Why Southlake Carroll will not win the 2007 state title

by Shawn Williams of Dallas South

Hal Wasson has a tough job, though his team from last year returns 8 offensive starters. Those 8 starters include Dodge’s son Riley at quarterback and Tre Newton at tailback. But none of that guarantees success in Texas.

I am a longtime observer of Texas Schoolboy football. Some of my earliest memories as a fan are of running outside barefoot on Saturday mornings to retrieve the newspaper in order to check the statewide scores. I was 7 years old at the time.

Over the years, I’ve tracked a number of football dynasties. Any discussion of Texas High School dynasties must mention the great Southlake-Carroll.

The Dragons actually started their historic run in 1988 when they won the 3A state title. The team has won 7 championships in all, two more 3A titles (1992, 1993) and 4 of 5 years since moving to Class 5A (2002, 2004, 2005,2006). During those 5 seasons, Carroll accrued 79 wins and only 1 loss.

The reason for all the success: coaches Todd Dodge and Bob Ledbetter. Ledbetter led the Dragons to statewide prominence with the first 3 titles. Dodge led Carroll to national prominence with the school’s most recent success. In between the two, Tom Rapp compiled a 29-17-1 as the Southlake coach without a state finals appearance.

So in a nut shell, it’s all about the coaching in high school football, and Carroll has had some great ones. Now many make the argument that one high school in such a large school district is a major reason for the team’s success. I accept that, but you still have to play the games. Plano experienced some of those growing pains when Plano West came on the scene.

Hal Wasson has a tough job, though his team from last year returns 8 offensive starters. Those 8 starters include Dodge’s son Riley at quarterback and Tre Newton at tailback. But none of that guarantees success in Texas.

The man standing on the sideline with the headset has to have confidence from everyone in the stadium. From the quarterback to the punter, the special teams coach to the trainer, the popcorn vendor to the pep squad sponsor.

Todd Dodge could have told the Southlake faithful they were playing the season with 10 players on the field and they would have bought it. Not only that, but he obviously saw things in a way that no one else (in high school OU would say) did. Wasson will probably call the same plays, but not in the exact same sequence and not in the exact same situation.

Here are some programs who dominated Texas Football but have not been able sustain it.

There have been similar scenarios at Plano, Paris, Daingerfield, and others, but the exception in my book is Celina (though some may argue LaMarque). Celina compiled 2A state titles in 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 under legendary coach G.A. Moore. Moore left Celina for Pilot Point in ‘01, but the Bobcats kept rolling under assistant Butch Ford. They captured another state title in ‘05 and are now a 3A power.

Had one of Dodge’s assistants taken the job, I would probably give them the nod to win it all this year. But Todd loaded up the fellas and took them out to Denton to try to revolutionize the college game. Wasson’s staff has their work cut out whether it’s this year or next. Many a high school program has lost their glory, never to return after changing coaches.

If Carroll does re…I mean 4-peat, it would not surprise me, but I’m not counting on it. And I have made a promise to go to my first Southlake game this year. Do you have to wear a sports coat?

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