ARLINGTON 性视界传媒 Scott Surratt led the Carthage Bulldogs football team 性视界传媒 the No. 1 ranked team in a 4A Division II 性视界传媒 to a 10th state title game appearance during his tenure as head coach.
Just like the previous nine trips, Surratt性视界传媒檚 Bulldogs showed once again who the top 性视界传媒楧awgs are.
Junior running back KJ Edwards rushed for a game-high 188 yards and two touchdowns as No. 1 Carthage defeated Waco La Vega 28-14 to capture the 4A Division II state title 性视界传媒 the program性视界传媒檚 10th state title, all of which have come under Surratt 性视界传媒 on Friday afternoon at AT&T Stadium.
With the win, Surratt surpassed former Brownwood Coach Gordon Wood with the most UIL state titles as a head coach with 10.
性视界传媒淵ou don性视界传媒檛 get lucky 10 times,性视界传媒 Surratt said. 性视界传媒淵ou have to have a great administration, and I have unbelievable coaches that work hard and are great people. I haven性视界传媒檛 had a lot of turnover and the players 性视界传媒 I性视界传媒檝e had great players and I don性视界传媒檛 deny that. You still have to play the game.性视界传媒
This was a rematch of the 2019 4A Division I state championship, which was also won by Carthage.
Carthage (15-1), who defeated Brock 45-17 in the 4A-DII semifinals, played to their strengths 性视界传媒 and when the situation suited itself, the Bulldogs aired it out to seal the victory.
Edwards broke a scoreless tie early in the second quarter with a 21-yard touchdown run and, after Waco La Vega tied the game 7-7 on a Kourtney Parr one-yard touchdown run, Edwards gave the Bulldogs a lead that would not be relinquished.
The junior made a cut, broke a tackle, made a spin move and busted loose for an 86-yard touchdown run that made it Carthage 14, Waco La Vega 7 with 3:40 left in the game.
Waco La Vega (12-4), who defeated Wimberley 62-35 in the 4A-DII semifinals, hadn性视界传媒檛 faced a defense quite like Carthage性视界传媒檚.
The Bulldogs set the 4A state title game record with a combined seven sacks, led by junior Carson Crawford who had 2 and 1/2, including nine tackles.
Junior DaQuives Beck was named the Defensive Most Valuable Player of the game with a team-high 10 tackles, along with a sack and 3 and 1/2 tackles for loss.
性视界传媒淥ur defense controlled everything,性视界传媒 Surratt said. 性视界传媒淭hey could fire it around with great receivers, but we put great pressure on the quarterback. We covered them well and didn性视界传媒檛 allow them time to throw it deep. The d-line just played crazy good.性视界传媒
Jett Surratt made his presence known in the fourth with a pair of touchdown passes, both going to Junior Henderson
Jett connected with Henderson for a 24-yard touchdown pass with 6:24 remaining in the game to make it a 21-7 game and later delivered the dagger with a 19-yard touchdown pass that made it 28-7 with 2:17 left in the game.
After having a cameo role in Carthage性视界传媒檚 2022 state title team, leading the Bulldogs to a 10th state title and helping his dad set the state性视界传媒檚 all-time record means a lot to the younger Surratt.
性视界传媒淲e knew we had a chance to be here and we proved that we性视界传媒檙e here and the best in 4A-DII,性视界传媒 Jett said. 性视界传媒淲e have a ring to show for it. It性视界传媒檚 awesome after falling short last year, and to be able to get back on this stage being the starter is awesome.性视界传媒
After an opening season loss to Kilgore, Carthage finished the season by winning 15 games, including capturing an eighth-straight undefeated district title en route to a 10th state title.
Carthage held Waco La Vega to 208 yards of offense, including just 72 yards rushing on 39 carries.
Senior Bryson Roland rushed for 94 yards to lead the Pirates.
Senior Klayton Ingram had a sack and 1/2 sack, while Colt Hodges and Braylin Allison each added a sack each in the win for the Bulldogs.
Jett came a long way during the season after suffering a freakish ankle injury in pregame warm-ups against Kilgore.
The junior rehabbed like mad, never missed a game and is now a state champion-winning starting quarterback.
性视界传媒淚t性视界传媒檚 an unbelievable feeling,性视界传媒 said Jett who threw for 112 yards in the game. 性视界传媒淪tart off the year in pregame messing up my ankle terribly 性视界传媒 I felt like I broke it 性视界传媒 the hours I put in, in rehab to get it back and wining the next 15-straight and averaging around 50 points a game.性视界传媒
Jett witnessed his dad win eight state titles before he got called up to varsity during his freshman year, and he marvels at the success his dad has established during his 18 seasons as head coach.
Coach Surratt improved his overall coaching record 234-31 and an insane mark of 10 state titles and eight playoff losses.
