WAKE UP! ON ETBLITZ! | Kilgore’s Christian, Graves, Gilmer’s Hagler in important article; Overton title game info

EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s Tuesday here on Wake Up! – well, it’s Tuesday everywhere, come to think of it — and if you’ve never been to Cozy Coffee Station, this is the day to go. Was by there Sunday and one of us had the Cabana Boy Lemonade (a pineapple lemonade), one of us had a latte, and one of us (cough, cough, me, cough cough) had a chocolate milkshake. The Cabana Boy is one of the items on their summer menu, a suggested line they have right here (Cozy Coffee Station Summer Menu), and you can’t go wrong if you just go in, close your eyes, point at the board and pick that way, either. CCS is located in Kilgore, at 110 Midtown Plaza, and at 755 Highway 271 North in Gilmer.

How ‘bout them ‘Dogs? And Buckeyes? And…

Kilgore High School defensive lineman Cameron Christian, wide receiver / linebacker Lakeyleon Graves, and Gilmer defensive lineman Tyler Hagler are all in the news today, named by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football in their Rising 100 article as two of the best recruits in the state in the class of 2026.

Christian is listed at 6 feet, 275 pounds, and uncommitted – he already has offers, according to DCTF, from Houston, Kansas State, Arizona, North Texas, Texas Tech, Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Stephen F. Austin, Tulsa, Tarleton State, Sacramento State, UTEP and Texas-San Antonio.

Cam had 106 tackles, 11 for loss, and seven sacks last year, among other things – you know, like breaking things in opposing teams’ backfields. And when he wasn’t doing that, he was at the UIL State Track & Field Championships in the shot put, again.

Graves is listed as an athlete, rather than one of his positions he has played for coach Clint Fuller and the Bulldogs, and at 6 feet, 180 pounds. He’s also uncommitted just yet, but has offers from Lamar, North Texas, Tulsa, UTEP, Missouri, Houston, Washington State, Rice, Texas State, Stephen F. Austin, Sacramento State, and Wake Forest.

Key had 48 catches for 987 yards (20.6 yards per catch) and 13 touchdowns on offense; on D, had 136 tackles, six for loss, three sacks, three interceptions and six pass break-ups. Graves also runs track for the Bulldogs, a part of the 800 meter relay that reached the state meet.

Check out the scouting report on Key by our old friend Gabe Brooks at 247.com (that’s actually pronounced “24-7 dot com”), found right here: 24-7.com-Lakeyleon Graves, Kilgore. And here’s the report on Cam: 24-7.com – Cameron Christian, Kilgore.

Big Tyler is listed at 6-1, 320 pounds, and has offers from Houston, Texas Tech, SFA, UTEP, Texas-San Antonio, and is another track guy, as well, throwing shot put for the Buckeyes.

He had 103 tackles, 10 for loss, two sacks, 17 quarterback hurries, an interception (!), a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in Gilmer’s 2024 season, and was a second-team pick on the Texas Sports Writers Association’s 4A-DII All-State team in 2023 as a sophomore.

The 24-7 scouting report on Tyler: 24-7.com: Tyler Hagler, Gilmer.

It’s getting close… football season isn’t that long away! We’re getting fired up around here!

By the way, that article is subscribers-only, and we don’t lobby a lot for other websites around here. But DCTF is worth it. I’m a subscriber; I’ll admit it. The content is great, and not just during football season.

Check them out right here: Texas High School Football – Coverage From Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.

Overton-Collinsville baseball

Our preview for the Overton-Collinsville state championship battle – that’s Thursday morning at 9 a.m. at Dell Diamond in Round Rock – will hit either later today or on Wednesday morning. It’ll be fairly thorough. We’ve already done a feature on Collinsville that you can find here: A LOOK AT COLLINSVILLE (Booo!) | Let’s take a look at Overton’s opponent in Thursday’s 2A-DII baseball state title game.

But in fairness, you guys may need to know more about the particulars, so here you go.

It’s the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 2A, Division II State Championship Game, the first of 11 state championship games over three days at both Dell Diamond and at Disch-Falk Field on the University of Texas campus in Austin.

Here’s the link to the UIL baseball state tournament website: Baseball State Tournament — University Interscholastic League (UIL).

A ticket that allows you in for an entire day (either Thursday, Friday or Saturday) is $16. An all-tournament ticket, allowing you in to all games, is $40. Kids two and under are admitted free.

For convenience for you guys that are going Thursday to see Overton play, here’s a link for ticket purchases: UIL HS State Baseball Tournament Tickets – Thursday.

Parking is $10.

They do have a clear-bag policy at Dell, and a noisemaker policy – but it notes that cowbells, small handheld shakers, clappers and inflatable thundersticks are all allowed. Horns, propane tanks, gallon jugs and drums are all on the “not allowed” list.

For those who can’t go but would like to watch the game live, you can do so, but there is a fee. It’s on NFHS Network, and here’s a link straight to the Overton-Collinsville game: NFHSNetwork.com – Overton-Collinsville.

We’ll have more, including all kinds of numbers on Overton and some fun stuff, in our preview. Good luck, Mustangs; hoping you guys bring home the title.

Gladewater Round-Up starts Wednesday

Another reminder that the 88^th annual Gladewater Round-Up starts Wednesday. They tell me that’s tomorrow.

The Round-Up is, appropriately enough, held at the Gladewater Rodeo Grounds. It starts at 8:15 p.m. each night, with gates opening at 6 p.m.

The PRCA’s Extreme Bulls will be the first night.

General admission for adults is $18 a ticket; for kids 12 and under, it’s $10 each, and for kids two and under, it’s free.

Reserved tickets are $25 each for all ages. And box seats: $175 per box, per night – that includes six seats per box.

To buy tickets in advance, go here: GLADEWATER ROUND-UP RODEO – INFORMATION – Dirt Road Tickets.

On Thursday, night two of the event, military and first-responders can show an ID for half-off admission.

Mutton bustin’ for the kids, trying to hold on to sheep for dear life, starts every night at 7:45, about 30 minutes before the Round-Up.

Kids ages four through seven who weigh 50 pounds or less can enter, with a $25 registration fee, right here: Gladewater Round-Up Mutton Bustin’ Waiver.pdf.