Football Game Preview: West Orange-Stark Mustangs vs. Carthage Bulldogs

Two dominant backs in Khelvy Jefferson and KJ Edwards are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The West Orange-Stark Mustangs will take on the Carthage Bulldogs in a holiday battle at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with West Orange-Stark sitting on ten straight wins and Carthage on 30 (dating back to last season).

West Orange-Stark is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. Everything went their way against Sinton as they made off with a 28-3 victory. The result was nothing new for the Mustangs, who have now won six contests by 25 points or more so far this season.

Brock typically has all the answers at home, but on Friday Carthage proved too difficult a challenge. They blew past the Eagles, posting a 49-21 win. The Bulldogs are also no stranger to big wins: their blowout was the 12th game they've won by 20+ points this season.

West Orange-Stark better keep an eye on Jett Surratt. He was instrumental in Carthage's win, throwing for 264 yards and four TDs while picking up 11.0 yards per attempt. Their leading receiver Junior Henderson was Surratt's top target yet again, picking up 66 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Carthage was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 294 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 152 rushing yards in ten consecutive matchups.

Carthage didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Trey Gant, Jace Harris, and Tylin Williams picked up one apiece. Gant has been hot recently, having also posted at least one defended passe the last three times he's played.

West Orange-Stark's victory bumped their record up to 12-3. As for Carthage, their win bumped their record up to 15-0.

Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. West Orange-Stark has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 263 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Carthage struggles in that department as they've been averaging 200.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.