CAN ANYBODY STOP CARTHAGE? | Surratt’s machine crushes Brock, heads to title game No. 11!
MESQUITE – If the third time is the charm, then the 11th time is – the goat?
We’ll all get to find out, apparently, next Friday night.
That’s because Carthage High School – which has become, under the leadership of coach Scott Surratt – one of the premier programs in the history of the state, routed Brock tonight, 49-21, here in the UIL Class 4A, Division I semifinals at Mesquite Memorial Stadium, rolling to yet another appearance in a state title game, and don’t even get us started on that.
The Bulldogs have won 10, yes 10, state championships in program history, all under Surratt and all since 2008. Surratt got there in 2007, and they began this run the following year (with a threepeat, by the way).
And they can repeat – they won it last year – with a win over West Orange-Stark next Friday afternoon.
West Orange-Stark beat Sinton tonight in the state’s other semifinal.
Elsewhere in East Texas, Kilgore, another ETBlitz.com-area program, absolutely destroyed La Vernia to punch their own ticket to the 4A-Division I state championship game, where they’ll meet Stephenville next week. Stephenville knocked off defending 4A-DI champion Celina.
Carthage (15-0) set the tone early on an 83-yard scoring run by Texas A&M verbal commit K.J. Edwards, who wears No. 0, but plays like No. 100, were it possible for him to wear that number.
Brock punched back by tying the game with a pass from Holt Frazier to Davis Lee with just under two minutes left in the first (7-all).
But Carthage, as it has all season, reeled off the points from there, getting a second touchdown from Edwards in the first half (from 11 yards out – he finished with 186 rushing yards and the two scores).
Carthage picked off Frazier three times and the Bulldogs’ defense had five total turnovers. Jace Harris, Trey Grant and Tylin Williams each had an interception.
Carthage QB Jett Surratt, coach Surratt’s son, had 190 yards passing and three touchdown passes, two of them two Junior Henderson, who had four receptions for 64 yards. The other touchdown throw went to Carson Crawford, the tight end. Bryston Price had two catches for 40 yards, Jaden Jeffress had three for 40 as well.
This is the Bulldogs’ 12th trip to the state championship game overall – they’ve never lost there under Surratt, who, by the way, celebrated his 58th birthday on Friday.
