No. 1 Southlake Carroll starts playoff run with dominant victory over Crowley
During the 2025 Texas high school football playoffs, No. 1 Southlake Carroll has an opportunity to add to its storied history.
The Dragons have eight state championships, which cements them as one of the most dominant programs in Texas high school football. But since 2011, Carroll has competed among the best, but hasn’t added a state title to its extensive trophy case.
On Thursday at Dragon Stadium, Southlake Carroll (11-0) took a first step toward putting Dragon football back on top with a lopsided 35-0 Class 6A Division II bi-district round victory over Crowley.
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“Going into the game, had a ton of respect for what [Crowley] did defensively,” Carroll coach Riley Dodge said. “We knew it was going to be a dogfight early with what they do defensively. But gosh, we found a way in certain points. Tonight wasn’t the prettiest, but defensively, I thought we played lights out. We got off the field when we needed to.”
Crowley, after making the postseason with a point advantage in a District 3-6A tiebreaker, ends its season with a 3-8 record. In 2024, the Eagles posted an 8-5 record and reached the third round, falling to Denton Guyer.
Against Carroll, the Eagles made some possessions tough on the Dragons, but were outclassed as the game progressed. Crowley’s run defense stood out; the unit held Carroll running back Davis Penn to 42 yards on 15 carries.
In the first half, wide receiver Blake Gunter opened the scoring with a 17 yard reception, Brooks Biggers extended the lead with a 1 yard rushing score and Brock Boyd added another with a 17 yard reception. Carroll took a 21-0 lead into the first half, propelled by two timely defensive stops via turnover on downs in their own territory.
The Dragons’ explosive offense slowed in the second half with kicker Gavin Strange missing two field goals. Carroll, however, was able to add to its comfortable lead with a 32 yard TD run from quarterback Angelo Renda. He ran to the sideline, cut toward midfield and beat a defender to the pylon.
Boyd then added the game’s final score, giving Dragon special teams a boost with a 45 yard punt return. He thrived in all three phases, finishing with 94 yards on 8 receptions and a touchdown. He also spent some time guarding Crowley’s top receiver, Antayvious Ellis.
Throughout the contest, Carroll’s defense made timely plays, holding Crowley off the scoreboard despite the Eagles tallying 246 yards.
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Renda passed for 193 yards and two touchdowns on 15 of 26 passing, and he added 65 yards and a score on his legs. Boyd led the receivers with 94 yards, and a TD on 8 receptions.
“I think Crowley is a great team despite their record,” Renda said. “I mean, they got some dudes on the outside, and they’re making plays, but I feel like we came out here, we knew we’re gonna get man free, and we took some shots early. We connected on a couple, but we still got some things to work on, and we’ll be back in the film room tomorrow morning.”
Up next in the area round, Southlake Carroll will head west to take on San Angelo Central (8-3), a squad that beat El Paso Pebble Hills 24-14 in the bi-district round.
“There are definitely challenges with 15 to 18-year-olds when you travel, but our locker rooms is pretty veteran, and we’ll have a business-like mentality,” Dodge said.
This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 9:28 PM.
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