Matt's Photography/SouthlakeSportsPics.com
Even though Carroll didn’t win the state championship, it had a great season amid the challenges of the pandemic. Persevering through injuries, tough opponents and lots of uncertainty, Dragon Football made Southlake proud this year.
Offensive Might
It didn’t take but the first game of the season for the Dragon offense to show its might. Against Rockwall-Heath, Southlake Carroll scored 72 points, and junior quarterback Quinn Ewers proved his five-star status, throwing 21 completions for 388 yards and five touchdowns. The Dragons’ ground game also showed off as sophomore Owen Allen rushed for 218 yards and four touchdowns.
As the season continued — with only one game, against Denton Guyer, canceled due to the pandemic — the Dragons never stopped putting up big numbers. During the only game of the regular season they lost against Rockwall, Ewers still managed to throw for over 300 yards and Allen rushed for over 100 yards.
Throughout the rest of the regular season, Southlake Carroll outscored its opponents 527-279, and junior offensive players got the chance to stand out. This season, wide receiver Landon Samson caught 75 passes for 1,293 yards and 15 touchdowns — leading the team in receiving yards. Tight end RJ Maryland also had a successful season, catching 30 passes for 736 yards and 13 touchdowns.
We would be remiss not to mention senior quarterback Hunter Holden. While Ewers was out for most of the regular season with an injury, Holden stepped up and kept the Dragons on top. By the time Ewers started again, Holden had thrown 63 completions for 1,237 yards and 19 touchdowns, keeping Carroll on a winning streak that would hold until the state championship game.
Developed Defense
While plenty of players returned this year to play on offense, the Dragons had virtually no returning starters on defense. So this year saw fresh faces and a defense learning on the job. The first couple of games during the season may have been a little shaky, but it didn’t take too long before the Dragon defense was putting a stop to the opponent’s offense.
Even as the defense began to get their feet under them, several Dragons immediately stood out. Varsity newcomer Benecio Porras recorded the team’s first interception during the first game of the season against Rockwall-Heath and continued to make big tackles week after week.
Senior Cinque Williams also finally got his chance to shine. Ruled ineligible for varsity last year by the UIL, Williams made his varsity time count. Recording 82 tackles, two sacks and an interception, the senior was named the 4-6A All-District Defensive Player of the Year.
By the end of the season, nearly every Dragon on defense was making big plays. In the first game, the defense allowed Rockwall-Heath to score 57 points and by the end of the season, they were only allowing an average of 25 points to be scored.
Playoff Prowess
With each week of the playoffs, the teams got stronger, better and harder to beat. But the Dragons didn’t let that slow them down. Holden started at quarterback for the first two playoff games, throwing 21 completions for 481 yards and seven touchdowns in total.
Once Ewers stepped on the field, there was no stopping the Dragons. In his first game back against Arlington-Martin, Ewers threw 20 completions for 252 yards and three touchdowns.
As the playoffs continued on, so did the Dragons. Following the game against Martin, Euless Trinity was the next opponent. A career game for both Ewers and senior wide receiver Brady Boyd, the Dragons won 59-35 to send them to the next round of the playoffs and facing a familiar opponent: Duncanville.
In the last two years, Duncanville beat Southlake Carroll in the playoffs. With the third matchup in as many years, the Dragons worked hard to ensure that the third time would be the charm. And by fighting for the win with every play with head coach Riley Dodge watching from home due to being diagnosed with COVID-19, the Dragons defeated Duncanville 34-27, sending them to the state championship game for the first time since 2011.
During the first half of the state championship game, the Dragons met the Chaparrals everywhere. The two teams kept answering the other’s touchdowns, and both defenses were outmatched by both offenses. However, as the second half got underway, the Austin Westlake offense began to run away, scoring unanswered touchdown after touchdown despite the effort of the Dragons.
Although they put up a good fight against Austin Westlake, the Chaparral offense was too strong to overcome this year and the Dragons ended the season 4-6A Division 1 runner-ups.
Looking Ahead
When the season ended, the Dragons achieved a 12-2 overall record, a 6-0 district record and was ranked No. 6 in the state and No. 15 nationally. Southlake Carroll started the season ranked No. 16 in MaxPreps 2020 Top 25 Preseason HS Football Rankings and ended at No. 20 last season.
With this season in the rearview mirror, the focus is now on what next season may bring. Next year will be head coach Riley Dodge’s fourth season at the helm, and starters on both the offense and the defense will be returning, giving the team crucial experience and leadership.
Returning starters on offense will include wide receiver Landon Samson who caught 75 passes for 1,293 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, running back Owen Allen — the team’s leading scorer, the 4-6A All-District MVP and named to MaxPreps 2020 Texas HS All-State Second Team Offense — rushed for 2,063 yards and 28 touchdowns this season and quarterback Quinn Ewers, who — despite being out — still managed to throw for 2,442 yards and 28 touchdowns this season.
While this season’s defense included almost all fresh faces, next season will see familiar faces. Benecio Porras and Logan Anderson — who was named the 4-6A All-District Defensive Newcomer of the Year — will be returning as well as Baker Barrett. By the end of this season, Barrett led the team in tackles and tied with Cade Parks for most sacks with three.
As next season gets closer, the Dragons can take comfort in the fact that they’ve only lost four games in the last three seasons. In 2018 and 2019, the Dragons ended with a 13-1 regular season record and 2020 ended with a 12-2 regular season record.
Following the end of the season, the Dragons continued to dominate, with several players winning individual 4-6A All-District awards and 15 players named to the 4-6A All-District First Team.