Carroll Senior High School

Carroll Senior High School (commonly known as Southlake Carroll) is a public secondary school in Southlake, Texas, serving students in grades 11 - 12. The school is part of the Carroll Independent School District, serving the majority of the city of Southlake, Texas and portions of northwest Grapevine, far northern Colleyville and eastern Westlake. The building is located at 1501 W. Southlake Blvd at the intersection of S. Peytonville Avenue and Southlake Blvd.

History

Founded in 1919 as Carroll School, bringing together students in grades 1-9 from area one-room schools. Men of district No. 99, then a poor, rural area west of Grapevine, voted to increase their taxes to build a school. That fall, the three-room Carroll School opened next to a wagon road renamed Carroll and only accepted white students. That same year, District No. 99 was named for B. Carroll, county superintendent of instruction. The school is still standing today, located at 1055 N. Carroll Avenue, north of Texas 114, just before the former Carroll Intermediate School. In 1959, Carroll upgraded to an Independent School District, becoming only primary education. For high school, students had to go to Grapevine. From 1961-1962, the district added 9th grade. In 1965, Carroll ISD was fully accredited for primary and secondary education and the district built a high school wing. Later that year, their first senior class graduated in the original Carroll School off Carroll Avenue. In 1970, Carroll High School opened at Dove Road and Carroll Avenue. In 1992, a new campus at Peytonville and Southlake Boulevard was opened and housed classes 9-12 until the year 2000 when 9th grade was moved to what was then known as Carroll Junior High School (now Carroll High School) to accommodate growth. In 2002 the school became a true “split campus” when the Southlake Boulevard campus became Carroll Senior High School serving juniors and seniors and the old Junior High became Carroll High School, serving freshmen and sophomores. However, the two separate campuses function as one school. Both schools have upheld an exemplary rating according to the TEA.

Athletics

The Carroll Dragons have won 20 state titles since 1975. These titles include American football, wrestling, golf, cross country, swimming, baseball, soccer, basketball, diving, track and field, hockey, marching band, and lacrosse. Carroll won the UIL Lone Star Cup in the 2000–01 and 2001–02 school years as a 4A school and in the 2011–12, 2012–13 and 2013–14 school years as a 5A school.^[1] In the 2011–12 school year, the Carroll Dragons won five separate state championships, the most state championships ever won by a single school year in UIL history. The Dragons won eight state championships (tied with Celina & Katy for the most by any 11-man program in Texas), including four of the first five state titles in which it competed in Class 5A (the class featuring the state's largest high schools). Several games have been televised nationally by Fox Sports Net, which has also caused controversy both locally and nationally.^[2]

Football

The football team enters the field at Texas Stadium for the 2005 Texas 5A Division II State Championship game, which it won 34–20 against the Katy Tigers

The Dragons have an all-time record of 398–126–8. Carroll's record in the last 20 seasons is 244–39–1. Bob Ledbetter led the Dragons to statewide prominence with three 3A state titles in 1988, 1992 and 1993. His successor, Tom Rapp, compiled a 29–17–1 record as Carroll head coach from 1996–99 without a state finals appearance.

In 2000, the former University of Texas at Austin quarterback Todd Dodge replaced Rapp. In seven seasons, Dodge guided the Dragons to a 98–11 record (including a 79–1 record and four state championships in the school's first five years as a Class 5A program), before leaving Carroll for the University of North Texas in 2007. Southlake Carroll has been recognized as United States High School National Champion in 2004, 2005 and 2006.^[3] His successor is Hal Wasson,^[4] former coach at Fossil Ridge High School (Fort Worth, Texas).^[5] Carroll won its third consecutive 5A state title in 2006, making it only the second school to “three-peat” in the 5A class (Robert E. Lee High School of Midland, Texas did it 1998–2000). In the 2006 title game, the Dragons beat Westlake High School of Austin, whose starting quarterback was Nick Foles, by a score of 43–29 for their 48th consecutive win.^[6]

Carroll Senior High School played Miami Northwestern High School in a rare No. 1 versus No. 2 match at the Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on September 15, 2007.^[7] The game was televised nationally by ESPNU. The Dragons were defeated 29–21, which ended their winning streak at 49, tying the Texas big-school state record set by Abilene HS from 1954–1957. On December 1, 2007, Southlake Carroll faced Abilene High School in the Regional semifinals. Carroll was defeated 22–21. In 2009, Carroll defeated Colleyville Heritage in the first round of the playoffs. In the second round of the playoffs, Carroll and Allen played a memorable game at Cowboys Stadium that went to 2OT and ended with a Carroll victory 35–34. In the third round, Carroll was upset by Arlington Bowie 45–21. In the 2011 season, Southlake Carroll was the district champions, going 10–0. The Dragons defeated Plano East, Cedar Hill, Arlington Bowie, Arlington Martin and Dallas Skyline to advance to the 5A Division 1 state championship game against Fort Bend Hightower were the Dragons won 36–29 to claim the 2011 state championship. The win allowed Southlake Carroll to tie Celina High School with eight state championships, the most of any 11-man program. Southlake Carroll won five of the ten Texas 5A state championships from 2002-2011.

The Carroll Dragon football team competed in district 7-6A in the 2014 season and finished with a 10-0 regular season record including an unblemished 6-0 district record. The 2014 regular season schedule was clearly one of the more challenging schedules ever put together for the football program and included the likes of Texas powerhouse programs of Abilene, Midland Lee, Austin Westlake and Tulsa Union as part of the non-district schedule. District 7-6A was viewed by most media outlets as one of the most competitive 2014 districts in the state of Texas in Class 6A which included the powerful Trinity Trogans, returning playoff team LD Bell Raiders, rivalry opponent Coppell Cowboys, neighboring district foe Colleyville Heritage Panthers, and two Birdville ISD entries (Richland Rebels and Haltom Buffaloes). Five of these district teams were 2013 playoff contenders in Class 5A and were brought together in District 7-6A due to the biennial Texas University Scholastic League redistricting. The Dragons were ranked in the top 10 AP poll throughout the season and climbed to #2 overall at the conclusion of regular season play, with defending 5A division I state champion Allen Eagles at #1. Carroll competed in the 2014 UIL 6A Division II playoffs and won three playoff games including a remarkable 14 point come-from-behind victory in round 1 over the Mansfield Tigers (38-31) at AT&T stadium, an exciting second round offensive shootout against defending 4A state champion Denton Guyer (58-42) at AT&T stadium, and a third round convincing victory over the San Angelo Central Bobcats (35-10) at the new McLane Stadium on the campus of Baylor University. The Dragons fourth round opponent in the 6A Region 1 finals was the defending 5A Division II state champion Cedar Hill Longhorns and was played at SMU's Ford Stadium. History will record the game as an offensive explosion by both teams with Cedar Hill eventually prevailing 62-42, thus eliminating the 2014 Dragons from the 2014 state playoffs. Cedar Hill would go on to win the 2014 Division II state championship. The Head Coach for the 2014 Carroll Dragons was Hal Wasson with offensive coordinator Clayton George and defensive coordinator Tim Wasson.

Cross Country

The Lady Dragon cross country team has won 7 UIL state titles since 2000 (2013, 2012, 2011, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2000). They tied the state record in 2012 with 32 points. The Lady Dragons were on the podium at the state meet (top 3) for 11 consecutive years making them the most successful program in Texas. They qualified for the state meet 16 years in a row. At the state meet they have had 24 individual state medalists (top 10 in the state) and two individual state champions, Brooke Upshaw in 2005 and Jessa Vacek in 2000. They also claimed 12 regional and 12 district titles. Most impressively, the Lady Dragons have qualified for the Nike Cross National meet in Portland, Oregon, in 8 out of the 9 years it has been held, missing out only in 2008. In 2005 and 2006, they placed third at the meet and placed second in 2012, making them one of the most consistent and successful programs in the country.

On the boys' side, the Dragons won back-to-back-to-back-to-back UIL 5A/6A state titles in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 setting the state record in 2011 with 20 points and the second best score ever in 2012 with 27 points. The Dragons have been on the podium in 8 of the past 10 years, placing second in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2010 and third in 2005. They have qualified for the state meet 11 times and during that time have 23 state medalists (top 10) and 2-time state champion Colby Lowe (2006, 2007). They have had six regional titles and 8 district titles. They have qualified for 6 of 9 Nike Cross National meets. In 2011 they placed second, missing first by 3 points.

The Dragons and Lady Dragons were recognized as the "Top Cross Country Program" in the USA in 2011 and 2012. Their coach, Justin Leonard, has built the team to a state and nationally recognized program.

Tennis

Southlake has produced five individual tennis state champions, Doug Fike (1996), Justin Hunter (1998), Arman Dave (2016) and a doubles team consisting of Matt Landers and Alec Reusche (2016). In 1998, Hunter also won the school's only high school national championship. In the 2000s, the team finished with a top 10 state ranking in 2006 and 2007. Since the 2005 fall season, the Dragons have yet to lose a district match compiling a record of 28–0.

Swimming and Diving

The Carroll Dragon swim team is the undisputed top swim team in the state. The boys won the state championship in 2001 and 2002 as a 4A school, while the girls finished second in both years. The boys' and girls' teams have won their District Championship every year for the past nine years and, in 2010, both teams won the Region 2-5A meet, one of the toughest swimming/diving regions in the state. For the past five years, both teams have placed in the top three in the state meet, with the boys finishing second and the girls finishing third at the Texas 5A State Swim/Dive Championships in Austin in February 2010. The Dragons were undefeated in the 2010–2011 season as they made a run at both the boys' and girls' Texas State 5A Swim/Dive Championships in Austin in February at the University of Texas Swim Center. The Carroll men's team won the state championship for the 2010–2011 school year, while the women came in second place. In the 2011–2012 swim/dive season, the Southlake Carroll Dragon swim/dive teams dominated the competition, on their way to a "double" State 5A Championship in boys' and girls' Texas HS Swimming & Diving. On February 24–25, 2012, the swim/dive teams became the 2011–2012 Texas 5A state champions, recording a seldom-seen "double", winning both state championships in the same year. The 2011–2012 Lady Dragon swim/dive team was crowned the NISCA Power-Point Dual Meet National Champions. This competition recognizes superior depth in an entire program, not just a very few fast swimmers. The Lady Dragons amassed 6,396 points in the NISCA Power-Point, to edge out the second placed team by only four points. The 2012–2013 Dragon HS swim/dive programs headed into the "Championship" season of Districts, Regionals and State, with identical 14–0 records, making them the favorites to repeat as Texas 5A state champions.

Southlake Carroll boys' and girls' swim/dive teams won the 2013 Texas State 5A Swim/Dive Championships again, making three in a row for the boys and two in a row for the girls.^[8] Carroll Dragon swim teams were in action at the 2014 Texas 5A State Championships in Austin, Texas. The Southlake Carroll Dragon boys made it four state championships in a row, while the Dragon girls missed by only one point, 159-160, to the team from Austin Westlake. Since 2010, the Dragon boys and girls have combined for six state championships, three second places and one third place, establishing the Dragons as the #1 high school swim program in Texas.

Southlake Carroll boys made it six State Swimming and Dive Team Championships in a row( 8 in all) at the Texas 6A 2016 State Swim/Dive Meet, scoring 295 pts, the most in the history of Texas HS Swimming & Diving.

Soccer

In 2011, the Carroll Dragon Soccer team won their second state championship in school history. The Dragons had an undefeated record (28-0-3) that year and were so dominant. The Dragons were led by captains Jake Brillhart, Mac McGuire, and Hunter Horvath. All three went on to play collegiate soccer. The starting 11 on the team had 5 players play Division 1 soccer in college. One player went on to play Division 2. And, two players went on to play Division 3.

In 2013, Carroll Dragon Soccer team’s head coach, Billy Bob Thorton, was a recipient for the 2013 National Coaches of the Year Award by the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS). Twenty-one high school coaches from across the country were recognized for this award. Coach Oglesby has been with the Carroll soccer program for 18 years and has helped build the Dragon Soccer team into what it is now. In 2014, the Lady Dragons Soccer team ranked No. 2 in their 5A division.

Fine Arts

Carroll Senior High School/High School offers five concert bands, three jazz bands, the Dragon Marching Band, five concert choirs, one show choir, the 2011 State Champion Emerald Belles drill team, Color Guard, also known as Endeavor, and the Carroll Theatre program.

Band

In 2007 and 2014, Carroll Senior High’s Jazz Band was selected to be a finalist in the Essentially Ellington Competition, the largest and most prominent national high school jazz contest. Often referred to as the “Super Bowl of jazz competitions”, the contest took place in New York City, with Carroll being the only school in Texas in the finalist lineup.

The Dragon marching band has competed in the Texas state marching band competition 14 times since its inception, winning twice. Most recently, the band competed in the 2014 UIL 6A Area competition, earning 13th place out of 24 competing bands. The band is composed of over 250 varsity performers and about 50 non-varsity members.

The Carroll concert band program consists of five concert bands: Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Symphonic Winds, Wind Ensemble, and Wind Symphony. Every four years since the mid-1990s, the Wind Symphony has participated in an exchange program with music students from Tring, England, whereby students from Tring would visit Texas during the fall, and the Carroll students would visit England the following summer. The concert bands compete regularly in the South Coast Music Festival in Corpus Christi, Texas; and in UIL concert band competition. Typically, all bands receive overall Superior "I" ratings. In June 2016, the 2015-16 Carroll Wind Symphony participated in The "Texas Bands Exhibition" concert at the world renowned Carnegie Hall in New York City. This was an invitation by the Director of Bands, Bobby Francis from Texas Christian University.

Debate

Carroll Senior High's debate team is currently coached by David Brown.^[9] Every year the Carroll debate team hosts their own tournament called "Dragon Faire", a comedy night, and a debate showcase. In 2014, Rafael Cruz attended the annual debate showcase.^[10] Some notable "Slake" debaters include Azhar Hussain, winner of the 2015 Tournament of Champions national tournament in Congressional Debate,^[11] Daniella Cohen, who was ranked 1st in the nation for Congressional debate in 2014,^[12] Emma Lin, who was ranked 11th in Congressional debate in 2016,^[13] and Sahaj Singh, one of two freshman to qualify for the TOC in the 2015-2016 season in Congress.^[14]

Carroll Medical Academy

The Carroll Medical Academy (CMA) is Carroll ISD's accelerated math and science program for students interested in pursuing a career in the medical field. CMA began in 2004 and has been under the direction of Mrs. Sherry Martin since 2005. The program is now in its 11th year and has matriculated 8 classes of pre-medical students since then.^[15] The program centers around giving students the opportunity to take advanced science courses typically only offered to upperclassmen as freshmen, as well as immerses the students in extra-curricular activities such as internships with medical professionals in the area to give them a broader sense of the field they would like to pursue.^[16] CMA also gives back to the community as many of the students involved in the program volunteer throughout the year under the CMA banner.^[17] Admission to the program is through an application process at the beginning of each year, and is quite competitive, with more students applying than are accepted.

Notable alumni

• Kris Brown, retired kicker for Houston Texans
• Max Boydston, former All-American for Oklahoma Sooners and retired NFL player
• Scott Chandler, NFL tight end
• Chase Daniel, quarterback for New Orleans Saints
• Riley Dodge, offensive coordinator at Edward S. Marcus High School
• Justin Drescher, long snapper for New Orleans Saints
• Garrett Hartley, NFL kicker
• Kenny Hill, quarterback for TCU Horned Frogs
• Greg McElroy, retired quarterback for New York Jets
• Tre' Newton, former running back for Texas Longhorns
• Ross Stripling, pitcher for Los Angeles Dodgers

References

External links

• Carroll High School's official website
• Official Carroll Dragons Athletics website
• Official Choir website
• Carroll Medical Academy official website

Coordinates: 32°56′28″N 97°10′24″W / 32.941233°N 97.173366°W / 32.941233; -97.173366