Carthage’s Tevin Pipkin the ETSN.fm + Dairy Queen Offensive Player of the Week

In a season that's included Carthage quarterback Blake Bogenschutz re-writing the school record book, it was running back Tevin Pipkin's turn to bask in the glory.

Pipkin became Carthage's all-time leading rusher with his 219-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Bulldogs' 28-14 regional-championship victory over West Orange-Stark last Friday night in Beaumont. And for his efforts, the senior running back is the ETSN.fm/Dairy Queen Offensive Player of the Week.

Carthage's Tevin Pipkin runs for yardage during the Bulldogs' 44-7 win at Rusk on Oct. 4. (Bud Worley, ETSN.fm)

The Carthage three-year starter surpassed previous all-time rushing record holder Kris Briggs, who finished his career with 5,130 yards. Pipkin, who entered last week's game trailing Briggs by 115 yards, now has 5,234 for his career and 1,882 yards for the season.

“Tevin’s such a great kid, No.1. And he’s a great back. He deserves every bit of it and he works his tail off,” said Carthage coach Scott Surratt after the game. “Records are meant to be broken, and who knows, somebody else may break his, but that one may stand for a long time.”

With Carthage clinging to a 20-14 lead in the fourth quarter against West Orange-Stark, Pipkin played a major role in the Bulldogs' game-sealing, 93-yard touchdown drive that consisted of 15 plays and consumed 7:19 of game clock.

After an improbable fourth-and-11 conversion by Bogenschutz from his own 18-yard line, Pipkin had carries of 7, 6, 12 and 5 yards to get Carthage into West Orange-Stark territory. He later added a 26-yard run that gave the Bulldogs a first-and-goal at the 5, which set up his game-icing 2-yard scoring run with 1:34 remaining. Pipkin's first touchdown came on Carthage's opening drive of the game -- a 31-yard sprint that began a run of 20 consecutive Carthage points to open the game.

Pipkin and the Bulldogs (13-1), who have reached the state-semifinal round for the second consecutive season and fifth time in six years, face La Grange (13-0) at 7:30 p.m. Friday from Mansfield's Newsom Stadium with a berth in the Class 3A Division I state championship game on the line.