Southlake is 12-0 for a reason
Under the direction of head coach Riley Dodge, the Southlake Carroll Dragons have looked like one of the most well-rounded teams in the state every time they step onto a field. The Dragons move the ball at an incredibly fast pace on offense. They are a well-oiled machine when it comes to converting big plays early on in games to gain a substantial lead. While it is difficult to not put all your focus on the explosive scoring power for Carroll, the Dragons defensive put on quite the show holding DeSoto to just seven points until the final minute of the game. To put into perspective how impressive their command was, the Eagles offense came into the game averaging over 44 points per game. Disciplined, tough, and willing to grind until the clock expires would about sum up the absolutely dominating force that is the Southlake defense.
Quinn Ewers is hard to frazzle
Sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers is a field general. The game plan coming into the matchup for the DeSoto defense was to rattle Ewers anyway possible. A 16-year-old kid playing under the bright lights of AT&T stadium in the area round, you would think that would be a fairly easy goal to accomplish. You would be sadly mistaken as Ewers refused to be disturbed. The young stud displays poise, confidence and has the capability to distribute the ball in many different ways. Ewers ended the night with 363 yards in the air, 42 yards on the ground and 5 different touchdowns. Averaging over 20 yards per pass completion, the arm of this youngster showcases its peak performances on the deep-ball throws. He is calm in the pocket and is patient in his distribution of the ball.
Rockwall vs Allen. WHAT. A. GAME.
Let me spell it out for you in case you missed it, one-hundred and nineteen points. That was the total number of points scored in Rockwall’s 60-59 win over Allen. This game was one of the most all-around exciting football games I have ever witnessed in-person. With a gigantic swing in momentum coming on almost every single drive, the thrill was not cut short at any point in time. After a tennis match of a football game there could not have been a more “cherry on-top” ending than Rockwall throwing all of their chips on the table by going for the two-point conversion after the final touchdown drive. After fumbling the snap Locke was not only was able to recover and dish the ball to sophomore wide-receiver Caden Marshall, the pass completed from Marshall to senior wide-receiver J.J. Williams in the back of the endzone was a true miracle. A last second prayer sent up in the air that ended in the hands of Williams to give the Yellow Jackets the one-point advantage that would send them one step closer to playing back on this very field in late December.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a thrill ride!<a href="https://twitter.com/ashley_pickle12?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ashley_pickle12</a> was on hand for an instant classic that ended with <a href="https://twitter.com/rockwalljfndfb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rockwalljfndfb</a> pulling off the upset!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForeverTexas?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForeverTexas</a> <a href="https://t.co/T4p0HriRrO">pic.twitter.com/T4p0HriRrO</a></p>— FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW) <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSportsSW/status/1198123616161779713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is all-time
This is the third time in the 2019 season I have seen number 11 play in person. Each and every time I wonder if watching him single-handily dominate for all 48 minutes the ball is in play will ever get old. The answer is, no it never will. JSN pulled down 15 catches for 252 yards and 5 touchdowns in the air and added another score on the ground. This unimaginable showcase came in an area round matchup against the long-time power house that is Allen. The stud of a senior had 4 touchdowns in the first quarter alone. Smith-Njigba is quite literally a magnetic force that pairs perfectly with a football. While Rockwall’s sophomore quarterback, Brayden Locke has proven to be an incredibly accurate air-raid attacker, the skill that Jaxon shows by being able to pull in a long ball is nothing short of incredible. At this point, making the argument that the Rockwall hometown hero is one of the most elite receivers in the nation is not at all a stretch by any means.
Looking forward
On to round three they go! Southlake Carroll will learn the fate of their regional semi-final matchup after Midland Lee squares up against Arlington Lamar today at 4 p.m. in Arlington’s Cravens Field. As for Rodney Webb’s squad, the fighting Yellow Jackets will face off against Cy Ranch or Klein Oak a game which will be decided today at 3 p.m. at Waller’s Waller ISD Stadium. This regional semi-final round game will take place next Saturday at 1 p.m. in Waco at Baylor’s McLane Stadium.
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