Carroll stumbles early, but roars back for win

UNIVERSITY PARK -- The 2008 season started for Carroll in the exact same way the 2007 season ended -- with a fumble.

But this time the fumble didn't derail the Dragons hope of claiming a state championship as they rebounded from dropping the opening kickoff, which led to a Plano West field goal, to methodically pick apart the Wolves 35-9 in the opening game of the Tom Landry Classic.

Plano West took over at the Carroll 12-yard line following the fumble recovery, but was unable to punch it in and had to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Ryan Solano.

"That was huge," Carroll coach Hal Wasson said. "When you turn it over on the 12 and hold them to three points, it doesn't get any better than that."

Kyle Padron, who had the fumbled snap that led to Carroll's loss in the third round of the 2007 playoffs, played well in his debut as the starting quarterback.

Padron finished the game with 247 yards and two touchdowns passing, while rushing for an additional 35 yards and a score.

After being shut out in the first quarter, a young Carroll offense got going when Padron hooked up with Josh Rake for a 39-yard touchdown in which Rake spun out of multiple tackles.

"I'm not going to lie to you, at first I was really nervous, but our defense really stepped up," Padron said. "That's the reason we won tonight."

On Carroll's first possession of the second half, running back Tommy Avers took short pass 65 yards down the sideline for a 21-3 lead.

"We knew going in that we were going to have to dodge the emotional bullet a little bit," Wasson said. "Offensively, we're a work in progress. The only way to get maturity is to go out and play."

Carroll's defense, usually overshadowed by its prolific offense, got in on the scoring when Justin Agnew returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown.

Plano West moved the ball well enough to gain 295 yards but couldn't finish drives. It took a 55-yard run by quarterback Travis Wilson to set up Plano West's only touchdown, a 1-yard plunge by Darrius Cohen.

Date of Article: Sat Aug 30, 2008 10:09 pm

Related Content:
- Southlake Carroll