WAKE UP! | Huge weekend, and big games, must-wins all over the place

EDITOR’S NOTE: If you’re looking for somewhere that serves outstanding drinks, breakfast and snacks and is doing so in plenty of time for you to get to work before the proverbial crack of dawn, I have your destination. It’s Cozy Coffee Station, in Kilgore at 110 Midtown Plaza and in Gilmer at 755 Highway 271 North. “But I don’t live in Kilgore, Mitch; I live in Henderson.” Ok, well, leave a little early and drop by. It is worth your stop! I’ll prove it. All you have to do is look at their website, and here it is: Home | Cozy Coffee Station. Take five minutes. Ashley and Oscar and their team have something (probably some-THINGS) for you and everyone ELSE you work with, even the pickiest eater and “drinker.” They’re active on social media. On Facebook, try Cozy Coffee Station-Kilgore, and Cozy Coffee Station-Gilmer, and on Instagram, @cozycoffeestation_kilgore and @cozycoffeestation_gilmer. You’ll be glad you did, and you’ll leave home early to do it, I guarantee it.

We always say “it’s a big weekend this weekend in football.”

And normally, we can say that EVERY weekend and be accurate.

This weekend is especially important.

I’m gonna start with Kilgore College at home against Trinity Valley, and yes, I realize that’s Saturday. Starting with mention of this game because it is an absolute MUST-win for the Rangers if they have any hope of getting into their conference’s playoffs. It’s the Southwest Junior College Football Conference, by the way, which last week I called for a name change. Waaaaay too long, just ridiculous.

At any rate, KC football has been amazing under coach Willie Gooden, a former Ranger and Ranger assistant himself, going on 50 wins as head coach, a handful of conference championships (far more than any current head coach in that conference; in fact, it’s not close). Gooden and the Rangers have been two wins away from a national championship just a couple of seasons ago.

But they got backed into a corner with a tough start this year, and they’re 0-3 in conference play. The top four teams in this conference make the conference playoffs, and then it’s a 1-versus-4, two-versus-three format. In order to have any chance to be in that playoff, KC HAS to beat Trinity Valley here at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium on Saturday. It’s a 1 p.m. kickoff, by the way. Yes, they’ll need to string some wins together; in fact, they’ll need to win out. But it’s one at a time, of course, and this first one starts the road back.

Probably no high school game in the ETBlitz.com coverage area is bigger overall than Kilgore at Lindale this Friday. That’s realistically for the District 9-4A, Division II championship. Kilgore is unbeaten in district and already has beaten Henderson and Pine Tree; coach Clint Fuller and the Bulldogs have Palestine and Mabank left on their schedule and neither of those programs has a district win.

Lindale is unbeaten, and both teams are ranked in the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football 4A-Division I state poll.

Here’s the complete poll, presented here on ETB by Zippy J’s Community Stores: NEW POLLS! | Carthage still tops 4A-DII, KHS third in 4A-DI; Troup sixth in 3A-DI.

Another big one is Gilmer at Van. Like KC, Gilmer also dug themselves into a hole with a 1-4 start, but the Buckeyes had a cushion, because none of those losses were in District 7-4A, Division II. Now, Gilmer is 2-4, and 1-0 in district play after beating Pittsburg last week. If Gilmer can get out of Van with a win, the Buckeyes can double their chances of making the playoffs, and keep their hopes of winning a district title alive.

Carthage has a big game this week. The defending 4A-DII state champions, ranked No. 1 right now in the state poll, had their open date early in the season (week two) and have even played a non-district game in the Houston area. They blasted Center in the District 8-4A, Division II opener last week. Athens will be coming to town Friday, and the Hornets are Carthage’s second state-ranked opponent this season (Kilgore in week one was the first). Can the Hornets get out of Carthage with a win? Well, I think there’s a better chance that I’ll sprout wings and fly to Jasper, Alabama, but we’ll see.

Pine Tree and Henderson play in Henderson Friday night, and that game is huge for both programs in the 9-4A, DI playoff hunt.

Sabine visits White Oak. White Oak started 4-0 and is now 4-2, both of those two losses in District 8-3A, Division I, and Sabine just needs a win, period, still looking for their first this season.

There’s a big one in Gladewater and it’s FRIDAY, not Thursday, a 7 p.m. kickoff between the Bears and Tatum at Jack Murphy Stadium. Tatum comes off its open date, and Gladewater leads 8-3A, DI.

Troup goes to New Diana, and the Tigers are trying to remain unbeaten in District 11-3A, Division II, with West Rusk on its open date and also unbeaten in district play.

Leverett’s Chapel, in six-man play, is also really in a must-win. The Lions go to Savoy Friday, a 7 p.m. kickoff, and really need a win if they have hopes of making the UIL’s six-man football playoffs.

A few of the programs we cover are off this weekend: Beckville, Overton, and West Rusk, as mentioned, all have the weekend off.

Later today, by the way, we’ll have the standings for the junior college football conference and the NJCAA’s national poll and the state volleyball poll. Both of those were delayed a day, I guess because of Columbus Day.

And we’ll have our usual things, and who knows what all else? We’re ETBlitz.com, and happy to serve y’all with absolutely NO paywall, and won’t EVER have one.