ARLINGTON, TX — The Carthage Bulldogs squared off against the Waco La Vega Pirates on Friday, December 20, for the 4A Division II State Championship. After a back-and-forth first half, Carthage held a slight 14-7 advantage over La Vega with two quarters left to play.
FINAL - Carthage 28 Waco La Vega 14
First Half
Neither team managed to score in the 1st quarter. The two combined for two turnovers on downs, three punts, and an interception before Carthage finally broke the stalemate. The Bulldogs Junior runningback, Kelwin Edwards, broke through the defense to score from 21 yards out, and Carthage took a 7-0 lead with 11 minutes to play in the 2nd quarter.
La Vega responded with a little over four minutes to play in the half. The Pirates Kourtney Parr capped off a six-play, 60-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. The Bulldogs responded immediately on the ensuing drive. Edwards showed off his speed when he won a foot race for an 86-yard touchdown.
Both teams headed to the locker room with the Bulldogs up 14-7.
3rd Quarter
The 3rd quarter was almost an exact parallel to the 1st quarter. Defense ruled the contest as each offense gained yardage, but failed to put points on the board. Carthage drove past midfield before a sack forced the Bulldogs to punt. Then, La Vega went on a long march that made it all the way to Carthage's 10-yard line. However, stingy defense from the Bulldgos left the Pirates with a 4th down and 28 back at the 28-yard line. An incomplete pass turned the ball over on downs, and the Bulldogs took over with less than two minutes to play in the quarter.
4th Quarter
The turning point in this contest came with 6:24 remaining in the ballgame. Up to this point, La Vega's defense answered Carthage at almost every turn, but when Jett Surratt hit Junior Henderson for a 24-yard touchdown, the game was essentially over. Carthage went up 21-7 with six minutes to play.
La Vega had a few more opportunities to score, but never matched that same efficiency they found in the 2nd quarter. Carthage hit another touchdown pass with just over two minutes to play and La Vega finally scored again as time expired. However, it was too little too late as Carthage claimed the 4A Div II State Championship, 28-14.
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