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Football: Dragons face tough test in bi-district round
By Justin Thomas, jthomas@starlocalnews.com
In zero week, the defending Class 5A State Champs in Southlake Carroll headed to Allen to take on the powerhouse Eagles who were opening their new athletic complex.
The result was a 24-0 victory for Allen.
Since the opener, all Carroll has done is rattle off nine consecutive wins by an average score of 57-5.
It was Carroll's second consecutive district title.
"I'm so proud of the guys for accomplishing that because of what we have invested," said Hal Wasson, Carroll head coach. "It's a point in the journey we were hoping to get to and it isn't something that is easily accomplished. We did our due diligence starting in the spring and focused on improving daily. We're a goal-oriented team and our first goal was an outright district title and when district started we hit another level."
Against Haltom, the Dragons led, 21-14, after the first quarter before adjusting to Haltom's scheme and limiting the Buffalos to three points over the final three quarters.
"It was a new scheme for us to prepare for and it was a short week," Wasson said. "Haltom executed early and we made some adjustments after the quarter and at the half and were successful. I kind of laughed because I was talking to a couple people and they were saying we weren't hitting on all cylinders in the first half and we were winning, 42-14."
While Haltom's offense efficient early, Carroll's was throughout.
Mike Gardiner got the Dragons on the board just 1:15 in when he hauled in a 37-yard touchdown reception from Kenny Hill. The Dragons continued to display their quick-strike ability the rest of the first half, with a 56-yard touchdown run by A.J. Ezzard, a 44-yard touchdown pass to Luke Timian and a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown by Aaron Hoagland for a 28-14 advantage. Hill followed with touchdowns runs of 10 and 34 yards to give Carroll a commanding lead at the break.
In the second half, Ryan Agnew took the reins at quarterback and completed 8-of-9 passes for 96 yards in addition scoring runs of 20 and 12 yards in the third quarter.
"We had a good night offensively," Wasson said. "We got it going and were consistent and were able to minimize our mental mistakes."
Hill finished 7-of-10 for 126 yards with 58 yards on the ground and four total touchdowns, while Ezzard had 86 yards on just four attempts. Joseph Formella chipped in 35 yards on six carries. The Dragons also had seven receivers with at least 10 yards and eight with catches, including four for 55 from Ryan McGiboney.
"We were able to get valuable learning experience for a lot of players Thursday and throughout the district season," Wasson said.
The extra rest was a benefit of Carroll's large scoring differential during district but Wasson doesn't believe it will hinder his squad in the playoffs.
"We were fortunate to have the opportunity to play a lot of guys," he said. "But if you watch our practices, you know how up-tempo it is. We keep it at a high pace and have an emphasis on conditioning, especially during these past few weeks. We like to think all of our guys are in good physical condition."
Like last year when Carroll eliminated Plano East in the bi-district round, Carroll will begin its defense at Cowboys Stadium against a talented opponent.
"[Martin is] one of the top two teams we've played this year," Wasson said. "We're excited to get going and hope to see a lot of green out there at Cowboys Stadium."
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