Carthage thumps Bullard in Texas district football opener

Defending UIL Class 4A Division II high school state champs have not skipped a beat after Week 5

BULLARD, TEXAS - It was a district-opening matchup of two undefeated squads; yet, it was a matchup between the established power and the upstart.

And on this night, the established power showed why it has all the makings of another championship run.

Defending Class 4A Division II state champion Carthage scored on each of its first four offensive possessions, with sophomore tailback KJ Edwards scoring three touchdowns in that span, as the Bulldogs built a three-score first-half lead to stay perfect with a 45-14 win against Bullard in the District 4A-8 Division II opener Friday at Panther Stadium.

The Bulldogs (5-0, 1-0) were tested in their season opener against Kilgore before rallying late to win. Since then, they posted three convincing wins - all at home.

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Bullard, on the other hand, already surpassed its win total from last season, when the Panthers won three games after not winning a game in 2021. So, needless to say, the Panthers saw Friday’s game as a litmus test to see how they can fare against an elite powerhouse program.

Carthage, however, silenced the hometown folks, needing less than two minutes to get on the board after taking the opening kickoff. Edwards had his first TD run, reversing field on a 32-yard dash, with Leo Medrano’s PAT making it 7-0.

The Panthers (4-1, 0-1) were able to drive inside the Carthage 15 on their opening series, but a fourth-down sack from Bulldog linebacker Klayton Ingram quelled momentum. Carthage took over and marched down the field to score another TD, as Edwards went in from 9 yards out as the Bulldogs built a 14-0 advantage.

The Panthers did cut that lead in half with 1:04 left in the opening quarter as quarterback Ayden Barrett tossed a 4-yard TD strike to Quasy Warren, followed by the PAT from Cody Baker.

But Carthage answered with another score, and once more, it came courtesy of Edwards. He quickly charged up the middle for an 8-yard run, giving him the hat trick, as Carthage went back up by two scores, 21-7, less than a minute into the second quarter.

The Bulldogs then made it 4-for-4 on offensive possessions midway through the second, as Medrano drilled a 26-yard field goal to make it 24-7.

Another Carthage sophomore, quarterback Jett Surratt, connected with receiver Bradan Manning twice in the third quarter, from 9 and 6 yards out, the latter making it 38-14.

Edwards then had his fourth TD run on the night, breaking loose for 32 yards with more than seven minutes left. He finished with 223 yards on 18 carries.

Surratt ended up completing 30-of-42 passes for 266 yards. Manning, a senior, caught a career-high 10 passes for 67 yards to go along with those two second-half TDs.

Bullard’s second TD came in the third quarter, when Barrett threw a 73-yard strike to Hendrix Smith.

All photos by Robbie Rakestraw

-- Buck Ringgold | buck@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx