The Southlake Carroll Dragons (11-0) began their quest for their ninth state championship with a bang in the bi-district playoff round. In a one-sided affair, the Dragons beat-up on the North Crowley Panthers (7-4) in a 42-20 victory at Dragon Stadium on Friday, Nov. 12.
Head coach Riley Todd’s Dragons had everything firing on all cylinders. The junior duo of Kaden Anderson and Owen Allen led the way for the District 4-6A champion Dragons, with Anderson throwing for 214 yards and three touchdowns, and Allen rushing for 129 yards and three touchdowns.
Additionally, the Dragons’ defense stifled the Panthers all night, only allowing 291 total yards, most of which were in garbage-time, and forcing one turnover.
1st Half
Southlake Carroll started out fast from the jump, putting the ball in the endzone on their first four possessions.
The first was an RJ Maryland touchdown reception from Anderson from 25-yards out. Jacob Jordan was the next Dragons’ receiver to catch a touchdown pass, this time from 19-yards away.
Allen then started his own scoring spree with a 12-yard touchdown run with less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter. That run put Allen in the record books, making him the all-time leading rusher in Southlake Carroll history.
As the first quarter was coming to a close, North Crowley found the endzone on a DeJuan Lacy 3-yard run to make it 21-7.
The second quarter was the Owen Allen show as he opened and closed the frame with touchdown runs. At the end of the first half, the Dragons led the Panthers 35-7.
2nd Half
The Southlake Carroll offense slowed down the tempo in the second half, making it a priority to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. This strategy, however, didn’t change the need for Anderson’s arm in big spots, as he threw another touchdown pass, this one to Corbin Duwe to make it 42-7.
Offensively, North Crowley couldn’t get out of its own way. Big plays were called back by penalties multiple times, ending promising drives.
The majority of the starters for Southlake Carroll had exited the game by the time the fourth quarter had started; the Dragons were insistent on running out the clock and getting to the locker room healthy.
Before the game could draw to a close, North Crowley added on two garbage-time touchdowns with Xavier Alexander and John Baker catching touchdown passes from Quinton Jackson to make the score 42-20.
What’s Next
Southlake Carroll continues its playoff run in the area round next week against Midland Legacy in their quest for a second straight state championship game berth.
See all Playoff Final Scores here: https://texashsfootball.com/live-scores-texas-high-school-football-scoreboard/
