Defense helps Southlake Carroll in upset of state No. 3 Trinity
In a game that needed some defense, Southlake Carroll came away with the key stops in the second half Friday night against Euless Trinity.
Carroll held Trinity scoreless in the second half to upset the No. 3 Trojans 42-28 in a District 5-6A game at Dragon Stadium.
The Dragons (4-1, 2-0 5-6A) and Trojans were tied 28-28 at the break after ending the first half with eight touchdowns in the final 10 drives. Carroll, however, limited Trinity to only 90 yards in the second half.
Carroll’s Audricke Gaines, who ran for 127 yards after halftime, scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to break the tie with 2:52 left in the third quarter. The score capped the Dragons’ 12-play, 93-yard drive.
On the ensuing possession, Trinity’s 30-yard field-goal attempt was blocked and picked up by Carroll’s Jacob Doddridge.
After Carroll threw an interception on the next drive, leading 35-28, the Dragons forced a Trinity punt, and Gaines capped a 53-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run with 1:42 to play.
Carroll’s John Miscoll sealed the victory with a late interception.
Gaines finished with 31 carries for 170 yards and three touchdowns. Carroll quarterback Mason Holmes threw for 217 yards on 14-of-20 passing and three first-half touchdowns.
Holmes’ first touchdown went to Oklahoma commit Robert Barnes for 65 yards to tie the game 7-7 with 4:11 to play in the first quarter.
After Carroll’s Jackson Canter recovered a fumble, the Dragons took a 14-7 lead with a 17-yard touchdown from Holmes to Jack Johansson on third down.
Trinity (4-1, 1-1) took the 7-0 lead on a 2-yard score from quarterback Malini Maile and tied it at 14-14 with a 10-yard run from Greg Garner with 10:17 to play in the first half.
The Dragons regained the lead five plays later when Gaines scored a 10-yard touchdown run with 8:54 in the quarter.
Garner’s 24-yard touchdown run tied it 21-21 with 4:59 left in the first half, but Holmes’ third touchdown went to Jackson Davis for a 9-yard score and a 28-21 Carroll lead with 2:09 left in the half.
Courage Keihn, who led Trinity with 225 yards rushing, burst up the middle untouched for a 60-yard score and 28-28 tie with 33 seconds left in the half.
Carroll finished with 502 yards of total offense.
The teams were meeting for the fifth consecutive season, with the past two in district. The winner has gone on to win the district title. Trinity won 37-35 last season and Carroll won 10-6 in 2014.
This story was originally published September 30, 2016 at 11:37 PM with the headline "Defense helps Southlake Carroll in upset of state No. 3 Trinity."