Stewart Johnson
After multiple weather delays, the much-anticipated game featuring two undefeated teams from neighboring towns kicked off at a rain-soaked Dragon Stadium. Once again, head coach Riley Dodge stuck to his script of tough physical play as the Dragons (9-0, 6-0) remained undefeated and secured the district championship 38-23 over upstart Trophy Club Byron Nelson (8-1, 5-1).
The old adage “the best offense is a good defense” was turned on its ear. Instead, Dodge’s plan was to prove that the best defense was the Dragon offensive line led by Jake Hall, Drew Perez and company. Together, they consistently overpowered the Bobcats at the line of scrimmage, rushing the ball 44 times and controlling the clock to keep the state’s most prolific offense off the field for large portions of the game.
Led by quarterback and 6A passing leader Jake Wilson, who threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns, the Bobcats jumped out to an early 13-0 lead. However, that’s when the Dragon’s methodical ground-and-pound game got started.
Dragon Pride Player Of The Week Owen Allen saved his most prolific scoring for Senior Night. Allen’s number was called 34 times, and he delivered with 216 yards and a career-best five touchdowns. Many of his biggest gains were direct handoffs right up the gut of the Bobcats’ defense, who were waiting if not always completely ready. And even when the Bobcats thought they could take a breather from Allen’s punishing runs, junior running back James Lehman stepped in for over 9 yards per carry, ultimately setting up Allen for a crucial second-half score.
The Bobcats’ versatile offense was still effective behind running back Aaron Darden, who rushed for 131 yards, and wide-out Gavin McCurley, who caught eight balls for 112 yards and two scores. In the end, the Bobcats outgained the Dragons 414 to 393 yards and produced 20 first downs to the Dragon’s 19.
Clock management wasn’t all that held the Bobcats' offense, which averaged over 55 points per game in check. Coach Lee Munn’s defense kept the pressure on Jake Wilson all night. Four Dragons, Aaron Scherp, Dustan Mark, Cade Parks and Kyle Middleton, all recorded a sack while Nigel Fodor added 10 tackles.
With the district championship secured, the Dragons set their sights on the Panthers of Keller Fossil Ridge (5-4, 3-3), who are coming off a 35-7 win over Keller Central. The final game of the regular season will be held on Thursday, Nov. 3rd in Keller.
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