KILGORE DISTRICT CHAMPS AGAIN | Bulldogs bulldoze Mabank for ninth straight win to finish regular season; await first-round playoff opponent
MABANK – The Mabank Panthers won in time of possession and in the number of plays. And it wasn’t close.
But certainly not where it counted on the scoreboard. And that wasn’t very close either.
The Kilgore Bulldogs closed the regular season scoring in just about every way imaginable, beating the Panthers 56-6 on a Thursday night here at Panther Stadium.
The win was Kilgore’s ninth in a row and completed a run through District 9-4A, Division I action without a loss: the Ragin’ Red’s only loss of the season was to Carthage in the season opener. It is Kilgore’s third consecutive outright district championship and fourth in five years since Clint Fuller’s arrival as the head football coach.
“We played a complete game tonight. I’m so proud of our kids and our coaching staff, not just for tonight, but for the entire season,” said Fuller following the game.
“I believe we’re hitting our stride as a team as we move into the playoffs. We’re excited to move into the next phase of our season.”
That begins next week at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium against the fourth-place team from District 10-4A, Division I, whomever that might be.
There were four teams with identical 5-1 records, going into tonight’s regular-season finales. Of those, Bridge City is at Huffman Hargrave and Little Cypress-Mauriceville is at Lumberton.
“A home playoff game is huge for our football team,” Fuller continued. “Our seniors have one last opportunity to play at R.E. St. John in front of our community that supports us so very much.”
Mabank completed its district run at 0-6 and 2-8 overall for first-year coach Shawn Copeland.
The Bulldogs outgained Mabank 279 to 224 total yards, but they did it in only 19 plays compared to the Panthers’ 65.
Kilgore quarterback Kayson Brooks continued doing what Kilgore’s QB1 always does, going 4-for-5 passing for 107 yards and two touchdowns. The first of those came on the very first play of the second quarter and covered 32 yards to Graves, giving the ’Dogs a comfortable 21-point cushion, as in 21-0.
There wasn’t a need for Brooks to pass very often in this game and he didn’t play much before turning the offense over to Shaun Moyers in the second half.
Brooks did go over 2,000 yards passing, though, in his abbreviated playing time against the Panthers, and now has 2,016 for the season and 22 touchdowns.
Kilgore’s Maddox Wright led all rushers with 114 yards on just six carries. He scored two of Kilgore’s four rushing touchdowns on runs of 20- and 59 yards in the second half.
Kilgore won the toss and elected to receive. Rayshaun Williams fielded Ray Brager’s kickoff at his 35 and 65 yards and 12 seconds later, he was in the end zone. He returned that opening kickoff for a touchdown, giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead after Eddie Jimenez converted the first of his eight extra points.
Before it was all said and done, besides the four rushing touchdowns, Kilgore would add two passing touchdowns and another special teams’ score, one coming on a 67-yard Lakeyleon Graves punt return as he zig-zagged through Mabank’s punt coverage unit.
The Bulldogs’ scoring drives covered 11-, 65-, 80-, 81-, 39- and 75 yards in only 11 plays. Kilgore scored on its first six possessions and that’s not counting the kickoff and punt returns for scores or a possession at the end of the first half with less than 10 seconds to play.
The Ragin’ Red’s second touchdown of the game followed a Brager line-drive punt which struck a Mabank lineman in the back of his head, giving Kilgore a first down at the Panthers’ 11-yard line.
Two plays, the second of those being a three-yard Isaiah Watters touchdown run extended Kilgore’s advantage to 14-0.
Kilgore’s fourth touchdown, the second of the second quarter, was a 53-yard Brooks-to-Tyler Johnigan strike, which the wide receiver, a junior, caught at the Mabank 20-yard-line.
The Panthers held a decided edge in time of possession in the first half, 20:30, compared to Kilgore’s 3:30. And, it wasn’t much different in the second half. But Kilgore was scoring at will, and Mabank could not move the ball much at all against the Bulldogs.
Williams, who got things started with the opening kickoff return for points, finished the evening rushing for 68 yards and a touchdown, his 11th on the ground this season. It came with 8:16 remaining in the third quarter. Also, Kilgore’s T.K. White rushed once for 33 yards.
Cayson Schrier, Mabank’s backup quarterback, scored the Panthers’ only touchdown of the game on a 19-yard run to cap a 13-play march.
Schrier led the Panthers’ rushing attack with 46 yards on six carries. Jaedyn Thompson followed with 41 yards on nine carries. Mabank quarterback Jaxon Copeland was 12-of-30 passing for 94 yards.
The Panthers rushed for 130 yards on 34 carries. Gavin Foote was Mabank’s leading receiver with five receptions for 36 yards.
Graves led the Kilgore receiving corps with two catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. Johnigan had one catch for 53 yards and a TD. Brayden Williams had the other catch for 13 yards.
Lindale, the runner-up to Kilgore in 9-4A, hosts the third-place entry, while Pine Tree meets the runner-up and Chapel Hill gets the district champion in the bi-district round of the playoffs.
In 9-4A, DI action tonight to close the regular season, Pine Tree entertains Palestine and Lindale visits Henderson. Chapel Hill has the open date.
