HOUSTON, WE HAVE A BLOWOUT | Kilgore blows doors off of Needville; will meet Navasota in Corsicana Friday afternoon
HOUSTON – The one thing Needville needed the most, it didn’t have enough of: POINTS.
Kilgore quarterback Kayson Brooks ran for two touchdowns and passed for two others as the sixth-ranked Bulldogs started fast on the way to a 48-14 Class 4A Division I Region III area-round victory over Needville at Sheldon ISD Panther Stadium here in Houston on Friday night.
Javon Towns returned the opening kickoff 97 yards in about 13 seconds and Kilgore never looked back in securing its 10th win of the season.
The Bulldogs now must turn their attention to a third-round matchup on Friday of Thanksgiving weekend against Navasota in Corsicana at Corsicana ISD Tiger Stadium. Game time is set for 2 p.m. Kilgore will be the visitors.
The Rattlers eliminated Lindale 56-45 on Friday. In the other 9-4A Division I area game involving district opponent Pine Tree, Stafford defeated the Pirates, 14-13.
“JT’s return really set the tone for the game for us,” said Kilgore coach Clint Fuller. “Our defense played really well and forced takeaways. And, offensively we were able to establish the running game and our passing game was very efficient.”
Kilgore (10-2) totaled 387 yards compared to Needville’s 134.
Brooks was 18-of-21 passing for 176 yards and two touchdowns. Shaun Moyers was 4-for-4 for 48, giving the Bulldogs 224 passing yards to eight different receivers.
Those were Lakeyleon Graves (5-51, 1 TD), Rayshaun Williams (3-41), Jayden Sanders (3-23, 1), Takieran White (4-30), Jacory Walton (3-53), Towns (2-12), Tre’ Hutchinson (1-13) and Isaiah Watters (1-1).
Kilgore added 163 yards rushing on 29 carries. Meanwhile, Needville finished with 91 yards on 27 attempts. Williams led the Dogs’ ground game with 90 yards on 12 carries. Brooks added 52 on four attempts.
Kobie Campbell led the Blue Jays with 72 yards rushing on 16 carries. Needville quarterback Cameron Hall was 5-of-17 passing for 43 yards.
The Dogs scored on their first three possessions, building a 17-point cushion into the early moments of the second quarter. Leading 7-0, outside linebacker Jamarian Duncan-Morgan came away with the first of his two fumble recoveries, setting up a five-play, 55-yard scoring march with Isaiah Watters doing the honors on a 22-yard run.
A Jackson Tucker-Phillips sack of the Needville quarterback for minus-six yards, followed by a 10-yard Blue Jays’ punt gave the Ragin’ Red good field position for a nine-play, 47-yard drive which stalled, bringing on Eddie Jiminez to boot a 31-yard field goal, extending Kilgore’s lead to 17 with 11:04 remaining in the second period.
Needville’s Ja’Markus Jack got the Blue Jays on the scoreboard for the first time with a 75-yard return of a 31-yard Jiminez punt with 6:52 left until halftime.
Kilgore’s ensuing possession started at its own 35 and took eight plays and 62 yards. The big plays, along the way, were a 9-yard Williams run, an 18-yard Brooks completion to Williams followed by a 24-yard Williams run. On a third-and-3 from the nine-yard line Brooks opted to run it in for his third rushing touchdown of the season.
The ‘Dogs forced a turnover and turned it into points (8 plays and 52 yards later) with Brooks completing a 5-yard scoring pass to Jayden Sanders with just four seconds remaining in the half.
In the third quarter, Duncan-Morgan came away with his second fumble recovery of the contest, leading to Brooks’ second rushing touchdown of the game, a 15-yard sprint with 9:22left in the third period. Jiminez’s extra-point conversion extended Kilgore’s advantage to 38-7.
Dre’ Sanders team-leading fifth interception of the season led to Kilgore’s sixth TD of the game as Brooks went to Lakeyleon Graves for 24-yards. Graves defied the Needville coverage, coming away with an acrobatic reception in the end zone to give the Dogs a 38-point lead (45-7) with 4:29 remaining in the third quarter.
Kilgore added on, once more, this time following a Jayden Sanders pick of Hall at the Bulldogs’ 33 yard line.
Moyers came on to complete 4-of-4 passes, three of those in this drive which stalled at the Blue Jays’ 17 yard line. Jiminez booted his second field goal of the game, this one a 35 yarder,to wrap up the scoring for Kilgore.
Needville put together its best drive of the night (10-plays, 68-yards) with Hall completing an 8-yard scoring toss to Kade Ramirez with 6:20 left to play for the touchdown and its season.
