Preview: Carthage Bulldogs vs. Gilmer Buckeyes
Carthage is on a 14-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Gilmer is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Carthage Bulldogs will take on the Gilmer Buckeyes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Carthage knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past 12 matches -- so hopefully Gilmer likes a good challenge.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Carthage walked away with it. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Hawks on Friday and snuck past 34-31. Carthage's win was all the more impressive since Pleasant Grove was averaging only 16.38 points allowed on the season.
Carthage can attribute much of their success to KJ Edwards, who rushed for 271 yards and a touchdown while picking up 10.4 yards per carry, and KD Matlock, who gained 287 total yards and four touchdowns. Matlock's longest reception was for an incredible 82 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Jett Surratt, who threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Gilmer's offense rose to the challenge against a Chaparrals defense that boasted an average of only 17.38 points allowed. Gilmer came out on top against Aubrey by a score of 34-21 on Friday. Given Gilmer's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 102nd, while Aubrey is ranked 210th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Gilmer's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Will Henderson, who rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown, and Cadon Tennison, who rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries. Henderson hasn't dropped below 100 rushing yards for five straight games.
The wins kept both teams' perfect 13-0 season records intact.
Carthage took their win against Gilmer when the teams last played back in November of 2022 by a conclusive 28-7. Does Carthage have another victory up their sleeve, or will Gilmer turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
