Southlake Carroll cruises past Justin Northwest to clinch playoff spot, stay undefeated
Both Southlake Carroll and Northwest entered Oct. 17’s matchup at Northwest ISD Stadium with undefeated records.
Similar records, however, don’t always guarantee a close game. The difference in play showcased the extreme parity in Texas high school football as Southlake Carroll (8-0, 5-0) dominated from start to finish, securing a 48-7 victory to clinch a playoff spot.
Southlake Carroll head coach Riley Dodge said the Dragons prepared for the game like it was the district championship and mentioned he has the “utmost respect” for Northwest head coach Bill Poe.
“I’ve worked for Bill (Poe),” Dodge said. “He’s a mentor of mine. I knew exactly how he was going to prepare his team. The way our guys prepared this week -- they treated this game like it should have been treated. So, proud of our guys.”
The Dragons are the favorite to win the District 4-6A title and have two regular-season games remaining against Hurst L.D. Bell and Keller Central. The bi-district round starts on Nov. 14.
“I think the big thing is we’re getting better,” Dodge said. “There’s no doubt. I think we’re making new mistakes, which is good. That’s what we’re talking about in our field house. We’re growing up on the fly. We’re becoming a better practice football team, and it’s showing up the last three or four weeks.”
Dodge said it has been fun seeing a young team gain experience. To prepare for the playoffs, Dodge said he wants the Dragons to keep a sense of urgency, clean up mistakes and study film. He added they’ll treat every week “like its the Super Bowl.”
“They’re starting to learn and take it seriously,” Dodge said. “So I think the biggest thing for this group is just the process and diving into it. And that’s how we win football games.”
Southlake Carroll’s offense thrives with Boyd-Renda connection
A five-yard touchdown from running back Davis Penn, a Baylor commit, got things started for the Dragons.
After a defensive stop, quarterback Angelo Renda threw an avoidable interception, but the Dragons got the ball back. Wide receiver Brock Boyd, a TCU commit, notched the second first-quarter score. He made a contested catch and managed to stay on his feet despite the contact before finding some running room.
“He is the ultimate competitor,” Dodge said of Boyd, who finished with 135 yards and two touchdowns on four catches. “He is a team captain for a reason. One of the best practice players and a coach’s kid. He’s been around the game a long time. He is playing like a star, and he wants the football. All good wide receivers want the ball.”
The Northwest offense failed to move the chains but got a second chance, recovering a punt that was touched by the Dragons’ special teams. Northwest capitalized with a two-yard touchdown from Kobey Wall, who received a direct snap.
Carroll’s offense wasn’t fazed and added two more scores in the first half. Boyd first notched a 45-yard touchdown with a leaping, contested catch. Penn then added his second score, a four-yard rush set up by a 36-yard scramble from Renda.
Dodge called Renda’s run “big time.” Carroll’s junior signal caller learned from his first-quarter mistake, taking the easy yards instead of forcing a deep ball
“I love how aggressive he is,” Dodge said. “Right now he is finally getting healthy. He’s had turf toe for a long time and hasn’t been able to use his wheels. I think he is not accustomed to using his legs.”
The Dragons took a 28-7 lead into the break. In the second half, Renda continued the hot streak, finding Blake Gunter wide-open down the sideline for a 31-yard score.
“We’ve talked about being a mature football team and just playing a complete game, just taking it one play at a time,” Boyd said.
The Dragons extended their massive lead with a 10-yard rushing touchdown from Renda.
Special teams joined the scoring frenzy with a blocked punt from Mateo Fodor that Christian Glenn picked up and returned. The Dragons’ defense shut out the Texans the rest of the way.
On Oct. 25, Southlake Carroll will host Hurst L.D. Bell at Dragon Stadium, with a chance to clinch the district title. On the same day, Northwest will look to bounce back against Byron Nelson.
This story was originally published October 17, 2024 at 9:22 PM.
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