NEW CHAPEL HILL — So much for an elite Battle of the Bulldogs showdown.
The Carthage High football team — the No. 1 ranked team in 4A Division II — left host Chapel Hill — the No. 2 ranked team in 4A Division I — shell shocked.
Junior Jett Surratt threw for a season-high 285 yards and a season high five touchdowns with just one interception and Carthage’s defense held Chapel Hill without a first down until late in the third quarter in a 45-14 victory on Friday night.
Surratt completed 20 of his 27 pass attempts and hit seven different receivers.
Chapel Hill got on the board first when Trevor Brooks intercepted Surratt on the second play of the game and raced 58 yards for a touchdown on the games second play of the game.
That pick only fired up not just Surratt but the entire Carthage team.
Carthage held Chapel Hill to only six yards of offense in the first quarter and nine combined in the first half.
Chapel Hill was playing without starting quarterback Demetrius Brisbon Jr., who missed the game with a fractured rib, and Carthage was able to key on star running back and University of Texas commit Rickey Stewart and feast on the bones.
Stewart was held to only eight yards on five carries in the game as Carthage completely controlled the line of scrimmage.
Malik Gee, who started in place of Brisbon, completed just 6 of his 17 pass attempts for 43 yards and a touchdown.
In the first half, Stewart rushed for just seven yards on four carries and Gee completed one of his four attempts for two yards and an interception.
As Chapel Hill couldn’t muster anything on offense, Carthage switched gears after the first quarter, in which the game was tied 7-7.
Surratt connected with senior Blake Marion for a 70-yard touchdown reception, Junior Henderson for a seven-yard touchdown reception and, on the final play of the first half, hit Jaydon Lewis for a three-yard touchdown that made it Carthage 31, Chapel 7 going into the break.
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Carthage (2-1) forced a Chapel Hill 3-and-out to start the second half and followed with a nine-play drive that resulted in a two-yard touchdown pass from Surratt to Henderson.
Two plays later, junior Carson Crawford got the dream defensive play when he sacked Gee, striped the ball, recovered the fumble and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown.
Carthage Coach Scott Surratt called off the dogs — pun intended — as Jett and the offensive starters sat the rest of the game.
Junior Benny Smith rushed for a career high 101 yards on nine carries to lead Carthage while KJ Edwards finished with 140 yards of combined offense (58 rushing and 82 receiving), including a 54-yard touchdown reception.
Marion led Carthage with 93 yards receiving on three catches, Cade Ross had five catches for 59 yards and Henderson had four catches for 32 yards, including a pair of scores.
Tylin Williams had an interception for Carthage.
Chapel Hill (3-1) didn’t pick up their first, first down of the game until the 4:41 mark of the third quarter.
Gee scored a one-yard touchdown run late in the fourth for Chapel Hill’s lone offensive score in the game.
This was the first meeting between the two schools since 2019, and Carthage has now won nine-straight over Chapel Hill since 2012.
Chapel Hill’s last victory over Carthage was in 2011, when they would going 15-0 and winning the state championship.
Chapel Hill came into the game with three straight victories over the likes of Jasper, Gilmer and Whitehouse.
Chapel Hill will begin District 9 4A D-I play next Friday at home against Lindale. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Carthage will host Jasper next Friday also at 7:30 p.m. It will also be Homecoming.