Brownsboro Meets Carthage For Pivotal District 9-4A Division I Game + Outcome Impacts Other Teams

DISTRICT 9-4A DIVISION I

Brownsboro Bears (4-3, 2-0)

vs.

Carthage Bulldogs (4-3, 1-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday

Bulldog Stadium, Carthage

Coaches

• Brownsboro: Jason Hooker
• Carthage: Scott Surratt

Last week

• Brownsboro: def. Henderson, 42-36
• Carthage: lost to Kilgore, 31-28

Next week

• Brownsboro: at Kilgore, Oct. 30
• Carthage: at Palestine, Oct. 30

Playmakers

Brownsboro

• ATH Tamrick Pace, Sr., 6-2, 190 (27-50, 396 yards, 8 TDs, 5 INTs, 137 carries, 1,193 yards, 11 TDs; 15 tackles, 1 INT)
• ATH Wyatt Rinehart, Jr., 6-3, 195 (64 carries, 413 yards, 8 TDs; 31 tackles, 4 sacks)
• WR/DB Xavier Richardson, Sr., 5-10, 160 (11 catches, 138 yards, 1 TD; 49 tackles, 2 forced fumbles)
• LB Caleb Seale, Sr. (57 tackles, 1 INT)
• WR/DB Jamal Bell, Jr., 6-1, 175 (19 catches, 341 yards, 5 TDs; 28 tackles)
• OL Nick Wright, Sr., 5-11, 230
• LB Mardarion Chivers, Jr. (30 tackles, 2 sacks)
• OL Tanner Clark, Sr.

Carthage

• TE/DL Jarrod McLin, Sr., 6-3, 215 (55 tackles; committed to UTSA)
• WR/TE Marquise Guinn, Sr., 6-4, 220 (35 catches, 428 yards, 1 TD)
• QB Jarod Blissett, Sr., 6-1, 200 (135-231, 1,808 yards, 14 TDs, 4 INTs)
• WR Jakeldric Jackson, Sr., 5-9, 160 (46 catches, 630 yards, 5 TDs)
• OL Cagan Baldree, Sr., 6-4, 250
• RB Ravodney Hardy, Sr. (6 games played, 106 carries, 576 yards, 4 TDs)
• ATH Hunter Townsend, Soph., 5-11, 185 (18 catches, 313 yards, 3 TDs)
• FB Brewster Griffith, Jr. (53 tackles)
• OL Brandon Carlson, Sr., 5-11, 260

Just the facts

• Friday's game is the third of five district games for both Brownsboro and Carthage.
• The Bears enter the game tied for first place in District 9-4A Division I with Kilgore.
• Carthage is tied with Chapel Hill for third place. Both teams have 1-1 district records.
• This is a big week for the league. Chapel Hill will simultaneously square off with Kilgore.
• Brownsboro can take control of first place outright if its wins and Chapel Hill defeats Kilgore.
• A Bears loss could give Kilgore the district lead if it beats Chapel Hill. But if both Kilgore and Brownsboro lose their games, Carthage and Chapel Hill will enter a four-way tie for first place with two district games for each team remaining.
• With last week's loss, Carthage is now 37-3 in district games under head coach Scott Surratt.
• The Bears already have four wins this season, beating the three wins the program combined for in head coach Jason Hooker's first two seasons in Brownsboro.
• There will be college talent on display.
• Carthage defensive end Jarrod McLin is committed to UTSA. Brownsboro's Tamrick Pace holds offers from Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin.
• Bulldogs quarterback Jarod Blissett ranks fourth among East Texas passers this season and second in Class 4A behind Liberty-Eylau's Ke'Mon Freeman.
• Pace is the seventh-leading rusher among East Texas players. He ranks fourth among 4A runners.
• Last season, three district wins was the magic number to qualify for the playoffs out of 9-4A Division I.

Key matchup: Brownsboro's offensive athleticism against Carthage's defense.

The Bears have some special players this season, headlined by senior athlete Tamrick Pace. He's projected to play receiver at the next level, but head coach Jason Hooker is utilizing him as the team's primary quarterback just to get the ball in his hands more.

Pace has 1,193 rushing yards and 11 ground touchdowns. He's an OK passer with 396 yards, a completion percentage of 54 and eight strikes through the air to five interceptions.

A knock on Brownsboro is that their offense is straightforward. The team is at its best when Pace makes plays with his feet off the snap from the shotgun formation. He automatically has space to make his first move.

However, weather could intervene Friday in Carthage. It's supposed to rain, and running the ball could be the best route to victory for both teams.

The Bulldogs are better suited to pass with quarterback Jarod Blissett -- the second-highest producing East Texas quarterback in Class 4A Division I. If he can throw a slick ball, he's on pace to hit the 2,000-yard mark during the game.

Carthage's defense will have to shoulder a heavy load, especially if rain impedes the Bulldogs' offense.

But defensive end Jarrod McLin is one of the area's best. His pressure and pursuit could force Pace and company away from his side of the field. That would help give Carthage a better idea of where the ball is going before the snap and lessen the space Brownsboro has to work with.

The Bears will have to consistently make plays to win the game.

Don't be surprised if: Carthage running back Ravodney Hardy has one of his best games of the season. He's a physical player leading a stable of athletic more finessed backs and might be the perfect player to help the Bulldogs offense if weather does indeed hinder its strengths in the passing game. Hardy, who missed one game due to injury, needs 124 yards against Brownsboro to average 100 yards per game.