More title hardware for Carthage (TX) after 49-21 win against West Orange-Stark (TX): Live updates, score of Texas UIL 4A Division II title contest

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More title hardware for Carthage (TX) after 49-21 win against West Orange-Stark (TX): Live updates, score of Texas UIL 4A Division II title contest

More title hardware for Carthage (TX) after 49-21 win against West Orange-Stark (TX): Live updates, score of Texas UIL 4A Division II title contest originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – He's won many championships and has already cemented himself as one of the greatest all-time coaches in Texas high school football.

On Friday evening, though, at AT&T Stadium, Carthage coach Scott Surratt may have perhaps savored his most special title. It came with coaching a very talented senior class and there was also a milestone.

And oh yeah, he was able to coach his son one last time.

Surratt continued his remarkable run in the Panola County city located in East Texas, moving to an astounding 11-0 in state championship games after the Bulldogs dominated West Orange-Stark, 49-7, to repeat as University Interscholastic League 4A Division II champions.

With the win, the Bulldogs won their 11th championship, all under Surratt, which started in 2008 (Surratt also won a state title as an assistant coach at Texarkana Texas High prior to coming to Carthage in 2007). Friday's win was also his 250th career win as a head coach.

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"Eleven is just a number," Surratt said. "Yeah, it's a high number, I get that. But we just enjoy the process. We love the game of football. We love Carthage, everything about it.”

After he won the program’s first title in 2008, they won again in 2009 and in 2010. The Bulldogs also won in 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2024.

Friday's win might have added even more special significance for Surratt because it was the final time he got to coach his son, senior quarterback Jett Surratt, who ends his career with three championship rings.

In his final game as a Bulldog, Jett Surratt completed 20-of-28 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns. It may have been his final time to play football, as he plans to play golf in college, though he's not sure where he's going to attend school.

From left, Carthage players Carson Crawford, Tylin Williams, Jett Surratt and coach Scott Surratt.

But regardless of his future, Jett Surratt secured his present and his legacy at Carthage. He was taken out with nearly nine minutes left and received a nice hand from the Bulldog fans in attendance, and shared an embrace with his father and also his mother, Summer, who came down from the stands.

“I've been a part of all the teams (at Carthage) growing up, just around all the teams, but to be able to do it last year was something I thought that was unmatchable, but we matched that feeling, set the standard a little bit higher this year," Jett Surratt said.

"It's unbelievable. Like I said, I've been a part of all of them, but the fact that, especially the last two are my rings to say, that’s awesome.”

Jett Surratt, who does plan to follow in his father's footsteps and perhaps be a coach himself, was part of an outstanding senior class.

That also included senior tailback KJ Edwards, a Texas A&M signee who rushed for 153 yards and two TDs, including an 87-yard sprint on the game's second play from scrimmage.

“I just want to give a big shout out to our o-line, because I mean without those guys, none of those holes would be possible without them, so I want to give a major shout out to them," Edwards said. "And I mean, once I get to the second level, I just use my God-given talent.”

KJ Edwards

There was also senior receiver Junior Henderson, a Mississippi State signee, caught four passes for 126 yards and a TD, and senior running back Benny Smith gained 71 yards with a TD. A defense headed up by another Texas A&M signee, linebacker Qui Beck, who had eight tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Carson Crawford, a Colorado signee, who caught a TD pass while making seven tackles and two tackles for loss on defense.

Plus another senior, defensive back Tylin Williams, who was named the Most Outstanding Player on defense. He had 11 tackles, five solo, and also blocked a punt, returning it for a TD early in the second half that gave Carthage a 35-0 lead.

If there was something that just stood out about the senior class, observed Jett Surratt, it may have been the team's camaraderie.

“I would say how close we are, both on and off the field," Surratt said. "We've been playing together since we were in seventh grade, and we all grew up together.

"So just that, the special bond.”

For the game, Carthage had 473 yards of total offense, and it was very balanced. The Bulldogs rushed for 241 yards and added 232 yards passing.

Carthage's defense was also on point. The Bulldogs allowed 223 yards, and all three West Orange-Stark touchdowns came in the game's final minutes.

With the latest state title win, Carthage finished the season 16-0, with only one team getting to within single digits of the Bulldogs, when Athens fell 61-56 in a memorable regular-season shootout, although in a rematch for the regional championship, Carthage rolled to a 63-28 win before upending previously undefeated Brock, 49-21, in the semifinals.

West Orange-Stark was seeking to win its fifth state title, and the first since winning back-to-back crowns in 2015 and 2016. A decided underdog going into Friday's matchup, the Mustangs hung tough with Carthage through most of the first half, trailing 7-0 before Carthage scored three TDs in the final four minutes before halftime to assert control.

The Mustangs were 2-3 at one point in the season before reeling off 10 straight wins to get to “Jerry World.” WOS won all five of its playoff games by double digits, including a 28-3 triumph against Sinton in last week’s semifinal round.

WOS quarterback Kwalin Dugas threw for 69 yards and three TDs, while tailback Khelvy Jefferson ran for 121 yards on 25 carries. Both are juniors.

Maybe next year, they can help lead the Mustangs back to AT&T Stadium and perhaps be the title favorites. But it may very well be Carthage right back at "Jerry World," as long as Scott Surratt continues to roam the sidelines.

Hard to believe, then, that Surratt lost his first two games as coach at Carthage. He wasn't sure what he had gotten himself into.

But that now is a distant memory, and Friday night, his latest group of Bulldogs – led by his son and a bevy of Division I signees, gave him yet another special memory.

"I was fine until I got to my wife, and then she was teared up, and then I was tearing up," Scott Surratt said. "But, you know, tearing up for all these guys, you know, it's just a special group, you know, just a special group. You know, getting to coach your son with these guys, it's unbelievable.

“Winning last year with (Jett), there was nothing better. But then all of a sudden, to win one with him, and then the seniors this year, it don't get any better than that."

Follow The Sporting News correspondent Buck Ringgold (@Bucks_Ballpark) for all of the live updates and scoring from Arlington.

Scroll down for live score and game updates from kickoff to the postgame. Refresh this page for the latest.

CARTHAGE 49, WEST ORANGE-STARK 21 FINAL

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POSTGAME

– Carthage senior tailback KJ Edwards named the Most Outstanding Player on offense. He rushed for 153 yards on 12 carries and two TDs, including an 87-yard score on the game's second play from scrimmage.

– Carthage senior defensive back Tylin Williams named the Most Outstanding Player on defense. He had 11 tackles, 5 solo, and also blocked a punt, returning it for a TD.

– Carthage with its 11th state title in program history, all under coach Scott Surratt, who is now a perfect 11-0 in state championship games.

FOURTH QUARTER

– TOUCHDOWN WEST ORANGE-STARK. Kwalin Dugas with his third TD pass in the final quarter, finding Michael Turner III from 19 yards out. (Carthage, 49-21 | 1:53, 4th) 

– West Orange-Stark gets the ball again after Carthage fumbles the ensuing kickoff. We're at the two-minute warning now. 

– TOUCHDOWN WEST ORANGE-STARK. Mustangs recover a fumble and then on the next play, Kwalin Dugas finds Anterrion Fontenot from 29 yards out. (Carthage, 49-14 | 2:43, 4th) 

– TOUCHDOWN WEST ORANGE-STARK. Mustangs will avoid the shutout, as Michael Turner III catches a 10-yard pass from Kwalin Dugas. (Carthage, 49-7 | 3:42, 4th) 

– TOUCHDOWN CARTHAGE. Senior running back Benny Smith takes a handoff and sprints 52 yards to the house. Fellow senior Christian Monreal adds the PAT. (Carthage, 49-0 | 6:52, 4th) 

– Today's attendance: 15,788.

– Jett Surratt taken out of the game and receives a nice hand from the Carthage faithful. In his final game as a Bulldog, the quarterback was 20-of-28 passing for 232 yards and three TDs. 

– Through three quarters, Carthage has 390 yards of total offense, while West Orange-Stark has been held to just 92 yards.

THIRD QUARTER

– TOUCHDOWN CARTHAGE. Jett Surratt with his third scoring pass, flipping a 1-yarder to Carson Crawford to finish off a 7-play, 7-yard drive. Surratt now 18-of-25 passing for 222 yards. (Carthage, 42-0 | 4:34, 3rd) 

– Cade Ross with a catch after a trick play, and Carthage has a first-and-goal at the WOS 1.

– BLOCKED PUNT AND TOUCHDOWN CARTHAGE. WOS forced to punt to start the second half, but the Bulldogs' Tylin Williams is there to block it, and he's right there to take it in and carry it in 9 yards for the score. (Carthage, 35-0 | 9:38, 3rd) 

– WOS receives the ball to start the second half. 

HALFTIME

– In the first half, Carthage had 333 yards of total offense and the Bulldogs were very balanced, rushing for 166 yards and passing for 167 more. WOS had 94 total yards, 83 of those on the ground. 

SECOND QUARTER

– TOUCHDOWN CARTHAGE. Bulldogs continue their scoring barrage to end the first half as Jett Surratt hooks up with Bryston Price from 13 yards out to finish a 6-play, 51-yard drive. Carthage has scored three TDs within the final four minutes of the half. (Carthage, 28-0 | :11, 2nd) 

– Carthage at the WOS 13 with 17 seconds to go.

– WOS gets past midfield and goes for it on fourth down, but a pass just sails past the fingertips of a Mustang receiver and Carthage takes over with more than a minute left in the half. 

– TOUCHDOWN CARTHAGE. Bulldogs breaking it open now. One play after forcing WOS to punt, the Bulldogs take over at their own 23 and QB Jett Surratt launches a deep pass to WR Junior Henderson, who catches it in stride and takes it 77 yards to the house. (Carthage, 21-0 | 2:32, 2nd) 

– TOUCHDOWN CARTHAGE. KJ Edwards with his second score on the day, darting in from 11 yards out. He now has 131 yards on nine carries with his two TDs. (Carthage, 14-0 | 3:57, 2nd) 

– KJ Edwards converts on a third-down run to the WOS 11, and Carthage is knocking at the door with a first down. Mustangs take a time out with 4:02 remaining in the half. 

– Carthage goes for it on fourth down, and a pass falls incomplete. But WOS is flagged for pass interference, and the Bulldogs have it at the Mustangs' 35 nearing the halfway point of the quarter. 

– Punt lands at the Carthage 49, and we have come to a media time out with 8:52 left in the opening half. 

– Carthage appeared to have forced a turnover whenSenior standout linebacker Qui Beck forces a fumble and teammate Carson Crawford comes up with the ball. The replay overturned it, but the Bulldogs will still get the ball back because that was a third down play, and WOS will punt it away. 

– Carthage gets down to the 1, but a false start penalty moved the Bulldogs backward. They go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 4, but are unable to convert on a double-pass attempt, and it goes incomplete. WOS holds a minute into the quarter. 

– In the first quarter, Carthage had 167 total yards of offense, while WOS had 56 total yards, all on the ground. KJ Edwards with 114 yards on six carries and the game's lone TD so far.

FIRST QUARTER

– Carthage with a first-and-goal at the 5 and KJ Edwards nearly gets his second TD, but is stopped by a host of WOS defenders a yard short as the opening quarter comes to an end.

– Carthage goes for it on fourth down at the WOS 35, and QB Jett Surratt with a quick strike to receiver Bryston Price, who goes 16 yards to the Mustang 19 late in the period. 

– WOS goes for it on fourth-and-6 at the Carthage 17. QB Kwalin Dugas runs a keeper to the right side and almost gets to the sticks, but he's brought down by Carthage LB Zakarian Pearley. Bulldogs hold and take over with 5:33 left in the period. 

– WOS running back Khelvy Jefferson getting a heavy workload already with seven carries for 49 yards, and the Mustangs have the ball near the Carthage 25 on their opening drive.

– TOUCHDOWN CARTHAGE. Just two plays in, KJ Edwards gets the toss, finds an opening and THEY'RE NOT GONNA GET HIM. Edwards, the Texas A&M signee, takes it 87 yards to the house and the Bulldogs have the lead just 30 seconds in. (Carthage, 7-0 | 11:30, 1st) 

– Carthage has the ball at the 13 following the opening kickoff and subsequent return.

PREGAME

– Carthage wins the toss and they want the ball to start the game. 

– Carthage is the visiting team and is in all white. WOS in silver helmets, blue jerseys and blue pants as the home team.

– Live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, undefeated Carthage takes on a West Orange-Stark squad seeking to pull off the upset as we get set for the UIL 4A Division II championship game.

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