SOUTHLAKE – Southlake Carroll protected Dragon Stadium on Friday night, but Keller made it tough on the eight-time state champion in a decisive district game that was a lot closer than the 40-28 final score might indicate.
Carroll trailed Keller 28-27 with 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and scored 13 unanswered points behind runs from Brooks Biggers and Blake Gunter to close the game.
After Biggers’ 9-yard touchdown run with 4:36 left in the contest, Carroll’s 2-point attempt failed. Keller, down 33-28, had the chance to answer that score, but the possession ended with a punt. Gunter’s 7-yard run with 1:48 remaining put Keller away.
“We fought hard and we knew that after the first and second quarters that we could run the ball down the middle,” Biggers said. “And once we started running the ball, we hit them big and they couldn’t really keep up.”
Carroll (5–2), ranked 20th in the state among 6A teams and eighth in the Dallas area, improved to 4–0 in District 4-6A after a game that will probably end up deciding the district champion. Keller (6–1), ranked 13th in the area, came close to being in the 4-6A driver’s seat and pulling off one of the biggest upsets in its history after starting 6-0 for the first time since 1967 with a win over Trophy Club Byron Nelson last week.
Carroll has won 16 consecutive games against Keller since 1999, the last time the neighboring program slayed the Dragons, a juggernaut that often has a target on its back.
“You’ve got to love it,” Carroll coach Lee Munn said. “It’s positive pressure ultimately at the end of the day. It forces your kids and you as a coach to lock in everyday because you know somebody’s chasing you outside of our four walls. Somebody wants to knock you off.”
The win streak against Keller continued for Carroll, which recorded 535 yards of offense.
Three-star junior quarterback Hudson Tomcheck passed for 305 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 53 yards and two scores. Biggers, a Boston College pledge, led Carroll in rushing with 107 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Brody Knowles, a three-star Illinois pledge, made nine catches for 143 yards.
Carroll’s defense held Keller to its lowest point total of the season, as the latter entered the contest averaging 51.5 points. Keller had not scored less than 41 points this season until Friday, and at times looked on pace to match its scoring averages against Carroll.
“Very, very talented Keller offense,” Munn said. “We held them to 28. Still a ton of growth that we’ve got to have, but it starts with me.”
Keller jumped out to a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter, scoring on a 25-yard touchdown from Matt McCroskey to Ethan George to cap its first drive of the game.
Carroll tied the contest with 9:19 remaining in the first after Tomcheck found Thomas Joyner III on a 46-yard touchdown. It was a redemptive moment for Carroll, which went three-and-out on its first drive.
Keller blocked Carroll's first punt and returned it for a touchdown, but the score did not stand as Keller was penalized on the play. Carroll got the ball back and ran for the first down. The Tomcheck-Joyner touchdown came on the next play.
Carroll took a 10-7 lead with 10:08 remaining in the second quarter after Kyle Vidal hit a 28-yard field goal. Keller went up 14-10 about four minutes later on an 11-yard touchdown from McCroskey to George — their second connection of the night.
It was all Carroll for the rest of the first half. Tomcheck kept the ball for a 1-yard touchdown with 2:51 remaining to take a 17-14 lead. Parker Olson came up with an interception in the end zone that gave Carroll the ball back with 1:24 left before halftime. Right before heading to the locker room, Vidal made a 40-yard field goal to give Carroll a 20-14 advantage.
Keller went up 21-20 midway through the third quarter when McCroskey threw a 32-yard touchdown to Graham Kaler. Caroll responded with just a second remaining in the third on a 10-yard touchdown run by Tomcheck for the 27-21 lead.
Blake Dyniewski rushed for a 3-yard touchdown with 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to give Keller a 28-27 lead. It was the program's final advantage of the competitive clash.
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