Dragons’ schedule full of playoff teams, standout players

Carroll football begins preparations for the 2016 season on Aug. 8. The Dragons are expected to tangle with Euless Trinity and possibly Flower Mound Marcus for the District 5-6A title.

Head coach Hal Wasson welcomes 14 returning starters (five offense, nine defense) from the 9-3 2015 campaign that ended in a Region I Division II area playoff loss to Denton Guyer. Carroll’s schedule is always challenging. The good part is that Carroll’s schedule is balanced with five home games and five road games.

We offer a snapshot look at each of the 10 games. The bye week is Sept. 16.

Aug. 26 vs. Tulsa Union, Dragon Stadium: The Redskins and Dragons played a very entertaining game in Tulsa last year. Carroll escaped, 34-30. Union, which finished 2015 at 9-3, is always one of the state of Oklahoma’s top programs and will be in contention again for a state championship. The Redskins feature three Division I committed players in defensive back Tre Brown (Oklahoma), running back Shamari Brooks (Tulsa) and linebacker Kyrei Fisher (Minnesota).

Sept. 2 vs. Arlington Martin, Dragon Stadium: Bob Wager’s Warriors, who are the perennial power in that city, return 11 starters from the 2015 10-3 regional semifinalist team. Tre Brown is likely going to be a double duty player at both quarterback and cornerback. The Warriors are the favorite in District 4-6A.

Sept. 9 at Rockwall, Wilkerson-Sanders Memorial Stadium, Rockwall: Coming off a 10-4 2015, Rodney Webb’s team shouldn’t experience much of a drop off as 10 starters return. There are high hopes for quarterback Matt Jones. Junior linebacker Alston Orji is considered one of the top recruits in Texas.

Sept. 23 at Flower Mound, Neal Wilson Stadium, Flower Mound: The District 5-6A opener against the team that most believe will finish last under first-year coach Brian Basil. Basil had been at Irving MacArthur for the previous 10 seasons. Basil also subscribes to the spread offensive approach.

Sept. 30 vs. Euless Trinity, Dragon Stadium: It’s a little disappointing that this potential district championship game is so early in the season. However, you can’t have everything. The Trojans are the favorites to win the district, followed by the Dragons. The question will be if Carroll’s experienced defense can withstand Trinity’s punishing rushing attack. Chris Jensen is in his second year as Trojans head coach.

Oct. 7 at Lewisville, Max Goldsmith Stadium, Lewisville: With the growth of the area over the years, the Farmers have never really returned to their former glory. They went 4-6 in 2015 under head coach Gregg Miller. However, they possess one of the nation’s top recruits in wide receiver Alton Shavers, who has committed to Alabama.

Oct. 14 at Flower Mound Marcus, Marauder Stadium, Flower Mound: Gerry Sanford’s Marauders are coming off a season where they suffered heavy losses. There are new faces in the backfield. But the Marauders have one of the area’s top defensive backs in Matt Hankins, a Division I recruit.

Oct. 21 vs. Northwest Byron Nelson, Dragon Stadium: A homecoming of sorts for former Carroll assistant Travis Pride, who is in his first year running the Bobcats after coming over from Mansfield Summit. The Bobcats are retooling their roster and must find a new quarterback and replace some heavy losses along both the offensive and defensive line. This is Carroll’s actual homecoming game.

Oct. 28 at Hurst L.D. Bell, Pennington Field, Bedford: Mike Glaze, a one-time offensive coordinator at Cedar Hill, went through a very difficult debut 2015 as the Blue Raiders went 1-9. But he’s trying to rebuild a program that will have 14 returning starters (seven offense, seven defense).

Nov. 4 vs. Lewisville Hebron, Dragon Stadium: This is the regular season finale. The Hawks under Brian Brazil have always found a way to get to the playoffs. They should be in contention again this year. Only five starters return from that 4-7 2015 playoff squad. Who knows what could be at stake in this one.

This story was originally published July 27, 2016 at 11:14 AM with the headline "Dragons’ schedule full of playoff teams, standout players."