Southlake Carroll football steamrolls Saginaw Boswell in bi-district playoff matchup
Graham Knowles tossed three touchdown passes and ran for another -- all in the first half -- as the Southlake Dragons drubbed the Saginaw Boswell Pioneers, 70-0, in a 6A DII Region I bi-district matchup Friday night at Dragon Stadium.
Knowles, a Georgia Tech pledge, began the onslaught with an 8-yard TD run on the team’s initial offensive series, capping a 7-play 70-yard drive that took 3:00 off the clock.
A pair of first-quarter TD passes from Knowles to Clayton Wayland, covering 37 and 38 yards, gave the Dragons a 21-0 lead entering the second period.
“All about preparation and sacrifice,” said Wayland. “We talk about that all the time in practice. That is what this program is all about.”
Southlake Carroll then erupted for 35 second-quarter points as its offense continued clicking and the defense was stifling and opportunistic.
A Davis Penn 20-yard run less than a minute into the second stanza culminated a four-play, 45-yard march highlighted by a 27-yard one-handed grab by WR Brock Boyd.
Then the Dragon defense took over, snagging a pair of interceptions on consecutive Boswell possessions. Eric Garza picked off a Boswell pass and raced 27 yards for a TD.
“I read the running back,” said Garza. “I saw him step up and release, and I thought this was my chance. I jumped the route, grabbed it and headed for the end zone.”
Bridger Jense, on the next Boswell series, intercepted a pass and returned it 37 yards to the Pioneers 11-yard line, which led to a Riley Wormley one-yard TD plunge.
The Dragon defense forced a three-and-out. Boyd finished off a 4-play 59-yard march with a 45-yard TD grab from Knowles.
“I credit this to a great week of preparation,” said Boyd. “Our execution was excellent. We have a lot of talented receivers. The offensive line did its job. Just a great win for us.”
Wormley concluded the second-period explosion with a 32-yard TD run -- on a third-and 10 -- with 2:42 left before the break.
The Dragons, which had scored TDs on its seven offensive first-half possessions, got the ball back with 23 ticks left, after its defense forced another three-and-out.
They ran out the clock with a 20-yard keeper by backup QB Angelo Renda. Southlake Carroll held a commanding 56-0 halftime advantage.
The Dragons sat the starters in the second half. Defensive back Ethan Fisher came up with Southlake’s third pick of the game in the end zone on a Boswell second and 10 from the Dragons 11.
Renda then drove the Dragons 80 yards and scored untouched on a five-yard TD scamper on the first play of the fourth quarter. Renda had raced 68 yards on a QB keeper on the final play of the third period to set up his TD run.
Renda rounded out the scoring with a 31-yard TD burst with 4:59 left in the contest.
Hogan Bryan preserved the shutout, recovering a fumble at the Dragons 48 with 2:58 remaining. Southlake was able to run out the clock, posting its second straight shutout.
Head coach Riley Dodge, in his sixth season leading the Dragons, said he was certainly “proud of his team’s performance.”
“We had a great week of practice,” said Dodge. “We came out early and attacked offensively. Our defense did a lot of great things. Just a good win for us.”
Standout Performances
Knowles, who sat out all the second half, finished with 239 yards passing on nine completions in 14 attempts and three TDs while rushing for another TD.
Clayton Wayland caught four passes for a game-high 108 yards and two TDs, while Brock Boyd added four catches for 91 yards and one TD.
Backup QB Angelo Renda scored a pair of TDs, rushing for a game-high 141 yards on just six carries.
Garza, Jense, and Fisher each had interceptions for Southlake Carroll.
The Dragons did not attempt a pass in the second half. Southlake rushed for 334 yards on 35 attempts, totaling 573 yards total offense.
Senior WR Jacob Jordan, an Oklahoma commit, has been out since Week 7 nursing an injury.
“We will see how this weeks goes,” said coach Dodge. “He is out of the walking boot. And is still week-to-week.”
Making its 41st playoff appearance and seeking its ninth state championship -- the last one coming in 2011, Southlake Carroll had its 49-game district win streak that dates back to 2017 snapped by Byron Nelson two weeks ago.
The Dragons, who rebounded with a 63-0 pounding of Keller Fossil Ridge in the regular season finale last week, could conceivably get a rematch with Byron Nelson in the regional final.
Third in the Star-Telegram 6A area rankings and No. 10 in the 6A current state poll, Southlake Carroll (10-1) advanced to the area round next week and will face the Wolfforth Frenship Tigers (9-2), a team that defeated El Paso Eastwood 87-58 in a shootout Friday night as QB Hudson Hutcheson tossed nine TD passes.
Saginaw Boswell (7-4) was led by RB Colin Dixon, who registered 121 yards on 21 carries. QB Tye Renfro was 17 of 28 for 85 yards, with three interceptions.
Renfro, a senior, had thrown for 1,897 yards with 18 TDs and just two interceptions during the regular season, adding another 323 rushing yards and 9 TDs on the ground.