By: Tony Thomas
The Southlake Carroll Dragons have been a dominant force in Texas high school football for over 30 years. They have won eight state championships, including three straight from 2004-2006. Southlake won these three titles with three different and talented quarterbacks. Coached by Todd Dodge, the Dragons won 48 consecutive games over that period.
2004 Season (16-0)
The ’04 Dragons were led by quarterback Chase Daniel. Daniel passed for 4,617 yards and 49 touchdowns that season. Southlake scored 431 points in the regular season, scoring 70 points in one game, 61 points in another and 50 or more points twice. They averaged 38 points per game in the playoffs:
Defeated Irving 49-13
Defeated Allen 52-14
Defeated Abilene 35-30
Defeated Denton 28-7
Defeated Lufkin 37-30
Southlake faced Smithson Valley in the Class 5A State Championship Game. Daniel passed for 295 yards and a touchdown, and added 84 yards rushing.
The Dragons defense held Smithson Valley to just 229 total yards and won the game 27-24.
Daniel was named the Class 5A Player of the Year and EA Sports National Player of the Year.
Mizzou and NFL Journeyman
He attended college at Missouri and was a Heisman finalist in his junior year. He is currently in his 11th year in the NFL with the Detroit Lions. He has also played for the Saints and the Bears.
2005 Season (16-0)
Southlake was led on the field in 2005 by quarterback Greg McElroy. McElroy threw for 4,682 yards and 56 touchdowns and 9 INTs. The Dragons pitched three shutouts in the regular season to the tune of 121-0. They scored 50+ points three times, 60+ points twice, and 40+ points three times.
The Dragons averaged 43 points per game in the playoffs, and added yet another shutout (52-0 over Abilene):
Defeated Irving MacArthur 48-21
Defeated Allen 45-15
Defeated Plano 37-27
Defeated Lufkin 46-28
In the 5A State Championship Game vs Katy, McElroy threw four touchdown passes as the Dragons gained 503 yards of total offense on their way to a 34-20 victory. Katy was led by future TCU and NFL quarterback Andy Dalton, who accounted for two touchdowns and passed for 235 yards.
McElroy was named the Class 5A Player of the Year.
National Champion and Beyond
McElroy played his college ball at Alabama under Nick Saban. He led the Crimson Tide to an SEC title and was named the MVP of the SEC Championship Game. Alabama faced Texas in the BCS Championship Game and beat the Longhorns to win the 2009 National Championship.
McElroy played briefly in the NFL with the Jets and Bengals.
He is now a broadcaster for ESPN and the SEC Network. He is also the co-host of “The First Team” with Danny Kanell on SiriusXM.
2006 Season (16-0)
This version of the Dragons was quarterbacked by Riley Dodge. That season, Dodge accounted for over 5,300 total yards and 67 total touchdowns while playing for his dad.
In the regular season, Southlake scored 496 points, averaging 49 points per game. They allowed only 11 points per game on defense. They scored 50+ points three times, 40+ points five times, and 64 points vs Keller.
In the playoffs, Southlake outscored their opponents 170-34, including two shutouts, allowing a mere touchdown per game:
Defeated Lewisville 35-0
Defeated Euless Trinity 22-21
Defeated Odessa Permian 42-6
Defeated Colleyville Heritage 33-7
Defeated Allen 38-0
They took on Austin Westlake in the 5A title game. After being down 12-7 at halftime, the Dragons outscored Westlake 36-14 in the second half to win 43-29 and claim their third consecutive title.
Dodge threw for 303 yards and three touchdown passes as the Dragons gained 463 total yards.
Westlake quarterback Nick Foles threw for 299 yards and a TD as Westlake gained 441 yards of total offense. Foles later attended Arizona and won a Super Bowl and the Super Bowl MVP with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Life of Riley
Dodge played college ball at North Texas and McNeese State. He also was in a QC/QBs position at the University of Texas. Later, Dodge was the Offensive Coordinator at Flower Mound-Marcus High School. He is now the head coach at Southlake Carroll.
Undefeated for Three Years
48 straight wins and three consecutive 5A state titles. That is what Texas high school football is all about.
Material for this article sourced from:
texasfootball.com
uiltexas.org
“Dragon Dominance-Southlake Carroll has a History of Football Excellence” by Lizzy Spangler, southlakestyle.com, September 11, 2020
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