Southlake Carroll endures Guyer’s strong start, advances to state semifinal
Denton Guyer gave Southlake Carroll a pretty good scare in the first quarter of their Class 6A Division II quarterfinal.
The Wildcats stopped Carroll’s state leading offense and Caleb Fowler blocked a punt — that set up a 6-yard rushing TD from Kaedyn Cobbs. Carroll was able to respond with a 74-yard TD strike from quarterback Angelo Renda to wide receiver Brock Boyd, but Guyer jumped right back on top with a 40-yard rushing score from QB Carter Morgan.
It seemed Guyer and Carroll were set for a competitive, back and forth, high scoring shootout. But the Dragons then pulled away with 38 unanswered points en route to an 51-19 victory Saturday at Crowley ISD Stadium.
“Didn’t play as hot coming out,” Carroll head coach Riley Dodge said. “But told the kids I’m super proud of them. Didn’t flinch all night, especially early in the ballgame. Just stayed steady. We’re very capable of doing that. We knew we had a good plan. But the kids just keep executing. So, it was a good night.”
Top-ranked Carroll (14-0) will face either DeSoto or Willis in a state semifinal at a time or place that is to be determined. Guyer’s season ends at 11-3.
The Dragons’ unanswered scoring spree started with 56 seconds left in the first quarter. Running back Brooks Biggers tossed to Boyd, who tossed back to Renda, who fired to the end zone. Receiver Luc Jacquemard caught the 31-yard, go-ahead flea flicker TD.
Next, the Dragons created separation with consecutive rushing scores from Biggers of 19 and 7 yards. Defensively, Carroll fizzled Guyer’s momentum and capitalized at the end of the half, preventing the Wildcats from adding a field goal.
The third quarter saw Carroll force a turnover on downs and kicker Gavin Strange added to the Dragon lead with a 31-yard field goal. Athlete Parker Harris then found the end zone with a 7 yard rush.
Guyer came close to snapping Carroll’s unanswered streak with a 97 yard kick return from Aiden Martins, but a play that Dodge called a “Dragon maker” from Strange, an athlete and kicker, prevented it. He sprinted after Martin and, somehow, caught up and dove at Martins feet for a terrific tackle.
The hustle play paid dividends, as a fumble recovery on a bad snap from Harris ended the drive. After a Dragon punt, the turnover issues continued for Guyer; Carroll’s Marcus Brouse forced a fumble and Crawford Taylor recovered, returning 21 yards for a TD.
Facing an insurmountable lead, Guyer’s Zane Rowe returned his team to the scoring column with an 8 yard TD reception, but Carroll running back Davis Penn answered that with a 1-yard scoring run with 2:20 remaining to cap the scoring.
Penn carried the load for the Dragons on the ground with 158 yards on 17 carries. Renda threw for 234 yards completing 10 of 16 passes, all in the first half. Boyd led the receiver room with 116 yards on just three receptions.
The Dragons put together a pretty clean game with five penalties for 30 yards. The 32 point victory is a large improvement from the 2024 quarterfinals, when the Dragons beat Guyer 56-45. Now, they’re one win away from consecutive state championship appearance.
“Just keep improving,” running back Davis Penn said. “Don’t get complacent. We won in the fourth round, but the job is not over. We still have two more games against great opponents. We’re staying hungry. No complacency.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2025 at 4:51 PM.
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