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Looking across the practice field to watch his team train, Carroll head football coach Riley Dodge has likely experienced his share of flashbacks to the glory days of playing high school football. After all, it was at this same Carroll campus that he trained for Friday night competition as a player.
When observing the playing style and current circumstances of junior Angelo Renda, the Dragons’ new starting quarterback this season, one player admittedly comes to Dodge’s mind.
“I see a lot of myself in him, as a young junior, getting his first opportunity,” says Dodge, who tagged Renda as the new signal caller after serving as backup to current Georgia Tech signee Graham Knowles last fall. “He’s so dynamic.
“You’ve got a guy that can really extend plays for you,” Dodge says of Renda, referring to his ability to use his speed in addition to his throwing ability. “That kid could be pretty special.”
Dodge was a dual-threat quarterback who helped the Dragons win a 5A state title in 2006. As a junior, he accounted for 4,184 yards and 54 TDs passing and another 1,119 yards and 13 TDs rushing, earning National Player of the Year honors. He then passed for 3,445 yards and 39 scores as a senior, leading Carroll three rounds deep into the postseason.
In his limited backup role last year, Renda showed glimpses of the damage he could do as a full-time starter. Coming in late in games, as well as starting one district contest in Knowles’ absence, Renda compiled 547 yards and seven touchdowns passing, as well as 429 yards and five trips to the end zone rushing in 2023.
No one’s saying Renda is expected to put up the same kind of numbers as Dodge in the coming season. But then again, no one’s saying he won’t. His skill set, his experience as a backup with playing time as a sophomore, his height and build, not to mention his chance to quarterback the team for two seasons all seem strangely similar to his coach’s experience as a player.
And while opposing defenses are likely to be ultra-focused on Carroll’s dual running back attack in senior Riley Wormley and junior Davis Penn — both verbally committed to Division I college programs — overlooking the danger Renda poses could prove a grave mistake.
“It’s almost like we’ve got three running backs and a quarterback,” says Dragons senior Jack Van Dorselaer. “I feel strongly about what he can do in the passing game [as well].”
The ground-game talent at their disposal might make it seem like switching Carroll’s traditionally potent passing attack to a run-heavy offense would be a viable option this year. After all, Wormley, Penn and Renda combined for just over 2,900 yards rushing last season, even with Wormley missing the first four contests and Renda’s limited snaps. But the talent of two returning receivers, as well as some other newcomers that will bolster the passing game, give the Dragons the ability to be dangerous in both facets of their offense.
“I will make plays with my legs, there’s no doubt about that,” says Renda, who runs a 4.62-second 40-yard dash and recently received a scholarship offer from SMU. “I will get out of the pocket, I will make some plays when the pressure gets in and stuff breaks down. But I’m looking to throw it first.
“We’ve got great receivers — a lot of young guys, a lot of older guys, a lot of veterans. It’s going to be a great offensive year.”
With four returning starters at skill positions on Carroll’s offense, two of them are among the receiving corps. Other than the catching and blocking talents of the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Van Dorselaer (316 yards, 6 TDs in 2023), junior wide receiver Brock Boyd returns after a stellar sophomore debut. Boyd (4.52 seconds, 40-yard dash), who has already made a verbal commitment to TCU after receiving offers from several major schools, caught a team-high 58 passes to register 825 yards and seven touchdowns. Only receiver Clayton Wayland, a 2024 graduate now at Stephen F. Austin State University, had more receiving yards and touchdowns for the Dragons last season.
Boyd will be joined by junior Luc Jacquemard, another speedster with a 4.5-second 40-yard dash speed, who Dodge says is likely the fastest player in the program this season. Jacquemard saw limited action on varsity last year, catching only three passes, but he averaged a team-best 30 yards on those receptions.
Sophomore newcomers Blake Gunter, Brody Knowles and Caden Mackey will also see some playing time among the receiving corps, as well as senior Christian Glenn. Boyd says he plans to use the experience he has gained to help the new guys get acclimated and up to speed.
“Just getting them to understand that the games are won during the week — that’s really when the hard work pays off, just those Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday practices,” Boyd says. “Understanding the game plan, understanding the playbook, it really carries over to the game. I think the hardest part of the week is practice. We have a saying that Fridays and Saturdays are recess because of the work we put in during the week.”
Putting in that extra work will be particularly essential for the offensive line, which is likely the overall youngest and least experienced unit of what’s already a young Dragons team. With just one returning starter on the line — senior left guard Trent Wilson — Carroll’s O-line will feature two sophomores (right tackle Tristan Dare and left tackle Luke Wilson, Trent’s younger brother), as well as two juniors (center Carey Clayton and right guard Nathan Domeracki) who were either varsity backups or splitting time between varsity and JV in 2023.
Trent Wilson knows the importance his line plays, as opponents will be keying in on Carroll’s talented runners. That means opening decent holes will be imperative. But they must also provide solid pass protection for the Dragons’ explosive passing game.
“We have a lot of new people, but we’re all very smart,” says Trent, a James Madison commit who set Carroll weight room records this year in the bench press (380 pounds), the squat (565) and power clean (320).
“I like to think of running as more of a power and passing as more of an art. You have to have finesse to it. So I think our line has a lot of finesse, and I think we’ll be able to block any blitz that they throw at us.”
Although the Dragons’ 2024 offensive unit is not as experienced as last year’s team — which advanced to the state semifinal before losing a close 45-38 final to eventual state champion DeSoto — Carroll’s players have the same end goal in mind: playing for a state title.
“I’ve always had high expectations for myself, so it’s really about just getting us ready to achieve those expectations [as a team],” says Wormley, who has verbally committed to bringing his rushing skills to USC next year.
Van Dorselaer, who has been in the offensive mix for varsity since his sophomore year, says it’s just a matter of doing a little extra to finally get over the hump and end Carroll football’s championship drought.
“We’ve been knocking at the door since I was a freshman,” he says, recounting two losses in Round 5 and one in Round 4 the past three seasons. “This is my last ride, and I just want to go out with a ring on my finger.”