Season preview: How will head coach Riley Dodge, Southlake Carroll Dragons fare in 2023?
Southlake Carroll quarterback Graham Knowles said there’s a “bad taste” in the mouths of the Dragons after losing in the Class 6A D2 quarterfinal in 2022. Now, the team is preparing to make another run.
“We’re working every day to improve,” Knowles said. “I’d be lying if I said we’re not shooting for a state championship. That’s our goal every year, especially at a program like Southlake.”
Southlake Carroll hasn’t lost more than two games in a season since 2017, the year prior to head coach Riley Dodge’s hiring. The Dragons have won eight state championships in program history.
Dodge said expectations are always high, which is a good thing.
“Our first goal is to win a district championship,” Dodge said. “We kind of go from there. We’re hoping we get an opportunity to practice on Thanksgiving like we have the last five years.”
Riley Dodge, the son of legendary Southlake coach Todd Dodge, is entering his sixth year as the Dragon’s head coach. As a quarterback at Carroll, Dodge played for his father; he led the Dragons to a Class 5A State Championship.
Knowles said he loves having an offensive minded coach. He said he constantly learns from Dodge and called him a “football savant.”
“He really walks us through what it takes and he does a really good job preparing us for every game as far as what to study in film and what plays we’re gonna go over,” Knowles said.
2023 outlook
In 2022, Knowles took over for Kaden Anderson, who suffered a season ending injury on Oct. 7. After, the Junior quarterback led the Dragons to seven consecutive wins before losing in the playoffs.
“Luckily for us, we felt very confident in our backup quarterback,” Dodge said. “He just got better and better each and every week last year.”.
Knowles, a Georgia Tech commit, is looking to take the Dragons further in 2023.
“Going into senior year we feel like we have a veteran in the room that has made some major jumps,” Dodge said. “He had an unbelievable spring.”
One of Knowles’ primary targets this season will be senior wide receiver Jacob Jordan, an Oklahoma commit. In 2022, Jordan tallied 16 receiving touchdowns.
“His speed is so dynamic with his route running,” Knowles said. “It makes it really easy to throw to him because he’s open pretty much all the time. And he’s very meticulous about his work. It’s really easy to hit the film room with him.”
Junior tight end Jack VanDorselaer will be another effective player in the Dragon offense. He is being recruited by top schools, including Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.
Knowles said VanDorselaer “oozes raw talent.” Surprisingly, VanDorselaer’s athletic background isn’t football; the 6-foot-5, 230 pound tight end was discovered as a swimmer.
“We got him out of the pool and he fell in love with football,” Dodge said. “ He’s a kid that doesn’t really understand that he is a freak of nature. He can do a lot of different things, which gives us versatility in our offense.”
Another athlete in the trenches will be offensive lineman Harrison Moore, who made the transition from tight end. Dodge called Moore one of the smartest players he has coached; he said his football IQ is “off the charts.”
“Thankfully, he made the transition to offensive line,” Knowles said. “So now he’s my best friend up there protecting for me. He’s just he’s a workaholic, that guy. His work ethic is second to none.”
On the other side of the football, defensive end Dustan Mark will be a force. Dodge said versatility makes Mark effective, and mentioned he’s athletic enough to play linebacker; In 2022, Mark recorded 85 tackles and 14 sacks.
Senior kicker Kyle Lemmermann, a TCU commit and Chris Sailer’s No. 1 ranked kicker in the nation, is set to start for the Dragons; last year, he played behind Tyler White, who is currently at Texas A&M. Knowles said the team has complete trust in Lemmermann.
“Whether that’s going to kick the ball in the back of the end zone, put them in tough field position, or get some points when we get down to the 40 or 30 yard line,” Knowles said. “Being able to walk to the sideline, knowing that we’re gonna get those three points, it’s tremendous.”
Building on success
Southlake Carroll is tasked with replacing Owen Allen, who Dodge called one of the best running backs the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has ever seen. In his high school career, Allen tallied 7,700 yards and 120 touchdowns.
Who will take over at running back? The Dragons have a lot of options.
“So, we’ve got to replace a lot of yards and touchdowns in that room,” Dodge said. “But we’re very excited about Riley [Wormley],” Dodge said. “Very excited about James Lehman, who’s been our backup for the last two years as a sophomore and junior. And we have a young running back in Davis Penn. So, it’s a younger group, but has as a chance to be a special group as a whole.”
Dodge said he is excited to show the fans a complete team.
“I think that people will also see that it’s one of our more athletic football teams,” Dodge said. “We have tremendous team speed across the board on both sides of football and special teams.”
Dodge said the team is focused on peaking at the right time over the summer. They’re “steadily improving” by taking small steps forward.
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