by EJ Holland
Will Bowers had butterflies in hisbrstomach as he took the field forbrthe first time as the starting quarterback at Southlake Carroll.brBowers opened the game by completing his first passbrand threw a touchdown later in the half before tossing two interceptions. However, Bowers reboundedbrand helped the Dragons knock off Broken Arrowbr(Okla.), 21-14, by being accurate and consistent.br
Overall, Bowers finished 20-of-26 for 258 yardsbrand touchdown and added 35 yards on the ground.brIt was a performance that Southlake Carroll headbrcoach Hal Wasson was proud of.br
“He weathered the storm quite well,” Wassonbrsaid. “I thought he did a good job. He made playsbrwith his feet. I believe he completed around 77brpercent of his passes. He was accurate. He took somebrvicious hits and bounced back up. He showedbrphysical and mental toughness.”br
The first time Bowers really took the idea ofbrbecoming the starting quarterback for SouthlakebrCarroll seriously was back in 2011. That year, KennybrHill, who is now at TCU, led the Dragons to theirbreighth state title as he dazzled fans with his armbrand legs.br
Hill is just one of several great quarterbacks tobrcome out of Southlake Carroll. From Chase Daniel tobrGreg McElroy to Riley Dodge, the program is knownbrfor churning out high-level players at the position.br
But Bowers doesn't see his opportunity as abrchance to follow in anyone's footsteps. He wantsbrto be the best quarterback he can be — plain andbrsimple.br
“I try not to think about the tradition,” Bowersbrsaid. “I just try to be myself day in and day out. Ibrknow there is a lot of surrounding pressure. Somebrpeople think I have to be this or that. I just try to bebrmyself and do what I can do.”br
And that's exactly the mindset Wasson has instilled in all of his quarterbacks since he took over as head coach.br
Despite having coached a plethora of talented quarterbacks, Wassonbrnever compares them. Instead, he advises quarterbacks to hone theirbrown playing style and create their own identities.br
“Play with your personality,” Wasson said. “Have fun with the game.brI tell him not to expect to be perfect because you're going to have tobrovercome adversity. Always give a great effort.”br
Wasson has high expectations for Bowers moving forward andbrbelieves he's in for a breakout season.br
“I expect him to be efficient and to be able to distribute the ball,”brWasson said. “He needs to make plays with his feet. He needs to be readybrmentally and be a leader. He needs to overcome adversity. There are a lotbrof moving parts to being a Dragon quarterback.”br
Bowers has the benefit of a veteran wide receiver group at his disposal. Every starting pass catcher is a senior and has taken the timebrto show Bowers the ropes and develop chemistry.
brbrbr
Cade Bell is the team's leading returning wide receiver.brHe recorded 25 receptions for 385 yards as a junior. BothbrColton Phillips, who transferred in from Denton Guyer lastbryear, and Tucker Slechta are returning from injuries, whilebrDarryl Crockett and Hudson Shrum will play integral roles.br
Bell was Bowers' go-to receiver in the opener, postingbreight receptions for 153 yards and one touchdown. As mentioned, the receivers worked endlessly to build a bond withbrBowers this offseason.br
“It's the little things,” Bell said. “We hang out together.brWe work on routes after practice. We want to build his confidence up. I think it's helped a lot. He also learned a lotbrfrom Mason [Holmes] last year. I think he's ready to takebrthat role.”br
The senior receivers also made sure to let Bowers knowbrthat he is trusted. It's not hard to see that Bowers hasbrearned their respect.br
“He showed that he wants it,” Phillips said. “He provedbrthat he could play during spring ball and our scrimmages.brWe know he can do it. It's just time for him to step up.”br
The bond between a quarterback and his receivers isbressential for any team, especially one that runs a high powered offense like Southlake Carroll. The timing has tobrbe just right and the trust needs to be there.br
Bowers, who attempted just 15 passes as the primarybrbackup a year ago, said he is lucky to have not only seniorsbrleading the way but also a great group of guys that havebrbeen patient during his development.br
“It's awesome,” he said. “It gives me a lot of confidencebrto know that I can trust my guys. I'm going to make playsbrfor them, and they are going to make plays for me. Everbrsince the end of last season, we've grown together and be-brcome a family.”
Slechta added: “It's everything for him to have that trust.brIf he has the trust in his receivers, he's going to play better.brHis confidence has grown a lot. He's got a strong arm and isbra great guy. He's going to be a great quarterback.”br
And that bond goes beyond football. Bowers and the re-brceivers spend plenty of time each around each other whenbrthey are not out on the field grinding.br
“We all hang out on the weekends,” Slechta said. “Webrplay poker all the time, we see movies and we have a teambrdinner every week. We hang out all the time. We're all bestbrfriends.”br
Now that the chemistry is there between Bowers and hisbrwide outs one can only assume it will only grow stronger asbrthe season progresses and the group becomes more focusedbron the details.br
WASSON ON RECEIVERS:br
Wasson commands receivers to not only be greatbrpass catchers but also great blockers in the run game. AtbrSouthlake Carroll, it's not just about hauling in highlightbrreceptions but also doing the little things right.br
“We need to be unselfish,” Wasson said. “We need tobrwin 1-on-1 matchups, but we also need to play well withoutbrthe ball. You have to be a great route runner, blocker and ofbrcourse, you have to catch the ball.
“I have seen us become more creative in our route running and be more competitive in 1-on-1 matchups. I've seen significant improvement in our blocking. I can tell that they take a lot of pride in that.”
Wasson added that he has been the most impressed with Bell, who has taken over as one of the key leaders of the entire offen- sive unit.
“There has been a lot maturity with Cade Bell,” Wasson said. “He has been our big playmaker from a receiver standpoint. He has a lot of experience and is the leader of our wide receiver group.”
Overall, the group has the experience and leadership to help Bowers develop into one of the top passers in the area and in turn make Southlake Carroll's offense explosive despite the losses of playmakers like last year's District MVP quarterback Mason Holmes.
With an early season win under their belt and plenty of confi- dence surrounding both Bowers and the receivers, there is only one thing for the Dragons to do —continue to perfect their craft.
“Practice is practice — nobody likes it,” Bell said with a laugh. “You can ask anybody here. But we go full speed and mimic game situations to make the games easier. And when you win on Friday nights, that feeling that you have at the end of the game is something you can't beat.”