Stewart Johnson
While Southlake Carroll (8-0, 5-0) has been traditionally defined by a strong passing game for decades, the Dragons switched it up last Friday with a dominate rushing scheme for a 42-7 victory over V.R. Eaton (3-5, 2-3).
Compiling 465 yards of offense, the Dragons completed 10 passes for 93 yards with Graham Knowles' second career start as quarterback. In stark contrast to past seasons, the Dragons leaned heavily into their ground game, rushing 48 times for 372 yards and five touchdowns.
It took Owen Allen just 12 carries to rush for 162 yards and three touchdowns. The senior averaged over 13 yards per carry and probably would have kept going had the end zone not stopped him on a quarter of his carries.
Junior running back James Lehman took the lion's share of the rushing plays in his best statistical game of the season. Lehman carried the ball 18 times for 142 yards, setting up Knowles for two punch-in scores of his own. Parker Thompson and Todd Mallory added 61 yards of rushing to the mix as the team averaged nearly 8 yards per carry on the night.
The defensive line deserves just as much of a round of applause as the O-line does. Led by Dragon Pride Player Of The Week Nigel Fodor, the defense gave up a lone late game score and just 65 rushing yards on the night. Fodor stuffed the stat sheet, posting 13 tackles, nine solo, and an interception. Fellow linebacker Aaron Scherp added nine tackles (eight solo), while Jack Petkus, Wyatt Duffy and Cade Parks each recorded a sack.
Currently the 25th team in the country according to MaxPreps, the Dragons have outscored their opponents 393-72 and remain undefeated. But the Dragons will need another strong effort when they take on the hottest offense in North Texas this Friday. Also undefeated and coming off of a 56-24 victory over Keller Central, the Trophy Club Byron Nelson Bobcats will take on the Dragons during Senior Night at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28 at Dragon Stadium.
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