ETBLITZ POWER PICKS! | Who gets in: Kilgore? Carthage? Longview? All three? Plus Army-Navy and this weekend in the NFL
Back on Aug. 31, about 1,216 high school football programs across the state of Texas opened the 2024 season.
By the time the clock strikes midnight Saturday night, there will be 24 left.
The University Interscholastic League’s state championship games – now played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington – will begin next Wednesday, and this weekend, the participants are decided.ssdsfsdf
Semifinal games in all classifications are happening this weekend. Of note for those of us in East Texas, these three (in BOLD):
- UIL Class 4A, Division I playoffs – Kilgore (12-2) vs. La Vernia (11-3), Friday, 7:30 p.m., Randall Reed Stadium, New Caney. The Kilgore-La Vernia winner plays either Celina (14-0) or West Plains (11-3) in the 4A-DI state championship game. That game is next Friday, Dec. 20, at 3 p.m. at AT&T Stadium.
- UIL Class 4A, Division II playoffs – Carthage (13-1) vs. Brock (13-1), Friday, 7 p.m., McKinney ISD Stadium. The Carthage-Brock winner will take on either La Vega (11-3) or Wimberly (12-2) in the 4A-II state title game next Friday at 11 a.m., the first game of the day
- UIL Class 6A, Division II playoffs – Longview (12-2) vs. Southlake Carroll (14-0), Saturday, 2 p.m., Southern Methodist University. Longview or Carroll will face either Summer Creek (12-2) or Vandegrift in the 6A-DII championship next Saturday at 3 p.m.
Technically, the only one of those teams are in the ETBlitz.com coverage area: the Kilgore Bulldogs, who seek their first state title game appearance since 2013. Kilgore is 1-1 in state championship football games, having won the 4A-DII title back in 2004 with a 16-0 record, and a loss in ’13, a 14-1 season and their only loss, obviously, in the state championship to Carthage at AT&T.
Of note about the other two teams: Carthage has made nine state championship games under coach Scott Surratt and has won all nine. One of the teams in the OTHER 4A-DII bracket is (Waco) La Vega, who ended Carthage’s season a few years ago deep in the playoffs.
Longview, of course, won a state title just a handful of years ago, with current Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King – Lobos coach John King’s son – leading the way. The Lobos had the most impressive win in 6A last weekend, booting defending champion DeSoto from the postseason.
We’ve got the ticket and broadcasting information for all of these games right here: WHERE’S EVERYBODY AT?! | Schedule for East Texas teams remaining in the football playoffs.
Obviously, the ETBlitz.com crew will be at Randall Reed Stadium in New Caney tonight for Kilgore-La Vernia, and we will have a report from there, and all KINDS of good stuff, late tonight and Saturday, here on the site, on our social media, and on the ETBlitz.com YouTube Channel.
Our panel has made the picks for those three high school games, the Army-Navy game (that’s the only college game this week) and most of the NFL games this weekend below.
THE PANEL, and THE STANDINGS
We’ve had the same panel all season, and they’ve done a nice job picking 317 games so far. By the time “Monday Night Football” ends this coming week, they will have picked 326.
And we’ll pick next week, too – we’re looking forward to our second annual ETBlitz College Football Pick-off, picking every single bowl game.
If you want to be IN our College Football Pick-off and have a chance to win a great ETBlitz.com Tailgate Party Pack, you’ve gotta enter.
Do that by clicking here: CYCLONE STAMPEDE TIME! | Enter, do well and get into our College Football Pick-off!, and entering the Cyclone Stampede. You’ll pick the same games we’re picking this week, and if you do well enough, you’ll be entered in the bowl game challenge for a chance at the party pack.
Now, the panel:
I guess we need to start with 40-plus-year veteran sportswriter Joe Hale, who’s whipping everyone else’s butts in the ETBlitz picks every week. Seriously, in 30 years of doing this, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anyone pull this far away from the rest of the field.
Joe had an off-week last week, going 13-9, but he’s still 236-81 this season in the picks.
One of our photographers, Kilgore College student Alex Nabor, had the best record of the week last week (17-4). More on Alex in a bit.
My daughter Ashtyn, also a college student and an aspiring columnist and writer, is Joe’s closest competition, but even she is 12 games back, at 224-93 overall.
Dereck Borders, a member of the Kilgore ISD school board, is third behind Joe and Ashtyn with a 222-95 mark.
My son Jacob, a videographer and a student at the University of Alabama, is 215-102, and fourth in the “race.”
I’ve managed to stay in the mix, and not embarrass myself, with a 213-104 record. I am embarrassed somewhat to have more than 100 losses. At any rate…
Ronnie Sartors, a freelance photographer who also shoots for Dave Campbell’s Texas Football from time to time, is 212-95, but has 10 less picks because he started a week later than the rest of us. Dennis Jacobs, an instructor at KISD and our longtime Kilgore High sports photographer, is 211-106.
Our assistant editor, Clayton Fletcher, started red-hot, but he’s fallen back a bit. Still, Clayton is 204-113 this year. Alex has a 201-116 mark, and my wife Jenna stuck with our ETBlitz-area teams – that was a good strategy for most of the season, but it’s cost her at times. She’s got a 197-120 record as we start this weekend.
THIS WEEK’S GAMES
So here’s this week’s list of games, followed by the grid with our picks. Don’t judge us too harshly, as we do this with no agenda: it’s just for fun.
And if you’re playing the Cyclone Stampede this weekend to try and get into the college football pick-off, good luck!
ETBLITZ.COM POWER PICKS!
Friday, December 13-Monday, Dec. 16, 2024
HIGH SCHOOL GAMES
UIL Class 4A, Division I playoffs – Kilgore (12-2) vs. La Vernia (11-3), Friday, 7:30 p.m., Randall Reed Stadium, New Caney.
UIL Class 4A, Division II playoffs – Carthage (13-1) vs. Brock (13-1), Friday, 7 p.m., McKinney ISD Stadium.
UIL Class 6A, Division II playoffs – Longview (12-2) vs. Southlake Carroll (14-0), Saturday, 2 p.m., Southern Methodist University.
Navy (8-3) at No. 22 Army (11-1), Saturday, 2 p.m., CBS
NFL GAMES
Sunday’s games
Kansas City (12-1) at Cleveland (3-10), noon, CBS
Cincinnati (5-8) at Tennessee (3-10), noon, FOX
Washington (8-5) at New Orleans (5-8), noon, CBS
Baltimore (8-5) at New York Giants (2-11), noon, CBS
Dallas (5-8) at Carolina (3-10), noon, F (OX
New York Jets (3-10) at Jacksonville (3-10), noon, FOX
Miami (6-7) at Houston (8-5), noon, CBS
Indianapolis (6-7) at Denver (8-5), 3:25 p.m., CBS
Buffalo (10-3) at Detroit (12-1), 3:25 p.m., CBS
Pittsburgh (10-3) at Philadelphia (11-2), 3:25 p.m., FOX
New England (3-10) at Arizona (6-7), 3:25 p.m., CBS
Tampa Bay (7-6) at L.A. Chargers (8-5), 3:25 p.m., FOX
Green Bay (9-4) at Seattle (8-5), 7:20 p.m., NBC
Monday’s games
Chicago (4-9) at Minnesota (11-2), 7 p.m., ABC
Atlanta (6-7) at Las Vegas (2-11), 7:30 p.m., ESPN
| MITCH | DENNIS | JOE | DERECK | JENNA | JACOB | ASHTYN | ALEX | CLAYTON | RONNIE |
| Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore | Kilgore |
| Carthage | Carthage | Carthage | Carthage | Carthage | Carthage | Carthage | Carthage | Carthage | Carthage |
| SLC | Longview | Longview | SLC | Longview | Longview | Longview | Longview | Longview | SLC |
| Navy | Army | Army | Army | Army | Army | Army | Army | Army | Army |
| K. City | K. City | K. City | K. City | K. City | K. City | K. City | KC | K. City | K. City |
| Cincinnati | Cincinnati | Cincinnati | Cincinnati | Cincinnati | Cincinnati | Tennessee | Cincinnati | Cincinnati | Cincinnati |
| New Orleans | Washington | Washington | Washington | Washington | Washington | Washington | Washington | Washington | Washington |
| Baltimore | Baltimore | Baltimore | Baltimore | Baltimore | Baltimore | Baltimore | Baltimore | Baltimore | Baltimore |
| Carolina | Dallas | Carolina | Dallas | Dallas | Carolina | Dallas | Dallas | Dallas | Dallas |
| J’ville | J’ville | N.Y. Jets | N.Y. Jets | J’ville | J’ville | N.Y. Jets | N.Y. Jets | N.Y. Jets | J’ville |
| Miami | Houston | Houston | Houston | Houston | Miami | Houston | Houston | Houston | Houston |
| Denver | Denver | Denver | Denver | Denver | Denver | Denver | Denver | Denver | Denver |
| Detroit | Detroit | Detroit | Detroit | Detroit | Buffalo | Detroit | Detroit | Detroit | Detroit |
| Philly | Philly | Philly | Philly | Philly | Philly | Philly | Pittsburgh | Philly | Pittsburgh |
| Arizona | Arizona | Arizona | Arizona | Arizona | Arizona | Arizona | Arizona | Arizona | Arizona |
| Tampa Bay | L.A.C. | L.A.C. | Tampa Bay | L.A.C. | Tampa Bay | L.A.C. | Tampa Bay | Tampa Bay | L.A.C. |
| Seattle | Green Bay | Green Bay | Seattle | Seattle | Seattle | Green Bay | Green Bay | Seattle | Green Bay |
| Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota |
| Las Vegas | Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta |