WooDoo Photo / R. Wooters
It wasn’t the perfect start to a football game that Carroll has grown accustomed to in these playoffs.
But once the Dragons running game found its rhythm, it really didn't matter.
Carroll shook off its first playoff deficit of the year, then dominated every phase of the game on the way to a 51-19 win over Denton Guyer in the 6A Division II Region I final. The win puts Carroll in a third straight state semifinal on Saturday, where they will face state-power DeSoto at 2 p.m. at Mansfield ISD's Vernon Newsom Stadium.
Guyer struck early off a blocked punt and later grabbed a 13-7 lead in the first quarter before the Dragons went to work. The ground game, led by Davis Penn, surged through the Wildcats for 161 yards at nearly nine yards per carry. Angelo Renda added 6.5 yards per rush to complement his efficient passing and Brooks Biggers powered in for two more touchdowns as Carroll turned a tense opening into a runaway finish.
Once the Dragons seized control late in the first quarter they never gave it back, unleashing 38 unanswered points fueled by a balanced offense and a defense that quickly adjusted after Guyer’s fast start. Renda connected with Brock Boyd in the endzone and, later, Luc Jacquemard to flip momentum before the ground game wore down Guyer’s front. As Carroll continued to rotate weapons, out-of-nowhere weapon Parker Harris delivered another postseason touchdown.
DeSoto enters the semifinal behind one of the most explosive running backs in Texas in junior SaRod Baker, who is coming off a historic 384-yard seven touchdown performance in the Eagles 61-41 playoff win over Willis.
Baker has climbed to 1,960 rushing yards with 29 touchdowns this season and has drawn offers from programs across the country, including Kansas, TCU, SMU, Washington State and Auburn. His breakout year adds to DeSoto’s long line of standout skill players a tradition that has produced NFL names like Byron Hanspard, Patrick Crayton, Cyrus Gray and Marcus Murphy. Baker has already carved out a place in that lineage with multiple record-setting performances and he arrives at the semifinal as the focal point of a DeSoto offense built on speed physicality and big-play bursts.