SOUTHLAKE – Miami Northwestern is no ordinary high school football team, and Southlake Carroll's nationally televised matchup with the Bulls on Saturday at SMU's Ford Stadium is no ordinary high school football game.

Throughout Carroll's 49-game winning streak – tied for the Texas big-school record – it has successfully handled the Euless Trinitys and the Lufkins and the Katys of Texas football.

But preparing for a powerhouse such as Northwestern, several Carroll players say, is like no other experience they've had.

"We watched them on film this morning, and they're stacked with athletes," senior linebacker Derek Tomlin said Monday. "They're the most athletic team that I think this program has ever seen. We respect that they're going to be the best team we'll face, and we know that."

The matchup itself, Rivals.com editor Bobby Burton said, may come down to system football vs. speed football.

"The two interesting aspects of the game are how well does Northwestern defend the pass against Carroll, and if they can handle that, Carroll will have a hard time moving the ball," Burton said. "Likewise, Carroll is going to have issues at times with Northwestern's speed."

Can either team realistically simulate in practice this week what the opponent will do on Saturday?

"Good luck," Burton said.

That sure hasn't stopped Carroll from trying to do what it can to get ready for Northwestern.

Instead of a light practice Monday, Carroll went right to work.

All the Dragons were in pads, the drills were intense and a few assistant coaches could be heard in the team's indoor practice facility yelling, "Get to the ball!"

Carroll senior defensive back Jayson Jenkins is no Aldarius Johnson, but, as a key figure on the scout team, he's trying his best to imitate Johnson, Northwestern's University of Miami-bound star receiver.

Tomlin's eyes nearly popped out of his head describing the scouting packet Carroll coaches have on Northwestern.

"It's full of every game they've had, every stat broken down, every single play, every write-up that's been written about them," Tomlin said.

"We get formations, plays out of that formation, and everything pretty much that they're going to throw at us."

No stone is left unturned in the report.

"I know their mom and dad's name," senior quarterback Riley Dodge quipped.

Senior offensive lineman Jake Jackson said he would be attached to the remote control like normal this week. Jackson said he would be watching a slice of Miami on film, not from the movie Miami Vice, but of the Northwestern football variety.

"It helps me know and see what they're going to do," said Jackson, a Baylor recruit. "I can tell their tendencies, and I can tell they're going to do a certain move if they're going to line up in a certain stance or not."

Senior running back Tre' Newton said he would be on high alert all week in practice so he won't be caught off guard by defensive tackle Marcus Forston and linebacker Sean Spence, Northwestern's top defenders.

"You always want to know where their key athletes are on the field so you can keep an eye on them," said Newton, a Texas recruit. "We just look at it more as a challenge and something we can strive to do."

The headmaster in all of this, Carroll coach Hal Wasson, has gathered as much information as possible on Northwestern.

He sent junior high football coaches Steve Langford and Brandon Murdoch to Miami to scout the Bulls.

RICKY MOON / Special to DMN

Southlake Carroll's gang-tackling defense expects a challenge when it plays speedy Miami Northwestern.

But being consumed with Northwestern won't offer any magic formula, Wasson said. He'd rather focus on Carroll first, second and third.

"We spend a lot more time concerning ourselves with ourselves," Wasson said. "That's where our focus is. It's more on ourselves and what we can do to get better.

"We get in this field house and put a bubble around it during the week. We're excited about it, we respect it, but really we roll our sleeves up every day and concern ourselves with us."

At the end of the day, though, it may not come down to how fast Northwestern is or how the Carroll system and its schemes may outwit the Bulls.

The team that uses its basic football instincts – running, passing, catching, blocking and tackling – to the best of its ability may wind up claiming victory.

"I've been playing football since I was 8," Carroll senior safety Luke Anderson said. "Anybody comes my way with the ball, I just tackle them. It's no different on Saturday, and it's no different every day in practice. Just roll some heads."

THE MATCHUP

Miami Northwestern (2-0) vs. Southlake Carroll (1-0), 6 p.m. Saturday, SMU's Ford Stadium (ESPNU; ESPN-FM 103.3, KKGM-AM 1630)