WAKE UP! MEETS THE FLYOVER | A trip around the ETBlitz coverage area, looking at Friday night’s games, including Troup-Arp, Gladewater’s upset, West Rusk routs Elkhart
EDITOR’S NOTE: Cozy Coffee Station. That’s it, all you have to remember, for great coffee, tea, sandwiches, and snacks. And they’re located in two of ETBlitz.com’s cities: in Kilgore at 110 Midtown Plaza, and in Gilmer at 755 Highway 271 North. Check ’em out, see what’s happening, on their social media — on Facebook, it’s simply Cozy Coffee Station-Kilgore and Cozy Coffee Station-Gilmer. On Instagram: cozycoffeestation_kilgore and cozycoffeestation_gilmer. Online, even easier: cozycoffeestation.com.
OK, a special edition of Wake Up!, as we’re gonna combine Wake Up! with The Flyover, our roundup of games involving teams from the ETB coverage area from Friday night.
First off, here are scores for the 15 programs we cover:
Kilgore 35, Pine Tree 7
Carthage 42, Jasper 0
Henderson 67, Palestine 31
Gladewater 28, Jefferson 27
Troup 42, Arp 6
Elysian Fields 48, Beckville 21
Tatum 45, Sabine 10
Atlanta 39, White Oak 14
West Rusk 62, Elkhart 13
Brenham 49, Gilmer 7
Grapeland 37, Overton 27
Apple Springs 50, Leverett’s Chapel 46
And if you want complete scores — like not just ETBlitz-area scores, and not just East Texas scores, but scores from across the state, here you go: SCORES, SCORES, and MORE SCORES | ETBlitz-area finals, and final scores from across the state.
While we’re at it, a few stories for you.
Our recap of Kilgore’s win over Pine Tree: A RED WAVE | Kilgore tops Pine Tree, honors Wood, 2005 class in Fuller’s 50th win.
Tatum’s win at Sabine: THE EAGLES FLEW, ALL RIGHT | Tatum gets back in the win column with a 45-10 victory at Sabine.
Overton’s loss to Grapeland: OVERTON SLIPS | Grapeland escapes with 37-27 win in district opener.
We’re working on getting reports finished on White Oak’s loss to Atlanta, Beckville’s loss to Elysian Fields, Leverett’s Chapel’s last-minute loss to Apple Springs and Carthage’s blowout win at Jasper.
And we’ll have Phillip Williams’ account of Gilmer’s overwhelming loss to Brenham in Longview in a few hours. The Buckeyes’ last few weeks have been stunning, but it is high school football, and sometimes, we should remember to expect the unexpected. Keep this in mind, though, Gilmer fans, and everybody else, for that matter: Gilmer hasn’t played (as my grandmother would say) a frazzlin’ district game. Not one. And back in 2003, I believe, the Atlanta Rabbits went 0-5 in their non-district schedule, and then won out, winning the 3A state title.
Just sayin’.
I’m not counting Gilmer out. They’re two years removed from a state title themselves, also under coach Alan Metzel. What was it the mid-90s Houston Rockets, with Hakeem Olajuwon and Robert Horry taught us? “Never underestimate the heart of a champion.” And I don’t.
As for other Friday night games in our area:
Carthage 42, Jasper 0 (at Jasper): In a final tune-up before district play – as if they needed it – coach Scott Surratt’s Carthage Bulldogs were on the field for 10 minutes with Jasper Friday night before they knew anybody was out there with ‘em.
Carthage, winners of last year’s UIL Class 4A-Division II state football championship and of every game they’ve played since week two of last year, were winners again here at Jasper on Friday, a 42-0 victory. It felt more like a pop quiz before the tests begin Oct. 10, with a trip to Center to open District 7-4A, Division II play.
Next week, though, Carthage (now 4-0 on the season) hits the road – the long road – to Bay City to play San Benito (0-5) in a neutral-site game. One has to play those sorts of games when one’s team beats the heck out of people in the immediate vicinity. Give credit to Carthage and to Kilgore, Chapel Hill and others for being willing to sign non-district games against one another every year.
Here at Jasper, quarterback Jett Surratt – coach Surratt’s son – got it going early, finding Jace Harris for a 12-yard gain into Jasper territory, to the Bulldogs’ 42. After a 2-yard loss on a running play, Surratt was slinging it again, this time to Bryston Price, all the way down to Jasper’s 11, a 33-yarder.
But a false start and a pair of incomplete passes equaled a turnover on downs, and Jasper claimed the ball at its own 7.
Raja Garza-Adams hauled in a pass from Trevor Beatty and put Jasper in business. This looked like the Jasper of old, a 50-yard pass to the Carthage 43-yard-line.
But it begin to go south. Quickly. Carthage stopped a first-down run, holding Jasper to a 2-yard gain, and then Beatty was incomplete on second down. Carthage’s Vernon Pittman got a tackle for loss on third down, and on the fourth-down attempt – no. The ball went over the punter’s head. Carthage claimed possession, its second of the game, at Jasper’s 26, with seven minutes to go in the first quarter.
A 3-yard gain on a run on first down and Surratt was pulling the trigger again, this time to Trey Gant, who caught the ball for a 21-yard play, all the way to Jasper’s 12. The next play: a 12-yard touchdown, caught by J.D. Edwards, and a 6-0 lead. Jesus Lopez easily booted the extra point and Carthage, with six minutes left in the quarter, had a 6-0 lead.
On the kickoff, after Jasper claimed possession at its own 20, Caleb Smith of Carthage threw the Jasper ball-carrier for a loss, and then disaster struck for the Bulldogs – but not the Carthage ones.
The ball was on the turf, a fumble, but not for long. Carthage linebacker DaQuives “Qui” Beck, a Texas A&M verbal commit, scooped it up and scored, a 22-yard return. The point after was good once again, and Carthage had doubled its lead to 14-0.
College prospects are all over this Carthage roster. One of them is Carson Crawford.
And he’s good.
And if you’re an offensive player, when he’s on defense, you want to run from Mr. Crawford. Sometimes, though, you don’t get away. And that’s what happened on first down of Jasper’s next possession, a sack by Crawford on Beatty, and a loss of 4, back to Jasper’s 4-yard-line.
Two plays later: ANOTHER sack, this one by Zay Owens, and a 7-yard loss, back to Jasper’s 4.
But Jasper didn’t have to worry about Carthage’s next possession, at least not immediately.
That’s because Tylin Williams fielded the ball at the Jasper 45 AND WAS GONE, a 45-yard CARTHAGE TOUCHDOWN on a punt return. Christian Monreal, who kicked the second extra point, kicked this one as well, and Carthage led 21-0 with two minutes left in the first quarter still.
The Bulldogs – the Carthage ones – held Jasper to a three-and-out and forced another punt. This time, Carthage was set up at its own 48, early in the second quarter.
Surratt connected with Edwards again on second and 11, to Jasper’s 38 and a new set of downs.
Remember Crawford? Well, he’s also a tight end, on offense. And he catches the ball pretty well. Jasper found that out, too. Surratt completed a pass to Crawford to Jasper’s 23, an 8-yard gain and a first down.
After Benny Smith reeled off a 14-yard run to Jasper’s 17, Surratt threw his second touchdown pass of the day, this one to Price – yes, a 17-yarder. Monreal’s kick: good again, and that added up to a 28-0 Carthage lead with nine minutes still left in the half.
Major Armstrong, a cool name if you think about it, got Jasper some good real estate with a 7-yard pickup, and then another, to the 38 and a first down. Jasper kept the ball on the ground for six straight plays, and moved the ball into Carthage territory.
The minute, though, that Jasper strayed and called a pass play, bad things happened for them. And the bad things were named “Qui Beck,” who sacked Beatty for a 3-yard loss, as the first-half clock began to tick down.
That drive would eventually stall, as Carthage forced Jasper to a turnover on downs right at midfield, right on the 50.
Edwards caught 18-yarder down to Jasper’s 32, and after the two-minute time-out, Jasper managed to pick off Surratt, but the interception was nullified on a penalty.
Three plays later and Surratt does what he does: he took advantage of it. He found Kason Burchette for a 15-yard touchdown, and with Monreal’s fourth extra point of the night, Carthage claimed a 35-0 lead.
That would be the halftime score. Carthage added one second-half touchdown, and preserved the shutout.
Troup 42, Arp 6 (at Troup’s Tiger Stadium): I had an inclination Troup would win this game, and I picked them in our Power Picks Friday morning in Wake Up! (WAKE UP! | ETBlitz Power Picks, with a five-way tie for first going into the weekend). But I did think it would be close.
You might have read Shawn Christopher’s account Friday night, his real-time updates as the game was unfolding. Arp isn’t bad at all! Coach Wes Schminkey and his team will run into West Rusk in District 11-3A, Division II play, and that’ll be a test. But I fully expect Arp to finish the regular season with one, maybe two losses at the MOST. Troup is just playing lights-out, with extreme confidence right now. When you have a team hitting that high, they are SO hard to beat. And coach Sam Wells and his staff are just pushing the right buttons.
Back-to-back sacks by Troup’s Cade Starkey, his fourth and fifth sacks of the season, by the way, put Arp in fourth and extremely long as the first quarter was about to expire. But before it could, Troup quarterback Josh Childress — a first-year starter playing like a fourth-year starter — hit James Pierce for a 37-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was no good, but Troup had a 6-0 lead as the second quarter started.
By halftime, that lead had doubled after a 6-yard touchdown by Brett Wells.
The third quarter belonged to Troup, big-time. Childress and Pierce connected again, this time on a 7-yard TD pass, with just over nine minutes left in the third quarter (21-0), and then Wells, just a big-play maker, got free for a 75-yard rushing score (28-0).
Childress found Cam Hollie for the quarterback’s third TD pass of the night (35-0) with 3:10 left in the third, and then the punctuation mark: a 75-yard TD pass from Childress to Dee Hollie, a 42-0 advantage that should convince voters in the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football 3A-Division II state poll that Troup deserves a higher spot than ninth.
The last score of the night was by Arp’s Ty Langley, to prevent the shutout.
Arp (4-1 overall, 0-1 in district play) hosts Buffalo next Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Troup (5-0, 4-1 in district) will visit Elkhart.
Gladewater 28, Jefferson 27 (at Jefferson): In maybe the upset of the night, coach Jermaine Lewis’ fantastic first season continues.
His Bears rallied from a three-touchdown deficit late to get in front of Jefferson — ranked third in the state in the DCTF 3A-DI poll — and hold on for the win.
Gladewater’s Jeremiah Flanagan put the Bears (4-1 overall, 1-0 in District 8-3A, DI play) in front with 3:44 left on a 1-yard run, after teammate Maddox Vasquez had an interception to give the Bears the ball back.
The Bulldogs built a 21-point lead: a first-quarter touchdown by Lamarion Douglas on a 35-yard interception return; a 21-yard pass from Chance Washington to Travis Gray; and a 19-yard run in the second quarter by Jacoby Morrow.
Gladewater would score twice, though, before the break: a 10-yard run by Flanagan with just under five minutes left (21-7) and then a 32-yard field goal by Grafton Morgan (21-10).
Things were looking up for the Bears when Washington struck again, this time a 25-yard touchdown to Jermaine Hopkins that sent the Bulldogs into the half with a 27-11 advantage.
The third quarter almost went by without a score by either team, but Morgan hit a 35-yard field goal to get the Bears within two touchdowns (27-14) with 30 seconds left in the third.
Bears quarterback Achilles Hess, who is developing a reputation for being clutch, scored on a 1-yard run with 10 minutes left in the game, and the Bears had pulled within a score, 27-21.
Gladewater quieted the Jefferson crowd by recovering Morgan’s onside kick, but the Bulldogs forced a turnover on downs. Just when Jefferson looked safe, Vasquez pulled off his heroics, the interception, and gave the Bears the ball back. Flanagan scored, and Gladewater’s defense was able to hold Jefferson off the final three minutes for the win.
The Bears host Sabine, another ETB-area program, next Friday.
West Rusk 62, Elkhart 13 (at West Rusk’s Bruce Bradshaw Stadium): Elkhart might have had all it wanted of Bruce Bradshaw Stadium, like — forever, on Friday night.
Coach Rafe Mata’s Raiders are serious, folks. After dropping their season opener at home to Malakoff, West Rusk has won four straight, and the only one that was really close at all was a 15-14 win at Gladewater two weeks ago.
And Raiders quarterback Judson Dotson is on the money. Dotson went 10-of-12 for 205 yards and three touchdowns, all three to Kameron Brown, against the Elks. Dodson also ran for a touchdown and 46 yards. And Brown: well, “all” he did was have four catches for 127 yards and the three scores, and defensively, had two interceptions, including one that he returned 52 yards for a touchdown. Brown had a four-touchdown night.
Kemontrae McGregor also had a pick-six, a 47-yard interception return for a score. And Jaylan Gardner, Daylan Williams and Caiden London each had a rush TD for West Rusk.
The Raiders (4-1 overall, 1-0 in District 11-3A, Division II) visit Winona next Friday.