BULLDOGS BITE WHITEHOUSE | It wasn’t a beauty contest, but it’s not supposed to be: KHS wins home debut, 27-7
A win is a win, no matter how it looks at any particular time.
The fifth-ranked Kilgore High School Bulldogs scored 27 unanswered points to overcome not only an ugly start, but the Whitehouse Wildcats 27-7, in their home opener on Friday night at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium.
“It was a rather rough start, but we were able to get the win and that’s what matters,” said Kilgore coach Clint Fuller, following the contest. “We made some mistakes that hurt us and we need to fix some things and play better if we hope to reach our goals.”
The Bulldogs improved to 2-0 with a game next week at Gilmer against the defending Class 4A Division II state champion Gilmer Buckeyes, which lost to Chapel Hill 33-29 on Friday night. Whitehouse (1-1) returns home to face the same unbeaten, state-ranked Chapel Hill (2-0).
Kilgore quarterback Kayson Brooks threw scoring passes to Isaiah Watters and Jayden Sanders, and Eddie Jiminez booted field goals of 33- and 22-yards for the Ragin’ Red.
The Kilgore defense put together another solid, coming away with four interceptions for the second time in as many games this season – eight total picks this year for Kilgore’s mighty defense. Ja’Kalen Sheffield got it going with a 60-yard return of a Jackson Gary pass. The pick was the junior’s second of the season and led to Jiminez’s 33-yard field goal with 3:30 left until halftime to give Kilgore its first lead (10-7) of the evening.
Joining Sheffield with interceptions were Jacory Walton, off a Lakeyleon Graves tip, Jamarian Duncan and Javon Towns.
Kilgore’s Jackson Tucker-Phillips and Cam Christian were continually applying pressure to starting Whitehouse quarterback Tyler LaCombe and his backup Jackson Gary. Each had two sacks in the first half. LaCombe was the first of three quarterbacks to play for the 7-5A Division II Wildcats against the Bulldogs. Gary and Jojo Adams also took snaps for the Wildcats.
Kilgore finished with 251 yards of total offense, compared to 83 for Whitehouse. Led by Rayshaun Williams’ 74 rushing yards on 17 carries for one touchdown and David McGowan’s 25 yards on three carries late in the game, Kilgore tallied 92 yards on 31 carries.
Carter McLaughlin led the visitors’ rushing with 38 yards on three carries and Adams added 37 yards on eight carries to pace Whitehouse, which gained 81 yards on 28 carries.
Brooks was 16-of-25 passing for 159 yards and two touchdowns. The three Whitehouse quarterbacks (Tyler LaCombe, Jackson Gary and Jojo Adams) were a combined 4-of-12 for two yards and four interceptions.
Brooks threw to eight different receivers. Jayden Sanders led the way with four catches for 70 yards. Others were Watters (2-44), Walton (2-4), Towns (3-5), Lakeyleon Graves (1-15), Williams (1-1), and Takieran White (3-20).
The first quarter was one to forget for both teams. The motion picture industry is still trying to decide how to rate it. And, if coaches let their team see the video they should attach the disclaimer something you as players never want to do again.
The visiting Wildcats had 15 yards total offense at the half, while Kilgore managed 133. The Ragin’ Red were nine for minus 21 yards rushing, though.
Brooks was 12-of-16 for 154 yards with a scoring passes of 38 yards to Watters and 28-yards to Michigan commit Jayden Sanders with just 1:28 to play until halftime, making the Kilgore’s stats look somewhat respectable.
Whitehouse scored on its second possession of the contest on a LaCombe three-yard completion to Adams with 6:01 left in the first quarter. Kip Ashton converted the extra point and the Wildcats led 7-0 and maintained the lead through the first quarter.
The Wildcats capitalized on the first of two blocked punts by safety Julius Simms, a TCU commit, and recovery by sophomore Kadavion Pickens at the Kilgore three yard line. It took the ‘Cats three plays to get three yards against the Ragin’ Red defense.
The momentum shifted, though, when the Bulldogs took possession of the football with 11:05 remaining in second period. Kilgore then put a four-play, 66-yard march together, leading to Brooks’ second scoring toss of the season, this one to Watters. Jiminez converted the first of his three extra points to knot the score at 7-all with 9:36 left in the second period.
Duncan’s first interception of the season was the third of the contest for Kilgore, coming with 4:48 remaining in the third quarter with the Bulldogs leading 17-7.
Williams gained all 37 yards with carries of 14-, two-, three- and the final 20-yards for the touchdown as the Ragin’ Red stretched its lead to 17, 24-7.
Towns, who led the team in interceptions with eight a year ago, got his first of this season with 5:02 remaining to play in the fourth quarter. It led to Jiminez’s second field goal (22 yards) of the night, which wrapped up the scoring.
The highlight of the six-play scoring march were carries of six-, 17- and two-yards by David McGowan.