Last Week in Sports 2.19-24

Dragon Sports Media

March 1, 2024

On Feb. 21, Carroll athletics gathered in the CSHS SAC to celebrate National Letter of Intent signing day for 12 student-athletes. The athletes, their families and friends gathered in the CSHS SAC as each individual signed a letter of commitment to play and participate in college athletics following graduation this spring.

The Carroll swim and dive teams finished up their season this past weekend at the UIL 6A State Championships in Austin, with both girls and boys finishing in second place. The boys fell just short to Keller, 312.5-208, and the girls to Conroe The Woodlands, 269.5-263.5. Some of the highlights from teh weekend include the Lady Dragon divers finishing first and second on the podium, with Reagan Evans winning diver of the meet. The girls 200 medley relay and girls 400 freestyle relay both took home gold medals, and the girls 200 freestyle relay finished second. On the boys side, diver Jack Ma finished third overall, and the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays finished second.

Photos courtesy of @southlakecarrollswimanddive on instagram

The Carroll Dragon baseball team kicked off their season last week in Austin at a multi-site tournament. The boys went 4-2 on the weekend, beating Monterey High School 4-0, Rockwall Heath 7-4, San Antonio Brandeis 8-1, and East Central 1-0. They fell short to Lubbock Frenship 12-3 and Liberty Hill 5-4. The Dragons will open up home play this week with the Five Tool Festival tournament Feb. 29 – March 2.

The Lady Dragon softball team played in the Allen Varsity Tournament last week. They went 2-3 on the weekend, falling to Melissa, Allen and McKinney North and defeating both Wylie and Frisco Wakeland. They will host the Turf Wars at home this weekend.

Last week, Freshman Lady Dragon golfer, Gia Ahlowalia, played in the All American Tour and placed first overall. The boys golf team played in White Wing State Preview in Georgetown and are currently preparing for the boys Regional Preview at Tangle Ridge Golf Club at the end of the week this week.

Girls varsity soccer continued their undefeated win streak with a 2-0 win over Keller on Feb. 23. “Keller has always been a challenging game for us,” sophomore Lexi Khan said. “It was a huge step for our team to get the win, especially after working so hard for it.” The Lady Dragons have an overall record of 18-0 and are first in district play with a district record of 8-0. Looking ahead, the Lady Dragons face off against Keller Central at home on Feb. 27 for Teacher Appreciation night and then finish the week away at V.R. Eaton on Mar. 1.

The Dragon soccer team took the pitch once this past week with a 2-0 loss to Keller on Feb. 23. The Dragons have an overall record of 8-6-2, good for 3rd in district play with a district record of 4-3-1. Looking forward, the Dragons face Keller Central on Feb. 27 on the road and V.R. Eaton on March 1st at home.

The Dragon track athletes competed in the Carroll Invitational which took place at Carroll High School. Sprinter Landon Liles finished first in both the 400 and 200-meter dash. Sophomore distance runner Caden Leonard also finished first in the 1600-meter dash and Lady Dragon distance runner Elizabeth Smiths finished first in the 1600 meter run.

Lady Dragon basketball competed against Friendship High School in the third round of the UIL state playoffs this past week and won 67-46, advancing them to the regional tournament. Later in the week they played against South Grand Prairie High School and lost 44-62 bringing their 2023-2024 season to and end. The girls finished the year 31-6 overall and were named district 4-6A District Champions and UIL Regional Semi-Finalists.

Boys Basketball played in the Bi-District round of the playoffs against Chisholm Trail and lost 54-57 in a tough overtime matchup. They finished 3rd in district with an overall record of 21-9 and as the Bi-District runners up.

Contributors: Merren Grennell, Zach Davidson, Matthew Kelpikow, Matthew Pendergrass, Sarim Chaudry, Colton DeRaud, Ava Cottingham, and Anthony Worobiec

About the Contributors

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Ava Cottingham, Dragon Sports Media Team Lead

Ava Cottingham is a senior at Carroll Senior High School. This is her second year in Dragon Media as a sports journalist and photographer. Some of Ava’s notable accomplishments are that she was a part of the KDGN sports desk team that won a UIL Bronze Star Award, was inducted into Carroll Senior High School’s chapter of Quill & Scroll, and was awarded an honorable mention for an ILPC State Journalism Award for her student-athlete feature piece. When she isn’t writing or taking pictures, Ava enjoys playing club volleyball, watching the Denver Broncos with her dad, working out, and listening to music. Eventually, Ava hopes to work for ESPN in sports journalism.

Ben Randall, Dragon Sports Media Team Lead

Ben Randall is a junior at Carroll Senior High School, and is heading into his third year as a Dragon Media staff member. Ben hopes to attend the University of Nebraska - Lincoln for Sports Media & Communications or any other top 10 sports journalism university. His dream is to work as a play-by-play reporter for ESPN or any big sports television network. Ben is an active member of the national finalist Carroll Dragon Band as a squad leader, and Christ Alone Lutheran Church in Keller as an usher. When he’s not in the band bleachers or announcing for a variety of sports, he likes to travel with his friends and modify his car. His music taste is very broad, but he loves to listen to A$AP Rocky and MF DOOM. The opportunity to give sports fans an unforgettable experience while also traveling around the community is why he loves to work in the media field so much, and why he is ecstatic about working with a UIL Bronze Star winning program at Dragon Media.

Cailyn Cashon, KDGN Team Director, Yearbook Sports Editor

Cailyn Cashon is a 16-year-old junior at Carroll Sr. High School. She is going into her third year in Dragon Media and is the sports editor for the yearbook. She also is a returning member of KDGN announcements. She hopes to attend The University of Texas at Austin or Texas A&M to study sports broadcasting and journalism. When she’s not on the sidelines with a camera, she is editing her photos. The inclusive, educational, and enjoyable environment of media classes is why she spends countless hours in room 115.

Morgan Brown, Dragon Sports Media

Morgan Brown is a senior at Carroll Senior High School and this is her fourth year in Dragon Media. She is the editor-in-chief for the 2023-24 yearbook, as well as a member of the new sports media class. When she isn’t out photographing events, she can be found spending time with friends, attending concerts, going on drives, or hanging out in the yearbook room. After graduation, she hopes to attend either the University of Texas or Arizona State.