Carthage's Freshman Phenom

Carthage 2026 RB KJ Edwards (5'9, 165) made the varsity squad late in the season and had the chance to log some reps in Carthage's 42-0 victory in the 4A Division I UIL State Championship.

"It is a blessing as a freshman playing at this high of a stage and what a great team and what a great defense," Edwards said. 

Edwards says that 2023 Oregon State WR commit Montrel Hatten took him under his wing and has been a mentor for him. 

"He is a stand-up player and a team guy," Edwards said. "I was looking up to the things that he did for this team."

Edwards has also followed the career of former Carthage standout running back Keaontay Ingram. 

"The things that he did for this team are amazing, leading us to two state rings," Edwards said. 

So far schools like USC, Oregon and Baylor are on Edwards' early list of colleges, but he is hopeful to have "many more" than that by the time he is a senior.  

2023 OL Keystone Allison Set to Sign

Carthage 2023 OL Keystone Allison (6'4, 265) had a double-digit offer list, but he has settled in on where he wants to play his college ball and he plans to sign on Wednesday during the Dec. 21-23 Early Signing Period.  

"I'm signing with La. Tech," Allison said. "It was just a perfect fit for me. I love the atmosphere around there. I love the coaches and that is where I feel that I would fit best."

Allison and his teammates were happy to bounce back with a state title win after getting bounced from the playoffs by China Spring last season. 

"We worked hard all this year to get to this moment," Allison said. "My teammates and I and my o-line are like a family. We all came together out here to dominate."

2024 China Spring DE has a College Football Pedigree

China Spring 2024 DE Greydon Grimes (6'6, 230) is the son of Baylor offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes. 

"My dad has had a big impact on my improvement (as a player)," Grimes answered when asked about his development throughout the course of his junior year. "Something my dad has always been big on is that if you want something then you're going to have to work for it. I am very fortunate that I have a great family that has helped me get to where I am at."

Grimes is a leader on the China Spring defense and the unit pitched a shutout in the second half of Friday night's 24-21 win over Boerne in the 4A Division I state title game. 

"Something we focused on all year is just doing our jobs and focusing on the next play and just doing what we could do (defensively) to help the team succeed," Grimes said. "We kind of just had the next play mindset and just got over what happened because we have faced adversity all year. We knew what we had to do and we just went out there and did it."

On the recruiting front, Grimes has offers from schools like Abilene Christian, Houston Baptist, North Texas and UTSA. He is also hearing from Baylor, Purdue and Tulane. 

South Oak Cliff a Team of Next Level Stars

2023 CB Malik Muhammad (6'0, 170): Muhammad was named the game's defensive MVP after securing a pick-six in the third quarter that helped seal the game. The No. 1-rated CB in the DCTF 2023 Hot 100 has been lockdown all year, proving that he can play on an island and be the centerpiece of a defense.  Muhammad is committed to Texas but has Texas A&M and Alabama still pushing.  

2023 CB Jayvon Thomas (5'11, 180): Thomas missed a significant portion of his senior year with an injury and it is clear that he is still nursing it, but SOC used him at opportune times, including a key 3rd-and-8 run that helped sustain one of the game's most important drives that ultimately led to SOC's go-ahead touchdown. When he had his hands on the ball it was easy to see why he is considered one of the best in the state. Thomas is committed to Texas A&M but took a recent official visit to TCU and was rocking TCU gloves in this contest. 

2023 DE Billy Walton (6'3, 215): The Texas commit was applying constant pressure and converged with linebacker Brandon Jones on the PN-G quarterback towards the end of the first half to force a safety, a play that seemed like a huge turning point in the game. Walton has a quick first step that causes offensive linemen fits.

2024 LB Brandon Jones (6'1, 190): One of the best pure linebackers in the state, Jones always seems to be around the football. He makes quick reads and glides to the football. he has good open-field speed and makes sound tackles when he arrives at the ball. He already has several P5 offers but he will continue to get more looks.