Top 5 Showdown Between Powers Gilmer + Carthage the ETSN.fm Game of the Week

Since the mid-2000's, no East Texas football programs have won like Gilmer and Carthage. And on Saturday night from Bulldog Stadium, two of the very best 4A programs in the state will hook up in a much-anticipated showdown.

Yes, Gilmer vs. Carthage is the ETSN.fm + Dairy Queen Game of the Week. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Both teams come into the game unbeaten and ranked in the top five in the latest Associated Press poll; Gilmer (3-0) is third, while Carthage (2-0) is ranked No. 5. The Bulldogs and Buckeyes also happen to be ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in this week's ETSN.fm Class 4A poll.

Gilmer is an East Texas-best 171-17 since 2003, having won state championships in 2004, 2009, and 2014, while finishing as state runners-up in 2007 and 2012. The Buckeyes reached the 4A Division II state semifinals a season ago, finishing with a 14-1 record.

Since head coach Scott Surratt took over the Carthage program in 2007, the Bulldogs are 107-25 overall, and an astounding 35-5 in the playoffs. Carthage has four state titles -- 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 -- and is coming off a 4A Division I semifinals appearance.

So far this season, Gilmer has outscored its three opponents -- Liberty-Eylau, Center, and Argyle Liberty Christian -- by a combined score of 192-95. The fewest points the Buckeyes have scored in a game is 61, which they've done twice.

Carthage, which had its season opener at Gladewater canceled because of a stadium power outage, enters Saturday's game with wins over Liberty-Eylau (34-20) and Class 5A Whitehouse, 23-13.

This will be the 12h all-time meeting between Gilmer and Carthage. Gilmer leads the series, 6-5, having won the last three in 2011, 2014, and 2015.

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