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THE FINAL 48: UIL Football State Championship Preview -- Southlake Carroll vs. Vandegrift (6A-D2)
The 2024 UIL 6A-D2 State Championship is set for this Saturday at 3:00 PM at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, where the Southlake Carroll Dragons (15-0) will face the Vandegrift Vipers (14-1) in what promises to be an electric showdown.
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Ranked No. 5 in the state (MaxPreps), Southlake Carroll enters the championship game with an undefeated 15-0 record.
Coach Riley Dodge and co. certainly have tenure at this stage, considering they’ve advanced to the Final on 10 prior occasions, and won it all in 8 of them – the last of which was in 2011 (Class 5A-D1).
Fast forward to the present, and the Dragons have shown resilience throughout the postseason, outlasting teams like Mansfield Legacy (69-7), Frenship (49-42), and most recently Longview (20-17) with explosive offense and clutch play.
Carroll's offense revolves around a powerful ground game and an efficient passing attack. While the loss of USC-signee Riley Wormley to a season-ending knee injury in October was a blow, the Dragons have continued to thrive.
Running backs Davis Penn (1,040 all-purpose yards, 20 TDs) and Christian Glenn (510 yards, 7 TDs) have stepped up in his absence, providing a dynamic duo in the backfield.
At quarterback, Angelo Renda has been the driving force. The junior has thrown for 3,550 yards and 36 touchdowns while also rushing for 644 yards and 14 scores, showcasing his dual-threat ability.
His go-to target, junior Brock Boyd (TCU-commit), has been a nightmare for opposing defenses, with 98 catches for 1,690 yards and 18 touchdowns.
If Boyd is covered, Carroll's depth at receiver with sophomores Blake Gunter (43 receptions, 726 yards, 8 TDs) and Brody Knowles (31 receptions, 464 yards, 7 TDs) ensures there’s no shortage of weapons.
Defensively, Carroll is led by a formidable front-seven, including senior Austin Davidge (79 tackles, 9.5 sacks), as well as juniors Zac Hays (66 tackles, 9.5 sacks) and Tennessee-commit Jack Vandorselaer (78 tackles, 7 sacks).
Linebackers Marcus Brouse (82 tackles, 6 TFL) and Robbie Ladd (82 tackles, 6 TFL) anchor the middle, while the secondary – featuring William Chen (77 tackles, 2 INTs) and Luke Bussmann (38 tackles, 6 PD) – provides strong coverage in the backfield.
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Vandegrift’s impressive 14-1 record speaks to the growth of the program, which has only been around since 2010. After a State Final appearance two years ago, the Vipers are looking to capture their first state championship.
Under the guidance of Coach Drew Sanders, Vandegrift has been a shining example of complementary football, with an offense that averages 43 points per game and a defense that holds opponents to just 14.
Junior quarterback Miles Teodecki has been an enthralling development, as he’s thrown for 3,016 yards and 46 touchdowns, while adding four rushing touchdowns for good measure.
His favorite targets – Brock Chilton (47 receptions, 904 yards, 12 TDs), George Farley (44 receptions, 838 yards, 13 TDs), and Gavin Koester (30 receptions, 431 yards, 7 TDs) – have helped power a high-octane passing attack.
In the backfield, senior tailback Brendan Fournier (Columbia-commit) has been a workhorse, rushing for nearly 1,200 yards and 19 touchdowns. His ability to balance the offense makes Vandegrift a dangerous, multi-dimensional team.
Defensively, Arizona State-bound Daeshon Morgan has been a standout in the trenches, recording 82 tackles, 14 TFL, and 10 sacks.
The Vipers’ linebacker corps, led by Adam Scott (92 tackles, 14 TFL, 3 sacks), Parker Davis (62 tackles, 9 TFL, 6 sacks), and Caleb “CJ” Mooring (69 tackles, 6 TFL, 4 INTs), provides a stout front, while seniors such as break-out star safety Hollister Stephens (104 tackles, 1 INT) and Matthew Draeken (46 tackles, 5 INTs) offer leadership in the secondary.
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Will Southlake Carroll secure its 9th UIL trophy? Or will Vandegrift make history by claiming its first? Find out this Saturday (3:00 PM) at AT&T Stadium!
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Still At The Top: Southlake Carroll completes an undefeated regular season
Coming into the 2021-22 Texas High School football season a majority of the talk was about Southlake Carroll losing star quarterback Quinn Ewers after his decision to forgo his senior season with the Dragons. Would Southlake Carroll be prepared to start a young quarterback? Did the team have the depth to prove that they were still dominant among some of the top teams in the Dallas-Fort Worth area? What about among some of the top teams in the state? At the start of the season, in stepped junior Kaden Anderson who took the season by storm and blew it out of the water.
For more on a look back on Southlake Carroll's season without Quinn Ewers and a look ahead at the playoffs, become a VYPE Insider today!
2021 4-6A District Championship Season (10-0)
Week after week in the preseason, fans saw Anderson and company deliver losses to opponents. In week one, the Dragons went on the field and dominated against a usually strong Highland Park team in a 45-21 victory. Week two saw a shakier game as Southlake Carroll came close to losing against Rockwall-Heath. The team was able to pull ahead and win 36-35. Week three was a 31-0 over Prosper while week four saw a convincing 31-7 victory over Arlington Martin. As the Dragons headed into district play, there was no doubt left in anyone's mind: Southlake had found their new QB1.
During regular season play, Anderson has recorded 25 passing touchdowns on 2,073 passing yards with a 60% pass completion rating while scoring five touchdowns on the run for 150 rushing yards. There's no doubt that Anderson's role on the team has been one that has helped power the Dragons to victory week after week after week. With the ability to find his man, complete passes, dodge hits, and run his athleticism speaks for itself. Receiving the majority of his touchdown passes has been seniors RJ Maryland and Landson Samson. Maryland has scored 11 touchdowns on 808 receiving yards and 44 catches while Samson has scored 10 touchdowns on 634 receiving yards and 33 catches.
Another star-studded athlete on the field that has been a catalyst for the Dragons' success this season is junior Owen Allen. So far this season, Allen has recorded 1,466 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns on 169 carries in nine games played. Allen has also scored a receiving touchdown on seven catches. Allen has been a major component of the team while powering the Dragons to a 10-0 4-6A District Championship title.
Hand-in-hand with the success of the offense comes the success of the defense who has held their opponents to a combined 134 points so far. In half of their games so far this season, the Dragons defense has held their opponents to one touchdown or less- including the shut-out win over Prosper, 31-7 win over Arlington Martin, 68-7 win over Trophy Club Byron Nelson, 63-7 win over Keller Central, and Thursday night's regular-season finale 42-7 win over Fort Worth Timber Creek. The win over Timber Creek sealed a third undefeated season in four years under head coach Riley Dodge. Dodge tweeted about the team's success Thursday night:
10-0!!!! 4-6A DISTRICT CHAMPIONS!!!! #ProtectTheTradition #NoFear #Finish #Goal1 pic.twitter.com/C82MvkYe6d
— Riley Dodge (@coachrdodge) November 5, 2021
The Playoffs
After last season's 52-34 State Championship loss to Austin Westlake, the Dragons want nothing more than to continue on their path towards success in post-season play. The Dragons have won eight state championships with the most recent one being in the 2011-12 season. Having made it so close only to fall short last season, fans can expect to see Anderson, Owen, and the team playing hard every moment of playoffs.