Article from the Longview News-Journal. [b]Dominant performance lifts Carthage to win over Jasper[/b] By GABRIEL D. BROOKS Saturday, October 24, 2009 JASPER — Carthage's defense allowed two first downs on Jasper's first possession of the game, but yielded only one more the rest of the night in a dominant performance that led Class 3A's No. 2-ranked team to a 27-3 win. Jasper, which entered the game averaging almost 350 rushing yards, failed to get a first down on the ground as Carthage smothered Jasper's stack-I formation. Jasper gained only 22 yards on 28 rushing attempts and did not complete a pass in the second half. Jasper quarterback Sam Alvis was 3-for-14 passing for 46 yards and failed to complete his final eight passes. Carthage held Jasper to 66 first-half yards before stepping up the defense to another level in the second half, holding Jasper to only two yards for a total of 68. Deshun Williams led the charge with five tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. Kendall Thompson had a first-quarter, red-zone interception — his third of the year — while Lovis Hall and Kyle Deaton each had two tackles for loss. Tre'Kevian McKee recorded a sack and batted down a pass. Edward Pope blocked a 27-yard first-quarter field-goal attempt. Carthage outgained Jasper 354-68. Bulldog Field's surface was not too wet, but held enough moisture to play more like Play-Doh. Carthage's defense played well enough for the offense's three first-half turnovers to not matter. Jasper led 3-0 halfway through the second quarter on a 33-yard Juan Mijares field goal, but Carthage answered with a 12-play, 79-yard drive capped by Anthony Morgan's 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Trevor Murphy for a 7-3 halftime lead. Murphy had his best game of the season so far, catching six passes for 75 yards. Morgan was 12-for-23 for 154 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. O'Bryan Washington returned after missing the first two District 18-3A games, rushing 15 times for 84 yards and catching two passes for 33 yards. Jalen Claiborne caught three passes for 36 yards, including a game-sealing, 28-yarder on fourth-and-15 that saw Morgan scramble right to the and find Claiborne on a leaping grab and a 21-3 lead early in the fourth. Tamonte Hines carried seven times in the fourth, gaining 64 yards and scoring on a 25-yard touchdown. Darayvious Allison, who had the two biggest hits of the game, scored on a 19-yard fumblerooski for a 14-3 Carthage lead with 1:15 remaining in the third.
