Skip to main content
High School

Southlake Carroll (TX) Rallies From 27-0 Deficit To Defeat Jenks (OK), 34-33 In Wild High School Football Opener

Dragons get go-ahead TD with more than two minutes left to cap a wild opening night at Dallas' Cotton Bowl
Buck Ringgold|
Abigail Dollins/Fort Worth Star-Telegram

On the opening night of high school football in both Texas and Oklahoma, two powerhouse programs from each state staged a wild game.

Down 27-0 at one point in the first half, Texas power Southlake Carroll, owner of eight state championships, put together a furious rally against 18-time Oklahoma state champ Jenks and went in front for the first time with more than two minutes left. The Dragons then held the Trojans on fourth down and came away with an improbable 34-33 win Thursday night at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the first of a two-year agreement between the two schools to play there.

MORE: Top 25 Texas High School Football State Preseason Rankings

It was the debut of first-year Carroll coach Lee Munn, and it was a game he and the Dragons will definitely remember for a long time.

After spotting Jenks a 27-0 second-quarter lead, SLC (1-0) was able to score a pair of touchdowns late in the first half to pull within 13, 27-14; then scored again in the third quarter to get within six.

Jenks (0-1) took advantage of a Dragon fumble and scored a TD on the opening play of the fourth quarter to go back up by double digits, 33-21. But seconds later, SLC turned a long pass play into a touchdown to get within five, 33-28.

The Dragons then got the bal back and drove down the field for their first lead of the night, a 3-yard quarterback scramble from Hudson Tomcheck with 2:09 left. On Jenks' next possession, the Trojans turned the ball over on downs, and SLC was able to run out the clock and come away with the improbable comeback win.

Oklahoma High School Football Preseason Top 25: Is Another Title In the Cards For No. 1 Bixby?

SLC finished with 419 total yards, 387 of that coming through the air. Tomcheck, who was benched briefly in the first half, finished by going 19-of-24 for 322 yards and two TDs while adding two rushing TDs. Dragon receiver Brody Knowles caught seven passes for 180 yards and two TDs.

Jenks finished with 377 total yards - 263 of that rushing. Running back CJ Wright - who helped Lincoln Christian to a Class 3A title last season - gained 145 yards on 17 carries with a TD.

Follow High School On SI correspondent Buck Ringgold (@Bucks_Ballpark) for all of the live updates and scoring from Dallas.

Scroll down for live score and game updates from kickoff to the postgame. Refresh this page for the latest.

SOUTHLAKE CARROLL 34, JENKS 33 FINAL

Refresh for latest

POSTGAME

- SLC takes a couple of kneeldowns, and after being down 27-0, the Dragons are walking away with an improbable opening-night victory.

FOURTH QUARTER

- Kailib Dillard appeared to make an incredible catch on fourth down, but officials rule that the ball barely hit the ground. SLC gets the ball back with 1:30 left, and with one Jenks time out left, the Dragons appear to be in good shape.

- Jenks with incomplete passes on second and third down. Trojans face a fourth-and-10 and will call their second time out.

- TOUCHDOWN SOUTHLAKE CARROLL. Down 27-0 at one point, the Dragons suddenly are in front. QB Hudson Tomcheck goes in from 3 yards out for the go-ahead score. Try for two fails. Now it's up to the Dragon defense to preserve the unlikely lead. (SLC, 34-33 | 2:09, 4th)

- SLC QB Hudson Tomcheck reads the blitz on third down and finds an open receiver. Dragons have a first-and-goal with under three minutes left.

- Brody Knowles with another huge catch, and SLC is driving. Dragons inside the Jenks 30 with five minutes to go.

- Dez Bryant Jr. catches a pass on third down, and SLC moves the chains. Dragons' ball near midfield.

- Jenks drops a pass on third down, and SLC is going to get the ball back following a punt. We have more than seven minutes to go.

- TOUCHDOWN SOUTHLAKE CARROLL. Oh my goodness gracious, what a perfectly thrown deep ball by Dragon QB Hudson Tomcheck, and what an equally brilliant catch on the run by Brody Knowles, who goes in from 54 yards out for the TD. It's a five-point game. BUCKLE UP. (Jenks, 33-28 | 8:42, 4th)

- SLC's defense forces Jenks to punt it away. Dragons have the ball near midfield with less than nine minutes left, down two scores.

- FUMBLE RECOVERY JENKS. Another costly fumble by SLC, this time inside the Jenks 10, and the Trojans come up with the football.

- TOUCHDOWN JENKS. Trojans take advantage of the muffed punt and cashes in on the opening play of the final quarter as Kyron Scott goes in from 7 yards out. Try for two fails. (Jenks, 33-21 | 11:54, 4th)

THIRD QUARTER

- FUMBLE RECOVERY JENKS. Wow, what a dramatic shift of events. SLC forced a punt and called a fair catch. But the punt is muffed, and the Trojans recover at the Dragon 20 late in the third.

- Jenks misfires on a pass on third-and-long inside the final minute of the quarter. Trojans will punt it away.

- Jenks wants a pass interference call but the Trojans aren't getting it. Trojan fans are voicing their displeasure.

- TOUCHDOWN SOUTHLAKE CARROLL. QB Hudson Tomcheck scrambles in from 2 yards out for the score, and with the PAT, it's a six-point game. A dramatic turn of events in the Cotton Bowl. (Jenks, 27-21 | 2:49, 3rd)

- SLC goes for it on fourth-and-2 at the Jenks 20 - AND THEY GET IT as Dez Bryant Jr. is wide open over the middle to haul in a pass from Hudson Tomcheck and comes up just shy of the goal line. Dragons are knocking on the door for sure.

- SLC pulls off a huge pass play, and the Dragons are inside the Jenks 30.

- Fourth-and-goal from the SLC 3 and Jenks goes for it. Trojans in the Wildcat, but the Dragons make the stop just shy of the goal line. Huge turnover on downs. SLC takes over with more than seven minutes left in the period.

- Jenks' CJ Wright rips off a 42-yard run and the Trojans have the ball at the SLC 9.

- SLC has a sack on third down. However, the Dragons are flagged for a face mask, and Jenks will get an automatic first down at its 40. Huge break for the Trojans.

- SLC goes three-and-out to begin the third quarter and has to punt the ball to Jenks.

- SLC gets the ball to start the second half.

HALFTIME

- Jenks had 256 yards of total offense in the first half while SLC had 123 total yards. In the rushing department, the Trojans gained 167 yards compared to just a single yard for the Dragons. Jenks' CJ Wright with 83 yards on 11 carries and a TD; QB Landon Kizzar was 9-of-17 passing for 89 yards and a TD.

- Jenks rolled off 27 straight points to start the game, but SLC made a comeback late in the second quarter, scoring back-to-back TDs. Dragons will also get the ball to start the second half.

SECOND QUARTER

- Jenks gets just past midfield before going backward. Trojans punt it away in the final seconds of the half, and it looks like they will take their 13-point lead into intermission.

- TOUCHDOWN SOUTHLAKE CARROLL. The Dragons are right back in this thing, and receiver Brody Knowles, an Illinois commit, elevates right at the goal line and grabs a 19-yard pass from QB Hudson Tomcheck over a pair of Jenks defenders. (Jenks, 27-14 | 1:41, 2nd)

- SLC forces a pass interference penalty on Jenks and the Dragons have the ball in the red zone with less than two minutes to go in the half.

- Southlake Carroll's defense finally gets a stop and Jenks will have to punt for the first time tonight. Dragons getting a little momentum surge.

- TOUCHDOWN SOUTHLAKE CARROLL. Finally, the Dragons break through on the scoreboard. They get a lift from Palmer Pensom, who took over at quarterback and hooks up with Easton Nied for a 42-yard score. (Jenks, 27-7 | 3:45, 2nd)

- Unofficial stats so far, Jenks has outgained SLC, 200-18.

- TOUCHDOWN JENKS. Again, everything is coming up roses for the Trojans. They face a fourth-and-long from the SLC 25 and decide to go for it. They definitely got it, as Landon Kizzar spotted a wide-open Jaylon Cato over the middle and he goes in for the score. (Jenks, 27-0 | 5:07, 2nd)

- Jenks driving once more. Trojans convert on a fourth-and-short on another Wildcat run from Clark Cariker and are getting close to the red zone.

- What a first quarter for Jenks. Three possessions, three touchdowns. As for SLC, the Dragons also had three possessions, but all ended in punts.

FIRST QUARTER

- TOUCHDOWN JENKS. Holy mackerel, who saw this coming? The Trojans strike yet again, as on a play from the Wildcat, Clark Cariker darts in from 48 yards out. It's a 20-point lead and we're not done with the first quarter. (Jenks, 20-0 | 3:03, 1st)

- SLC has to punt it away on its second series. All Jenks so far.

- TOUCHDOWN JENKS. The Trojans strike quickly once again on their second series. This time, tailback CJ Wright, a former state champion at Lincoln Christian, takes a handoff and is GONE. He takes it 64 yards to the house. But Jenks misses the PAT. (Jenks, 13-0 | 5:55, 1st)

- SLC had a nice kickoff return, but the Dragons go three-and-out, losing 22 yards. On third down, Jenks safety Kailib Dillard blitzes and grabs the SLC quarterback by the jersey and doesn't let go, getting the sack and forcing the Dragons to punt.

- TOUCHDOWN JENKS. Trojans with a very efficient opening drive, marching 75 yards in just nine plays, capped by a 1-yard TD run from Kyron Scott. PAT is good. (Jenks, 7-0 | 9:29, 1st)

- Jenks quickly moving the bal down the field as the Trojans are already in the red zone.

- The opening kick by SLC goes into the end zone, and Jenks will take over at its own 25-yard line as we are now under way from the Cotton Bowl.

- Both teams have taken the field, and we're about to kick things off.

PREGAME

- Southlake Carroll wins the toss and defers to the second half, so Jenks will be on offense to start things off.

- Jenks will be the designated home team and is wearing maroon helmets and maroon jerseys. SLC will be in all white; helmets, jerseys and pants.

- Live from the Cotton Bowl, it’s the “Stateline Showdown,” as the Trojans from Jenks (Oklahoma) get set to take on the Dragons from Southlake Carroll (Texas) in a matchup between two teams that have combined to win 26 state championships. Kickoff time will be at 7:30 p.m.

About Jenks

Thursday’s game is the first time the Trojans have opened a season in the state of Texas since 2021, when they won in overtime against Mansfield Summit. Later that season, Jenks won its most recent state championship, which is number 18.

The Trojans return eight offensive starters from a squad that averaged 53 points and 513 yards per game. Those include senior quarterback Landon Kizzar, who threw for nearly 2,800 yards and 28 TDs a season ago, and senior receiver Kailib Dillard, a Florida commit who caught 75 passes for 1,300 yards.

About Southlake Carroll

Southlake Carroll knows what it takes to win state titles as well. The Dragons have won eight crowns themselves, but none since 2011.

It will also be the debut of first-year Carroll head coach, Lee Munn, who was promoted from defensive coordinator to replace Riley Dodge, who left to join the staff at SMU.

The Dragons also had some other drastic changes, including having to replace a talented senior class, with nine players having signed with Division I schools. They also had to replace all 11 starters on defense. A strength for SLC is a pair of receivers in Cal commit Blake Gunter (55 catches for 1,224 yards and 18 TDs in ’25) and Brody Knowles (40 catches for 849 yards and seven TDs).

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published | Modified
Buck Ringgold
BUCK RINGGOLD

Buck Ringgold is a veteran high school sportswriter with extensive experience covering sports in Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana. He is a longtime contributor to High School On SI.