2 weeks Ago By By John Fields Staff Writer
If you're not already a Denton Record-Chronicle subscriber, you can subscribe now for just $1 a month over the next six months and read all of our stories throughout high school football season. Lake Dallas has high expectations for the 2024 season and made an early statement Thursday with a resounding 49-0 win over nearby rival Denton. The Falcons have been on the rise in recent seasons after earning their first postseason berth since 2018 two years ago, then posting 10 wins and their first playoff win since 2017 last fall.
Moving down a division in realignment only further fueled the hype around Lake Dallas as it came into this season ranked No. 12 in all of Class 4A Division I. The Falcons made a strong impression in their opener against longtime foe Denton, earning their 12th win in the teams' 15 meetings over the last 17 years.
Lake Dallas and Denton shared a district for the last two seasons and the Falcons won both meetings by scores of 31-14 and, most recently, 31-0. Despite some early mistakes, Lake Dallas took an even more resounding win this time around to start what it hopes can be a historic year. "Any time you come out and beat a team 49-0, you're going to feel good about it," Lake Dallas head coach Jason Young said.
"The effort's there, and we have some skilled players on both sides of the ball that are doing some really good things. "But, we have a lot of work to do." Lake Dallas dominated both ways with 466 total yards compared to Denton's tally of 110.
Senior running back Dylan Brauchle helped lead the Falcons' offensive effort with 17 carries for 129 yards, while fellow senior running back Ziare Cornist posted two carries for 32 yards and two touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Gavin Young also found the end zone twice on five catches for 78 yards. Lake Dallas quarterback Thomas Adams (9) fires a touchdown pass during their game against Denton at C.
H. Collins Athletic Complex Thursday, August 29, 2024, in Denton, Texas. Junior quarterback Thomas Adams had a strong debut as the Falcons' starter despite a tough end to his first drive with a strip sack fumble.
He finished 20 of 30 (66.7 percent) on the night for 181 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 22 yards on three carries. Adams has made an impression since transferring in from Little Elm over the offseason and taking over as Lake Dallas' starter from the now graduated Cade Bortnem, the Denton Record-Chronicle's 2023 All-Area Most Valuable Player .
Adams started for Little Elm last year as a sophomore, throwing for 1,349 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions for a Lobos squad that went 1-8. That tough season made Thursday's win all the sweeter for Adams. "It's a lot of fun, especially coming from where I'm from, there wasn't a lot of winning," Adams said.
"Stepping on the field, being around with my teammates and to win as dominantly as we did, it was really fun. "It was a big first step, but we have a lot more steps to take during the season. It's going to be a long season, but we're going to get there.
" After a slow start for both teams, Lake Dallas got rolling late in the first quarter with two touchdowns inside a minute of game time. Cornist ran for an 11-yard score with 3:30 left in the first quarter, then senior defensive back Isaiah Morrison returned an interception 19 yards for another touchdown just 44 seconds later. Lake Dallas running back Ziare Cornist (6) drags tacklers into the end zone for a touchdown during their game against Denton at C.
H. Collins Athletic Complex Thursday, August 29, 2024, in Denton, Texas. The Falcons were off and running from there despite some early miscues, including the opening-drive fumble.
Cornist ran for another 21-yard score to make it 21-0 midway through the second quarter. Adams then connected on two touchdown passes, one 21-yarder to Gavin Young with 5:09 left in the period and a 14-yarder to Braxton Allison in the final seconds of the half to give the Falcons a 35-0 halftime edge. Adams found Young once more for a 14-yard touchdown pass midway through the third period that made it 42-0.
Lake Dallas wide receiver Gavin Young (3) makes a grab and turns the corner eluding Denton cornerback O'Ryan Croaker (9) for a touchdown during their game at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex Thursday, August 29, 2024, in Denton, Texas.
Junior quarterback Ben Allen then tacked on one more late score as he hit senior wide receiver Jett Love for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 5:15 left in the fourth period. The resounding win gives Lake Dallas momentum to build on entering perhaps its toughest test of the four-game nondistrict slate next Friday. The Falcons host a White Settlement Brewer team that's expected to compete for a playoff spot in the tough District 3-5A DI this fall.
It's an important contest as Lake Dallas continues building up to face the loaded District 7-4A DI, which features three more preseason state-ranked teams in Frisco Panther Creek, Celina and Aubrey alongside two other squads that made the playoffs last fall. Jason Young knows his team has plenty to clean up ahead of that daunting slate, particularly with penalties after committing 11 of them for 110 yards against Denton. "We made a ton of mistakes," Young said.
"We had so many penalties tonight. We know what's coming. There's a lot of talented teams coming up.
We play like we did tonight, it ain't going to go the way it did." Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request.
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