KILGORE-NEEDVILLE REAL-TIME UPDATES! | Click here to read live updates on the game at Sheldon ISD Stadium (a 48-14 Kilgore win)
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the notes package by ETBlitz.com editor / publisher Mitch Lucas from the press box at Sheldon ISD’s Panther Stadium, on the campus of C.E. King High in Houston, for the UIL Class 4A, Division I area playoff between Kilgore (9-2) and Needville (7-4). Read Joe Hale’s game story after the conclusion of the game. The Kilgore-Needville winner advances to round three to face either Lindale (6-5) or Navasota (6-5) next week.
We’re live!
Needville’s players just entered the field, and we’re awaiting Kilgore.
Kilgore’s on the field, we’re five minutes away from kickoff of this rematch from last season (which Kilgore won).
By the way, ETBlitz.com teams playing tonight: Overton (9-2) vs. Mart (9-2), playing a 2A-DII second-round playoff at Kemp High, and Troup (8-3) facing DeKalb (10-1) at Pine Tree’s Pirate Stadium in Longview.
Here, Needville just won the coin toss and deferred.
Oh my gosh: Kilgore’s Javon Towns just returned the opening kickoff about 90 yards for a touchdown!
It took him 14 seconds, and Eddie Jiminez just hit the extra point. With 11:46 on the clock, we’ve already got a touchdown on the board. Kilgore’s up 7-0, guys (and girls).
Kilgore has kicked off to Needville, who DIDN’T return it for a touchdown, and the Needville Blue Jays start at their own 25, and get exactly 1 yard on the first play. And they just called their first time out of the game, with only a minute and a half off the game clock.
Malachi Wilson makes a catch on the next play, and Kilgore is flagged for a personal foul. The ‘Jays were in business at mid-field — until they just fumbled. Ja’Marian Duncan Morgan recovered for the Bulldogs at Kilgore’s 45-yard-line.
Kayson Brooks, on second and 11, takes off down the Needville sideline and had plenty of running room, all the way down to the Blue Jays’ 30, a 26-yard run.
We’re in third-and-2 after a 7-yard run by Rayshaun Williams. Before the third-down play, Needville just took its SECOND time out, with 8:24 left in the FIRST QUARTER. Wow. Ok. If that’s what y’all want to do. They’re free, I suppose. But only three to a team per half.
On third-and-2, Isaiah Watters said, “The heck with 2; I’m just gonna score.” And he did, a 22-yard touchdown with 8:17 left in the first, giving the ‘Dogs a 14-0 lead.
Needville starts the next drive at its own 44, after a good return. Two runs for Needville on first and second down, and a combined 1 yard.
Fourth and short (2) at Kilgore’s 48: Ja’Markus Jack picks it up, but just did so, about 4.
Quarterback Cameron Hall’s pass downfield to Jack fell incomplete, out of bounds, and was close to being intercepted.
They’ve got third-and-9 at Kilgore’s 43. And they’ve got nothing. Kilgore’s Jackson Tucker Phillips spins him around for a 6-yard loss, a sack. Go, JTP!
Oh, wow — the punt is AWFUL, a 10-yard punt. Kilgore gets the ball at its own 39 to start the drive, with 4:29 left in the quarter.
Williams makes a catch from Brooks out of the backfield, for 6, but then a pass to Jayden Sanders and they wrap him up quickly. We’re in third and 8 at the 41.
Brooks just hit LaKeyleon Graves for a 12-yard gain and a first down.
Jacory Walton’s turn. And he’s wide open, a play all the way to the Needville 25.
Kilgore loses 5 yards on first down, back to the 30, but then Brooks on a bit of a swing pass to Williams, and he gets all of it back and then some, a first down to the Blue Jays’ 13.
Watters makes a catch for a yard gain, to the 12, and then fumbles on the next play, but he fell on it and got it back, a loss of 2 yards. Kilgore’s in third-and-11 at the Needville 14.
That’s the end of the first quarter, and KHS is up 14-0.
On the third-down play, Watters on a run, but down at the 14.
Eddie Jiminez boots a 31-yard field goal, and the ‘Dogs are up 17-0 with 11:04 left in the half.
The Bulldogs are back on defense, with Needville at its own 32, a first down there.
We have a bit of a late-arriving crowd on both sides.
JTP spins Jack down for no gain at the 42, and Needville has third-and-10 there. Hall’s pass to Kade Ramirez is incomplete, and it’s fourth down again for the Blue Jays.
Wilson did better on his second punt, and Kilgore has a fair catch on its own 23.
Towns, he of the 90-plus-yard kick return for a score, makes a catch for 6 yards, and then Graves for a catch for 7 more, and a first down.
Two downs later, Kilgore has a third down and 5 at its own 41.
Brooks hits Graves, but he’s 2 yards short. The ball is at the 44, and Kilgore needs the 46 for the first down.
Kilgore takes a time out, with 7:09 left in the half, before the fourth down.
It’s a punt. Jiminez gets a hold of one, but Jack takes it all the way back, a 75-yard punt return for Needville’s first points of the game. Jesus Miranda kicks the extra point, and we have a new score: 17-7 Kilgore, with 6:52 left in the half.
Williams picked up 9 yards on first down, and Kilgore is in second and 1 at its own 44.
Both teams aren’t wasting their time outs. Kilgore just took its last time out with 5:54 left.
Williams is tackled for a loss, at the 41, and it’s third and 4 there.
Williams makes a catch on the play, and gets all the way to the Needville 41 for 18 yards. He’s knocked out of bounds there by Kase Vacek of Needville.
Williams — again — breaks free on a run, and he’s tripped up by Vacek and Colton Butler at the Blue Jays’ 16. Brooks follows with a quarterback run for 2 yards, and Kilgore has a second and 8 at Needville’s 14.
Brooks hands off to Williams for a 5-yard run to the 9 — the Bulldogs are working at breakneck speed, and have all game.
Brooks takes it in, all the way for the touchdown, on the next play. Jiminez hits the extra point, and after a 68-yard drive, Kilgore leads 24-7, with 2:03 left in the half.
Rant time.
Officials need to signal “touchdown” when someone scores, not stand there like a knot on a log. If you’re an official, you already have that stigma; at the very least, do what you’re being paid for, and utilize hand signals, please. Thank you. Rant over. For now.
Hall drops back, is hit from behind, and he’s INTERCEPTED, by Ja’Kalen Sanders. The interception counts, but Kilgore is penalized for a block in the back on the return. Kilgore starts the drive at its own 48, with 1:04 left in the half.
Jayden Sanders makes a catch over the middle for 17 yards, to Needville’s 35.
Brooks goes incomplete on first down, and then tries to hit Sanders on second down, but he’s a bit wide, and Sanders catches it, but is ruled out of bounds.
On third and 10 with 37 seconds left, he hits Walton down to the 19 for 14 yards, and then hits Walton again to the 5.
Kilgore has no time outs, so Brooks spiked the ball to stop the clock. On second down, it’s an incomplete pass to Sanders. The clock is 7 seconds until halftime.
Oh, wow: into the end zone and JAYDEN SANDERS GRABS IT, and he was covered. Still, TOUCHDOWN, KILGORE! With four seconds left! Jiminez’s extra point makes it 31-7 Kilgore!
Ramirez returns the kick, but is down, and we go to halftime. It’s Bulldogs 31, Blue Jays 7. Needville will get the second-half kickoff.
Other scores:
Dekalb leads Troup, but only 15-14, with just under two minutes left in the half. DeKalb has the ball at midfield.
Mart leads Overton, 24-21, at the half.
Still 9:46 left in the second quarter and Stafford leads Pine Tree, 7-0.
In a score of interest to the fans here, Navasota and Lindale are tied at 14 with 4:33 left in the first quarter. The winner of Kilgore and Needville meets the winner of that game next week.
Still at halftime here at Sheldon ISD Panther Stadium, on the campus of C.E. King High School in Houston. It’s 31-7 Kilgore over Needville, winner advancing to round three of the UIL Class 4A, Division I playoffs next week to meet either Lindale or Navasota.
And I’m eating Cheetos.
That was too much information, I know.
I was just informed that the correct score of DeKalb and Troup is 16-14 DeKalb, and that game is at the half.
Needville’s band just left the field, and the players are warming up in the end zones. We’ve got 1:49 left in the half, and then it’s go-time.
If you’re a Kilgore fan and you’re wondering what the fight song is that Needville’s band is playing, it’s “Onward, Harvard,” Dereck Borders just told me.
Third quarter under way, and Needville gets the ball; they’ll start at their own 30, an 8-yard pickup on first down by Kobie Campbell.
There’s a fumble on the hand-off, and Kilgore’s got it! It looks like Ja’Marian Duncan Morgan again, and if it was, that’s his second fumble recovery tonight.
On first and 10 from the Needville 37, it’s a completion to Towns, who NEVER goes down on the first tackle attempt. He gets 6 yards.
Williams runs for 7 to the 24, and a first down.
Two plays later, and Brooks took it himself on what looked to be a designed quarterback run, a 15-yard score. Jiminez hits the point after, and Kilgore is now up 38-7, with 9:22 left in the third. The Ragin’ Red just aren’t playing around tonight. It’s all business.
After the kickoff, the Blue Jays have the ball at their own 29. It’s 8:35, and we’re cruising.
Hall throws a pass to absolutely nobody on his own sideline, and there’s a penalty on Needville. That’ll leave them in first and 20. My goodness.
Campbell picks up 2 on second down, and now it’s third and 15 at the Needville 24.
I spoke too quickly. False start, Needville. Now third and 20 at the 19.
And Dre Sanders is Hall’s receiver on the next pass, to Kilgore’s 47.
The problem for Needville: Dre plays for KILGORE. It’s an interception, Kilgore’s 19th of the season.
It’s Bulldog ball there, with 7:09 left in the third.
Two plays later, Williams reels off a 19-yard run, and Kilgore is at the Blue Jays’ 27.
Kilgore’s offensive line — Hunter Whipkey, Collin Burrows, Jonathan Barron, Daniel Garcia, and Jaden Pastor — is controlling this game.
Williams just scored on a 15-yard run, but KHS was flagged for holding. It’s first and 20 at the 24.
We’re under five minutes now remaining in the third quarter.
Brooks throws to Graves on a rope, to the end zone. And he’s covered, but crap, he caught that ball. How the heck did he DO that?!? Kilgore TOUCHDOWN, Lakeyleon Graves, WOW! With 4:29 left in the third, after the extra point by Jiminez, it’s 45-7 Ragin’ Red.
And if Don Meredith was here, well, there would be an investigation, because Mr. Meredith is dead. But if he was here and still alive, he would be singing for us to turn out the lights, because the party is indeed over for Needville.
Needville has a first and 10 at its own 42, as that third quarter clock is running. Run, clock, run.
Scores:
Overton leads Mart, 28-24, in the third quarter.
Troup trails DeKalb, 22-20, but has the ball, in the third quarter.
New quarterback for Kilgore after a turnover on downs, as Shaun Moyers comes in, and flips the ball to Takierian White, for 18 yards, and then a personal foul on Wilson at the end of the play. They’re at Needville’s 35.
It’s the end of the third quarter, and Kilgore leads 45-7. They’ve got the ball at Needville’s 20.
KHS coach Clint Fuller sends Jiminez back out for a field goal, a 34-yard attempt, and he’s good on it. It’s 48-7 Kilgore, with 10:11 left in the game.
Needville scores, an 8-yard pass from Hall to Kade Ramirez, with 6:20 left. The point after is good, and Kilgore is up 48-14.
K’Winn Reese now in the game, running for Kilgore, an 11-yard gain and a first down, with 6:02 left and clock running.
We’ve wrapped it up here, a 48-14 Kilgore win! Congratulations to the Bulldogs. We’ll have a story on this game, as well as Overton-Mart and Troup-DeKalb and more, later here on ETBlitz.com. Y’all have a great night!