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View Full Version : '83 Daingerfield vs. '88 Dallas Carter



Sweetwater Red
03-07-2016, 02:43 PM
There is fan poll that runs through Monday. If you care to vote the link is at the bottom.
Daingerfield currently has 68% of the vote.

All-Time Matchup Monday: 1983 Daingerfield vs. 1988 Dallas Carter

Why Daingerfield would win

No singular Texas high school football team is more revered than the 1983 Daingerfield Tigers. The statistics from that season resemble a video game. This was the Stephen Curry of high school football teams. Daingerfield allowed eight points in 16 games. Those eight points were not scored against the defense. The Tigers gave up a safety after a botched punt snap in the first game against Kilgore and an interception return for a touchdown in the third game against Carthage, a team that reached the Class 4A semifinals in the same year.

The defense didn’t allow a single point in 1983. The Tigers, led by linebacker Vic Edmond, allowed fewer than 70 yards per game. The defense held opponents to less than one yard per play and scored 76 points as a unit in one season. The team had 14 shutouts, a national record at the time.

The 1983 Daingerfield team was the first Texas team to go 16-0. The Tigers outscored playoff opponents 246-0. They won the Class 3A championship game over Sweeny by a score of 42-0. If we’re judging by pure dominance, no team in history comes close to matching Daingerfield. The 1923 Abilene team is the only other Texas high school football team to not allow a point in the playoffs.

Why Dallas Carter would win

The 1988 Dallas Carter team holds an odd place in Texas high school football history. On one hand, it was one of the most talented, physical and dominant teams the state ever fielded. On the other, a cloud of scandal and regret will forever shape the memory of that team. For most, Dallas Carter is an answer to a trivia question: Which team won the state title the year Friday Night Lights took place? Three years later, however, Carter was stripped of the 1988 Class 5A title and it was given to Converse Judson following player eligibility violations.

The talent was obvious. Linebacker Jessie Armstead was a superstar in high school, kick-starting a lot of modern attention around recruiting. Unfortunately, Dallas Carter’s 1988 team will be known for off-the-field trouble. Gary Edwards, a star player from the team, was one of the six players arrested after a robbery scandal throughout the school. It was Edwards’ algebra grade dispute that started the UIL investigation which resulted in the title being stripped.

On the football field, however, few teams in history could hang with that Dallas Carter team. Fifteen seniors from that team earned FBS scholarships. Armstead, Clifton Abraham and LeShai Maston all had NFL careers as defensive players. Edwards and Derric Evans likely do if not for the arrests surrounding the robberies.

The 1988 Dallas Carter team is an enigma. It shows the best and worst in sports, especially at the prep level. The lows off the field erased, in large part, the highs experienced together as a team. That group ended Friday Night Lights with a 14-9 victory over Odessa Permian in the state semifinals. Unfortunately, the victory over Judson for a state title the following week didn’t end up being the end of the story.

Craven’s Pick: Dallas Carter

Daingerfield will forever be the most dominant team in state history, but Dallas Carter was more talented and played at a higher classification. The sheer talent from Dallas Carter would be too much.

Greg Tepper’s Pick: Daingerfield

As much talent as Dallas Carter has, and as tough a road as they went through, it’s impossible to pick against the most dominant team in Texas high school football history.

Max Thompson’s Pick: Daingerfield

I have to be emphatic that this is far from a slam dunk, but I trust the judgment of so many writers who came before me who just worship this team’s season. I’ll give them a 6-0 win. Something like that.

http://www.texasfootball.com/all-time-matchup-monday-1983-daingerfield-vs-1988-dallas-carter/

WOS87
03-07-2016, 02:59 PM
Dallas Carter was not what legend has made it out to be. They actually didn't even win their own district that year. They went into the playoffs as the #2 team after tying Duncanville in district play. They weren't that dominating either if you look at the games they played. The Marshall game was legendary as Marshall almost beat them and they also barely beat Killeen.

Also, WOS (as one of the smallest 5A schools in the state at the time) didn't fare too badly against Yates in 1985, French in 1984 or West Brook in 1982 ;p if you look at their seasons.

http://bbs.texasdownlow.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=1002&d=1457380638

NastySlot
03-07-2016, 03:31 PM
Dallas Carter was not what legend has made it out to be. They actually didn't even win their own district that year. They went into the playoffs as the #2 team after tying Duncanville in district play. They weren't that dominating either if you look at the games they played. The Marshall game was legendary as Marshall almost beat them and they also barely beat Killeen.

Also, WOS (as one of the smallest 5A schools in the state at the time) didn't fare too badly against Yates in 1985, French in 1984 or West Brook in 1982 ;p if you look at their seasons.

http://bbs.texasdownlow.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=1002&d=1457380638


Armstead caught the winning TD pass in a comeback to beat Marshall. I saw the Killeen game, was good day for watching H.S football. Went to Marshall-Permian game that morning in Marshall and the Killeen-Carter game that night at Sprague.

Permian almost pulled off a win v. that Carter group also- questionable call on a catch and it rained a lot. Carter did however dismantle a solid Judson team in the title game.

rb585
03-07-2016, 03:35 PM
Carter would win just because of the number of bodies, but they're one of the most overrated state champions ever. They weren't dominant at all.

People always point out their talent, but North Shore or Desoto have had similarly talented teams that didn't win state. They didn't get as lucky as Carter.

waterboy
03-08-2016, 09:59 AM
Carter would not be able to score against that Daingerfield defense. I have no doubt about that. Once that defense established itself by the 4th game of the season, I don't think there was a team in the state that could've scored against them. That's how good they were. I've been watching football for more than 40 years, and never have I seen a defense remotely close to being as dominant as they were. My money would definitely be on the '83 Tigers.