ARLINGTON, Texas — Carthage head coach Scott Surratt has run out of fingers for all of his state championship rings.
Since his arrival in 2008, Surratt has only lost eight playoff games with the Bulldogs, yet has now won 11 state titles and remains undefeated in state championship games. The most recent one came on Friday where Carthage absolutely demolished West Orange-Stark, 49-21, to win the 4A Division II crown.
This will be the last time he’ll get to win one alongside his son, Jett, who's been able to witness his father’s coaching abilities at Carthage first hand and understood the capacity of his role coming in as the starting quarterback in 2023. The Bulldogs missed the state championships that year, but Jett turned the corner last season with his first state appearance and title as the team’s lead, a moment he thought couldn’t get any better.
That is, until he helped his team to its second in a row.
“To be able to do it last year was, I thought, a feeling that was unmatchable,” Jett said. “But we matched that feeling [and] set the standard a little bit higher this year.”
Carthage left nothing but carnage at AT&T Stadium on Friday.
Jett threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns to continue Carthage’s now 32-game win streak. The Bulldogs’ four FBS commits put on quite the show led by five-star running back KJ Edwards, who sprinted for an 87-yard touchdown on the second play of the game.
Edwards scored the second touchdown before Mississippi State wide receiver signee Junior Henderson made a statement of his own, parting the seas for a 77-yard touchdown.
“I just want to give a big shoutout to our o-line, because without those guys, none of the holes would be possible without them,” Edwards said.
West Orange-Stark was held scoreless by halftime, down 28-0, with 94 total offensive yards.
Carthage picked up right where it left off in the third quarter, blocking a Mustang punt and returning the ball for a touchdown on the first drive. Colorado commit Carson Crawford added a receiving touchdown and Benny Smith scored on a 52-yard run to put the Bulldogs up 49-0.
However, late defensive mistakes deflated their chance at handing the Mustangs a shutout.
Up until five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Carthage let three touchdowns slide, including one scored off a fumble, and West Orange-Stark upgraded their 11 passing yards to 58 yards in a matter of moments.
That didn’t stop the Bulldogs from giving their coach an early ice bath on the sidelines as the clock cemented their 49-21 victory.
“Eleven is a number; yeah it’s a high number, I get that, but we just enjoy the process,” the head coach said. “I was fine until I got to my wife, and then she was teared up, and then I was tearing up. It’s just a special group, getting to coach your son with these guys, it’s unbelievable.”
BOX SCORE
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carthage | 7 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 49 | |
| West Orange-Stark | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 21 |
| Carthage | WO-S | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yds | 473 | 223 |
| Pass Yds | 232 | 69 |
| Rush Yds | 241 | 154 |
| Penalties | 8-70 | 11-115 |
| 1st Downs | 20 | 15 |
| 3rd Downs | 4-11 | 2-10 |
| 4th Downs | 2-4 | 0-2 |
| Total Plays | 59 | 53 |
| Avg Yds/Play | 8 | 4.2 |
| Avg Yds/Completion | 11.6 | 13.8 |
| Avg Yds/Rush | 8 | 3.5 |
| Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg) | 243 (8.4) | 167 (4.1) |
| Red Zone | 3-4 | 2-3 |
| Time of Poss | 24:01 | 23:59 |
| Turnovers (Def Pts Off) | 2 (7) | 0 (0) |
| Fumbles-Lost | 3-2 | 3-0 |
| Sacks (Def Yds) | 3 (13) | 1 (2) |
| TFL (Def Yds) | 11 (31) | 4 (10) |
Carthage Passing
| # | PLAYER | C-A | YDS | TD | I | C% | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | SURRATT,J | 20-28 | 232 | 3 | 0 | 71 | 176.4 |
| 2 | CRAWFORD,C | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PASS TOTALS | 20-29 | 232 | 3 | 0 | 69 |
Carthage Rushing
| # | PLAYER | ATT | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | EDWARDS,K | 12 | 153 | 2 | 87 | 12.8 |
| 22 | SMITH,B | 8 | 71 | 1 | 52 | 8.9 |
| 12 | HARRIS,J | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| 17 | DIXON,J | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| 9 | SURRATT,J | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| 4 | BURCHETTE,K | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 15 | JEFFRESS,J | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 42 | JONES,K | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| TM | TEAM | 2 | -4 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| 24 | BUNDY,S | 1 | -4 | 0 | 0 | -4 |
| 9 RUSHERS | 30 | 241 | 3 | 87 | 8 |
Carthage Receiving
| # | PLAYER | NO | YDS | TD | LNG | TGT | YAC | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | JEFFRESS,J | 5 | 21 | 0 | 18 | 6 | 16 | 0 |
| 7 | HENDERSON,J | 4 | 126 | 1 | 77 | 6 | 61 | 0 |
| 18 | PRICE,B | 4 | 34 | 1 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | ROSS,C | 2 | 34 | 0 | 25 | 3 | 22 | 0 |
| 12 | HARRIS,J | 2 | 18 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 0 |
| 1 | EDWARDS,J | 2 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | CRAWFORD,C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 RECEIVERS | 20 | 232 | 3 | 77 | 29 | 110 | 0 |
Carthage Defense
| # | Player (Starter) | TotTk | Solo | Sack | TFL | Int | BrUp | QBH | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | T.Williams | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Z.Pearley | 11 | 7 | 1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Q.Beck | 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | C.Crawford | 7 | 2 | 0.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 99 | C.Smith | 6 | 4 | 0.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | J.Harris | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Z.Owens | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | J.Lewis | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | T.Grant | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | A.Kindle | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 90 | K.Gordon | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | J.Thomas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | M.Sheppard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | S.Wedgeworth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 48 | G.Olivera | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 59 | B.Dieter | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 71 | J.Zuniga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 63 | 29 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Carthage Fumble Recoveries
| RETURNER | FR | YDS | FF |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 0 | 0 | 1 |
West Orange-Stark Passing
| # | PLAYER | C-A | YDS | TD | I | C% | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | DUGAS,K | 5-7 | 69 | 3 | 0 | 71 | 295.7 |
| 24 | TURNER III,M | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 62 | LARKIN JR.,C | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PASS TOTALS | 5-9 | 69 | 3 | 0 | 56 |
West Orange-Stark Rushing
| # | PLAYER | ATT | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | JEFFERSON,K | 25 | 121 | 0 | 14 | 4.8 |
| 8 | DUGAS,K | 12 | 22 | 0 | 17 | 1.8 |
| 2 | MYERS,D | 6 | 18 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| 24 | TURNER III,M | 1 | -7 | 0 | 0 | -7 |
| 4 RUSHERS | 44 | 154 | 0 | 17 | 3.5 |
West Orange-Stark Receiving
| # | PLAYER | NO | YDS | TD | LNG | TGT | YAC | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | TURNER III,M | 3 | 34 | 2 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | FONTENOT,A | 1 | 29 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 4 | JEFFERSON,K | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 3 RECEIVERS | 5 | 69 | 3 | 29 | 9 | 20 | 0 |
West Orange-Stark Defense
| # | Player (Starter) | TotTk | Solo | Sack | TFL | Int | BrUp | QBH | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | J.Walker | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 62 | C.Larkin Jr. | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | J.Degay | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | A.Fontenot | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | R.St. Julien | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | J.Johnson | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | A.Thomas | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | K.Perry | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | A.Hayes Jr. | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | B.Gipson | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | T.Williams | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | R.Shaw | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | K.Thomas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 54 | J.Levi | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | K.Levi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 52 | 28 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
West Orange-Stark Fumble Recoveries
| RETURNER | FR | YDS | FF |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEVI,K | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| LEVI,J | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 2 | 0 | 1 |
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