One of East Texas' fiercest rivalries gets turned up a notch this season as Henderson and Carthage will meet with much more than just bragging rights at stake.

The colossal showdown, which pits two of the top Class 4A teams in the state, could also ultimately decide the District 9-4A Division I championship.

And as you'd expect, Henderson vs. Carthage is the ETSN.fm/Dairy Queen Game of the Week.

Henderson ATH Trestan Ebner. (Rob Graham, ETSN.fm)
Henderson ATH Trestan Ebner. (Rob Graham, ETSN.fm)
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Separated by just 27 miles along Highway 79, there is certainly no love lost between Henderson and Carthage.

Each team comes into Friday unbeaten and ranked in the top 10 in the latest Associated Press Class 4A poll. Carthage (3-0) is ranked third, while Henderson (5-0) checks in at No. 7.

Henderson, which dispatched of Chapel Hill, 40-14, in its district opener last week, is led by the dynamic duo of TCU commits WR/DB Trestan Ebner and RB/DB Lakendrick VanZandt.

The Lions are outscoring their opponents by an average margin of 33 points per game.

Carthage had its bye last week, but its last performance was an impressive one. The Bulldogs handed state power Gilmer its first loss of the season with a convincing 55-37 win on Sept. 17.

The Dawgs are led offensively by quarterback Kason Davis and running back Keaontay Ingram, and on defense by end Tre Gatlin, linebacker Mykel Gates, and defensive backs Mekhi Colbert and Nic Moore.

Be sure to check out the Henderson-Carthage game preview Wednesday morning on ETSN.fm, follow our own Clint Buckley (@ClintBuckley) for updates throughout the game, and head back to ETSN.fm late Friday night or early Saturday morning for complete game coverage.

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