So what do two consecutive mythical national championships, a 63-1 record over four years and a 32-game winning streak get you? If you're the Southlake Carroll High School football team, it gets you a slap in the face in the form of only a No. 8 national ranking in the first poll of the 2006 season. I know, the Dragons return only one starter--tailback Tre' Newton, who happens to be the son of former Dallas Cowboy Nate Newton, from last year's offense that set a Texas Class 5A record with 764 points. But, c'mon, aren't we convinced that any team coached by former University of Texas quarterback Todd Dodge is going to be fun to watch and impossible to beat? Hey Bill Parcells, this is what happens when you actually try to score on every possession instead of merely feeding your old-school ego by controlling the clock and field position. Since arriving in Southlake in 2000, Dodge is 82-11. His Dragons have won three of the last four state championships and lost by one point in the '03 title game. Dodge's last two quarterbacks are both Division I starters--Chase Daniel at Missouri and Greg McElroy at Alabama--and this year he hands the reins of his offensive juggernaut to none other than his son Riley. Carroll begins its season, and annual pilgrimage toward respect, September 8 at Lake Highlands.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled football soap opera: T.O.'s World. --Richie Whitt
