to the roles they played as starters in 2018.
Those defenders who are new to starting while under the varsity lights are either surrounded by teammates with experience or were close enough to the action last year to know what to expect this season, Dodge says.
“We’ve got some guys stepping up into some new roles,” says Dodge, whose defense held opponents to less than 20 points per game last season.
“There’s a lot of guys who got quality reps last year that didn’t play a ton, but they were on the sidelines and they felt the atmosphere. I don’t think it’s too big for them. They’re ready.”
The Dragons defensive line is a good example of the mix of varsity veterans and first-time varsity seniors who can be found throughout the defensive unit. While tackles Dillon Springer and Quentin Bunten have three varsity seasons as starters between them, defensive ends Cole Gorman and Maalik Song enter their senior season with little varsity experience.
That contrast on the defensive front is of little concern to Dodge and his coaches. They know the talent is there throughout, as is the maturity that comes with being on the cusp of graduation. The only thing left is getting up to speed with the flow of the varsity game, which comes in a hurry.
“All we can preach is effort and getting to the football,” Dodge says. “We’ve got guys that can do that and guys that play extremely hard.”
Beck Parra takes over the strong side linebacker role as a first-time starter. But fellow starting linebackers Graham Faloona and Preston Forney, both inside linebackers, possess a wealth of knowledge that should benefit Parra as he settles in.
Faloona showed his smarts on the field in the Dragons opening game of the season against South Grand Prairie on Aug. 30, recovering a fum ble and returning it for a touchdown that gave his team a 28-point lead in the third quarter. Carroll cruised to a 35-20 victory, as defenders kept the Warriors to just one score until the fourth quarter.
“One thing we really bring to the table is our pursuit to the ball and our relentless effort to the ball,” says Forney, Dragons’ middle linebacker in his third year as a varsity starter. “Our defense really prides itself in being the team where all 11 guys are running to the ball, just being relentless and not letting up at all. It’s almost being annoying to teams, where there’s always somebody hitting them, no matter what.”
The Dragons secondary is another part of the team’s defensive unit sporting plenty of experience, despite making some necessary adjustments to start the 2019 campaign. With Carroll senior safety RJ Mickens (AP all-state honorable mention and Max Preps second-team All-American last season) missing anywhere from one to four games because of a foot injury, Brandon Howell (starting corner in 2018) slides into one of the safety slots. Josh Sweat, a first-time starter, will patrol against deep threats as well.
But returning veterans Dylan Thomas and James Miscoll bring stability at the cornerback position, making Carroll’s secondary a tough place for opposing quarterbacks to throw toward and for opposing receivers to reel in catches. Between the three veterans coming back, the Dragons knocked down 19 passes and grabbed two interceptions.
Even when the team switches things around, due either to a loss of players or advantages gained in a different formation, Dodge says it doesn’t change the team’s overall approach or his athletes’ ability to adjust to the shifts.
“The principals you believe in offensively and defensively don’t really change,” he says. “You do have to change with your personnel body-wise, schematically a little bit…Defensively, it’s more pre-snap looks to post-snap coverage on a stunt or blitz.
“It’s just quick tweaks, but I think your principles and what you truly believe in as a coach don’t really change. To the naked eye, it might look different, but to us, it’s not. It’s more about presentation than anything. We’re going to do what we do, and try to out-execute people.”
The Dragons defense gave up just over 300 yards per game last year, facing solid competition during the regular season and deep into the playoffs. As a unit, they collected 38 sacks, forced 10 fumbles, scored two defensive touchdowns and recorded two safeties. Up until the state quarterfinal contest with Duncanville, Carroll’s defensive effort, combined with its offensive performance, kept them unbeaten through 13 games.
Displaying that same approach of defensive intensity by this year’s cast of experienced and mature players could allow the Dragons to reach the next level in its lofty playoff goals. Forney says preparation will play a big part in Carroll’s defensive success as well.
“How we game plan teams and the amount of film study we put in, we almost try to know the play before the ball’s snapped,” Forney says. “By doing that, we are able to play really fast and fly around.”