My video of this week's adventure:
On Friday I was at Max Goldsmith Stadium in
Lewisville, Texas to see the game between the Lewisville Farmers and the
Southlake Carroll Dragons. The host team
is coached by Gregg Miller and entered the game with a 3-2 overall record, 1-1
in district play. Southlake is coached
by Hal Wasson. The Dragons are 4-1 on
the season and undefeated in district play.
Dave Campbell’s Football has them rated at #7 in Texas 6A football. The Associated Press has them ranked at
#11.
It was 66 degrees with a few scattered clouds at game
time. There had been some rain in the
DFW area during the day, but weather was not a factor in the game.
Earlier Friday I stopped off in Ft. Worth for some
barbecue. . .
The
Barbecue
I had heard about Heim Barbecue from a lady I used to
work with (thanks, Janine) and from Armando at Miller’s Smokehouse in
Belton. Since I was going to be in the
Dallas – Ft. Worth area anyway, I figured I would stop by and give them a
try. I am very glad I did.
Travis and Emma Heim had been serving delicious
barbecue from a food truck before they moved into their brick and mortar
restaurant at 1109 W. Magnolia Avenue in Ft. Worth. While the restaurant only recently opened, it
was obvious they have spent considerable time and effort learning the barbeque
smoking craft. The moist brisket had a
deep smoky flavor and was tremendous.
Their pork ribs were meaty and juicy, with just a bit of a sweet
glaze. The sweet sauce was a great
compliment to the meat. Oh, it was good.
When I finished eating, I had a chance to meet and
talk with Travis. He was kind enough to
take me out back to the large cooking shed.
Instead of the large welded “tank” pits some places use (such as
Miller’s Smokehouse, see episode 5), Heim uses large commercial smokers. Each has an electric rotisserie inside so the
racks of meat rotate through the smoke during the long cook. They burn a combination of oak (white, post,
and sometimes red) to create the smoke that is cooked into their meat.
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| Smoking sausage |
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| Prepping briskets for the cook |
Heim barbecue opens at 11:00 AM and serves BBQ until
they run out. I had gotten there around
10:40 AM and walked around. There was no
line waiting to get in. Just before
11:00, a short line had formed. As word
spreads about how good their barbecue is, that line is only going to grow longer. No telling how good their barbecue will get
as they gain more experience. I think
Travis and Emma Heim are sitting on a gold mine.
I give their barbecue my highest rating: two
Hook ‘Ems!
The
Game
Southlake won the coin toss and chose to defer until
the second half. Lewisville started from
their own 25 yard line after the kick-off went through the end zone. Kyle Smith picked up 21 yards on a wide
receiver sweep. Quarterback Jarvis
Brooks found Tyrell Shavers on the sideline for a big gain to the Dragons
29. Facing fourth and seven, Brooks
found Shavers over the middle for a critical first down on the Dragons 11. Brooks picked up 5 on a quarterback keeper,
then connected with Shavers again, this time in the corner of the end
zone. The extra point gave the Farmers a
7-0 lead with 10:02 to play in the first quarter. A very impressive drive by Lewisville.
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| Tyrell Shavers makes TD catch |
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| Jarvis Brooks throws to Tyrell Shavers |
The teams traded possessions. After a short Lewisville punt into the wind,
Southlake started from the Farmers 48.
Quarterback Mason Holmes threw a dart to Cade Bell on a slant pattern
over the middle for a big first down. After
a run for 4 yards, Holmes threw a wide receiver screen to Jackson Davis for a
big gain to the Farmer 15. The Lewisville
defense was burned on a reverse as Robert Barnes scooted into the end
zone. The extra point tied the score at
7 with 6:17 on the first quarter clock.
 |
| Robert Barnes scores on a reverse |
The two teams traded possessions through the remainder
of the first quarter. Lewisville began a
drive from their own 11 as the second quarter opened. On third and 18, Brooks pass was dropped, but
it was ruled a fumble by the referees.
Southlake recovered and took possession at the Farmer 10. Two plays later, Holmes found Jack Johanson
in the back of the end zone for a quick touchdown strike. The extra point put the Dragons up 14-7 at
the 9:27 mark in the second quarter.
Lewisville picked up a few first downs the next time
they had the ball, but their drive stalled and they were forced to punt. After Audricke Gaines picked up 9, Holmes
faked to Gaines then took off around the right end for a huge gain. Holmes then tossed to Clayton Keyes in the
front corner of the end zone. The extra
point pushed the lead to 21-7.
On their next possession, Lewisville once again could
not sustain a drive. They were forced to
punt and Southlake took possession on their 16 yard line. After Holmes scrambled for nine yards, Gaines
ripped off a big run to the Farmer 49.
Robert Sledge picked up two yards on fourth and 1 to keep the chains
moving. On third and seven from the 35,
Holmes threw deep to Barnes for another score.
The first half ended with the Dragons comfortably ahead 28-7.
It was more of the same in the second half: all
Dragons all the time. Gaines scored on a
43 yard run down the left sideline early in the third quarter. Holmes hit Barnes on a quick five yard slant
for another touchdown that made it 42-7.
 |
| Audricke Gaines scores from 43 yards out |
The Farmers started a drive late in the third
quarter. Brooks connected with Smith for
a 41 yard gain. Brooks had a receiver
open for a touchdown, but he waited too long to get the pass off and it was
intercepted on the three.
The night was over for the Southlake starters. Backup quarterback Will Bowers marched the Dragons
downfield on a 97 yard drive against a worn out Farmer defense to push the
score to 49-7. He threw only one pass on
the drive and it was incomplete. The
Farmers could not answer and the game ended with a 40-7 Dragon victory.
Mason Holmes threw to six different receivers as he
went 20 out of 28 for 223 yards and four touchdowns for the Dragons. Audricke Gaines carried the ball 15 times for
125 yards and one score. Robert Barnes
ran for 1 touchdown and caught two more.
The Dragon offense racked up 565 yards of total offense. Their defense was just as good, limiting the
Farmers to 192 total yards.
There is a Caines Chicken Fingers restaurant right
next to the stadium. As one of the
sponsors of the Lewisville Farmers, they had a special promotion for the game:
a free combo meal if the two teams totaled more than 48 points. When Southlake scored to make it 42-7, many
of the Farmer faithful headed for the exits.
Their team may have lost, but they could take consolation that they
could get free chicken fingers.
News
and Notes
Had I not been in the DFW area on Friday, I would have
attended the big district game between the Lake Travis Cavaliers and the Westlake
Chaparrals. The Cavs have dominated the series
in recent years, having beaten the Chaps eight straight times. Would the Chaps finally break the streak this
year? The answer was. . . NO.
The Cavs won again, this time 49-7.
Losing their second game of the season, Westlake fell out of the Top Ten
rankings in Texas 6A. (Lake Travis has
moved up to #2.) Even worse, Chaps
quarterback Sam Ehlinger broke his thumb.
The injury will require surgery and Ehlinger is likely to miss the
remainder of his senior season.
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