2024 YEAR IN REVIEW PART 2! | Looking at the second half of an excellent year

EDITOR’S NOTE: Part two of ETBlitz.com’s 2024 year in review. Ya’ll enjoy!

JULY

• Tempest Golf Club hosted a tournament called the Fight for the Flag on Friday, July 5, with proceeds earned going to a fund to help preserve the course’s giant United States flag, donated by Energy Weldfab in 2020. The foundation: the Tempest Flag Foundation, a 501C3 dedicated to the flag’s upkeep.
• The Texas Sportswriters Association was back, this time honoring softball players with its annual all-state teams divided by classification. Overton standouts Kayla Nobles and Kasha Williams were named TSWA second-team all state, and Halle Mayfield, Anna Perkins and Kelsey Vaught were named honorable mention. Overton went 25-11-1 on the season, won the district title (a 9-1 district record) and won two playoff games (over Martin’s Mill and Bowie) before losing to Cross Roads in round three.

• Kilgore College head football coach Willie Gooden joined all of the other coaches in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference at Hollytree Country Club in Tyler for the conference’s annual football media day, where each of the coaches addressed the media, a preview of the 2024 season. Gooden is always direct, and entertaining. Gooden, whose Rangers won the conference championship in both 2022 and 2023, talked about the strength of the conference. “A lot of people – they don’t know. I’m up here flashing this ring, and yeah, I’m doing that on purpose,” he said, to laughter from the group. “But, I’m saying, every game is a dogfight. No matter if you’re traveling on 20 west going out there to Cisco, Texas – and I promise you it’s a trip that you’d better be ready for – or you’re trying to find your way to Highway 6 to get down to Brenham, where coach Mahon has circled the wagons and he’s got a team full of freshman and a Brenham High School quarterback and you don’t know what’s gonna happen, because he looks like Johnny Manziel out there. “Or, you’re on 31, and you know what’s on 31. It’s all of us, it’s Tyler, us, Navarro and Trinity Valley. It’s an overly-competitive conference, and I’m glad to be a part of it, and we have nothing but respect for you guys.”
• Kilgore native and KHS alum turned blues guitarist superstar performed the National Anthem on July 30 at Minute Maid Park, prior to the Houston Astros’ game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

AUGUST

• ETBlitz.com began its “Any questions?” campaign, featuring Tatum head football coach Whitney Keeling, the Arp High School cheerleaders, Troup head coach Sam Wells, Sabine quarterback Colt Sparks, Gladewater head coach Jonny Louvier, Kilgore wide receiver/ defensive back Jayden Sanders, Charlie’s Sno-Balls and Seasonal Tanning owner Charlie Walker, and West Rusk head coach Rafe Mata in a series of videos asking if there were any questions – as in, any questions that ETBlitz would be everywhere in the 2024 season. And we were!

• At the same time, that first week of August, ETBlitz announced that longtime Gilmer football beat writer Phillip Williams, who has written about the Buckeyes for over a half-century (literally), was joining our staff to continue his excellent career.
• Speaking of excellent careers, incoming Kilgore senior Jayden Sanders announced on August 10, from the KHS indoor practice facility, his verbal commitment to the University of Michigan. The defensive back was pursued by many four-year programs. He’s the son of former KHS standouts Nick Sanders and Whitney Clark.

Nick, an assistant coach for the Bulldogs, couldn’t believe Jayden didn’t let the cat out of the bag about whom he would commit to until the day of.

“He’s keeping me in the dark,” the elder Sanders laughed. “Me! I don’t even know!”

Jayden spoke with ETBlitz’s Joe Hale a few days later.

“It’s been a hectic few months and days,” he said. “A lot of thought and prayer went into my decision. For me, I feel, it was the place to go. I definitely feel I made the right choice. My family was all-in, no matter where I decided to go. I have no doubt about that.”

• ETBlitz announced Aug. 13 that the website would recognize the state high school rankings as published each week by the renowned Dave Campbell’s Texas Football (at texasfootball.com). We also announced that day that Kilgore and Gilmer were both ranked in the DCTF’s 4A polls, and that West Rusk (3A) and Overton (2A) were also ranked.
• Kilgore College opened the 2024 football season at home against international team Monterrey (Mexico) Tech, a team with numerous national championships in its own right. Tech led early, but ultimately, KC, ranked fourth nationally to begin the season, would pull away for a 27-9 win.
• Tatum opened the season on Thursday, August 29, at home after a two-hour lightning / storm delay, and then soundly defeated Winnsboro in just one half played. Across East Texas, at Jack V. Murphy Stadium in Gladewater that night, the Bears opened the ’24 season with an upset of Daingerfield – Daingerfield had been ranked in the top five in the DCTF poll.
• The next night, on Friday, Aug. 30, Kilgore blew up everyone’s rankings with a 20-15 win over Carthage – who was ranked No. 1 in the Campbell’s 4A-DII poll – at Carthage. No one knew it at the time, but it would be one of 13 wins for Kilgore that season, and the ONLY loss that Carthage would suffer all year.
• Sabine opened the season with a 50-48 win at Spring Hill, and Cardinals quarterback Colt Sparks scored five touchdowns in the contest, and would be the first Whataburger / ETBlitz.com boys Player of the Week of the 2024-25 season. Tatum’s Kamden Scott of Lady Eagles volleyball was the first girls player of the week this school year.
• Elsewhere, White Oak opened with a win – and coach Michael Ludlow and his Roughnecks would go on to a 4-0 start; Arp beat Harleton; Troup started 0-2 and then rectified it; and Pine Tree served the Pirates would be a tough out this season with an upset of Gilmer at Jeff Traylor Stadium.

SEPTEMBER

• Overton lost its opener at home to Alba-Golden , but turned around in week two, on Sept. 6, and laid waste to old rival Carlisle, a 40-10 statement win. Also that week, the night before, Tatum dropped Daingerfield to 0-2 with a 34-14 win.
• Around the ETBlitz area that week, among the winners were West Rusk over Diboll, Kilgore over Whitehouse, Sabine big over Harmony, and White Oak again.
• One game of note happened at Chapel Hill on Sept. 6, where Gilmer – trailing late in the game, in the final minute – suddenly found themselves in the dark. Literally. The Buckeyes, in mid-play, sat shocked as the stadium lights at Chapel Hill went out. The lights were apparently on a timer, and the game had “exceeded that time.” When the lights came up, officials ruled the game would resume, but on the next pass, there’d be an interception by Chapel Hill’s Demetrius Brisbon, ending the threat and the game with a 33-29 CHHS win. Gilmer, the defending 4A-DII state champions, had fallen to 0-2.
• The state polls were released the following week on Sept. 9, on the Dave Campbell’s site, and Tatum debuted in the 3A-DI top 10
• On Sept. 12 at the Gregg County Fairgrounds in Longview, ETBlitz was there as Sabine High School’s Hollie Boone was named 2024 Miss Gregg County. First runner-up was Longview High School’s Belinda Olvera. Spring Hill’s Katelyn Hall was named Miss Congeniality. Sabine High’s fans won the spirit award.

• And the next night came one of the most controversial finishes in East Texas high school football of the season, at Gilmer, in a game between the Buckeyes and the Kilgore Bulldogs. From the ETBlitz.com game story the next morning: “With no timeouts remaining, Kilgore running back Isaiah Watters carried the football for a 3-yard gain to the Gilmer 4-yard-line, where he was tackled with 20 seconds left to play. That is indisputable. Watters was down, and Gilmer defensive players were, also. The clock kept running – tick, tick, tick – as Kilgore tried, and did, get its field goal team onto the field, and with six seconds left, officials finally blew the play dead. That’s when it was announced due to the injured player and Kilgore having no time outs remaining, there would be a 10-second run-off and the game was officially over.” Gilmer won, 24-22, but much was made about the game’s finish for weeks, and Kilgore fans released a video on Facebook that proved the time on the clock and that Watters was down in plenty of time to run another play. Gilmer fans countered that the Bulldogs should have been ready to run their field goal unit out. And the debate will likely continue for years, whenever the topic of that game comes up.
• That same night, in New Diana, an injury to quarterback Colt Sparks would halt the Sabine-New Diana game, and change Sabine’s season. Sparks suffered a few injuries in the game, one of them eventually requiring surgery, and it ended his season. There would be a happy ending – more on that later – but a Sabine team that was 2-0 and rolling suddenly didn’t have its most potent weapon.
• The following week, Kilgore celebrated the 20^th anniversary of its 2004 state championship team. Members of the team and former coaches, including head coach Mike Vallery, were on hand – Vallery the guest at midfield for the coin toss – as the Bulldogs played another state-ranked power, Pleasant Grove, where current KHS coach Clint Fuller once won state titles as defensive coordinator.

• Tatum volleyball, led by coach Leven Barker, continued to march through its district – and really through East Texas – with a 10^th straight win, this one over Sabine, to remain unbeaten on campus at THS.
• And what was happening in Henderson? Well, the Lions, led by alumni Clay Baker at head coach, were stomping a mudhole in teams and then walking it dry. Running back Jesstin “Meaty” Starling scored five touchdowns on Sept. 27 and a rout of Palestine.
• In Atlanta, White Oak suffered its first loss of the season, unfortunately for the Roughnecks, in District 8-3A, DI play. In Huntsville, Gilmer continued to bounce back from its 0-2 start, as coach Alan Metzel and the Buckeyes knocked off Brenham, 51-37, in a neutral-site game. Overton dealt Grapeland a loss in Grapeland, for a fourth straight win for the Mustangs, and Kilgore won a defensive battle at Pine Tree, 17-6, a win that would be huge later in the season.
• Kilgore College dropped its first game of the year, losing to Cisco in Southwest Junior College Football Conference play, 35-30. KC trailed 27-23 early in the fourth quarter after a short 23-yard field goal by Adan Reyes, then went in front on a pass from Tyler Webb to Devontae Mozee (30-27). But Cisco scored a safety after pinning KC back against its own goal line on a great punt, then re-claimed the lead on a 14-yard touchdown by Dayvion Bluitt. With just over a minute left, Cisco was back in front. And KC had a chance, but had to drive 78 yards. They would get all the way to midfield, but a Hail Mary pass by Webb was slapped down at Cisco’s 13-yard-line as time expired.

OCTOBER

• Ford announced its Built Ford Tough awards for the previous week, players throughout the state, and Overton receiver / defensive back Jayden Edwards was the award-winner for 2A. In the Mustangs’ 41-36 win at Grapeland, Edwards had two interceptions and three tackles on defense, and on offense, he combined with quarterback Bryce Still to make 10 catches for 281 yards and four touchdowns.
• On Oct. 4, in a showdown in District 9-4A, DI at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium, Clay Baker’s upstart Henderson Lions got a short field twice against Kilgore and made the most of it, taking a 21-0 lead before Kilgore came roaring back in the second half to tie the game at 24. Henderson, though, would get out of the stadium with a 27-24 win, courtesy of a field goal by Ivan Navarro as time expired. It would be Henderson’s first win over Kilgore in five seasons, and give the Lions first place in the district.
• In other games that weekend, Overton blasted Tenaha, 65-23; Gladewater remained undefeated all-time against Sabine, 49-14; West Rusk dominated Winona, 55-6, in a homecoming win; and Arp made Buffalo wings out of Buffalo, 61-8.
• The following day, Oct. 5, Kilgore College honored its hall-of-famers with a banquet that morning, then introductions prior to KC’s non-conference game against (Louisiana) Community Christian. Inductees this year: “The General,” Jerry Grafton, who has been a part of the day-to-day operations of Kilgore College football for decades, and was inducted as a contributor, as well as former Rangers basketball standout Nolan Johnson, who played for the Rangers in the 1996-97 and ’97-98 seasons, and went on to stand out at the University of Oklahoma and in professional basketball. He helped the Sooners to their first Big 12 Conference championship; Deborah “Stretch” Richardson, a former Lady Rangers’ basketball player for coach Evelyn Blalock in the 1986-86 and ’86-87 seasons; The 2012-13 softball team, the very first softball team at KC; former KC softball standout Molly Mackey Savell, now a softball coach; former football assistant coach Jim Prewit, inducted posthumously. Prewit was an assistant for the Rangers from 1976-1984, under coach Jim Miller; Bo Adams, who played wide receiver for the Rangers in the 1991 and 1992 seasons, and went on to play at Texas Tech; and former KC tight end Kevin Everett, who received the Spirit of Excellence Award. Everett came from Jefferson High in Port Arthur, and was on the 2001-02 teams at KC before moving on to the University of Miami and an NFL career with the Buffalo Bills. KC went on to rout Community Christian, 63-0.
• It was announced on Oct. 11 that ETBlitz.com reached a deal with the Goudarzi & Young law firm to serve as lead sponsor for the team of the week.
• Also that night, Sabine was dealt a fifth straight loss, this one by Atlanta; Overton stumbled at Lovelady, the eventual District 11-2A, DI winner; Henderson held off a scrappy Mabank team, 14-10; Gilmer blasted Pittsburg, 49-0, to open District 7-4A, DII play; and Kilgore bounced back from its home loss to Henderson in a big way, thumping rival Chapel Hill, 42-7, in Tyler.
• On Oct. 14, it was announced that Tatum’s volleyball team was the Goudarzi & Young / ETBlitz.com Team of the Week: 14 straight wins and No. 2 in the state in the Texas Girls Coaches Association 3A poll tends to secure that honor.
• Tatum’s Eagles, who played a handful of games on Thursday night in the 2024 season, came from behind for a 33-28 win over visiting Gladewater on Oct. 18, the final score a 45-yard run by quarterback JaCorie Bradley with just under 4 ½ minutes left.
• Henderson’s lead in the district evaporated, unfortunately for the Lions, with a 35-25 loss at Pine Tree, opening the door for Kilgore and Pine Tree to potentially win the district.
• In a game at Sabine, White Oak quarterback Jaxsen Ludlow accounted for five touchdowns in a 48-13 win.
• Arp’s Josh Smith matched that total, scoring five times and rushing for 300 yards in a 62-48 win over Elkhart.

• Kilgore hosted Lindale and won, 42-21, and also had its annual Wall of Honor induction at halftime, honoring these 2024 inductees: former football assistant coach Les Loper, the incomparable defensive guru for the Bulldogs; former athletic trainer Darrell “Red” Ganus, the first-ever trainer at KHS; longtime KISD school board member Reggie Henson; and the Ragin’ Red Broadcasting team, calling Kilgore football games for over four decades.
• The final games of October were turning points, with Pleasant Grove taking command of its district in a win over Gilmer; Troup edging West Rusk in five overtimes in 11-3A; Kilgore smashing Palestine, 52-7; Jefferson remaining undefeated with a win over Sabine; Arp routed Winona without completing a pass; and Leverett’s Chapel falling in six-man play at Saint Jo.
• The next day, on Saturday, Oct. 26, Kilgore College lost its battle with Tyler Junior College at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium on the game’s last play: a 40-yard field goal by Christian Baxter as time expired to break a 13-all tie, and give the Apaches a 16-13 win.

NOVEMBER

• Overton opened November in style, coming back to beat Mount Enterprise, 45-44, in Mount Enterprise after trailing by more than three touchdowns twice. Overton’s defense stopped Mount Enterprise, and then Bryce Still scored on a 1-yard run, and then Jackson Furlow, a freshman, came in to kick the extra point and break the tie.
• Also that weekend, Henderson lost a home game to Chapel Hill, meaning that if the Lions were going to make the playoffs, they’d HAVE to beat Lindale in the regular season finale on Nov. 8; Arp slipped to undefeated New Diana; Tatum clinched a playoff spot with a win over White Oak; Gladewater lost to Atlanta; West Rusk routed Buffalo; Gilmer got four touchdown passes from Brady McCown in a 59-28 win over Spring Hill; and Leverett’s Chapel dealt King’s Academy its first loss of the season.
• Ella Byers of Tyler and Sam Clements of Kilgore were named homecoming queen and king, respectively, and then KC’s Rangers edged out Blinn, 22-14.
• A pretty-good-sized group of ETBlitz-area cross country athletes made the trek to Round Rock, to Old Settlers Park, for the UIL State Cross Country Championships. Henderson’s Giselle Alejandro, winner of the district championship, finished the run at state in a time of 11 minutes, 43.10 seconds, good enough for 10^th place in the 4A girls run. Also in 4A girls, Kilgore’s Ruby Almanza finished in 12:05.70 (22^nd overall), and competed at the state meet in all four of her high school years. Other ETBlitz-area athletes at the event: Gilmer’s Tanner Baxter, who represented the Buckeyes in the boys Class 4A run, and finished the course in Round Rock in 17:24.90; Overton’s Vince Herron, who finished his state run in 18:25.60, 70^th overall in the boys 2A race; Tatum’s Akeira Oden, who finished the girls 3A state run with a final time of 12 minutes, 39.40 seconds, good enough to finish 41^st out of 152 runners; West Rusk’s Adelaide Murphy came in at 12 minutes, 54.70 seconds, also in the girls 3A run; and the Tatum boys team, 14^th out of 16 teams, with a best time by Victor Cantellano of 16:54.50. Other runners for Tatum’s Eagles at state were Gabriel Cantellano (17:53.20), Louie Chavez (18:36.40), Alexis Ventura (18:51.10); Faustino Sandoval (19:00.60); Logan Guinn (19:55.30), and Koby Bridges (21:21.20).

• Seven ETBlitz-area volleyball teams made the UIL playoffs: Henderson and Gilmer in 4A; Tatum, West Rusk, and Troup, all in 3A; Overton in 2A; and Leverett’s Chapel in 1A. Henderson, coached by Keasa Bonds, went 26-10 in the regular season and finished second to state-ranked Spring Hill in 16-4A. Gilmer, also in 16-4A, made it in as the No. 4 seed from the district. Tatum began the postseason having won 18 straight and the District 16-3A championship. West Rusk was 27-12 to start the playoffs and the district runner-up to Tatum. Troup was 20-19 headed into the postseason. Overton (17-17) finished the regular season with back-to-back sweeps and having won five of its last six.
• The final regular season week of high school football (Nov. 7-9) saw Kilgore smash Mabank in a Thursday night game; Gilmer drove two hours to beat the heck out of North Lamar, 56-0; Lindale beat Henderson, 45-0, in Lindale, denying the Lions a spot in the UIL 4A-DI playoffs; Tatum lost at Jefferson, 18-13, but gave the Bulldogs their best game in months; Arp broke a lengthy losing streak to West Rusk, escaping with a 22-13 win that gave the Tigers third place in 11-3A, and forcing West Rusk to go into the playoffs at No. 4; Troup routed Buffalo, 57-21; Sabine fell hard at home, unfortunately, to Liberty-Eylau, 64-0; Gladewater topped White Oak, 54-27, in the season finale for both teams; Overton finished the regular season with a 52-0 blanking of Cushing; and Leverett’s Chapel beat Campbell, 56-8, to complete its season, as well: six-man football takes only the top two teams from each district to the playoffs.
• It was announced that Troup multi-purpose player Bryce Wallum had won the Class 3A Built Ford Tough Player of the Week with his huge performance in a win over Buffalo. Wallum ran for 246 yards on SIX carries, scored two touchdowns (from 71 and 97 yards out), went 5-of-7 for 97 yards and two touchdowns; returned a kick 82 yards for a touchdown; and was 7-of-7 in extra point kicks. Whew.
• Here’s how the first round of the playoffs would be scheduled. Tatum would face No. 1-ranked Malakoff at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 14, in the 3A-DI playoffs. Also on that Thursday, in the 2A playoffs, Overton would meet Evadale in San Augustine. On Friday, Nov. 15, Kilgore would host Vidor in the 4A-DI playoffs; Gilmer would play Center in Tatum in the 4A-DII first round; Troup would open the 3A-DII playoffs against Anderson-Shiro at Crockett; Arp would face Woodville in a 3A-DII game at Rusk High; and West Rusk, also in 3A-DII, would meet Newton at Diboll.
• Tatum’s Lady Eagles volleyball team finished its season in the UIL Class 3A, DI regional tournament, falling to Ponder, 24-26, 19-25, 20-25. Tatum finished with a district championship, a 20-game win streak at one point, and a 40-6 overall record.
• In the first round of the football playoffs, Tatum fell to Malakoff in Tyler; Newton defeated West Rusk in Diboll; Arp lost to Woodville in Rusk; Kilgore routed Vidor, 66-6; Troup handled Anderson-Shiro; Overton curb-stomped Evadale; and Gilmer escaped Center.
• It was announced that in round two, Kilgore would meet Needville at Sheldon ISD Stadium in Houston; Gilmer would face Sunnyvale at Sulphur Springs; Troup would face off with DeKalb at Pine Tree; and Overton would get a rematch with Mart at Kemp High School.

• On Saturday, Nov. 16, Kilgore College’s season would come to an end as a part of the Southwest Junior College Football Conference playoffs, as rival Tyler would beat the Rangers for a second time in the ’24 season, this time 28-17. KC led the game, 14-0, but saw Tyler come back, including a blocked field goal/touchdowns. It would be the first time in three years that the Rangers didn’t hoist the conference title to end the season. KC finished its season with a 6-4 overall record.
• That following week, on Thursday, Nov. 21, Sunnyvale surprised Gilmer – and about everyone else – with a 27-17 win over the defending state-champion Buckeyes in Sulphur Springs, shockingly ending Gilmer’s season with an 8-4 record.
• Kilgore routed Needville, 48-14, in Houston on Nov. 22, and moved on to a matchup with Navasota in round three, to be played at Corsicana on Nov. 29. Among the highlights of the game: Javon Towns returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for the Bulldogs.
• At Kemp that night, Overton also pulled off what to some must have been a stunner: Overton beat Mart, 31-30. Mart had made the state championship game in 2A-DII for six straight years, but Overton would make sure they wouldn’t get out of the first round. Kicker Jackson Furlow struck again, this time hitting a 24-yard field goal with 10 seconds left to put the Mustangs in front for the final say.
• Troup finished its season with a back-and-forth 40-34 loss to DeKalb in Longview; the Tigers wound up 2024 with an 8-4 record, but with wins over rivals West Rusk and Arp, and two rounds into the 3A-DII playoffs.
• On Nov. 29, the ETBlitz.com staff pulled double duty, covering Kilgore and Navasota in the 4A-DI playoffs at Corsicana that afternoon, then Overton-Grapeland that evening in Athens.
• Kilgore blasted Navasota, 62-7, and Chapel Hill had won earlier – the two district rivals would be meeting in the playoffs for a fourth straight year. In the win over the Rattlers, Kilgore scored on all five of its first-half possessions, got two interceptions from Ja’Kalen Sheffield, one for a touchdown; and defensively, forced four Navasota turnovers.
• Overton, though, stumbled to Grapeland in Athens, a 31-23 loss after a comeback that fell short. The Mustangs scored late, with 1:07 left, but couldn’t recover the onside kick. Still, it was the best Overton season since the 1990s, with the Mustangs completing 2024 with a 10-3 record. Overton is 20-5 since the start of the 2023 season. That’s also coach Scotty Laymance’s overall record.

DECEMBER

• It was announced that Kilgore would face Chapel Hill in Forney in round four of the 4A-DI playoffs on Friday, Dec. 6.
• Henderson head football coach Clay Baker opted to leave his alma mater and return to Carlisle, to re-assume duties as both athletic director and head coach. Baker coached two seasons at Henderson: a 2-8 campaign in 2023, but then a 6-4 year in ’24, including a time spent atop the district standings and a win over Kilgore. Henderson athletic director Clay Freeman would move positions, as well, as HISD announced its intention to combine the jobs: the new hire will be both the head football coach and athletic director.
• The Southwest Junior College Football Conference announced its 2024 All-Conference Team, which included KC defensive back Jaylon Webb as defensive player of the year. Three Rangers – deep snapper Trace Emola, defensive back Anthony Rose, and defensive lineman Wilburn Smallwood – were named first-team all-conference, and a large group was named to the second team: receiver Samuel Mbake, running back Gary Maddox, tight end Ashtin Watkins, offensive lineman Zo’Maryon Bryan, defensive lineman Christian Thomas, linebacker Josh Williams, and kick returner Devontae Mozee. Named all-conference honorable mention: running backs Luke McMullen and Dominique Williams, receivers Mozee and Tanner Harrison, offensive linemen Austin Yeager and Etueni Ropati, defensive lineman Matt Freeman, linebackers Izeal Jones and DaeVaundric Lewis, and defensive back Marcus Moultrie. In earning defensive MVP honors, Webb had five interceptions, 44 tackles, two for loss, and a forced fumble.
• In a signing on Dec. 5 at Kilgore High School, Maleah Thurmond signed with East Central (Oklahoma) to continue her education and volleyball career, and Jayden Sanders made his August commitment official, signing a letter of intent with the University of Michigan.

• Kilgore-Chapel Hill IV wound up not being much of a contest, as the Bulldogs – the red and white version – took out long-standing frustrations on the ‘Dogs from Tyler, routing Chapel Hill, 30-6, at City Bank Stadium in Forney. Among the highlights: Kilgore quarterback Kayson Brooks threw for three touchdowns to three different receivers (Isaiah Watters, Lakeyleon Graves and Javon Towns), and for more than 200 yards (206) for the third time in four playoff games. Defensive lineman Cam Christian recovered a Chapel Hill fumble that led to a score. Wylie Mitchell had a huge sack of Chapel Hill quarterback Demetrius Brisbon. Kilgore’s defense held University of Texas signee Rickey Stewart to 25 yards on 12 attempts. Javon Towns led Kilgore with five receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown. As mentioned earlier, Watters (five for 15) and Graves (four for 78) also had scoring receptions. Jacory Walton added three catches for 9 yards. And Kilgore was 4-of-5 inside Chapel Hill’s 20-yard-line, scoring three touchdowns and a field goal, bringing their numbers for the season to 36 touchdowns and nine field goals.
• It was announced that Kilgore would meet La Vernia on Friday, Dec. 13, at Randall Reed Stadium in New Caney in a game where the winner would go to the 4A-DI state championship game.
• Friday, Dec. 13 would also be a special day in Arp, where Arp ISD and the city honored former AHS standout DeMarvion Overshown, now a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, with DeMarvion Overshown Day. Overshown suffered a pretty-bad knee injury this season and won’t return until next year, but he interacted with Arp Elementary students on a Zoom call, and was shown appreciation by the Arp community.
• And that Friday at New Caney, Kilgore blew out La Vernia, 38-13, punching its ticket back to the state championship game, where the Bulldogs would face Celina on Dec. 20. Against La Vernia, Kilgore quarterback Kayson Brooks was 20-of-28 passing for 238 yards and two touchdowns, one of those to Lakeyleon Graves, and the other to Michigan signee Jayden Sanders. Brooks also ran for a 29-yard touchdown. Graves led the receiving corps with 6 receptions for 68 yards and a score. Javon Towns added 5 catches for 51 yards and Jacory Walton had 5 for 35. Sanders’ two receptions covered 60 yards, while Isaiah Watters (1-6) and Rayshaun Williams (1-8) also had catches. 
• That state championship game was the third in Kilgore’s football history, and while it didn’t go Kilgore’s way – Celina won, 55-21 – much of the Bulldogs’ roster comes back for another run in the 2025 season.
• District 9-4A, DI’s all-district team was announced, and plenty of honors for the Ragin’ Red. Cornerback Jayden Sanders, a senior who recently signed to continue his education and football career at the University of Michigan, was named the overall 9-4A most valuable player. Quarterback Kayson Brooks was named the offensive player of the year. Cameron Christian was named the defensive lineman of the year, and Kilgore placed 11 on the first team: offensive linemen Daniel Garcia and Jaden Pastor; defensive lineman Wylie Mitchell and Jackson Tucker-Phillips, “JTP;” linebacker La’Perrion Graves; kicker Eddie Jiminez; fullback Travis Dixon; cornerback Dre’ Sanders; safety Ja’Kalen Sheffield; wide receiver/ linebacker LaKeyleon Graves; and wide receiver/ safety Javon “JT” Towns. Second-team all-district honors went to linebackers Isaiah Watters and Ja’Marian Duncan Morgan; offensive lineman Collin Burrows and Jonathan Barron; and honorable mention recognition to defensive lineman Bi’Syn Williams, offensive lineman Hunter Whipkey; running back Rayshaun Williams; wide receiver Jacory Walton; and wide receiver Takieran “TK” White. And Kilgore’s coaching staff was named the staff of the year, as well: coach Clint Fuller, Jay Dean, Chad Loper, Joey Pippen, T.J. Gillen-Hall, Josh Lyons, Nick Sanders, Cale Bickham, Kaleb “KB” Brisendine, Jake Chidester, Austin Hawley, Zach Hubbard, C.J. Jackson, Mason McCormack, Cade Pippen, Braden Robey, Ben Shelton, Scott Silvey, D.Q. Scott and Dustin Swaim.

The ETBlitz.com staff wishes everyone reading this a happy New Year, a prosperous 2025, and come back and read us, as we head to the busiest time of the year: basketball, soccer, spring tennis, golf, baseball, softball, and track and field all upcoming.