Carthage Quarterback Blake Bogenschutz Puts Finishing Touches on Legendary Career

ARLINGTON -- Carthage quarterback Blake Bogenschutz had already taken care of surpassing Si'Darius Blackshire and Anthony Morgan on the school's all-time passing records list.

But Blackshire and Morgan still had something Bogenschutz didn't: a state championship.

Well, until Friday.

"The records, I'm just being honest, it doesn't mean anything to me right now," Bogenschutz said.

Rightfully so, because teammate Tevin Pipkin was just a few feet away, holding the state championship trophy after Carthage's 34-23 win over Kilgore at AT&T Stadium.

"They might mean something to me one day," the nicknamed "Bogie" admitted, "maybe when I'm 40 and looking back and if I still have the records. It'll mean something to me then."

Carthage's most prolific passer in school history had a hand in almost every aspect of his team's fourth state title in six years. He ran for 100 yards, threw two touchdowns and even caught a pass.

But nothing was more important than using his hands on the hands team in the fourth quarter. Bogenschutz recovered a Kilgore onside kick with 3:40 left in the game after Kilgore cut Carthage's lead to 28-23, effectively putting the game away with Kilgore without any timeouts.

"I've been on (the hands team) since my sophomore year, but I've only been out there twice," Bogenschutz said. "The ball came to me and I'm not gonna lie, I got pretty nervous because I've never fielded one before."

Carthage coach Scott Surratt was quick to point out Bogenschutz is also the Bulldogs' first baseman, so he wasn't worried.

The UT-San Antonio-bound Bogenschutz capped a 2013 season where he'll end up not just in Carthage lore, but Texas. His two touchdowns against Kilgore gave him 57 for the season and 119 in his career, both good enough for fifth in state history.

His 51-yard touchdown throw to O'Keeron Rutherford in the third quarter sent him past two names on the single-season touchdown list you'll recognize: Greg McElroy and Garrett Gilbert, two quarterbacks who played each other in the 2010 BCS Championship game.

On the career touchdowns list he only trails names such as Scotty Young, fellow East Texan G.J. Kinne, Gilbert and Graham Harrell.

And after the clock struck zero and it was time for trophy presentations, Bogenschutz was handed a plaque for the game's top offensive performance by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

"I wouldn't ask for another quarterback, ever," Rutherford said.

Bogenschutz threw for 185 yards against Kilgore, which meant he'll finish 2013 just 10 yards short of 4,000. His fourth-quarter interception was his fourth of the season and first in 84 days since throwing two against Whitehouse on Sept. 27.

But where Bogenschutz made his biggest difference in front of 17,000-plus and on the game's biggest stage was with his legs. He finished with 11 carries for 100 yards, the most of his career other than a 126-yard performance against Jasper in district. He ran for 86 yards in the first half, 39 of which came on a 10-play, 78-yard drive that saw Carthage score and go up 14-7 in the second quarter.

Bogenschutz having a big role in the running game was nothing surprising to Kilgore.

"He's been running the ball in the playoffs, and he certainly can. We misplayed him a few times, and he's gonna hurt you when you do that," Kilgore coach Mike Wood said.

But for the last game of his high school career, Bogenschutz said he wasn't going to hold anything back.

"This was a gold ball week," he said. "I just put my head down and went out there and got everything I could get every time."

And he got it.