Carthage, Jasper Aim for Command of District 20-3A Race

Jasper Bulldogs (6-1, 1-0)
vs.
Carthage Bulldogs (6-2, 2-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday
Bulldog Stadium, Carthage

Coaches
Jasper: Darrell Barbay
Carthage: Scott Surratt

Last week
Jasper: def. Diboll, 48-0
Carthage: def. Center, 45-29

Next week
Jasper: vs. Huntington
Carthage: at Diboll

Playmakers

Jasper

• WR Demarcus Collins, Sr., 5-11, 180
• RB Donavan Middleton, Sr., 5-10, 190
• QB Steven Walker, Jr., 5-11, 190
• LB DeAnthony Cuney, Sr., 6-2, 215
• RB Deroderick Hadnot
• FS Jarvis Randall, Sr., 6-3, 180
• DE Shawn Jones, Jr., 6-2, 225
• DE Travon Scott, Jr., 6-2, 230
• OL Terrell Cuney, Jr., 6-3, 270
• WR Jonovan Limbrick

Carthage

• QB Blake Bogenschutz, Jr., 6-0, 182 (105 of 188, 1,672 yards, 22 TDs, 5 INTs; 1 rush TD)
• WR Tee Goree, Jr., 6-2, 170 (41 catches, 792 yards, 11 TDs)
• RB Tevin Pipkin, Jr., 5-10, 170 (120 carries, 829 yards, 7 TDs; 15 catches, 137 yards, 1 TD)
• DT Isaiah Golden, Sr., 6-2, 315 (46 tackles, 26 for loss, 4 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 recovery)
• MLB Trent Jackson, Sr., 6-0, 215 (78 tackles, 8 for loss, 2 INTs, 3 forced fumbles, 2 recoveries, 4 PBUs)
• RB/FS Bryian Bolton, Soph., 5-10, 175 (17 carries, 158 yards, 4 TDs; 44 tackles, 6 INTs)
• LT/DE Mario McCain, Jr., 6-0, 240 (41 tackles, 18 for loss, 3 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 3 recoveries)
• DT K'Aelin Ware, Sr., 6-0, 230 (47 tackles, 9 for loss, 1 sack, 3 fumble recoveries)
• OG Adrian Goodacre, Jr., 6-4, 325
• OLB D.K. Calloway, Sr., 5-7, 175 (60 tackles, 2 for loss, 2 fumble recoveries)

Just the facts

• Jasper averages 40.3 points per game and allows 9.1.
• Carthage averages 40.5 points per game and allows 19.3.
• Jasper has not allowed more than 17 points in a game this season.
• Carthage has outscored its last three opponents 155-43.
• Jasper's only loss came to West Orange-Stark, which is 7-0 and No. 6 in the AP Class 3A poll.
• Carthage's two defeats came against two Class 4A schools: Jacksonville (3-4) and Whitehouse (7-0).
• Carthage leads the all-time series vs. Jasper 8-7-2.
• Carthage has won the last two meetings, beating Jasper 27-3 in 2009 and 56-21 in 2008.
• The previous meeting before those two was a 17-0 Jasper win in 1969.

Key matchup: Jasper's defensive front vs. Carthage's running game. Jasper has done an excellent job defensively this season, holding six of its seven opponents to 14 or fewer points and allowing less than 10 points per game. Jasper has yielded no more than 17 points in a game, and its defense has it position to take over the lead in the District 20-3A championship race. But Jasper has not seen an offense as explosive and balanced as Carthage's, which has averaged 51.7 points per game durin the last three weeks. Defending Carthage's passing game -- which features four talented juniors in QB Blake Bogenschutz and receivers Tee Goree, Okeeron Rutherford, and Kolby Blissett -- has been a problem for a lot of teams, but Carthage proved against Center that running the ball is still at the core of its offensive identity. Bogenschutz had a big first half, but Tevin Pipkin and an offensive line that averages about 270 pounds per player dominated the final two and a half quarters en route to Pipkin's 218-yard performance. Jasper cannot allow Carthage to control the line of scrimmage, or Carthage will be one win away from its fifth undefeated district championship in six seasons.

Don't be surprised if: Both of these teams make some noise in the Region III playoffs in their respective brackets -- Division I for Carthage, Division II for Jasper. The battle at the line of scrimmage is always important, but it could take an even more prevalent role in deciding this game. There's the possibility that Jasper's offense wants to dictate the tempo and keep Carthage's pro-style attack off the field, but that could be challenging when facing a defensive front featuring Texas A&M-committed Isaiah Golden and a Carthage front that has recorded 82 tackles for loss, an average of 10.3 per game. On the other side, there's a Jasper defense that has not had more than 17 points scored on it in a game this season. That unit faces a Carthage offense that is on fire, playing its best ball of 2012 entering this pivotal District 20-3A matchup. As the cliche goes, something's got to give.