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For the first time since 2011, the Dragons are headed to the state championship. Through good showings by both the offense and the defense, Southlake Carroll was able to defeat Duncanville 34-27. The Dragons will take on Austin-Westlake, coached by Todd Dodge — giving fans the bowl that was set for August but canceled due to the pandemic.
The Dragons also put up big rushing numbers on the night with sophomore running back Owen Allen, our Dragon Pride Player of the week, sponsored by Thomas and Sharon Michael | DFW Elite Realty, rushing for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Quinn Ewers himself also rushed in a touchdown.
In leading the offense, Ewers threw 11 passes for 168 yards and one touchdown. The junior’s only touchdown was caught by junior wide receiver Landon Samson, who also caught four passes for 88 yards. Heading into the state championship, Ewers has recorded 2,091 yards so far this season. All-in-all, the Dragons recorded 379 offensive yards on the night.
The Dragon defense also stood out. Juniors Baker Barrett and Josh Spaeth each recorded 11 tackles on the night and the pair worked in tandem as Spaeth caused a fumble Barrett would go on to recover. Spaeth also knocked down two passes.
Following Spaeth and Barrett, sophomore Logan Anderson recorded nine tackles, and Ayvonne Jones and Alan Kleiman each made eight tackles.
All together, the defense kept Duncanville to only 378 offensive yards and shut down their offense during the second half of the game. Senior Cinque Williams also made a key interception that helped the Dragons keep their lead.
Headed to the state championship, Southlake Carroll will take on Austin-Westlake, coached by Todd Dodge. With Carroll’s head coach Riley Dodge set to return following a COVID-19 diagnosis, the game will be the unofficial Dodge Bowl fans have been waiting for. Originally, a game between Southlake Carroll and Austin-Westlake was scheduled for August before being canceled due to the pandemic.
Austin-Westlake is currently ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 10 nationally, according to MaxPreps.com, while Southlake Carroll is currently No. 3 in the state and No. 21 nationally, according to MaxPreps.com.
These two teams will now go head to head at AT&T Stadium on January 16 at 7 p.m. Presale tickets for Dragon fans will be available through 12 p.m. today via this link and using the code 6ADIS. Presale tickets are $15 and general admission tickets, available after 1 p.m. today, will be $20. No tickets will be available for purchase on-site. The game is also set to be televised on Fox Sports Southwest.