Dodge Bowl: Father and son face off in state title game
SOUTHLAKE, Texas — No matter where you go in the world, you are bound to find some sort of sport being played by all kinds of people. And if you are lucky enough to find yourself in Texas, you’ll quickly find out that football means so much to so many people. Especially for the Dodge family, who experienced something that no other Texas family has.
It was back in 2006 that Todd Dodge was the head football coach of Southlake Carroll High School. His son Riley was the quarterback on the team. The Dragons defeated Westlake High School to capture their third straight state title that year.
Now, fast forward to the 2020-21 season, and Riley has been the coach of Southlake Carroll for three years, and his father Todd has been the coach at Westlake for six years. Westlake was coming off a championship season, and Southlake Carroll was aiming to make a championship run. But neither father nor son expected what was ahead.
The Dragons sat at 12-1, and they handed the Duncanville Panthers their second loss of the season, effectively ending the Panthers’ season. Westlake defeated North Shore High school 24-21, and the “Dodge Bowl” was set.
It would be the first time in Texas high school football history that a father and son would be pitted against one another in a state title game. Westlake and Southlake Carroll were supposed to match up in the first game of the season, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both teams traded blows in the first half, but Westlake came away with the lead at halftime. The Chaparrals started the second half with the ball and scored on their opening drive to take a 35-21 lead. Following that possession, South Lakes’ five-star quarterback, Quinn Ewers, threw his second interception of the game.
ONE-HANDED INTERCEPTION 😳@Westlake_Nation DB Michael Taaffe goes full Odell Beckham Jr. for his second INT of the contest!!#TXHSFB | @uiltexas | #UILonFSSW | #UILState pic.twitter.com/lev29hImpV
— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) January 17, 2021
With excellent field position, Westlake was held to only three points. But the Chaparrals were able to get the ball back and get seven points to go up 52-21 in the fourth quarter.
HAT TRICK 🎩@GreyNakfoor scores his third rushing TD of the night for @Westlake_Nation! Chaparrals now lead 52-21.#TXHSFB | @uiltexas | #UILonFSSW | #UILState pic.twitter.com/wPjzClL1Xa
— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) January 17, 2021
Following the Westlake late-game dagger, the Dragons scored 13 unanswered points to finish off the night. When it was all said and done, Westlake captured its second straight title, and Todd had handed his son his first state title game loss.
“I told him I loved him,” Todd said in an interview with Fox Sports Southwest. “[I] told him I’m so proud of him. Told him he has one hell of a football team. We talked all year long, the one we really wanted to meet is in the state championship.”
It was truly a special moment for football fans and for the Dodge family. Todd now holds a 60-8 playoff record as a head coach, and in just three seasons as a head coach, Riley Dodge holds a 38-4 overall record. It was a remarkable year for these two squads. Now both coaches and teams will prepare for the 2021-22 season, and they’ll look to face one another again in Arlington.
“[I] learned a lot [from him],” Riley Dodge said in an interview with the Texas High School Coaches Association. “He’s my mentor. A guy that I really lean on not [only] as a coach but a player. It’s fun to have that connection with your pops. I wouldn’t be in the situation I’m currently in if it wasn’t for the path he paved for me.”
