Carthage running back KJ Edwards carries the ball against Waco La Vega for the Class 4A Division II championship game Friday afternoon at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. (Michel Alfaro/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

ARLINGTON — Scott Surratt led the Carthage Bulldogs football team — the No. 1 ranked team in a 4A Division II — to a 10th state title game appearance during his tenure as head coach.

Just like the previous nine trips, Surratt’s Bulldogs showed once again who the top ‘Dawgs are.

Junior running back KJ Edwards rushed for a game-high 188 yards and two touchdowns as No. 1 Carthage defeated Waco La Vega 28-14 to capture the 4A Division II state title — the program’s 10th state title, all of which have come under Surratt — on Friday afternoon at AT&T Stadium.

With the win, Surratt surpassed former Brownwood Coach Gordon Wood with the most UIL state titles as a head coach with 10.

“You don’t get lucky 10 times,” Surratt said. “You have to have a great administration, and I have unbelievable coaches that work hard and are great people. I haven’t had a lot of turnover and the players — I’ve had great players and I don’t deny that. You still have to play the game.”

This was a rematch of the 2019 4A Division I state championship, which was also won by Carthage.

Carthage (15-1), who defeated Brock 45-17 in the 4A-DII semifinals, played to their strengths — and when the situation suited itself, the Bulldogs aired it out to seal the victory.

Edwards broke a scoreless tie early in the second quarter with a 21-yard touchdown run and, after Waco La Vega tied the game 7-7 on a Kourtney Parr one-yard touchdown run, Edwards gave the Bulldogs a lead that would not be relinquished.

The junior made a cut, broke a tackle, made a spin move and busted loose for an 86-yard touchdown run that made it Carthage 14, Waco La Vega 7 with 3:40 left in the game.

“We knew we had to establish the running game,” Edwards said. “With the running game we established the passing game and our offensive line did a fantastic job up front and I just found the holes.”

Waco La Vega (12-4), who defeated Wimberley 62-35 in the 4A-DII semifinals, hadn’t faced a defense quite like Carthage’s.

The Bulldogs set the 4A state title game record with a combined seven sacks, led by junior Carson Crawford who had 2 and 1/2, including nine tackles.

Junior DaQuives Beck was named the Defensive Most Valuable Player of the game with a team-high 10 tackles, along with a sack and 3 and 1/2 tackles for loss.

“Our defense controlled everything,” Surratt said. “They could fire it around with great receivers, but we put great pressure on the quarterback. We covered them well and didn’t allow them time to throw it deep. The d-line just played crazy good.”

Jett Surratt made his presence known in the fourth with a pair of touchdown passes, both going to Junior Henderson

Jett connected with Henderson for a 24-yard touchdown pass with 6:24 remaining in the game to make it a 21-7 game and later delivered the dagger with a 19-yard touchdown pass that made it 28-7 with 2:17 left in the game.

After having a cameo role in Carthage’s 2022 state title team, leading the Bulldogs to a 10th state title and helping his dad set the state’s all-time record means a lot to the younger Surratt.

“We knew we had a chance to be here and we proved that we’re here and the best in 4A-DII,” Jett said. “We have a ring to show for it. It’s awesome after falling short last year, and to be able to get back on this stage being the starter is awesome.”

After an opening season loss to Kilgore, Carthage finished the season by winning 15 games, including capturing an eighth-straight undefeated district title en route to a 10th state title.

Coach Surratt credited Waco La Vega for giving Carthage’s their closest game since their season-opener.

“We knew they were very good defensively, but we knew that we were a very good defense,” Surratt said. “We didn’t execute great some times, and that’s what great defenses do to you. They didn’t execute at all against our defense.”

Carthage held Waco La Vega to 208 yards of offense, including just 72 yards rushing on 39 carries.

Senior Bryson Roland rushed for 94 yards to lead the Pirates.

Senior Klayton Ingram had a sack and 1/2 sack, while Colt Hodges and Braylin Allison each added a sack each in the win for the Bulldogs.

“The defense set us up and Junior made the two big plays,” Coach Surratt said. “Offensive line protected great there, and I can’t be more proud of my guys in the program.”

Jett came a long way during the season after suffering a freakish ankle injury in pregame warm-ups against Kilgore.

The junior rehabbed like mad, never missed a game and is now a state champion-winning starting quarterback.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Jett, who threw for 112 yards in the game. “Start off the year in pregame messing up my ankle terribly — I felt like I broke it — the hours I put in, in rehab to get it back and winning the next 15-straight and averaging around 50 points a game.”

Jett witnessed his dad win eight state titles before he got called up to varsity during his freshman year, and he marvels at the success his dad has established during his 18 seasons as head coach.

Coach Surratt improved his overall coaching record 234-31 and an insane mark of 10 state titles and eight playoff losses.

“It shows how tough and consistent our program is,” Jett said of Coach Surratt. “We’re going to show up and play as hard as we can week in and week out.”

Ryan Silapan can be reached at rsilapan@panolawatchman.com.