PROSPER — They say all streaks must come to end sometime, and unfortunately for the Carthage Bulldogs football team that time actually came.
After winning 41-straight games, including back-to-back Class 4A Division II state titles and a perfect 11 games into the 2021 season, it happened.
Carthage lost.
China Spring took a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter and, despite a valiant Bulldogs comeback attempt, China Spring shocked the state in defeating Carthage 27-17 in a Class 4A Division II Region III semifinal game on Friday night at Children’s Health Stadium in Prosper.
“It’s all on me, they outplayed us,” Carthage Coach Scott Surratt. “They have a great football team and we knew that coming in. We just didn’t make enough plays at the end, and offensively we missed several fourth downs which ended up being the difference.
“They were big and physical and their quarterback can run. We had a really great season with 41 wins in a row and only programs to have to 40-game win streaks in Texas high school football history. That’s something special and will always remember.”
The Bulldogs knew they were in for their toughest test of the postseason so far after rather routine victories over Gatesville and Hamshire-Fannett.
China Spring (13-0) came out and punched Carthage (11-1) in the mouth.
It started on the Cougars’ opening offensive drive of the game when China Spring went 50 yards on 11 plays, capped by a Dawson Exline one-yard touchdown run on 4-and-goal.
That play set the tone for the rest of the game, as when China Spring really needed to make a play they did and Carthage was unsuccessful.
“One bad call didn’t decide the game,” Carthage senior linebacker Kip Lewis said. “Just feeling kind of speechless, we didn’t play bad, they outplayed us. Punched us in the mouth the first half and woke back up in the second half and it was kind of too little too late.”
After a Tre Hafford two-yard touchdown run made it 14-0 in favor of China Spring, Carthage was given a bolt of energy when Brandon King had a 61-yard kickoff return.
Carthage validated the return, as three plays later the Bulldogs would score on a trick play where wide receiver Javarian Roquemore hit quarterback Connor Cuff for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 2:09 left in the first half.
China Spring led Carthage 14-7 going into halftime.
The Cougars, who received the second half kick-off, wasted little time adding to their lead when quarterback Major Bowden hit Hafford for a 47-yard touchdown pass, four plays into the second half.
Kicker Thomas Barr’s 33-yard field goal made it 24-7 with 2:51 remaining in the third quarter.
“We were playing catch up all night,” Surratt said. “We didn’t get it done and we never quit, we kept playing hard until the very end.”
Carthage would cut their deficit down to 24-10 on a 26-yard field by Omar Medrano with 11:22 left in the game.
After forcing a China Spring 3-and-out, Carthage appeared to take back all of the momentum when the Bulldogs went 60 yards on nine plays that was capped by a three-yard touchdown run by Braeden Wade. That made the score 24-17 with 8:19 left in the game.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, after a three-and-out on offense with just over four minutes to go in the game, Carthage wouldn’t get the ball back on offense again.
“They took advantage of all their opportunities,” Cuff said. “We missed a few and that just put them on top a little bit more. The late flags didn’t help, but that happens.”
Facing a 4-and-11 from Carthage’s own 32-yard line, Barr attempted a 49-yard field goal that was far from being good, but the Bulldogs were called for leaping over the line and penalized 15 yards.
Barr would hit a 25-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining that cemented the victory for China Spring.
“Most important thing is learn from this feeling,” said Lewis, who will leave school early and enroll at the University of Oklahoma in January. “Work harder and get ready in the office. The younger guys need to work hard not to get this feeling again. Come back, work harder and be stronger next season.”
Bowden led the Cougars with 99 yards passing, including a touchdown, and also rushed for 69 yards on 20 carries. Kyle Barton had 97 yards of total offense for the Cougars.
Cuff threw for 161 yards while completing 16 of his 27 pass attempts, but this was the first time all season that the junior did not throw a touchdown in a game.
Zsema’D Williams had five catches for 30 yards and Montrel Hatten, who was blanked by multiple defenders all game, finished with two catches for 36 yards.
“I thought we played hard, they just executed a few more times than we did,” Cuff said. “It was a close run and we didn’t come out on top.”
The last time Carthage had previously lost a game was back on Dec. 14 in 2018 in the 4A state semis where the Bulldogs lost to Liberty Hill 44-41.
Surratt understood that this year’s team, like many of his others, had the highest of expectations.
“It’s a great run,” he said. “Obviously it wasn’t going to be good enough this year with this group unless we stood at Cowboys Stadium and they draped the medallions over us. But it was a great run and we’ll look back at it and know we did special things. Hopefully we can start another one.”
Carthage may not have three-peated this season but will return the majority of the offense, including Cuff, Williams and Hatten, who led the team in the major offensive statistics this season.
Defensively, it will be a bit of an overhaul after losing Lewis, Brandon King and Camden Foster.
“We’re going to miss those seniors, predominately on defense,” Surratt said. “We’ll have to reload there and we have a bunch coming back on offense. We have our personal ready and hopefully have a great offseason and get going again next year.
“It’s going to hurt until we play our first game next year and that’s what it’s supposed to do. When something bad happens, you need your family and we are a family.”
