Stewart Johnson
The Carroll Dragon football team secured their ninth win and extended their undefeated record in a 56-17 win over the Eaton Eagles — a game that saw the defense show up and shut down its opponent.
With this win, the Dragons move up in the national rankings — they’re now No. 19 according to “USA Today” and No. 16 according to Maxpreps.
Carroll’s defense held the Eagles to only 247 total yards and only 17 points. The DFW Elite Realty Player of the Game, sponsored by Thomas and Sharon Michael, was senior Preston Forney who recorded seven tackles, one sack and two defended passes.
Twenty-five Dragon players also had a tackle or an interception, proving how deep the defense really is. The offense also shined at Friday’s game with eight touchdowns. Quarterback Quinn Ewers passed 25-35 for 294 yards and three touchdowns. Ewers also recorded one rushing touchdown.
Wills Meyers served as Ewers’ main target on Friday, with 11 receptions and one touchdown in the game while another rushing touchdown was made by tight end Blake Smith. And the skills of Owen Allen continue to impress as he recorded 93 yards rushing and three touchdowns on just 12 rushing attempts at Friday’s game.
Looking ahead, the Dragons are set for a short week with a game on Thursday against Keller Timber Creek (3-6), marking the end of the regular season.
The Falcons didn’t enjoy much success in district play last season, going 1-6 and finishing the season 2-8. At 3-6 this year, Head Coach Kevin Golden’s team has yet to see their fortunes improve and are coming off of a 21-0 shutout loss to Keller Central on Halloween.
If they are to succeed against the Dragons, much hangs on the shoulders of returning varsity quarterback Jason Akers. The 6’3” senior has thrown for 1,163 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Those are similar numbers to his junior year where he passed for 1,294 yards and seven touchdowns.
Graduating running back Blake Irving (1,210 yards, 15 TDs) leaves a lot of yardage on the table for Timber Creek’s running game. Junior running back Kaden Bess has stepped up to the challenge with 555 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on the season.
The Falcons will have their work cut out playing against the stingy Dragon defense which allows an average of just under 13 points per game to their opponents while the multifaceted offense scores over 48 points per game.