KHS-LA VERNIA! | Here’s how things unfolded, in Kilgore’s 38-13 win Friday night

EDITOR’S NOTE: These were the real-time happenings as reported by ETB editor / publisher Mitch Lucas Friday night when Kilgore (12-2) took on La Vernia (11-3) at Randall Reed Stadium in New Caney. Kilgore won, 38-13, and will mee Celina (15-0) in the UIL Class 4A Division I state championship next Friday at 3 p.m. at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

National Anthem is being performed, and we’re almost set to go.
We’re not working with stone knives and bearskins, but the WiFi and cell service here is kind of whacko. I’m not even sure you’re able to read this. And Facebook — it’s not much of a go, either. If you can read this, drop me a comment below.
Good ol’ La Vernia won the toss and elected to receive. I was told before the game that the Bears upset Austin LBJ by keeping the ball like the entire game. I’m assuming that’s their strategy tonight against Kilgore.
Not much of a return. They’re spotting La Vernia at its own 20-yard-line to start the game.
It is a constant yucky mist outside, by the way, swirling in the air over the stadium.
Sean Garza gets the call on first down, a run, and lost 4 yards. It’s second and 14.
Garza again on second down for a gain of 2. We’re in third and 12 at the 18.

Quarterback Keegan Hajek tries his luck running the ball: no gain. Lakeyleon Graves stops him at the 20 and La Vernia is punting.
OH NO, THEY’RE NOT. The ball gets over the punter’s head, and Kilgore is all over him. Bi’Syn Williams wrapped it up. It’s Kilgore’s ball at the La Vernia 8-yard-line.
Isaiah Watters handed the ball on first down, but the Bears wrap him up — no gain.
Quarterback Kayson Brooks gets 3, to the 5, and third and goal is coming up.
Brooks is corralled, but gets free, rolls out and it’s incomplete to Lakeyleon Graves.
Eddie Jiminez puts Kilgore in front with a 22-yard field goal. It’s 3-0 Kilgore, 8:39 left in the first quarter.
Garza and Aden Hajek are back to return the kickoff by Kilgore’s Ethan Reyes. Hajek takes it back 56 yards to Kilgore’s 42.
It’s a false start penalty on La Vernia on first down. They’ll move back to the KHS 47, and they’re in first and 15.
Garza trips, and he’s back at the line of scrimmage. Second and 15.
The Bears are here — like, the mascots are up in the stands in front of the press box.
Ty Carter picks up 1 yard. It’s third and 14.
Keegan Hajek fields the high snap, but he can’t get away from Lakeyleon, a sack, a loss all the way back to La Vernia’s 47. It’s fourth and 21, and the punt went out of bounds. Kilgore takes over at its own 30 with 6:40 left in the first.
Graves catches a pass, but lost a yard. It’s second and 11.
Brooks passes out in the flat to Watters out of the backfield; he toughs it out for 6 yards. We’re in third and 4.
Brooks and Jayden Sanders can’t connect. This mist may be affecting the grip on the ball. It’s incomplete, and we’re in fourth and 4 from the KHS 36.
No return on the punt, and La Vernia has a first down at its own 33, with 5:06 left.
Again, Garza gets nothing on a first-down run.
A second-down pass is incomplete to J.L. Smith, and we’re already in third down, with 4:19 left in the first.
Third and 10 is a no-go for the Bears. The quarterback, Keegan Hajek (there are two Hajeks: Keegan and Aden), gets only 3.
The punt is out of bounds and Kilgore has possession at the 50. The officials are a bit wobbly on spotting the ball.
Kilgore starts at midfield with 3:30 in the first. A pass from Brooks to Javon Towns picks up 2 yards to the LV 48-yard-line.
Graves grabs a pass and takes it down his own sideline. He’s ruled out at the 29, a 19-yard gain and obviously a first down, Kilgore.
Brooks is incomplete on second down, but on third and 10, he takes it himself — down the Kilgore sideline and all the way into the end zone, a 29-yard TOUCHDOWN, KILGORE! Jiminez adds the extra point and Kilgore’s Ragin’ Red leads, 10-0, with 2:26 left in the first quarter, a five-play, 50-yard drive.

Really dealing with the Wi-Fi winking in and out, guys. Doing the best we can up here.
La Vernia gets a mess of a return, not good, and they’ll begin their own 20.
Garza breaks free on first down for a 16-yard run, a first down at their own 31.
La’Perrion Graves wraps him up right at the line of scrimmage, though, on first down, for no gain.
On second down, another Garza carry, another no-gainer.
Hajek tries to hit Logan Maytum on a pass down the LV sideline, around midfield, but he can’t hang on to it. It’s incomplete. It’s fourth and 10 at the 31.
Punter Luke Green kicks for just 22 yards. Kilgore begins at its own 47, with 34 seconds left in the quarter, leading 10-0.
That’s the last play of the quarter. It’ll be second and 10 when we come back, Kilgore up 10-0.
Brooks finds Sanders for about 2 yards to the 48, for just 1. La Vernia is swarming to the ball pretty well defensively.
Brooks on third down picks up 18 on a pass to Rayshaun Williams. They’ve got first down at the LV 34.
Williams runs for 2 to the 32.
It’s second and 8.
Pass hits Javon Towns, but it’s incomplete. Third and 8, still at the 32.
Brooks rolls out to his left, but only gets 2. It’s fourth and 6 at the 30.
Kilgore goes for it, and boy, do they get it — Lakeyleon Graves makes the grab at the 25, gets the first down, puts on a great spin move, and bolts into the end zone for a 32-yard TOUCHDOWN, KILGORE! Jiminez’s extra point is right down the middle, even in the mist, and the Bulldogs are in front, 17-0! There’s 10:16 left in the half, by the way.
Trying to update Facebook with scores. It is not working. It’s rough up here.
La Vernia takes over at the kickoff, after Bi’Syn Williams flattened the returner, at its own 28.
Ty Carter gets 2 on first down for the Bears to the 30.
Hajek fakes a handoff to Carter and gets 5, to the 35. It’s third and 3 at the 35.
Hajek runs, looked like he wanted to pitch it to Carter, but kept it, and gets nothing. It’s fourth and 3 at the 35.
FAKE PUNT right after I called it. Green, the punter, throws to Aden Hajek and he’s almost gone. He’s all the way to Kilgore’s 34, with 8:14 left in the half, a 31-yard pass on a fake punt play.
On first down, Garza meets Cam Christian, and it doesn’t go Garza’s way. He gets nothing. It’s second and 10.
Garza gets a few this time, to maybe the 32. It’s third and 8 there.
Keegan Hajek tries to run it himself, but he can’t turn the corner. Lakeyleon Graves runs him out of bounds, and he actually lost 2 yards. It’s fourth and 10 at the 34. They go for it, and the pass is incomplete at the 15 to Maytum.
Kilgore takes over at the 34, but Williams is stopped for no gain on first down.

A pass to Walton is complete, but for just 2, to the 37. Kilgore’s own 37.
La Vernia linebacker Remington Rohde was all KINDS of offsides, but hit Brooks and maybe forced an incompletion on third down. The punt by Kilgore’s Jiminez forced La Vernia back to its own 21, a 42-yard punt, no return. La Vernia takes over there with 5 1/2 minutes left in the half.
Garza starts the drive with a 6-yard gain to the 27.
Garza takes the hand-off and falls flat of his face at the 26, a loss of a yard.
Carter gets to the 34 for 8 yards and a Bears first down.
Carter to the LV 44 for 10 more yards and a first down. 3:38 and counting down in the half.
La’Perrion shows up again and stops Carter for a gain of 1 to the 45.
Here’s Garza again, and he’s got a first down at Kilgore’s 42-yard-line, a 13-yard run. Under three minutes now, 2:35 left in the half.
Kilgore takes a time out with 2:32 left, and LV with a first down at the Bulldogs’ 42. Kilgore leads 17-0.
After a no-gainer by Garza, he tries again on second and 10, and he’s down at the 34 for 8.
Garza fights for 2 yards, and gets 1: they have fourth and 1 at Kilgore’s 33.
Rather than try up the middle, Hajek goes to his right, and is out of bounds at the 22, with 47 seconds left.
On first down, Carter to the 8 for about 15 yards and a first-and-goal.
There’s a time out Kilgore, with 32 seconds left, and Bulldogs up 17-0.
Hajek to the 2. It’s second-and-goal, time out LV, 25 seconds left.
Hajek tries his luck on a QB keeper, but he’s down right at the goal line, no score, not yet, at least. LV takes a time out with 19 seconds left in the half.
He’s in, meaning Hajek, on third-and-goal, a 1-yard touchdown Bears. The extra point is good, and with 10 seconds left, La Vernia trails 17-7.
It’s a pop-up kickoff — you know, because let’s try and trick people — and Kilgore fields it with no time off the clock (????) at the 32.
Kilgore kneels it and runs out the final 10 seconds of the half. HALFTIME IN NEW CANEY, and it’s 17-7 Kilgore.
By the way, it’s 31-10 Carthage over Brock at halftime at McKinney ISD Stadium.
Observations: Kilgore went up 17-0, but stubbed its toe a few times on offense since, and La Vernia, who couldn’t do much early, kept Kilgore’s defense on the field for a lot of that second quarter. Still, the Bulldogs are up by 10, and get the ball to start the second half.

Just thirteen minutes until the third quarter starts.
Kilgore has only 36 yards rushing at the half.
Brooks 8-of-14 for 79 yards.
Lakeyleon Graves has three catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.
Kilgore has four first downs, La Vernia, seven.
Carter, Hajek and Garza have combined for 87 rushing yards for the Bears.
The punter, Luke Green, has all of the Bears’ passing yards — 31, all on the fake punt. Hajek, the starting QB, is 0-of-3 so far tonight.
Kilgore ran 23 plays on offense; La Vernia ran 36.
The teams are coming back out onto the field. There’s 3 minutes and counting until the second half starts.
La Vernia tries a funky onside kick, but Jamarian Duncan Morgan grabs it, and returns it 10 yards to La Vernia’s 43-yard-line.
Brooks’ throw goes out of bounds, and the idiot LV fans want intentional grounding even though there was a receiver there.
We have our second flag of the game. It’s an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Kilgore. It’s now third and 25 at Kilgore’s own 42. The Bulldogs need La Vernia’s 33 for a first down.
Graves makes a catch and gets it back to the KHS 48, for 6 yards. Kilgore is punting.
It’s a fair catch at the 22, where LV takes over with 10:59 left in the third quarter, just 1:01 ran off the clock.
Garza runs it for 3, and then loses a yard on second down. It’s third and 7 at La Vernia’s own 25.
Ball-carrier is wrapped up immediately, and then La Vernia punts. It’s an awful punt, 13 yards, and Kilgore takes over at the LV 43.
Brooks goes downfield immediately, and it’s incomplete at the goal like to Lakeyleon Graves.
Williams takes the handoff on second down and gets 3, but Graves tips the ball on a pass to him on third down, and it’s incomplete. Kilgore is in fourth and 7 at the 34. LV linebacker Rohde jumps offsides — immediately starts pointing to Kilgore’s offensive line — and then is called for the offsides, a 5-yard penalty giving KHS a new set of downs.
Williams makes a catch for a first down to the 23, and then on first down, he pitches it out to Williams, and he gets 10, another first down.

Brooks tries to go long to Jayden Sanders in the end zone; it’s a little high and he can’t get it. It’s incomplete, and Kilgore is at the LV 9 with a third and 6.
Watters doesn’t get the first down, and Kilgore is in fourth and 5 at the LV 8. Jiminez is coming on to attempt a 25-yard field goal.
Snap is awry, and holder Brayden Williams can’t get it. He gets up and tries to run, and winds up throwing it away. Officials flag him for intentional grounding, and LV takes over at its own 25, with 6:24 left. The score remains 17-7, Kilgore.
Hajek tries to go long; he doesn’t have the arm for this. It falls well short of the intended receiver. He’s 0-of-4 in the game.
It’s third and 9 at the 26, and the snap is bobbled. Hajek manages to get control of it and hand it to Garza, who only gets a yard after all that.
The punter, this time Vincent Capparelli, punts for just 13 yards. Kilgore gets it back with 5:06 left in the third quarter at the LV 40. The Bulldogs lead LV, 17-7.
Javon “JT” Towns catches a pass out in the flat, and picks up 21, all the way to the LV 19.
Jacory Walton makes a catch for 10 to the LV 9, for first and goal.
Watters gets 5 to the 4-yard-line.
Watters takes the handoff — TOUCHDOWN, KILGORE, a 4-yard run, with 3:56 left in the third. Jiminez hits the point after, and Kilgore’s lead is now 24-7.
The kickoff is a touchback. LV will take over at its own 25, with still 3:56 left in the third quarter.
Hajek, the quarterback, runs for his life to Kilgore’s sideline and gets 10, a first down to the 35.
He keeps it again and gets a yard on first down, then hands to Garza, who promptly loses a yard.
It’s third and 10 at the 35.
He looks to throw, tries to get away, but can’t — Dre’ Sanders tosses him down for an 8-yard loss.
It’s fourth down and 19, and the punt is better. Much better. It’s a 49-yarder. Kilgore will take over after a HUGE roll back at its own 24, with 1:43 left in the third quarter.
Graves makes a catch on first down for 7, up to the 31. Then on second and 3, Brooks hits Walton out to his left, for a 4-yard gain and a new set of downs at the Bulldogs’ own 35.
Towns makes a grab for 6 yards and that ends the third quarter. Kilgore leads La Vernia, 24-7.

From the “you knew it was coming sooner or later” department, Brooks goes long to Sanders, who is running all by himself, a 59-yard catch and run for a TOUCHDOWN, KILGORE! The point after is good again by Jiminez, and this one may be out of reach. It’s 31-7 Kilgore, with still 11:51 left in the game.
The Bears are back at their own 31, and Garza is hit immediately by Christian, a loss of 2.
LV at its own 29, and Ty Carter gets a run and is stopped at the 36, for 7 yards.
Carter picks up the first down (barely) and then 4 yards after that — LV is on its own 45, with 9:52 left in the game.
Hajek keeps it and runs for 25 yards, to Kilgore’s 30.
Picking back up, it’s second and 9 at the 17, with eight minutes left in the game.
They’ve ran it down to Kilgore’s 6, and it’s second down.
It’s a 6-yard touchdown for LV, the quarterback Hajek, and with 6:49 left, they’ll go for two. They fail, and it’s 31-13 Kilgore.
The onside kick fails and Kilgore has it at its own 48. Towns gets the ball, and he’s out of bounds at the LV 37, for 15 yards.
Walton makes a catch for 4 yards, to the 33.
WiFi in and out. We’re back and there’s 4:40 left in the game, with Kilgore in a third and 7 at the LV 23.
There was a 23-yard touchdown pass to Sanders from Brooks, but it’s called back, a chop-block foul, and the touchdown won’t count. It’s third and 22 at the LV 39.
Walton caught it and got a big chunk of it back, but it’s fourth and 11 at the LV 27.
Brooks went long to Lakeyleon in the end zone, but it’s incomplete. LV will take over on downs at its own 27, with 3:36 left in the game.
Hajek fakes a handoff, tries to escape Kilgore’s defensive front and fumbles. A teammate recovers, but for an 8-yard loss.
On second and 18, it’s an incomplete pass downfield. and on third and 18 from the 19-yard-line, he goes long, and there’s no one near the ball.
On fourth down, it’s INTERCEPTED, Ja’Kalen Sheffield, his team-leading seventh pick of the season. He returns it 45 yards to LV’s 5!

Watters gets 2 yards to the 3-yard-line, and there’s 2:16 and counting left in this game — just over two minutes until Kilgore qualifies for the 4A-DI state title game.
TOUCHDOWN, KILGORE, a 3-YARD TOUCHDOWN run by Isaiah Watters! Jiminez hits the extra point, Kilgore leads 38-13, and the celebration is about to be on here in New Caney!!!!!
LV takes over after the kickoff at its own 26, with 1:43 left!
Hajek is tackled by K’Winn Reese after a 5-yard gain.
After yet another tackle by La’Perrion Graves, LV is in third down, and Garza gets to the 46 and is tackled there by Jackson Tucker Phillips with a first down.
But there’s 18 seconds left and counting…
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2-1… KILGORE, YOUR BULLDOGS ARE GOING TO THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! Kilgore wins, 38-13! Kilgore is 13-2, and will face either Celina or West Plains on Friday at 3 p.m., at AT&T Stadium!
We’ll have all kinds of things later, including a story by Joe Hale, video by Jacob Lucas, and all SORTS of things this coming week! Congratulations to the Ragin’ Red, Coach Clint Fuller, his staff and all of the KILGORE BULLDOGS and their fans!

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