Instead, the No. 9 Mustangs pulled off the upset over the No. 3 Dragons 28-15 in a regionally televised game Sept. 26 in Corsicana.

Turnovers and lack of execution did Carroll in, as North Shore took full advantage to hand the Dragons (4-1) their first loss of the year and assuredly knock Carroll down in the rankings.

Although Carroll held a brief 3-0 lead in the first half on a 49-yard Cade Foster field goal, the Dragons trailed most of the first half until a 12-yard pass from senior quarterback David Piland to Sean Landers gave Carroll a 15-14 lead with 2:02 remaining in the third.

But the Mustangs (4-1) answered on their next possession, as North Shore quarterback Keenon Gibson’s 13-yard pass to running back Tracy Woods put the Mustangs back on top for good with 10:16 left in the game. A two-point conversion taken in by Gibson gave North Shore a 22-15 advantage.

While the Mustangs were looking to eat up the clock on a late-game drive, an interception by Dragons defensive back Justin Agnew seemed to set the stage for a late-game Carroll comeback. Giving the Dragons the ball on their own 48 with 1:25 remaining in the contest, Piland gave the ball right back to North Shore on the next play when his pass was picked by the Mustangs’ Devon Gibson. It was the quarterback’s first pick of the season.

North Shore running back Tim Cornett put the game away for good with a 39-yard run down the right sideline with 1:04 remaining in the game.

Piland seemed a little off in his first game back after missing a week, completing 18-of-41 passes with an interception and a fumble that North Shore defender Derrick Mathews picked up and ran back 79 yards for a touchdown to make it a 14-5 lead for the Mustangs with 9:13 left in the first half.

However, Piland wasn’t alone, as receivers dropped some passes and Carroll’s defense was unable to stop North Shore’s runners at critical times. The Mustangs running duo of Woods and Cornett scorched the Dragons for 300 yards and three touchdowns.

Although Carroll only scored one touchdown and gained two points with a safety early in the second quarter, Carroll actually outgained North Shore in offensive yards, leading 421 to 351. However, the Mustangs made the critical plays when they needed them.

"We didn’t capitalize," Dragons coach Hal Wasson said after the game. "That’s as simple as I know how to make it – that’s what happens when you don’t make plays against good teams.

"We were inconsistent," he said. "We made mistakes at inopportune times and it hurt us."

Now, Carroll has the off week to think about its loss before it gets ready to open the district season at Coppell on Oct. 9.