Southlake Carroll Opens District Play With Win as Hudson Tomcheck and Dragons Look Ahead

SOUTHLAKE, Texas — Southlake Carroll entered district play with a 1-2 record after facing one of the more challenging non-district schedules in Texas high school football.

But after a strong performance against Keller Central, the Dragons are now 2-2 overall and, more importantly, 1-0 in district play.

For junior quarterback Hudson Tomcheck, the difficult start to the season may prove valuable as Carroll moves deeper into its schedule.

“Our coach schedules them to be hard because we just needed some hard games,” Tomcheck told Lone Star Sports after the win. “The past few years, we’ve been killing everybody, but struggling in the late playoffs because we haven’t really played much competition.”

Carroll’s early schedule provided exactly that.

After opening the season with a win, the Dragons suffered back-to-back losses against Allen and North Crowley before returning home to begin district play against Keller Central.

Tomcheck believes those early tests helped prepare the Dragons for what comes next.

“I think it’s great that in these first three games we had hard competition to help us deal with these district games,” he said. “That 1-0 feeling in district feels great. It feels amazing.”

An Early Spark for the Dragons

Carroll found its energy early against Keller Central.

Tomcheck pointed to a kickoff return as one of the moments that helped set the tone. Although the return was ultimately called back, he said the play energized the Dragons.

“I think that kick return from my boy Slicey, even though they called it back, got everyone juiced up, hyped up,” Tomcheck said. “It kind of sent a message to the other team like, ‘We’re here to play.’”

From there, Carroll’s offense found success both through the air and on the ground.

Tomcheck credited the Dragons’ offensive line for giving him time in the pocket while also creating opportunities in the running game.

“The offensive line was great. I couldn’t ask for more,” Tomcheck said. “They blocked their asses off tonight. You saw with the run game, we had two rushing touchdowns. We were running the ball all over the place. I got a good pocket.”

Tomcheck also connected on a touchdown pass into the corner of the end zone, one of the highlights of the night for the junior quarterback.

“That felt amazing,” he said.

Ignoring the Noise

A 2-2 record may look unfamiliar next to the Southlake Carroll name, but the expectations surrounding the Dragons haven't disappeared.

Tomcheck knows that being the starting quarterback at Carroll comes with attention, especially as the

Dragons move through district play.

His approach is to ignore it.

“I’m just trying to focus on my craft and the team’s craft,” Tomcheck said. “I’m kind of just ignoring all that noise, all that social media talk.”

Instead of looking too far ahead, Tomcheck said the Dragons are concentrating on the work directly in front of them.

“I’m just taking it day by day,” he said. “If it’s practice on Monday, we’re going to have practice on Monday.

That’s all I’m focused on. I’m not focused on the target on my back or anything. I’m just locked into myself and the team.”

After being tested early in the season, Southlake Carroll has a fresh start in district play.

The Dragons are 1-0 where it matters most — and Tomcheck and Carroll are focused on keeping it that way.

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