LET’S DO IT: KILGORE vs. STEPHENVILLE | ETBlitz.com 4A, DI State Title Game Preview / By JOE HALE
EDITOR’S NOTE: For broadcast information, rosters, all kinds of good stuff, stay tuned! We’ll have that soon. We wanted Joe to keep his focus on the game for this preview. By the way, there’s a final bracket, a championship bracket, with the entire field at the very bottom of this story for those of you who want to see that, that Kilgore and Stephenville are the last two standing. — Mitch
ARLINGTON – Kilgore football fans tend to be an educated bunch.
So most of them will tell you that the Ragin’ Red has a history with Stephenville when it comes to the high school football playoffs. It’s just – well, it’s kind of a short one.
Well, it takes a giant step up this week when the Bulldogs (14-1) and Yellow Jackets (15-0) play on the state’s largest stage possible on Friday, for its best prize: a state title. Kilgore meets Stephenville Friday at 11 a.m. for the UIL 4A Division I football championship at AT&T Stadium.
Kilgore, of course, is returning to this place where it lost to Celina a year ago, the place the Dallas Cowboys call home and the UIL crowns state champions on every level shortly before Christmas.
Falling short a year ago didn’t leave a good taste in anybody’s mouth from Kilgore. Sure, it was a nice way to end the season, but something about this this time is different. It’s more businesslike, with maybe a twist of redemption, if you will.
These Bulldogs are playing in Kilgore’s fourth championship game and seek to collect their second. Yeah, they won one, back in 2004, a long time ago, when they beat Dallas Lincoln. But they’re ready and capable enough to win another, even against a team of Stephenville’s moxie and caliber. As for Stephenville, it is also a proud program, once the kingdom Art Briles built, and they’re looking for title number seven.
These two have been sitting near the top of Dave Campbell’s 4A DI rankings all season just below defending state champion Celina, which Stephenville ousted from the playoffs a week ago 24-21 in a semifinals showdown.
“This senior class is a really experienced class,” said Kilgore coach Clint Fuller when asked about upper classmen (20 seniors) on his roster. “They’ve played a lot of football and they’ve been in a lot of big games so they know what it takes to prepare the right way. They understand the standards it takes to prepare and uphold that standard with themselves and the rest of the team.”
With the exception of a season-opening 21-10 loss to unbeaten Carthage, who will play in the 4A DII championship game on Friday at 3 p.m. against West Orange-Stark, Kilgore has beaten 10 2025 playoff teams by an average of 32.2 points per game.
“I don’t really think about (schedule). Our focus is always on the day we’re at and preparing things we can control like our focus, our habits, our urgency, our effort and physicality. If we narrow the focus we can control, everything else will take care of itself.”
The ’Dogs won their fourth 9-4A championship and third in a row since Fuller’s arrival at KHS prior to the 2021 season and are 18-4 in the playoffs since 2020.
“We played well as a team in district, but I didn’t feel like we hit our top gear. I just felt like we weren’t hitting our potential. I do feel we’ve hit our stride as a football team the last few weeks and that’s a good thing because that’s when you want to be playing your best.”
Friday’s game is Stephenville’s seventh appearance at state and, as mentioned, the Yellow Jackets have six titles. Its most recent one was in 2021 when they beat Austin LBJ, 38-21.
The ultimate goal every season is to win state. “After last year’s disappointing game (vs. Celina), our kids attacked the way they worked through the off season, the way they worked during strength and conditioning during the summer,” Fuller continued.
“Through the season, we took the focus off (the championship), it was a week-to-week basis of preparing and getting better. They bought into that and they’ve shown that throughout our season.”
The experience of being here a year ago is relative. “The experience is valuable,” Fuller nodded, adding, “In understanding how to handle the week and block out the distractions that come and how to handle the moment of kickoff in the championship game. I think, no, I know they will be ready.”
Through five seasons as Kilgore’s coach, Fuller is 60-11. That’s a winning percentage of .845.The Bulldogs have had some very successful coaches in their history, such as James Cameron, Mike Vallery and current athletic director Mike Wood, to name a few, but none had such a winning percentage.
Both the Yellow Jackets (4-0) and Bulldogs (6-0) went through district this season unbeaten and through the playoffs with similar ease. Stephenville has scored 41 or more points on four of its five opponents. Meanwhile, Kilgore has three shutouts and limited another, Fort Bend Crawford, in the regional finals to a field goal.
Fuller knows the challenge he and his coaches face in preparation for this game. “They’re really good and have been for long time, going back to when coach Briles was there (1988 until 1999). Their program has continued the culture and the type of football he established there.
“Coach (Sterling) Doty played for coach Briles in high school and college and he’s gone back (to Stephenville) and really reinforced the values and offense and defensive schemes that made coach Briles such a good coach. They do a really good job. They’re very physical and very disciplined and they play at a high level for sure.”
The Yellow Jackets return 10 defensive starters from a 12-2 regional finalist a year ago that like this year’s team was undefeated in its district. Stephenville outscored its six non-district opponents 262-66, four district foes 212-14 and then five playoff hopefuls 227-62. That’s not just shutting the door, that’s slamming it closed.
Junior quarterback Trot Jordan (5-10, 195) has a completion percentage of .665, completing 189-of-284 passes for 3,163 yards and 44 touchdowns with just four interceptions.
His leading receivers are junior Adan Jergins, freshman Caden Monk and senior Brighton DeVivo. Jergins (6-1, 185) has 53 receptions for 883 yards and 14 touchdowns followed by Monk (6-2, 175) with 52 catches for 912 yards and 14 touchdowns and DeVivo (5-11, 195) with 43 receptions for 835 yards and 11 scores.
The Jackets have rushed for 2,994 yards on 410 carries, that’s an average of 199.6 yards per contest. The leading rusher is junior running back Zyler McClendon with 1,617 yards and 28 touchdowns on 198 carries. Sophomore running back Carter VanZandt (6-1, 210) and Jordan follow with 604 yards and 10 touchdowns and 474 and five, respectively.
Those numbers are formidable, but the Kilgore defense has been formidable in its own right anchored by linebackers Isaiah Watters and David McGowan, safety Ja’Kalyn Sheffield and linebacker LaKeyleon Graves along with defensive linemen Bi’Syn Williams and Cameron Christian.
Others who have stepped up big are safety Kaeson Clayton, outside linebacker Travis Holmes and cornerback Dre’ Sanders.
Watters has 136 tackles, 15 tackles for loss for minus 50 yards, to go with four sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery and 11 quarterback hurries. McGowan has 135 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception and four fumble recoveries. Sheffield has 131 tackles, four tackles for loss and three interceptions, while Graves, also with 131 stops has three tackles for loss to go with a sack, six interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Williams follows with 110 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and 28 hurries. Christian has 74 tackles, eight tackles for loss for minus 16 yards, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and 25 quarterback hurries. Clayton has 44 tackles as well as an interception and a fumble recovery. Holmes has 85 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, while Sanders has 53 tackles, two tackles for loss, and four picks.
Brayden Williams, Gavin Wall, Christian, McGowan, Watters and Graves have either defensive or special teams’ touchdowns for the Ragin’ Red.
Linebackers Hudson Butchee (6-2, 220) and Caleb Taylor (6-1, 215), as well as defensive back Briar Floyd (5-9, 180), defensive end / linebacker C.J. Spellmeier (6-1, 195) and defensive lineman Kolton Dearth (6-3, 315) lead Stephenville’s defense.
Butchee has 145 stops, 15 tackles for loss, seven sacks and two fumble recoveries. Meanwhile, Taylor has 137 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, three sacks, four caused fumbles and 18 hurries. Floyd is next with 98 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two sacks. Spellmeier has 90 stops, 23 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, along with 15 quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery and a blocked punt. Dearth has 76 tackles, 26 TFL, two sacks and 13 hurries to go with a fumble recovery.
Balanced certainly is the best way to describe Kilgore’s offense. Quarterback Kayson Brooks has completed 203-of-305 passing attempts for 3,097 yards and 28 touchdowns, and junior running back Rayshaun Williams leads a rushing attack that’s ground up 3,168 yards and 44 touchdowns with 1,809 and 18 touchdowns.
Following Williams are sophomore Maddox Wright, along with seniors Watters, McGowan and Brooks. Wright has come on showing his potential, rushing for 484 yards and six touchdowns, while Watters (74-369, nine TDs), McGowan (20-196, two touchdowns) and Brooks (61-242, eight touchdowns) have combined for 807 yards and 19 scores.
Graves leads a talented receiving corps for the Bulldogs with 56 receptions for 784 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s followed by Sanders (32-428, four touchdowns), Tyler Johnigan (31-456, five touchdowns), T.K. White (26-396, four touchdowns) and Ja’Kalyn Sheffield (26-537, three touchdowns).
Cooper Fergason (21-of-21), DeVivo (23-of-24) and Rory McNeese (30-of-32) have split the extra points for the Yellow Jackets while McNeese has converted 4-of-5 field goal attempts with his longest being from 44 yards.
Kilgore placekicker Eddie Jimenez is 89-for-90 on extra points for the season and in the playoffs, and 6-for-8 on field goals for the season and 3-for-4 in the playoffs. Ethan Reyes handles most of the kickoff chores.
Since the postseason began on Nov. 13, the Bulldogs are 16-for-16 in the red zone, scoring 13 touchdowns and three field goals, and following the semifinal win over La Vernia last week, Kilgore has 18 X-plosive (scoring) plays (of more than 50 yards) in the 15-game season.
“This is really a special group,” Fuller replied when asked what he feels sets this team apart. “They’re really tight … they’ve been playing together for a long time and that’s reflected in the unity and the love they have for each other.”
