As the rain came down, for a moment, it seemed like the stormy weather was representative of Southlake Carroll’s first loss of the season. Instead, the Dragons weathered the storm, rallying from a 14-0 hole and going on a 35-7 run to top Denton Guyer in the the Class 6A Division II Region I championship.
The team’s 56-45 victory earned the Dragons their second consecutive regional victory and their second straight Class 6A Division II Region I championship appearance.
In a game of inches, two bad snaps on punts led directly to Carroll touchdowns. In total, the Dragons capitalized off of a trio of scores on both defense and special teams.
It was the deciding factor for a team out-gained by their opponent 533-298 and trailing in first downs 27-14.
The rain was definitely bothering Carroll early, fumbling the opening kickoff and leading the way to a quarterback Kevin Sperry 20-yard rushing score. The Wildcats followed that up with a second touchdown within the game’s opening four minutes, finding Mason White on a 43-yard strike.
Running back Christian Glenn pushed his team back in it, scoring back-to-back scores, each short 5-yard goal line scrambles.
By halftime, Carroll took the lead from an Ethan Fisher blocked punt recovery in the end zone.
Guyer had its own run, outscoring Carroll 21-7 to finish regulation, but the Dragons stopped the momentum with an interception by Parker Harris in the final minute.
In total, Glenn did the most with 32 rushing yards, managing three touchdowns. Sperry did everything he could for the Wildcats, hurling for 303 passing yards and four touchdowns, compared to Angelo Renda’s conservative effort of 105 passing yards and one score.
The Dragons will look to win their first state championship since 2018 against Longview; it’s the first meeting between both schools.
Regional Final: Southlake Carroll vs. Denton Guyer
Southlake Carroll: 56
Denton Guyer: 45
Date: December 7, 2024, at 2:30 PM CST
Final Score
| Quarter | Southlake Carroll | Denton Guyer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | 14 |
| 2 | 14 | 10 |
| 3 | 14 | 7 |
| 4 | 7 | 14 |
| Total | 56 | 45 |
Team Stats
| Stat | Southlake Carroll | Denton Guyer |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 14 | 27 |
| Total Yards | 298 | 533 |
| Passing Yards | 105 | 303 |
| Completion Attempts | 9-15 | 11-25 |
| Yards Per Pass | 7 | 12.12 |
| Interceptions Thrown | 1 | 1 |
| Rushing Yards | 193 | 230 |
| Rushing Attempts | 30 | 52 |
| Yards Per Rush | 6.43 | 4.42 |
| Penalties | 2-20 | 5-50 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
| Fumbles/Lost | 1-1 | 3-2 |
Southlake Carroll Passing
| Player | Comp | Att | Pct | Yards | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angelo Renda | 9 | 15 | 60 | 105 | 1 | 1 |
Denton Guyer Passing
| Player | Comp | Att | Pct | Yards | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Sperry | 11 | 25 | 44 | 303 | 4 | 1 |
Southlake Carroll Rushing
| Player | Att | Yards | Yds/Att | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angelo Renda | 15 | 161 | 10.73 | 1 |
| Christian Glenn | 15 | 32 | 2.13 | 3 |
Denton Guyer Rushing
| Player | Att | Yards | Yds/Att | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Sperry | 34 | 157 | 4.62 | 2 |
| Aiden Martens | 5 | 45 | 9 | 0 |
| Sterling Schneider | 6 | 32 | 5.33 | 0 |
| Kaedyn Cobbs | 6 | 24 | 4 | 0 |
| Danny Jenkins | 1 | -28 | -28 | 0 |
Southlake Carroll Receiving
| Player | Rec | Yards | Yds/Rec | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brock Boyd | 5 | 45 | 9 | 0 |
| Blake Gunter | 2 | 38 | 19 | 0 |
| Brody Knowles | 1 | 18 | 18 | 1 |
| Luc Jaquemard | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
Denton Guyer Receiving
| Player | Rec | Yards | Yds/Rec | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJ Reese | 5 | 143 | 28.6 | 2 |
| Mason White | 2 | 87 | 43.5 | 2 |
| Matt Smejkal | 2 | 39 | 19.5 | 0 |
| Jalen Black | 1 | 35 | 35 | 0 |
| Aiden Martens | 1 | -1 | -1 | 0 |
