Stewart Johnson
First-quarter turnovers and key injuries to backfield running mates Kannon Kadi and Jack Abram had the Dragons off to a slow start conceding an early 0-7 lead to the Indians. However, the Dragon defense held strong and, by halftime, held a 28-14 lead en route to a 56-14 victory in front of a capacity Green Out Night crowd at Dragon Stadium.
The Dragons righted the ship behind third- and fourth-string running backs and another impressive showing from Quinn Ewers. Considering the injury-riddled backfield, Riley Dodge’s offense didn’t miss a beat by keeping a very balanced attack. Junior running back Cade Wood and next man up Owen Allen, a freshman, stepped up to deliver 170 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
The real magic was in the air with Quinn Ewers performing the most efficient game of his young career. The sophomore completed 28 of 32 passes to eight different receivers for 284 yards and five touchdowns. Three scoring strikes were delivered to John Manero, the senior captain accounted for 8 receptions for 77 yards.
Piling up offensive stats is entertaining, but everyone knows it’s defense that wins championships. And the Dragons came to play. As a unit, the Dragons were stingy hosts to the Indians, giving up just 65 yards passing while also holding star running back Enoch Ntchobo (1,372 yards 11TDs in 2018) and company to just 99 yards rushing. DFW Elite Realty Player of the Game, sponsored by Thomas & Sharon Michael, Realtors, Graham Faloona had a team-high of 12 tackles and Josh Sweat and Dylan Thomas each took turns intercepting Indian’s quarterback Hayden Anderson.
Stewart Johnson
Looking Ahead
The Dragons (4-0) will now hit the road to face Denton Guyer (4-0) in a matchup of the state’s No. 5 and No. 6 teams. The Wildcats are looking to avenge a 33-29 defeat on a fourth-quarter trick play against each other in one of the most anticipated games of the regular season.
This Friday’s battle at the C.H. Collins Complex will be the toughest challenge to another undefeated run through district play for the Dragons. Although every team would like to play Giant Killer when it’s time to face Carroll, a solid Guyer program has the best shot at exacting revenge for its 2018 loss to the Dragons.
“It's always tougher the second go-round because everyone is more familiar with each other, both personnel-wise and schematically,” says Dodge. “Denton Guyer is returning with close to 90% of their football team from last season. They were real young then, but it's going to be a chore with them. They're very talented on both sides of the football.”
This year, the Wildcats are anything but green and are currently ranked No.24 in the nation to Southlake’s No.44 ranking by MaxPreps.
It’s easy to see why: the team boasts 17 returning starters, including nine on offense. Junior quarterback Eli Stowers has already passed for 942 yards and 11 touchdowns which is only one less than he threw all of last season.
When he throws, he’ll be looking for Seth Meador who returns as a senior after leading his team in receiving yards (821) and eight TDs a year ago. Through four games, he already has 413 yards receiving and six touchdowns.
The passing numbers are even more impressive considering Guyer is a run-oriented program behind the 5’-10”, 213-pound Kaedric Cobbs. The Wildcats senior running back paced last year’s team with 1,487 yards and 19 TDs. Through the first four games of the season, he has scored 11 TDs and is averaging 8.9 yards per carry and 175 yards rushing per game.
On the other side of the ball, Guyer’s eight returning starters on defense are led by senior linebacker Jonathan Jones (85 tackles, two sacks). Senior defensive end Devin Goree registered five sacks, and junior cornerback Deuce Harmon grabbed three interceptions.