Southlake Carroll football survives close area round game vs. Wolfforth Frenship

The expected shootout between the Southlake Carroll Dragons and the Wolfforth Frenship Tigers was just that and then some.

But it was the Southlake Carroll defense that held on the final drive to preserve a 49-42 victory over Frenship in the 6A Division II Region 1 Area-round matchup on Friday, Nov. 22, on Anthony Field at Abilene Christian University’s Wildcat Stadium.

After Southlake quarterback Angelo Renda scored a go-ahead TD on a one-yard keeper with 3:18 remaining for a 49-42 Dragons advantage, Frenship mounted one last drive in an attempt to even the score or possibly attempt a two-point conversion for the lead.

Starting at its own 16, the Tigers reached the Dragons 25-yard line with just over a minute left. The Dragon defense made its stand. An incomplete pass, an 11-yard loss on a busted play, another incomplete pass, and a five-yard false start penalty left Frenship with a fourth-and-26 at the Southlake 41.

Southlake flushed Frenship quarterback Holden Phillips out of the pocket and got a 10-yard group sack that turned the ball over on downs and sent the Dragons into the regional round.

“We knew we needed to come up with a stop,” said defensive end Jack Van Dorselaer, a Tennessee pledge. “We knew the situation. We needed a stop. It was our turn to make a play and we did. We came in the game expecting a shootout but also knowing we needed to make some key plays on defense. Great job by our defense on that final drive, against a great offensive team.”

Southlake head coach Riley Dodge said his offense did an outstanding job and that he was “proud of the defense for making some crucial plays at critical moments.”

“We found a way to win,” said coach Dodge. “That is all that matters. It is all about advancing to the next round, and we did that.”

Fans did not have to wait long for the much-anticipated fireworks. Frenship record-setting quarterback Holden Phillips rifled an 82-yard TD strike to Chase Campbell on the first play from scrimmage. That was deja vus all over again, as that combination did the same in the bi-district rout of El Paso Montwood on a 70-yard score to open that contest.

Southlake failed on a fake punt on fourth-and-seven from the Frenship 37 on its initial series, and Frenship took advantage, with Campbell scampering five yards to leave the Dragons with an early 14-0 deficit.

“We did a good job of keeping our composure early,” said Southlake junior wideout Brock Boyd, a TCU pledge. “We knew coming in this was gonna be a high-scoring game.”

The Dragons indeed did not panic, responding with a 10-play 75-yard march capped by a 31-yard TD pass from Renda to Blake Gunter as time expired in the opening quarter.

Phillips hurled a 43-yard TD pass to Texas Tech pledge Leyton Stone on its ensuing series to push the Southlake deficit to 21-7.

Then all three phases -- offense, special teams and defense -- allowed Southlake to explode for 21 unanswered points over a 3:26 span in the second quarter to forge a 28-21 lead.

Renda had scoring runs of 11 and nine yards sandwiched around a 56-yard punt return TD by Parker Harris. Renda’s second TD was set up by William Chen’s interception, and he returned to the Frenship 30.

Frenship regained its composure with a 10-play 75-yard drive, taking 4:27, capped by a 16-yard TD from Phillips to Stone on third-and-goal with 37 seconds left to halftime. The Tigers converted a third-and-19 from its own 16 early in the drive, and the two teams were deadlocked at 28-28 heading to the locker rooms.

Southlake Carroll quickly marched 67 yards on four plays coming out of the break. Christian Glenn, who accounted for 55 rushing yards on the drive, sprinted 35-yards for the go-ahead TD.

Frenship responded with a 14-play 76-yard march that finished with a Phillips-to-Stone eight-yard TD connection. The Tigers converted a fourth-and-six at the Southlake 23 on a Phillips eight-yard run.

Southlake came right back, with a nine-play 75-yard drive in 3:53 as Gunter hauled in a 34-yard TD pass from Renda to pull ahead 42-35.

It was Frenship’s turn to respond, going 94 yards on 11 plays, using 4:21 off the clock, as Phillips tossed a 17-yard TD to Stone to even the score.

In what proved to be the winning drive, Southlake immediately answered on the ensuing series, with Renda racing around the end untouched on a one-yard keeper with 3:18 remaining, to cap a nine-play 70-yard drive.

That set the stage for the Dragons defensive stand in holding on for the victory.

Southlake Carroll ended Frenship’s season the last two years — cruising to a 49-14 win in 2023 after a 69-14 rout in 2022.

Southlake Carroll (12-0), No. 4 in the 6A final regular-season state-rankings, got tremendous offensive production from its offense.

Renda, a junior, ran for three TDs (11, 9, 1 yards) and passed for two more (34 and 31 yards to Blake Gunter), finishing with a game-high 70 rushing yards on eight carries, while passing for 253 (23 of 27 with one interception).

Renda credited our coaches with a “great game plan” for getting the team ready.

“Just an incredible game,” said Renda. “We beat a great team tonight. We knew it would be a challenge, and we answered that challenge.”

Boyd, a junior, hauled in 12 passes for 117 yards to lead the Dragons receiving corps.

Gunter had four catches for 73 yards, including the pair of scores, giving the sophomore four TD receptions in two playoff contests.

Glenn totaled 67 rushing yards on 12 carries, and the one TD. Glenn’s workload increased after a first-quarter injury to running back Davis Penn.

A disheartening site for Dragons fans was the talented running back duo of junior Davis Penn and senior Riley Wormley (USC pledge) standing side-by-side on the sidelines.

“We won’t know the severity of the injury yet,” said Dodge, on losing a second standout running back. “We will get him evaluated and go from there.”

Southlake Carroll advances to the 6A Division II Region 1 semifinal next week versus Hebron (8-4), which defeated Arlington Bowie 51-35, in a matchup at a location/date/time to be determined.

This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 11:15 PM.