Dragons Take Down The Warriors In Season Opener

It's the team's first W of the season!

by

While 2018 Dragon fans may have felt a little deja vu Friday afternoon with the rainy weather, Friday ended up being an ideal night for football. With clear skies and the most comfortable opening night temperature in recent memory, the Carroll Dragons took to the field and promptly dispatched the South Grand Prairie Warriors 35-20 at Dragon Stadium.

Don’t let the score fool you, the game wasn’t as close as the jumbo-tron may have led you to believe. Southlake opened with a 20-0 lead and never looked back allowing Riley Dodge to keep things simple for new sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers in the opening possessions. The first touchdown throw of Ewer’s varsity career was also the Dragons very first score of the season, a 13-yard strike to the outstretched hands of tight end Blake Smith early in the second quarter. 

Coach Dodge kept the reigns on the passing attack with a balanced approach to signal calling. In the end, the Dragons posted 351 yards of total offense behind 168 yards passing and 183 yards rushing. Ewers ended the game throwing 16 for 25 for 168 yards and one touchdown. He rushed five times for 69 yards including a 40-yard scamper up the middle. Junior running back Kannon Kadi also scored his first career Dragon touchdown, a two-yard punch in with just under six minutes remaining in the half. On the receiving side, John Manero led the team with 5 receptions for 72 yards, Willis Meyer also had 5 receptions for 48 yards and Smith ended the game with 3 receptions for 35 yards at a touchdown. 

Dragons were in good form defensively as well. The game’s turning point came when DFW Elite Realty Player of the Game, sponsored by Thomas & Sharon Michael, Realtors,  linebacker Graham Faloona scooped up a fumble and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter. The Utah commit also racked up a team high 10 tackles. The Dragons owned the line of scrimmage thanks to Quinten Bunten who posted five tackles of his own and forced a fumble.  

Southlake hopes to start its first winning streak when they take on the Colleyville Heritage on Friday at 7 p.m. While it is an away game, the Panthers’ stadium is close enough to create that home game feel. So head out to Colleyville to see the non-conference matchup.