How Southlake Carroll boosters fund one of Texas’ premier athletic programs
When NFL agent Ron Slavin moved to Southlake in 2017, he quickly became familiar with the Carroll Dragons’ standard of excellence.
The Dragons have won nine Lone Star Cups, an honor awarded to the best overall athletic program in Texas in each classification.
The football team, ranked No. 1 in Texas and No. 13 in the nation, spearheads that charge.
Southlake is the seventh-wealthiest suburb in the nation, according to a study by GoBankingRates.
That wealth, however, doesn’t necessarily mean Carroll ISD’s athletic facilities are fully funded by local tax dollars. Because of the state recapture policy, the school district must share property tax revenues with less affluent districts across Texas.
Seeking to maintain the district’s athletic edge, Slavin, along with Robert Clayton, Bill Webb and Trevor Tacker, founded the Dragon Touchdown Club in 2022. The nonprofit is dedicated to supporting and enhancing high school athletics in the Southlake community.
Major projects the club has funded include the renovation of the Carroll Senior High School weight room, revamping the Dragon Alley tailgate festivities on game days and even helping to fund the hiring of a full-time strength and conditioning coach. Other projects include equipment, training tables, indoor facility lighting and weight room renovations at Carroll Middle School and Dawson Middle School.
“The [public tax] money is gone, and we don’t have enough money to do things,” Slavin, the Touchdown Club’s president, said. “So we have to go to the community and raise money. They’ve had a basic booster club for years here, but [Touchdown Club] was something outside the box where we could raise the money, work with the school district and get projects done.”
Touchdown Club projects
To meet and maintain Carroll’s lofty athletic standards, booster clubs needed to raise significant funds to complete upgrades and facility improvements.
The Touchdown Club aims to raise $200,000 or more annually through donations ranging from $2,500 to $100,000, Slavin said. According to The Dallas Morning News, the Touchdown Club reported a revenue of $706,262 in 2024, and the Carroll Athletic Booster Club reported revenue of $789,350.
Trevor Dare, father of offensive lineman Tristan Dare, said it was an easy decision to get involved.
“It didn’t take me long, once I was introduced to the program, for me to buy in,” Dare said. “I’d heard a lot about it. You can’t really describe the experience as a parent until you are actually involved. Everyone is very aligned, and you feel supported — and you also want to support.”
One of the group’s biggest projects was the Carroll Senior High School weight room renovation.
“I was elected president, and that was my passion for six months — to get that thing done,” Slavin said. “On top of representing players and being involved in my kids’ lives, this has become a second job for me.”
The new facility provides two major improvements: versatility and space. Each rack features multiple attachments, allowing athletes to perform a wide range of exercises.
Girls basketball coach Robyn McCoart and baseball coach Larry Vucan praised the space as organized, complete and highly functional.
Tristan Dare, a Michigan football pledge, said the results have been noticeable.
“I’ve put on 30 pounds since last year,” Dare said. “There are a lot of cool things we can do now that we couldn’t in our old weight room.”
Head football coach and executive athletic director Riley Dodge said that the entire team is in great physical shape. The Dragons skipped spring football for the first time to focus solely on strength training.
“Our bodies really changed with all the work we did in the weight room,” Dodge said. “We continued that through the summer. Our bodies look night and day from what they looked like last year.”
Carroll athletes also have access to new recovery tools, including a room with compression boots and another stocked with Legendary Foods products — the company donates about $4,000 worth of protein products each week. A FloWater advanced purification water refill station was also added.
The Dragons even have two cold plunges valued at $50,000, and another weight room is being added to the indoor facility to allow for simultaneous workouts across programs.
The Doug Castleberry effect
Another major accomplishment for the Touchdown Club was helping fund the addition of Doug Castleberry, a full-time strength and conditioning coach serving all Carroll ISD athletes from seventh grade up. The club raised $190,000 to help the district make the position possible.
Dodge, who previously worked with Castleberry in Northwest ISD, said the hire had been a long-term goal.
“I really appreciate our school district for buying into that,” Dodge said. “Many districts now have strength coordinators for all sports. The impact Doug has made has been unbelievable.”
Vucan called Castleberry a “flat-out difference-maker,” citing his ability to connect with athletes and foster relationships while delivering expert training.
“He cares about all of Dragon athletics,” Vucan said. “He’s committed to doing everything he can to get these kids strong and make them great movers.”
Before Castleberry’s arrival, McCoart designed her own team workouts.
“I played basketball in college, and I’ve done a lot of weight training, but I don’t have a certification,” McCoart said. “It’s awesome to have someone who’s tailoring workouts specifically to girls basketball players.”
Tristan Dare said Castleberry’s influence extends beyond lifting technique.
“He brings the energy every day,” Dare said. “He always holds us accountable and has all of our best interests in mind.”
Castleberry said his mission is to help athletes build strength that serves them in competition and in life.
“We’re going to do hard things,” he said. “And we’re going to do hard things better than other people.”
He credited the Touchdown Club’s fundraising for making that possible.
“It wasn’t safe by the standards of the National Strength and Conditioning Association,” Castleberry said. “The barbells were too close. The floor was super dangerous. [The changes] were something that needed to happen.”
Managing a strength program for a perennial state contender brings unique challenges. With a potential 16-game football season, players are in “attack mode” for nearly half the year.
“It’s calculated, no doubt about it,” Castleberry said. “We find what we need, what I need them to hit. The kids work hard — they’ll do anything I ask. I just try to balance it.”
He emphasizes hip, knee and ankle stability to complement traditional lifts like squats, presses and cleans.
“The kids show up,” he said. “They work their tails off. The standards are high here — and the kids meet them.”
What else does the Touchdown Club do?
The Touchdown Club also works to enhance the game day experience. The group relocated the Dragon Alley tailgate to foster community and connection.
Guests from the city are invited, alumni reunions are hosted, and Dragon Youth Football players are given a glimpse of their future. Attendance levels are high, especially compared to other Fort Worth-area schools, but the goal is to keep increasing attendance.
“Friday Night Lights is still huge in Texas, but it’s still not at the level we want it,” Slavin said. “We want every Friday night to be sold-out. And we’re trying to create that again.”
The group also helped improve the hallways connecting the newly renovated locker room, weight room, recovery areas, and practice facility, displaying Carroll’s storied history and reinforcing the program’s expectations.
The organization plans to rebrand as the Tradition Club, reflecting its broader mission to support all athletic programs, not just football.
Future goals include new locker rooms for baseball and softball, a pavilion on the practice field for shade and lighting to allow earlier morning practices.
“If I’m affecting my kid, I’m affecting all of them,” Slavin said. “And that means something.”
Why is the community invested in athletics?
To Vucan, the perception that Carroll athletes are “handed success” couldn’t be further from reality.
“People really need to see what goes on in these rooms every day,” Vucan said. “How hard these kids really work.”
He said Carroll’s community-driven approach is unmatched.
“I’ve been doing this 35 years, and I’ve never been at a school system this committed,” Vucan said. “They view the pursuit of excellence in a unique way.”
Vucan described Southlake as a “white-collar community with a blue-collar mindset.”
“It just blows me away how hard these kids work,” he said.
With elite facilities, dedicated coaches and a culture centered around excellence, Carroll students are consistently put in a position to succeed.
“Everyone has the same goal for their kids,” Slavin said. “They want them to be successful. They want them to have every chance to be productive. And it all starts with athletics.”
Still, championships can’t be bought. The Dragons’ success is built on relentless effort and a community that shows up.
From 10,000 fans packing Town Square for homecoming rallies to alumni recreating Carroll’s original championship sign, the city’s investment runs deep.
“Everyone wants to be part of something bigger,” Trevor Dare said. “From the start, there’s been a standard of excellence. And the standard is the standard.”
That culture starts early. Carroll is a one-high-school district, meaning kids grow up with the same peers they’ll eventually compete alongside as Dragons.
“The [Dragon Youth Football] program probably has more former college and pro players coaching than most high school and college staffs in one town of 30,000 people,” Slavin said. “By the time these kids get here, they’re prepared.”
That preparation creates a sense of continuity and responsibility.
“Everyone is bought in with sports,” Dare said. “From the time you’re a little kid, you dream of being a Dragon. And by the time you graduate, you’ll miss those days.”
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