Southlake Carroll surges from behind to defeat Denton Guyer, advance to state semifinals
Guyer led by two scores before letting Southlake Carroll get back into it with two big snap mishaps.
The Dragons capitalized, took the lead, and never looked back, winning 56-45 in the Region One final at a cold, rainy DATCU Stadium in Denton on Saturday, Dec. 7.
“We just keep finding a way,” said Carroll head coach Riley Dodge. “Big time players make big time plays in big time games.”
The Dragons (14-0) will face the Longview Lobos (12-0) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Ford Stadium in Dallas. Longview defeated reigning champion DeSoto in the regional finals.
Despite the slow start, Dodge said the kids knew what they were doing and did what they always do in the playoffs. It’s a style he calls the “Cardiac Kids.”
“Our kids had a great look in their eye even though going down 14,” Dodge said. “We’ve been resilient all playoffs, that’s been the story all season—we’re the cardiac kids—we like to start off faster, but we kept plugging away and being opportunistic.”
Carroll scored four times off of Guyer’s turnovers. Twice, the Wildcats snap went over the punter’s head, and Carroll recovered in the red zone or the end zone by Ethan Fisher. Guyer’s punt was blocked and returned for a touchdown by Fisher, and Zac Hays stripped a Guyer toss and ran it into the end zone.
Carroll’s first points came from Christian Glenn, a utility man, as described by Dodge.
“He’s unbelievable,” said Dodge. “He’s a senior that has been a swiss army knife for us and today, a special teams warrior.”
Glenn scored a 2-yard rushing touchdown that stopped Guyer’s 14-0 run, then ran in a 6-yard rushing touchdown after Guyer’s snap mishaps. His third was a 1-yard rush that put the Dragons up by 25 in the fourth quarter.
The Dragons only allowed a field goal to the Wildcats before halftime, leading 35-24.
After leading by 25 points two different times, the Wildcats tried everything they could to hang around and make a comeback of their own.
They reduced the lead to 11 after recovering an onside kick with 3:53 left in the game.
That drive ended with an interception—another big play by the Carroll defense.
Carroll took over and ran three plays before setting up in victory formation.
Another trip to the state semifinals means so much to Dodge and his group.
“You get emotional because this is home,” said Dodge. “And I want to get one of those titles for this program.”
This story was originally published December 7, 2024 at 7:29 PM.
