Adam Hootnick’s documentary, part of the acclaimed ESPN series “30 for 30,” tells the turbulent story of one of the best high school teams in the history of American football. The dramatic adventures of the young athletes from Dallas, Texas who somehow managed to gain nationwide recognition are presented here through dynamically edited archival footage from the fall of 1988, alongside interviews that present the personal perspectives of members of that famously invincible team. As it turns out, they not only got caught up in a bureaucratic nightmare which stopped their winning streak and affected their careers, but also a series of armed robberies that changed their lives forever. Hootnick, along with the players themselves, tries to makes sense of these events 30 years later, linking them to typical teenage feelings about their spectacular triumphs and overwhelming success. What Carter Lost presents an all-American high school story of sports competition and its social advantages, but also cannily reveals the complex web of class and racial prejudice that influenced the fate of the storied team. Hootnick doesn’t make excuses for adolescent crimes, but rather engages the viewer in a fascinating story defined by teenage blood, sweat and tears.