SOCCER SPLIT | KHS soccer splits with Lions
It’s always a battle when Kilgore and Henderson meet in anything, be it football, soccer, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, golf or tic tac toe.
Soccer was the game Friday night, with the girls game between the programs being played at Henderson ISD Stadium and the boys game at Kilgore’s R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium.
Henderson managed to edge out Kilgore in the girls game, 2-1, while Kilgore’s boys returned the favor, beating the Lions, 3-2 when senior Adan Reyes scored in the second overtime period, the second time in the District 15-4A schedule that Kilgore has been taken to overtime – Center did it the first time, last month, but couldn’t knock Kilgore off.
The Bulldogs haven’t lost a district game since the 2021 season.
Kilgore’s boys remain unbeaten with the win. They’re 12-0-2 overall and 5-0 in district play, and they’re off on Tuesday. They’ll host Carthage on Friday, Feb. 9, starting with junior varsity at 5, then varsity at 7.
The Lady Bulldogs, coached by Todd BonDurant, are 8-3-1 overall now, and they’re actually hosting Spring Hill on Monday at 5, varsity-only.
The girls game on Friday at Henderson came after the girls JV – and the girls JV was impressive. They won 7-0, and get this: they’ve outscored the opposition 47-0 this year.
As in, they haven’t given up one single goal all season, in eight games played. Their coach is Jason Bragg.
Varsity had a tougher road against a Henderson team that they’ve traded wins with in close game after close game for the last half-decade. They tied in the first game of last year, 1-1, then lost 1-0 in the rematch.
And now another one-goal difference, 2-1, Friday night.
Kilgore trailed 2-0 at halftime, and then in the second half, Reese Burgess scored on a set kick from about 30 yards out, but Kilgore ran out of time and couldn’t tie it up.
At R.E. St. John, coach Mason McCormick’s JV Bulldogs got a 1-0 win – Kilgore scored on a throw-in by Peyton Roberts, on an own-goal.
The varsity played right down to the wire, too. Kilgore took a 1-0 lead when Javier Baide took a shot, and Jacob Contreras scored when Henderson’s goalkeeper, Ben Karrie Clark, couldn’t quite get to it.
The Lions scored two back-to-back goals – one on a penalty kick, then another a minute and a half later – to take a 2-1 lead.
With nine minutes left in the half, Kilgore’s Diego Rojas tied things up on a PK of his own (2-2).
Nobody would score again until the Bulldogs got the game-winner, Reyes scoring on an assist by freshman Jerson Alevar Flores with 6:58 in the second overtime.
Diego Rojas (9) moves the ball upfield in a District 17-4A game against Henderson Friday night. (Photo by JUAN REA – Special to ETBLITZ.COM)
