Carroll 35 Allen 34
By Zach Warner
The Southlake Journal
The clash of high school football powers more than lived up to its billing.
The area round 5A Division II football playoff matchup between Carroll and Allen not only see-sawed throughout regulation, but carried the excitement into two overtimes before the Dragons (11-1) walked away with a 35-34 double-overtime victory just after midnight Nov. 22 at Cowboys Stadium.
A nine-yard run by Dragons quarterback David Piland put Carroll up in the second overtime, but the Eagles (10-2), the reigning 5A Division I state champs, came back to score on a two-yard run by quarterback Matt Brown. Allen elected to go for two and the win, but Dragons defensive back Justin Agnew stopped Brown with a hit at the two-yard line to end the game.
A game that had a late start (9 p.m.) on Nov. 21 went into the next day with the double-overtime thriller, as the large crowd stayed to watch. A number of fans started to leave at the end of regulation, as it appeared Carroll would hang on for a 21-14 lead. The Dragons had the ball at their own 11-yard line in the closing seconds and was ready to punt away. But a partial block of the kick gave Allen the ball on the Carroll 27.
With one second left to play, Brown heaved a prayer into the Dragons end zone that Eagles receiver Chase Gambill caught as time expired. The extra point sent the game into overtime.
In overtime, Allen struck first, as running back Kyree Owens pushed his way in from one yard out. Carroll answered on their try, as Piland hit receiver Brett Renger for an eight-yard score on third-and-five to make it 28-28.
The game didn’t start out as a scoring fest, as two long drives by each team halted came up empty. Both teams missed field goal attempts in the first quarter, keeping the game a scoreless tie heading into the second quarter.
Allen struck first in the game, as Brown hit receiver Alex Pastor with 9:08 remaining in the half. Pastor’s catch was impressive, reeling in the pass in the back left corner of the end zone.
The Dragons tied things up in the waning seconds of the first half, as Carroll drove 90 yards in 15 plays, capped off with a six-yard pass from quarterback David Piland to Sean Landers with 11 seconds remaining before halftime.
Eagles’ running back Paul Walker almost broke one from the Allen 36-yard line on the last play of the first half, but a saving tackle by the Dragons at Carroll’s 20-yard line prevented a score and sent the teams to the locker rooms tied at 7-7.
The teams were similar in their first-half offensive output, as Allen held a slight edge in yardage, 211-188.
The Dragons took a 14-7 lead midway through the third on a Piland four-yard run into the end zone. Carroll held that lead until early in the fourth, when Owens scored his first touchdown for the Eagles with 10:10 remaining in regulation to tie it at 14-apiece.
A 13-yard run by Dragons running back Tommy Avers put Carroll up 21-14 with 6:41 remaining in the game. Though that looked to be the game winner, Allen’s late heroics extended the frenzy into extra frames, but the Dragons came away victorious.
Now, Carroll prepares to face Arlington Bowie at 7:30 p.m. Friday at SMU’s Ford Stadium.
Carroll vs. Bowie Game Information
Regional 1 Semifinal
Carroll vs. Arlington Bowie
Friday, November 27, 2009
7:30pm
SMU Ford Stadium
Tickets will be sold at Dragon Stadium on Monday and Tuesday 2-4pm and Wednesday 10-12am.
All tickets at the gate Friday night will be $12.00. SMU gates will open at 6:00pm.
SMU will charge $10 for parking.
Carroll is the home team.
For this complete article, full Carroll sports coverage and Southlake community news read The Southlake Journal every Friday or online at www.southlakejournal.com.
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