3afan
11-30-2005, 09:28 PM
LINK (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/highschools/topstories/stories/113005dnspocarrollplao.d42c920.html)
Plano or Carroll will add to rich legacy
12:27 PM CST on Wednesday, November 30, 2005
By TIM MacMAHON / The Dallas Morning News
Plano and Southlake Carroll established themselves as football powers decades ago as small schools from rural towns. They're now undefeated Class 5A teams from trendy suburbs.The tradition-rich programs don't share many other similarities, aside from a date at Texas Stadium at 1 p.m. Saturday. The 5A Division II Region I title will be at stake when Plano and Carroll clash.
It's another chance for Carroll to "Protect the Tradition" – the program's slogan since coach Todd Dodge arrived in 2000. It's the best opportunity yet for Plano to return its program's tradition to prominence.
It would have been national news if Carroll hadn't played past Thanksgiving for the sixth consecutive season. Carroll, the nation's top-ranked team, is the defending state and mythical national champion. It has gone 60-1 in four seasons since moving up to 5A, winning the program's fourth and fifth state titles in the process.
Plano's undefeated season has been one of the state's biggest surprises. The program with seven state championships – tying Brownwood for the most by a Texas school – went 0-10 two seasons ago.
"We wanted to bring the Plano tradition back to prominence to the outside world," senior fullback Nathan Sowell said. "But in Plano, the tradition was still there. It can't go away."
The passion for Plano football, however, had diminished in recent years.
Plano, after all, bears no resemblance to the farm town it was when the Wildcats won their first state title as a 2A school in 1965. The small town that used to revolve around the Plano football program is now a city with 245,000 residents and three senior high schools.
The opening of Plano East in 1981 had little impact on Plano, other than creating a fierce rivalry. Plano won 5A state championships in 1986, 1987 and 1994.
Split allegiances
But the opening of Plano West in 1999 had an adverse effect on Plano, which had losing records the previous three seasons. Plano still had its core of die-hard fans, but game attendance dwindled.
"As the town grows, it's more and more difficult to keep that kind of interest up," said coach Gerald Brence, who has spent his entire 25-year career at Plano. "It's something you really have to work hard at. But winning does it."
Added former Plano coach and athletic director Tom Kimbrough: "The winning takes care of a lot of things. A lot of people are coming back this year. A lot of people are happy. It brings back good memories."
Plano's players and coaches don't mind the bandwagon hoppers. They're just happy their fans are filling seats at playoff games and waving their paw logos with pride again.
Senior tailback Justin Jordan smiled when he spoke of the fans' support. He finds it funny that some of the same people who two years ago told him how terrible Plano was now pat him on the back.
"I just love seeing all that maroon," said Jordan, who has followed in the footsteps of several relatives by wearing Plano's plain maroon and white uniform.
Most of Carroll's players grew up wearing green and dreaming of being Dragons. It's a tradition for peewee football players in Southlake to wear their green jerseys to school on Fridays.
"We've known for a long time that this is what we wanted to be doing," senior linebacker Patrick Benoist said. "We take a lot of pride in our program. We always work hard because we don't want to let the community down."
Southlake (population 24,490) also experienced a suburban boom since its days as a 3A power in the late '80s and early '90s. Carroll spent eight years in 4A before moving up to the state's largest classification. But Southlake has retained its small-town feel, in large part because it remains a one-high school town. Talk of adding another high school a few years ago was quickly and resoundingly shot down.
Most coaches believe a 5A school that is the only show in town has a tremendous advantage over football programs from multi-school districts. Resources don't have to be divvied up, and junior highs can serve as true feeder programs.
Football players in Southlake start learning Carroll's schemes in seventh grade. Many Plano players didn't have that luxury, because Plano shares one of its feeder high schools with Plano West. There are five feeder schools for the Plano ISD's three senior high schools, which serve 11th and 12th grades. Carroll copied Plano's senior high system, but there is only one campus for freshmen and sophomores.
The biggest bonus for one-high school towns is that the community's support isn't split. The majority of Southlake's residents will be at Texas Stadium on Saturday.
Carroll's players, easily identifiable by their bleached hair during the playoffs, are accustomed to being approached by wide-eyed youngsters around town. Carroll's stars routinely sign autographs after games.
"It's cool to be a Carroll football player, to say the least," senior safety Joseph Agnew said.
Same intangibles
At first glance, a lot has changed in the Carroll football program over the last 15 years. The old 3,500-seat stadium has been replaced by a cutting-edge palace almost three times as big. A program once known for the Wishbone is now perhaps the nation's premier passing team.
But the intangibles instilled in the players, such as unselfishness and a strong work ethic, haven't changed. Brence sees the same traits in Plano's players, plus a toughness resulting from the trials of two seasons ago.
"The attitude of these [Carroll] kids is that they're not going to accept being second," said former Carroll coach and athletic director Bob Ledbetter, who hired Dodge and drops by the school to chat with him once a week. "They're surrounded by success. These kids work hard because they're committed to being successful."
Added Dodge: "Those are the things that won for the Carroll Dragons when Bob Ledbetter was here. They're still the things that are winning for us now."
E-mail tmacmahon@dallasnews.com
Southlake Carroll (13-0) vs. Plano (13-0), Class 5A Division II Region I final, 1 p.m. Saturday, Texas Stadium (KKGM-AM 1630)
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
PLANO
Year Class Record
1965 2A 14-1
1967 2A 14-1
1971 3A 13-1
1977 4A 13-1
1986 5A 14-2
1987 5A 16-0
1994 5A Div. I 12-3
SOUTHLAKE CARROLL
Year Class Record
1988 3A 16-0
1992 3A 16-0
1993 3A 16-0
2002 5A Div. II 16-0
2004 5A Div. II 16-0
Plano or Carroll will add to rich legacy
12:27 PM CST on Wednesday, November 30, 2005
By TIM MacMAHON / The Dallas Morning News
Plano and Southlake Carroll established themselves as football powers decades ago as small schools from rural towns. They're now undefeated Class 5A teams from trendy suburbs.The tradition-rich programs don't share many other similarities, aside from a date at Texas Stadium at 1 p.m. Saturday. The 5A Division II Region I title will be at stake when Plano and Carroll clash.
It's another chance for Carroll to "Protect the Tradition" – the program's slogan since coach Todd Dodge arrived in 2000. It's the best opportunity yet for Plano to return its program's tradition to prominence.
It would have been national news if Carroll hadn't played past Thanksgiving for the sixth consecutive season. Carroll, the nation's top-ranked team, is the defending state and mythical national champion. It has gone 60-1 in four seasons since moving up to 5A, winning the program's fourth and fifth state titles in the process.
Plano's undefeated season has been one of the state's biggest surprises. The program with seven state championships – tying Brownwood for the most by a Texas school – went 0-10 two seasons ago.
"We wanted to bring the Plano tradition back to prominence to the outside world," senior fullback Nathan Sowell said. "But in Plano, the tradition was still there. It can't go away."
The passion for Plano football, however, had diminished in recent years.
Plano, after all, bears no resemblance to the farm town it was when the Wildcats won their first state title as a 2A school in 1965. The small town that used to revolve around the Plano football program is now a city with 245,000 residents and three senior high schools.
The opening of Plano East in 1981 had little impact on Plano, other than creating a fierce rivalry. Plano won 5A state championships in 1986, 1987 and 1994.
Split allegiances
But the opening of Plano West in 1999 had an adverse effect on Plano, which had losing records the previous three seasons. Plano still had its core of die-hard fans, but game attendance dwindled.
"As the town grows, it's more and more difficult to keep that kind of interest up," said coach Gerald Brence, who has spent his entire 25-year career at Plano. "It's something you really have to work hard at. But winning does it."
Added former Plano coach and athletic director Tom Kimbrough: "The winning takes care of a lot of things. A lot of people are coming back this year. A lot of people are happy. It brings back good memories."
Plano's players and coaches don't mind the bandwagon hoppers. They're just happy their fans are filling seats at playoff games and waving their paw logos with pride again.
Senior tailback Justin Jordan smiled when he spoke of the fans' support. He finds it funny that some of the same people who two years ago told him how terrible Plano was now pat him on the back.
"I just love seeing all that maroon," said Jordan, who has followed in the footsteps of several relatives by wearing Plano's plain maroon and white uniform.
Most of Carroll's players grew up wearing green and dreaming of being Dragons. It's a tradition for peewee football players in Southlake to wear their green jerseys to school on Fridays.
"We've known for a long time that this is what we wanted to be doing," senior linebacker Patrick Benoist said. "We take a lot of pride in our program. We always work hard because we don't want to let the community down."
Southlake (population 24,490) also experienced a suburban boom since its days as a 3A power in the late '80s and early '90s. Carroll spent eight years in 4A before moving up to the state's largest classification. But Southlake has retained its small-town feel, in large part because it remains a one-high school town. Talk of adding another high school a few years ago was quickly and resoundingly shot down.
Most coaches believe a 5A school that is the only show in town has a tremendous advantage over football programs from multi-school districts. Resources don't have to be divvied up, and junior highs can serve as true feeder programs.
Football players in Southlake start learning Carroll's schemes in seventh grade. Many Plano players didn't have that luxury, because Plano shares one of its feeder high schools with Plano West. There are five feeder schools for the Plano ISD's three senior high schools, which serve 11th and 12th grades. Carroll copied Plano's senior high system, but there is only one campus for freshmen and sophomores.
The biggest bonus for one-high school towns is that the community's support isn't split. The majority of Southlake's residents will be at Texas Stadium on Saturday.
Carroll's players, easily identifiable by their bleached hair during the playoffs, are accustomed to being approached by wide-eyed youngsters around town. Carroll's stars routinely sign autographs after games.
"It's cool to be a Carroll football player, to say the least," senior safety Joseph Agnew said.
Same intangibles
At first glance, a lot has changed in the Carroll football program over the last 15 years. The old 3,500-seat stadium has been replaced by a cutting-edge palace almost three times as big. A program once known for the Wishbone is now perhaps the nation's premier passing team.
But the intangibles instilled in the players, such as unselfishness and a strong work ethic, haven't changed. Brence sees the same traits in Plano's players, plus a toughness resulting from the trials of two seasons ago.
"The attitude of these [Carroll] kids is that they're not going to accept being second," said former Carroll coach and athletic director Bob Ledbetter, who hired Dodge and drops by the school to chat with him once a week. "They're surrounded by success. These kids work hard because they're committed to being successful."
Added Dodge: "Those are the things that won for the Carroll Dragons when Bob Ledbetter was here. They're still the things that are winning for us now."
E-mail tmacmahon@dallasnews.com
Southlake Carroll (13-0) vs. Plano (13-0), Class 5A Division II Region I final, 1 p.m. Saturday, Texas Stadium (KKGM-AM 1630)
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
PLANO
Year Class Record
1965 2A 14-1
1967 2A 14-1
1971 3A 13-1
1977 4A 13-1
1986 5A 14-2
1987 5A 16-0
1994 5A Div. I 12-3
SOUTHLAKE CARROLL
Year Class Record
1988 3A 16-0
1992 3A 16-0
1993 3A 16-0
2002 5A Div. II 16-0
2004 5A Div. II 16-0