In a thrilling District 4-6A matchup on Friday night at Dragon Stadium, Southlake Carroll rallied to defeat Byron Nelson 33-21, overcoming an early deficit to remain unbeaten this season. Byron Nelson, opened the game with a strong 81-yard drive, capped by a six-yard touchdown run from Tucker James.
Carroll, responded quickly with a 21-yard run by Davis Penn set up an eight-play, 75-yard drive, with Penn scoring on an eight-yard swing pass from quarterback Angelo Renda to tie the game 7-7.
Byron Nelson, which had beaten Carroll 34-17 last season to secure the district title, played a competitive first half. However, costly mistakes allowed Carroll to surge ahead. A fumble on the Bobcats’ second series, recovered by Dragon linebacker Marcus Brouse, led to a 35-yard touchdown run by Riley Wormley, giving Carroll a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter. Moments later, Carroll extended its lead when sophomore Blake Gunter blocked a Byron Nelson punt, resulting in a safety to make it 16-7.
Carroll quickly capitalized on the momentum as the Dragons needed just four plays before Renda connected with wide receiver Luc Jaquemard for a 50-yard touchdown, increasing their lead to 23-7. Renda finished the night with 165 passing yards, completing 13 of 18 attempts, while Jaquemard caught four passes for 81 yards, and Brock Boyd added four receptions for 38 yards.
Byron Nelson managed to cut the deficit before halftime, with a 36-yard run from Tucker James and a personal foul penalty moving the ball to the Carroll 24-yard line. A few plays later Sean Robinson punched it in from three yards out, narrowing Carroll’s lead to 23-14 with just over a minute left in the half.
After the break, the Dragons’ opening drive of the third quarter lasted over five minutes and ended with a 30-yard field goal from Clark Lemmermann, making it 26-14. Wormley added his second touchdown of the night in the fourth quarter, a two-yard run that capped another lengthy drive, extending the Dragons’ lead to 33-14.
Byron Nelson had only score in the second half came on a 43-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Grant Bizjack to Ezra Malamura with 49 seconds remaining. Bizjack had an impressive night, completing 16 of 18 passes for 199 yards.
