DE-CLAWED | Kilgore spanks Bullard to open district play
Remember the hit song from The Gap Band in the ‘80s, “You Dropped A Bomb on Me”?
Bullard can relate.
Kilgore and Bullard opened District 8-4A Division I district play here at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium, with coach Clint Fuller’s Kilgore Bulldogs getting into the win column for the first time this season – rather impressively – with a bang, 40-6.
It was homecoming and in pregame festivities, Aspen Gaudet was named the 2026 KHS homecoming queen, while Janey Hurtt was also recognized as honorary homecoming queen.
Who was king? Well, there wasn’t one, officially, but maybe it was Kilgore quarterback Braddox Johnson, who threw for 208 yards and five touchdowns, completing 15 of his 17 passing attempts.
“Braddox played well again tonight, managing the game and putting the football where it needed to be,” Fuller said after the game. “De’Andre (Thurmond) and Tyler (Johnigan) made some big plays out wide for us, and they also played well defensively.”
Elsewhere around the district on opening night, Pine Tree upended Jacksonville 42-13; Henderson topped Palestine 54-35; and Lindale spilled Chapel Hill, 66-34.
Next week, Kilgore (1-2, 1-0) visits Pine Tree (2-2, 1-0), and Bullard (1-3, 0-1) entertains Palestine (2-2, 0-1).
Thurmond had four receptions for 72 yards and four touchdowns, those covered 7, 47, 4 and 14 yards.
Johnigan joined Thurmond with a touchdown reception, that one for 60 yards. He was the leading receiver in yardage with four receptions for 108 yards.
The Bulldogs won the coin flip and deferred.
Once they got the football… look out, Bullard.
Kilgore scored on three of its first four possessions and again on its final possession of the second quarter, building a comfortable 27-0 halftime lead. The scoring drives covered 93, 77, 19 and 46 yards. The shortest of those followed an interception by inside linebacker Blade Chitwood, who came into the contest with a team-leading 16 tackles.
“Blade had a great game defensively,” Fuller continued.
The Ragin’ Red defense limited the visiting Panthers to 245 yards, 172 rushing and just 73 passing.
On offense, Maddox Wright led the Bulldogs’ rushing attack with 142 yards on 11 carries. As an offensive unit, the ‘Dogs had 255 yards rushing on 27 carries. Rayshaun Williams and Warren Royal combined for 113 yards on 16 carries. Williams had 62 and Royal, 51.
Drew Lane led Bullard’s ground game with 92 yards. Following Lane was quarterback Tucker Stainback with 64 and the Panthers lone touchdown, coming on a 4-yard quarterback keeper.
Stainback was 6-of-14 passing for 73 yards. Colton Roberts was 1-for-2 passing for no yardage with an interception. Gavin Skaggs had three catches for 12 yards. Peyton Stanley followed with 2-for-46, Gage Alderman (1-9) and Hunter Turman (1-6)
Kilgore took the third quarter kickoff and promptly marched 74 yards in three plays (1:25 off the clock). The big completion (60 yards) was from Johnson to Johnigan, who caught the football at the Bullard 25-yard-line.
The Bulldogs next possession started at their own 1 with 5:59 remaining in the third quarter. Johnson mixed his calls between the run and the pass as Kilgore manuevered the length of the field in 6:05, a very impressive 99-yard drive. The scoring play was a Johnson-to-Thurmond completion covering 14 yards and extending Kilgore’s lead to 40-0.
Bullard’s scoring drive of 13 plays covered 75 yards and took just over five minutes of time off the scoreboard clock. Lane carried the ball seven times for 48 yards with Stainback scoring on a four-yard run.
Kilgore’s Cris Smith, who also had a tackle for a loss of 5 yards in the second quarter, blocked the Panthers’ extra point attempt, leaving the final score at 40-6.
The Bulldogs took the ensuing kickoff at the 30 and drove 69 yards to the Bullard one yard line to end the game. Warren Royall carried for 54 of that and the rest came on penalty yardage against the visiting Panthers.
Joining Thurmond and Johnigan with receptions for the Bulldogs were Wright (3 for 25), Williams (1 for 3), Kashton Haynes (1 for 2), Miles Applegate (1-for-2) and Keion Sanders (1-for-minus-4).