After ACL rehab, RB Davis Penn flashes rebuilt confidence with Southlake Carroll
Just over a year ago, a young and hungry Southlake Carroll team was in the midst of a run to the Class 6A Division II state championship game.
Junior running back Davis Penn was leading the charge, averaging 6.8 yards per carry on the season. But in the area round against Wolfforth Frenship, disaster struck for the already short-handed Dragons.
Penn made a cut and went down with an ACL injury.
“I remember the entire sideline just deflating,” Carroll running backs coach Skylar Wetzel said. “I was walking out there toward him, and he was rolling around in pain. And that just makes your heart drop whenever a kid goes down. And such a great kid like Davis — you hate to see him in pain.”
Since that moment, Penn has been on a long journey to build himself back up. Now, he’s playing some of the best football of his storied career as Carroll (14-0) prepares for a state semifinal clash with DeSoto (11-3) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Newsom Stadium.
Focusing on what you can control
Wetzel said the injury was a heartbreaking moment for the coaches, players and Penn’s family. Wetzel called him a great leader and the bell cow of last year’s Carroll squad. At that point, he had already put together an exceptional resume.
As an impact performer since his sophomore year, he posted 2,740 all-purpose yards and 50 touchdowns in his career before his junior season was cut short, solidifying himself as one of the best in Texas high school football.
Penn said that he was heartbroken that he couldn’t contribute on the field. While dealing with the emotional and physical hardships, he put his focus on something he could control: his rehab and leadership.
“I wanted to make sure I was still a leader on this team,” Penn said. “And I wanted to be more vocal. I wasn’t able to lead by example. So, I took on a vocal lead and tried to support my team that way.”
It was a time of change for Penn, as he soon announced his decommitment from Baylor, but he kept his focus on getting healthy.
“It took a lot of hard work,” Penn said of rehab. “I couldn’t have done it without my brothers. In every step of the way and every PT [physical therapy] session, my brothers were there supporting me. I really couldn’t have come back as well as I have without my family.”
Penn didn’t just heal his injury. According to Wetzel, he underwent an entire physical transformation, becoming bigger, stronger and leaner.
“He was relentless and trying to get back healthy,” Wetzel said. “He was doing everything that they asked him to do, and then going home and doing more.”
Confidence is key
Penn completed his ACL rehab faster than most, largely because of the way he attacked it. He was cleared to play before the season and was also voted a team captain for a consecutive season.
“One of the most productive backs in school history,” Carroll head coach Riley Dodge said. “He went to work on his rehab.”
And as much as Penn wanted to get right back where he left off, Dodge and the coaching staff knew they had to take care of him and ease him back into the swing of things.
Penn was put on a snap count in training camp. In the season opener, he received three carries. For the next six games, he received 10 or fewer carries. But in an Oct. 24 game against L.D. Bell, Dodge “took the training wheels off,” and Penn rushed for 66 yards and two TDs on 15 attempts, a season high at that point.
The workload was back to normal, but Penn was still gaining confidence in his abilities.
“The confidence piece and the mental hurdle you have to get over is the biggest hurdle that these kids who go through ACL injuries have to overcome,” Wetzel said. “And it’s been incredible to watch him overcome that mental hurdle throughout the year.”
In the Oct. 31 regular-season finale against Keller Central, Penn put together his best performance of the year, rushing for 170 yards and two TDs.
“It took him a little time, but … you saw everything just light up for him,” Wetzel said. “A light bulb went off, and now he’s playing back to his potential, and he’s exceeding the expectations that we had for him.”
Since that moment, Dodge said he saw a jump in Penn’s confidence that has built up during the Dragons’ playoff run. In the regional round against Prosper, he struggled at times, but delivered when things mattered most, sealing the game with a 31-yard TD.
Against Denton Guyer in the quarterfinals, he had the best showing of the playoff run, rushing for 161 yards and a TD.
“We’ve seen it at practice,” Dodge said of Penn’s confidence. “And [that confidence] has shown up in the last two weeks against really good defenses in Prosper and Guyer.”
Dodge said one of the keys is not pressing, forcing things and allowing the game to come to him.
“Understanding that we’re OK with 4 yards at times,” Dodge said. “The 12- and 15-yard gains will come. We don’t need a home run every time. Getting back to watching 3 be back to his old self has been a lot of fun.”
Ending his career at Carroll
The Dragons are two wins away from their first state championship since 2011.
For someone like Penn, who now has 3,756 all-purpose yards and 68 total TDs, this season is a culmination of everything he has worked for in a storied career. He’ll certainly continue his football career, with offers from Tulane, Rice, Colorado, Kansas State, UTEP, Arkansas State and more, but his time wearing Dragon green is coming to a close.
Penn, who grew up in Southlake, said bringing a championship home to the Dragons would mean everything to him. For the past 11 years, he’s been either in the stands or on the field — Dragon football is a key component of his life.
Against DeSoto, Carroll will lean on Penn’s experience, as he was one of the focal points of the 2023 team that lost to the Eagles in the state semifinals. He knows a strong season can end at a moment’s notice.
“I’m taking my preparation very seriously,” Penn said. “This is elimination. One bad game and your team is going home. I’m fighting to do anything I can to keep my team and my family together.”
This story was originally published December 11, 2025 at 4:30 AM.
.jpg)