WAKE UP on ETBLITZ | It’s Mother’s Day! Overton-baseball playoff; West Rusk signees; Kilgore 7-on-7; and more
EDITOR’S NOTE: Good Sunday morning and happy Mother’s Day to all, as we Wake Up! On ETBlitz.com. We’ll go through what’s happening locally, some things of interest that you might have missed, and some that are upcoming. Check out our Wake Up! sponsor, Cozy Coffee Station. They’ve got an elaborate – and delicious! – menu on their website (Home | Cozy Coffee Station), and there are three locations, two of them local: in Kilgore at 110 Midtown Plaza, and in Gilmer at 755 U.S. 271 North. If you’re ever in Allen, they’re there, too, at 900 W. Bethany Drive. And don’t be in a rush! CCS all have games, Wi-Fi, and they’re happy for you to hang out and enjoy your drinks right there in-house!
High school baseball playoffs
The Overton High School Mustangs are carrying all of us, all of the ETBlitz.com coverage area, into the third round of the University Interscholastic League’s baseball playoffs.
Specifically, Overton (25-6) is taking on Gary (18-10) in the Class 2A, Division II regional semifinals. And it’ll be a best-of-three-game series.
They’ll play it at Longview High School, and game one is Thursday night at 6 p.m. Gary will be the home team for game one.
Game two will be Friday at 5, and Overton’s the home team.
If they need a third game to decide it, it’ll begin 30 minutes after the end of game two.
The winner of the Overton-Gary series will take on either Beckville (21-6) or Hemphill (15-15).
Overton hasn’t played Hemphill this year, but defeated Beckville in both meetings this season, one of them on Tax Day (April 15), 5-4, and the other, two days later, 12-11, at both Beckville and in Overton.
By the way, what a fantastic athletic school year for Overton, all the way around: a 25-win baseball season and at least the third round of the playoffs, possibly even more – the jury’s out on that; a second-place finish in district in volleyball and a playoff berth; a similar season in softball, second and into the playoffs; 25 wins, a district title and a first-round playoff win in boys basketball; Christian Hall represented Overton in the state track meet; Mason Fenter reached the Texas High School Girls Powerlifting Association’s state meet in Edinburg; and the Overton football team had a second straight 10-win season, going 10-3, knocking off 2A powerhouse Mart, and into the third round of the postseason.
7-on-7 success for Kilgore
If you were busy Saturday and didn’t see our story, Kilgore navigated through the qualifier for the Texas State 7-on-7 (Football) Tournament at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium, their own stadium, and won the qualifier – Kilgore is going back to the state 7-on-7 tournament, a year after getting to its semifinals.
Kilgore beat another program in the ETBlitz.com coverage area, Sabine, 20-7; they beat Palestine, 25-0; came from behind to beat Chapel Hill, 21-19; and then beat Lindale in the finals, 14-7.
Read more about it here in Joe Hale’s story: KILGORE BACK TO STATE | Wins qualifier at R.E. St. John, punches ticket to state 7-on-7 tourney next month.
And here’s more on how 7-on-7 is played, how things are different from regular, 11-man football, and all kinds of cool stuff about the sport: IT’S BACK! | Kilgore hosts 7-on-7 state qualifier on Saturday.
The state tournament is at College Station on June 26-28. Obviously, we’ll have stories between now and then here on ETBlitz.com, and there’s another qualifier on May 24 – Sabine has enrolled in it. Only the qualifier tourney winner moves on to the state tournament.
West Rusk signings!
There’s been a lot of signings this week, as in high school students signing letters of intent with colleges. We love those days, and celebrate them.
Three West Rusk students made their college choice on Friday, and let’s recognize them now.
Marcus Castillo, who played basketball for the Raiders, is on his way to Wayland Baptist University in Plainview; he’ll be playing basketball in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
Adelaide Murphy, the Raiders’ long-distance runner that ran in both the mile and two-mile run at the UIL State Track & Field Championships, is headed to Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Okla., where she’ll continue her track career and her education.
And Adam Jaimes signed a letter of intent with Howard Payne University in Brownwood – Jaimes will continue his education and football career there, on the line.
Congratulations to all three of these former Raiders on their new paths!
Kilgore alumni tourney is June 7
Meadowbrook Golf & Event Center will be the site for the sixth annual Kilgore High School Alumni, Coaches & Teachers golf tournament.
The tournament, a four-person scramble format, is June 7. Registration is $100 per person, or $400 per team.
There are two flights: morning (7:30 a.m. sign-up, 8 a.m. start) and afternoon (12:30 p.m. registration, 1 p.m. start). Lunch is at 11:30 a.m.
There will also be a shot for a Corvette Stingray.
The awards ceremony for the tournament will wind things up at 5 p.m.
Mother’s Day special
And here it is. We were trying to find a moment that captured Mother’s Day, and we think this is it.
Tanner Watson, home from the U.S. Marines, is home, and surprises his mom, Tiffeney Kriedeman, in a restaurant in their hometown in Montana.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you, too!