ARLINGTON -- With his team deadlocked in a 7-7 tie with Waco La Vega and time quickly running out during the second quarter of the state championship game Friday, Carthage junior running back Kelwin "KJ" Edwards knew it was his time to shine and make a big play.
Edwards took a handoff out of the backfield and cut to his left. He cut through the middle of the Bulldogs' offensive line, muscled through a swarm of Pirates' defenders, spun free and bolted towards the end zone for a game-changing 86-yard touchdown run.
"At first I saw the opening, got through, then saw the linebacker and so I just drove my head down, you know, being physical," Edwards said. "Then I spun and swept around and I just saw that I was free. So you know, with my get-out speed, ain't nobody catching me out in space."
Edwards ran wild for the Bulldogs in a 28-14 win over La Vega in Friday's Class 4A Division II state title game and was named Offensive MVP after rushing for a game-high 188 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
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His electric performance out of the backfield helped Carthage capture its 10th state championship in school history, the second-most UIL state titles for any program in Texas high school football history.
"It's a blessing. Just growing up, being a little kid and cheering in the stands at a state championship, you always think about playing for a state championship," Edwards said.
"It means a lot. Who wouldn't want to play for a program like Carthage that's in state year round?"
Bulldogs' players and coaching staff are equally glad to have Edwards playing in a Carthage uniform.
Edwards, a four-star recruit, already holds offers from seven SEC programs: Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M
In total, Edwards has collected more than two dozen FBS offers from Baylor, Houston, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, SMU, TCU, Texas Tech and USC among several others.
He's considered a top-50 recruit nationally and one of the top 10 Texas high school football prospects in the 2026 recruiting class.
"Once he gets to the second level of the defense, we know he's gonna make a play," said Carthage senior offensive tackle Kash Courtney, an Arkansas Razorbacks signee.
"I want to thank my O-line," Edwards said. "They did a phenomenal job (today)."
Edwards first burst onto the scene as a freshman during the 2022 season, when he was elevated to Carthage's varsity roster after Week 9 of the regular season.
He helped the Bulldogs wrap up a 16-0 campaign and win the 4A D-II state championship, finishing a breakout freshman year by averaging 11.4 yards per carry with 535 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
He followed that up with a phenomenal sophomore season that featured a run to the 4A D-II state quarterfinals, running for 1,706 yards and 24 rushing touchdowns.
"I can say that I'm an Alvin Kamara-type back. I've got very good balance and I'm just an all-around back," Edwards said.
"I think I've evolved in my pass protection. That's something I struggled at the freshman level, just blocking mismatched linebackers, which this year, you know, I'm great at that today. Coach (Scott) Surratt got me involved in the passing game and has helped me just being an all-around, complete back."
Edwards' dynamic state championship game performance Friday was the exclamation-point finish to a tremendous playoff run for the Bulldogs' workhorse running back.
He racked up a jaw-dropping 214 yards and four rushing touchdowns on just seven touches, as Carthage throttled Krum 56-13 in the area round of the Texas high school football playoffs.
Edwards also gashed Van for an 85-yard touchdown run in the Bulldogs' runaway 53-14 win in the regional finals. He ended the 2024 regular season averaging 14 yards per carry for his junior season.
"We call him lightning. He's very physical," Carthage head coach Scott Surratt said. "He does a great job in the passing game. He's a third-down back just for protection and stuff. And he is durable. He's just a great player."