WAKE UP! | Kilgore visits Mabank tonight; playoff tune-up for Bulldogs, end of ’24 for Panthers
EDITOR’S NOTE: A guest writing WAKE UP! today: it’s our own Joe Hale, previewing tonight’s Kilgore-Mabank game. Tomorrow night is a full slate of high school games, as it’s the final night of the regular season. Where has it gone? Well, it’s gone by quickly, for sure. Soon, we’ll have basketball coverage here on ETBlitz.com. For this weekend, though, come back and enjoy one more weekend of football coverage, and of course, we’ll be here throughout the playoffs. By the way, don’t forget Cozy Coffee Station — they’re located in East Texas in Kilgore at 110 Midtown Plaza and in Gilmer at 755 Highway 271 North. Go by and see them for something very good that will make you want to be a lifetime customer! See their menu online right here: Home | Cozy Coffee Station. Oh, and come back at lunchtime for our ETBlitz Power Picks!
MABANK – Football a night early sends Kilgore to Mabank on a Thursday night for the regular season finale, a playoff tune-up that has two District 9-4A, Division I football teams going in completely opposite directions.
They’ll meet as they close district play – and Mabank’s season – tonight at Panther Stadium, a 7 contest that will be only the third meeting ever between state-ranked Kilgore (8-1, 5-0) and Mabank (2-7, 0-5).
Hear it live on the radio, old-school on KDOK 105.3-FM, or streaming online here: Kilgore at Mabank-KDOK, the Ragin’ Red Broadcasting crew of Don Hedrick, Doug Smith and Jason Smith on the call. Click on the Kilgore helmet on ETBlitz.com’s home page to go directly to the broadcast, as well.
See it streaming online, for a subscription fee, here on NFHSNetwork.com: Mabank vs Kilgore – Boys Varsity Football 11/06/2025 | Live & On Demand.
Back to the game.
Having won its third outright district championship in three years and fourth in five seasons, coach Clint Fuller’s Ragin’ Red face the Panthers, who haven’t won in eight weeks (Sept. 12 against Wills Point, 36-33).
Kilgore is coming off a bye week and prepping for a playoff run, scheduled to start next week at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium, while Mabank should be turning its attention to basketball.
But first things first. Kilgore and Mabank open the final weekend of the 2025 regular season for the teams in the ETBlitz.com coverage area.
In other games in 9-4A on Friday, Palestine is at Pine Tree and Lindale visits Henderson. Chapel Hill has the bye week.
Elsewhere around the ETB coverage area, Leverett’s Chapel is at Cambell in a six-man game; Beckville is at Ore City; Overton is at Cushing; Troup plays at Buffalo; West Rusk is at Arp; Sabine is at Liberty-Eylau; White Oak plays at Gladewater; Jefferson is at Tatum in a win-and-in the playoffs; North Lamar plays at Gilmer; Palestine is at Pine Tree; Lindale plays at Henderson; and Carthage plays at Brownsboro.
The Kilgore Bulldogs, ranked third in this week’s Dave Campbell 4A, DI poll, have won eight in a row since a season-opening loss to Carthage, the Panthers, under first-year coach Shawn Copeland, are facing the prospect of finishing without a win in this district for the second year in a row.
“The bye week came at a great time for our football team,” said Kilgore coach Clint Fuller. “We have had a long stretch of tough games. Our goal was to recover, get healthy and to fine tune our team.”
Mabank, 1-9 overall last year, did get back-to-back non-district wins against Kemp and Wills Point in early September.
Kilgore has won both its previous meetings against the Panthers, during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The teams did not play in 2022 or ’23, but UIL realignment brought the Panthers back into the district for the second time this past February.
“Our focus for this week is to be at our best for our last district game and build momentum going into the playoffs.”
Talking about haves and have-nots, Kilgore has outscored five district opponents 194-58, while Mabank has been outscored 280-66.
The Panthers’ senior quarterback Jaxon Copeland is 54-of-144 passing for 875 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions this season.
He follows the rushing lead of junior Jaedyn Thompson (161 carries for 1,045 yards) with 433 yards on 76 carries. Besides his nine passing touchdowns, Copeland has a couple of rushing scores, while Thompson has eclipsed the 100-yard plateau on five occasions in scoring 11 touchdowns.
Mabank’s best rushing performance of 499 yards came in a season-opening 29-28 loss to Bullard. The Panthers have eclipsed 200 yards three times and gained 175 yards against Palestine when Thompson rushed for 162 yards and a touchdown a week ago. On the other end of the spectrum, Lindale limited Mabank to 27 yards on 20 carries.
The Panthers leading receivers have been seniors Wayne Langford, Bryson Morris and Gavin Foote. Langford has 16 catches for 259 yards and four touchdowns while Morris (11-221, 3) and Foote (10-190) follow.
Kilgore’s leading tacklers continue to be linebackers Isaiah Watters and La’keyleon Graves with 89 and 87 tackles, respectively, followed by safety Ja’Kalen Sheffied (80) and linebacker David “Bubba” McGowan (73).
Watters also leads in tackles for loss with nine for minus 37 yards and sacks (3-for-minus 11). Graves leads in interceptions with four while cornerback Dre’ Sanders and defensive lineman Cameron Christian follow with three apiece.
Kilgore lineman Bi’Syn Williams, who has 67 tackles, four of those for losses to go with a sack, leads in hurries with 13 followed by Christian with 12. Brayden Williams, another corner for Kilgore, leads in fumble recoveries with two while Graves, McGowan and kicker Eddie Jimenez have one each.
Defensive leaders for the Panthers have been linebacker Cayson Schrier, and defensive linemen Christian Torres, Noah Spencer and Kyle Morris.
Offensive leaders for the Bulldogs have been Rayshaun Williams, rushing for 1,217 yards and 10 touchdowns in eight games and quarterback Kayson Brooks, who has completed 131 of his 202 passing attempts for 1,909 yards and 20 touchdowns with only four interceptions.
Watters follows Williams’ rushing lead with 197 yards and three touchdowns, while Brooks is next with 181 yards and six scores followed by McGowan with 158 yards and one TD.
Six different receivers have 10 or more receptions for the ’Dogs. Williams (10), Sheffield (15) and T.K. White (17) each provide Brooks with good choices, his primary receivers continue to be Graves (32-439, 6), Sanders (26-275, 2) and Tyler Johnigan (19-298, 4).
The guys up front, doing the heavy lifting have been guards Jaden Pastor and Daniel Garcia, tackles Hunter Whipkey and Fabian Abeldano, along with center Jonny Barron, as well as, at times, James Hanhart, Aldo Laredo, Ryan Gardner and Edwin Contreras.
