IV Seacat, Robert Barnes, Jake Oldroyd, Obi Eboh and Grant McFarlin stand guard of the Dragon end zone. Photo by Bludoor Studios
By EJ Holland
Describing Southlake Carroll's defense in one word is simplebr— youth.
The Dragons have one of the most inexperienced defenses inbrthe state as they return just one starter from a year ago. But at a traditionbrrich program, the mantra is always reload not replace.
Still, with less experience comes the inevitable problem ofbra lack of depth. Head coach Hal Wasson hopes to find players that can not onlybrimpact the game as starters but as key substitutes as well.
“One of the biggest concerns for us on the defensive side ofbrthe ball is depth,” Wasson said. “We have a small senior class. We have to findbrsome depth and have some of these underclassmen step up.”
Southlake Carroll runs a 3-4 odd formation, which means thebrDragons usually have three down linemen. Wasson said he's comfortable with sixbrplayers rotating along the defensive line. Keeping fresh is imperative,brespecially when facing the usual mammoth offensive lines of Euless Trinity andbrCoppell.
Wasson likes what he's seen out of senior Ryan Miller, whobrmade the move from offensive line this season as well as juniors like ZackerybrSemrak and Luke Jeter.
“We're not really big up front this year, so we're going tobrhave to use more of a rotation,” Wasson said. “We're going to play against big,brphysical teams, so we're going to need to do that successfully.”
Southlake Carroll gave up just a little more than 21 pointsbrper game last season — a good figure given the explosive offenses it faced —brthanks in large part to its linebackers. But the group loses all four starters,brincluding Jake Copeland last year's Defensive Newcomer of the Year.
“We have four new starters, so there is some new facesbrthere,” Wasson said. “Grant McFarlin is doing a good job. He's a hard-workingbrfootball players. I like what Grant Phelps and IV Seacat are doing inside forbrus. It's going to take a little time with all the new starters.”
McFarlin is making the move from running back and willbrprovide some much needed senior leadership.
“It's awesome I love it,” McFarlin said. “Anywhere I can getbron the field is great. It's definitely a lot different being on defense. But Ibrfeel like I got it down. I just want to help the team win, and I feel thatbrwe're in for a great season.
Perhaps the group with the most potential this season is thebrsecondary. Obi Eboh returns at cornerback after notching 55 tackles and 10 passbrbreakups. Robert Barnes will start at his natural safety position after recordingbr33 tackles and one interception — he started two games at outside linebacker asbra sophomore.
“Obi is our only starter, so he's the leader of ourbrdefense,” Wasson said. “Robert Barnes and Barrett Buck played some last year.brWe're expecting good seasons out of them. We have some competition going onbrback there, so I like what we have in the secondary.”
But if the unit as a whole is going excel, it needs anotherbrbig season from Eboh. And not just from his play on the field. As the onlybrreturning starter, it is imperative for him to help all 10 new starters getbracclimated on Friday nights.
“I'm the only returning starter, so I know I have to step upbrthis year,” Eboh said. “I have to help some of these younger guys get ready andbrget up to speed at this level. We're going to have some tough road games, so Ibrneed to help them grow up.
“We have a lot of potential. It's up to me to help us livebrup to it, so we can win another district title.”