Carthage Football Season Review Entering Friday’s Class 3A D-I State Title vs. Kilgore

The 2013 football season has been a record-setting campaign for the Carthage Bulldogs, who have enjoyed the senior campaigns of some of the most prolific offensive players in school history.

Quarterback Blake Bogenschutz, running back Tevin Pipkin, and receiver Terian "Tee" Goree have etched their names in Carthage record books during the Bulldogs' 14-1 run to the Class 3A Division I state championship against Kilgore (14-0) at noon Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Receiver O'Keeron Rutherford has also had a huge year, while a veteran offensive line has helped the Bulldogs average 45.8 points and almost 500 total yards per game.

While a retooled defense struggled at times early in the season, it has played as well in the playoffs as any defense head coach Scott Surratt has had in his seven-year tenure. Carthage has allowed 12.4 points per game during the postseason, which has seen the Dawgs outscore five opponents 221-62.

Below is a recap of every game Carthage has played this season, complete with a hyperlink to a story from each contest. We hope you enjoy reflecting on one of the best seasons in a storied program's history as you prepare for Friday's all-East Texas showdown in JerryWorld.

2013 Carthage Bulldogs

Season Review

Non-district

• Aug. 30 -- Carthage 42, Jacksonville 28
• Recap: Carthage kicks off the season with an impressive offensive display to subdue Class 4A host Jacksonville at the Tomato Bowl. The win evened the all-time series between Carthage and Jacksonville at 29-29.

• Sept. 6 -- Carthage 45, Lindale 17
• Recap: Blake Bogenschutz and Tee Goree put on a show that proved too much for Lindale in a four-touchdown Bulldog victory.

• Sept. 13 -- Carthage 52, Chapel Hill 22
• Recap: A matchup of teams with a combined four state championship rings since 2008 wound up all Carthage, which again blew away an opposing defense with its multi-faceted offensive attack.

• Sept. 20 -- Carthage 44, Nacogdoches 40
• Recap: One of the wildest games in East Texas in 2013 saw Nacogdoches take a last-minute lead on Rudy Fuentes' 40-yard field goal, but Blake Bogenschutz drove Carthage the length of the field in half a minute for the go-ahead score on a 32-yard screen-pass touchdown to Tevin Pipkin, who entered the game in the fourth despite an ailing ankle.

• Sept. 27 -- Whitehouse 63, Carthage 39
• Recap: Carthage went toe-to-toe with the No. 3 team in Class 4A and built an eye-opening 19-point lead early in the third quarter. But turnovers and Texas Tech-bound Whitehouse quarterback Patrick Mahomes doomed the Dawgs, who suffered their only loss of the regular season in this clash of East Texas powers.

• Oct. 4 -- Carthage 44, Rusk 7
• Recap: Blake Bogenschutz broke Carthage's career touchdown pass record with a five-score performance that fueled the Bulldogs' overwhelming bounce-back win against Rusk on homecoming.

District 20-3A

• Oct. 11 -- Carthage 55, Huntington 6
• Recap: Blake Bogenschutz tossed another five touchdown passes to give him 30 scores and only three interceptions through Carthage's first seven games of the season.

• Oct. 18 -- Carthage 55, Center 3
• Recap: Only eight games into the season, Tee Goree set the Carthage single-season receiving record with two touchdown receptions in Carthage's 55-3 blowout of Center.

• Oct. 25 -- Carthage 41, Jasper 26
• Recap: Early red-zone miscues put Carthage in a 14-0 hole in a hostile environment, but the Bulldogs' ground game took over, getting almost 400 rushing yards from Tevin Pipkin and Blake Bogenschutz, who helped the Dawgs scored 41 of the game's next 47 points after Jasper's quick start in the Fox Sports Southwest DQ Big Game of the Week.

• Nov. 1 -- Carthage 49, Diboll 6
• Recap: Carthage concluded its sixth undefeated district championship in coach Scott Surratt's seven years at the helm with an easy 43-point victory against Diboll on the Bulldogs' senior night.

• Nov. 8 -- Bye
• Recap: Carthage enjoyed its season-ending week off sitting on a 9-1 record.

Class 3A Division I Region III Bi-district Playoff

• Nov. 15 -- Carthage 49, Mexia 6
• Recap: For the second time in five years, Carthage ended Mexia's season. The Bulldogs exploded for 35 first-quarter points and ended this one early at Rusk's Eagle Stadium. Blake Bogenschutz broke CHS single-season touchdown pass record in the process.

Class 3A Division I Region III Area Playoff

• Nov. 22 -- Carthage 44, Navasota 14
• Recap: In a wet, driving wind and temperatures in the mid-30's, Carthage made a statement to the rest of 3A Division I with what perhaps remains its most impressive victory of the season in a 44-14 demolition of defending 3A Division II champion Navasota. A dominant ground attack combined with Blake Bogenschutz' 97-yard touchdown strike to Tee Goree and a stellar defensive performance to eliminate the Rattlers.

Class 3A Division I Region III Semifinal

• Nov. 29 -- Carthage 49, Silsbee 6
• Recap: For the second consecutive year, Carthage faced Silsbee in the third round of the playoffs. For the second consecutive year, Carthage hammered the Tigers, this time riding a 35-point outburst in the game's first quarter and a half to set up a regional final showdown with perennial power West Orange-Stark.

Class 3A Division I Region III Final

• Dec. 6 -- Carthage 28, West Orange-Stark 14
• Recap: A brutal north wind and athletic West Orange-Stark defense contained Carthage's prolific offense, but couldn't stop the Dawgs when it had to. Carthage drove 93 yards in 15 plays, dramatically converting two fourth downs, to burn 7 1/2 minutes off the fourth-quarter clock and seal a 28-14 Region III championship victory. Carthage's defense turned in a clutch performance with a staggering seven takeaways, including Tee Goree's two end-zone interceptions.

Class 3A Division I State Semifinal

• Dec. 13 -- Carthage 51, La Grange 22
• Recap: La Grange's power-oriented running game tried to shorten the game and keep the ball away from Carthage's offense, but the Leopards didn't have enough firepower. Blake Bogenschutz threw for almost 400 yards and six touchdowns, three of which went to Tee Goree, as the Dawgs racked up almost 550 total yards in a dominating performance that clinched their fourth state championship appearance in six years.

Class 3A Division I State Championship

• Dec. 20 -- Carthage (14-1) vs. Kilgore (14-0), 12 p.m. Friday, AT&T Stadium in Arlington