Series
2026 Preseason Top 100 Season Preview: No. 77 Carthage (TX)
Carthage begins its 11th state-title defense with a younger core led by Jacob Dixon, Jace Harris, JD Edwards and Jaden Jeffress.
Carthage went 15-0, won another Texas state championship and pushed Scott Surratt's total to 11 titles. At this point, the Bulldogs do not enter a season trying to prove the program. They enter trying to identify which players will carry the next version of it.
Kason Burchette and Benny Smith have graduated, so the roster now turns toward Jacob Dixon at quarterback and a younger core led by Jace Harris, JD Edwards and Jaden Jeffress. The names change. The expectation does not.
Team Snapshot
Team: Carthage Bulldogs
Location: Carthage, Texas
Head Coach: Scott Surratt
2025 Record: 15-0
2025 Finish: UIL Class 4A Division II state champion
T25PS Ranking: No. 77
The Next Carthage Core
Dixon appears positioned to take the quarterback job, and his first responsibility will be the one Surratt demands from every new starter: run the offense before trying to become the offense. Carthage has won for too long to abandon its balance or its line-of-scrimmage identity simply because a new passer takes over.
The younger talent gives the Bulldogs room to grow. Edwards and Harris are 2028 prospects with Division I offers, while Jeffress is already part of the skill group. That trio does not need to reproduce the graduated class by itself. It needs to make enough winning plays for the entire structure to remain intact.
One thing to watch early obviously is how quickly the new starters stop looking new. The schedule will provide pressure, but Surratt's teams usually improve because the roles become exact. If Dixon manages the offense and the young playmakers protect the football, the title defense becomes serious again.
Your team. Your state. Your T25PS.
Make the national coverage more personal.
Save your home state and favorite team, then choose whether to receive major rankings and coverage updates. The account is free.
More Coverage
Series
2026 Preseason Top 100 Season Preview: No. 76 Longview (TX)
Longview pairs UTEP commit Johnny Hamilton with an emerging younger group led by heavily offered 2028 prospect Jaden Hurndon.
Top 25 Public HSFB / 3 min read
Series
2026 Preseason Top 100 Team Preview: No. 72 Prosper (TX)
Prosper returns two committed Division I blockers and an experienced backfield after an 11-win regional-semifinal season.
Top 25 Public HSFB / 3 min read
