SMU commit TJ McDaniel unstoppable as Carroll routs Coppell in playoff opener
Southlake Carroll waited anxiously to run onto the field during Saturday’s high school football playoff opener, and through a sign reading “The blondes are back in town” – a Carroll tradition when the football team dyes their hair blonde come postseason time.
The blondes were definitely back against Coppell – giving the Cowboys no chance – in a dominating 54-10 performance to win the 6A Division I bi-district title at Dragon Stadium.
Carroll (11-0) advances to face DeSoto (9-2) in the area round, 2 p.m. Nov. 24 at Newsom Stadium.
“There was a lot of hype going into the week just because Coppell is our rival,” said all-state running back and SMU commit T.J. McDaniel, who played at Coppell as a freshman and sophomore. “I was pretty dialed in and I wanted to have something to brag about. We definitely executed this week and it showed today.”
McDaniel was unstoppable, finishing with a season-high 313 yards rushing and it only took 78 seconds for No. 6 Carroll to put this game away. Will Bowers pitched it to McDaniel on third down and the 3-star prospect did the rest for a 69-yard touchdown to put the Dragons up 7-0.
Coppell (7-4) punted on its first four drives while Carroll scored three touchdowns in the first quarter. Bowers hit John Manero for a 19-yard TD on a third-and-16 midway through the period.
McDaniel added his second TD from 24 with one minute left and Joe McFadden connected on a 23-yard field goal to give Carroll a 24-0 lead with 4:38 in the half.
“T.J. is unbelievable and he’s our guy,” Carroll coach Riley Dodge said. “We just try to get him involved as much as possible and the offensive line did an unbelievable job.”
Coppell finally got on the board thanks to its star kicker and Texas A&M commit Caden Davis, who hit a 42-yard field goal with 1:35 left in the second quarter. But the Cowboys only mustered up 243 yards of total offense including 47 in the first half. The Cowboys allowed 50 points for the first time since 2014.
“They’re a good program and our rival, but our guys were mentally ready,” Dodge said.
McDaniel, who ran for four TDs, caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Bowers to extend Carroll’s lead to 31-3 with 7:25 in the third quarter. He added 15 and 5-yard TD runs to make it 45-3 with 9:32 to go.
“Credit to the offensive line for opening those holes up for me,” he said. “You can’t do much without a good line. Those guys are awesome and I love them, and I think they’re going to be a key to this playoff run.”
Coppell’s only touchdown came midway through the fourth when Tanner Woodby caught a 37-yard TD from Taj Gregory.
Carroll’s Matthew Broadway scored his first-career TD from the 3 and the Dragons picked up a safety late in the game to round out the scoring. The Dragons finished with 570 yards of total offense.
“It’s huge, but I try to take myself out of it. It’s about the kids,” said Dodge, who was hired in the spring and wins his first playoff game as a head coach. “I’m proud of the kids and how they responded.”
Dodge grew up a Carroll Dragon and won a number of playoff games including a state championship as the starting quarterback in 2006, but it was different as a head coach on Saturday.
Said Dodge, “this one is a little bit sweeter.”
This story was originally published November 17, 2018 at 7:25 PM.