KILGORE STATE SOCCER PREVIEW | The Bulldogs open the state tourney vs. Boerne Wed. at 4 p.m.; send-off today at 2:45
For the first time in seven years – although somehow it doesn’t seem that long, probably because of the frequency in which they’ve gone – the Kilgore High School Bulldogs are back in the University Interscholastic League’s State Soccer Tournament.
There will be a send-off for the team at 2:45 p.m. today (Tuesday); they’re leaving from the soccer locker room area by the Mitchell Field House.
The Bulldogs are in Class 4A, and will make their fifth state soccer tournament appearance, this time set to play two-time state champion Boerne in the first of two 4A boys semifinals on Wednesday, at a site familiar to Kilgore soccer fans: Georgetown ISD’s Birkelbach Stadium.
The Kilgore-Boerne game begins at 4 p.m., and it’ll be followed by Navasota taking on San Elizario.
Winners of the two games will play in the 4A state championship game on Friday at 2:30 p.m., also at Birkelbach.
Other games are being played Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from the 4A (girls), 5A and 6A classifications.
Single-game tickets are $15 each, and there is a $30 all-tournament pass available for purchase that admits its owner to every game of the tournament.
All ticket sales are online – none are sold on site at the gate. Tickets can be purchased here: Athletics / Hosted Event Tickets (georgetownisd.org).
Parking is the opposite; it’s not available online. Parking is $5 per car and is cash only.
To see the UIL’s state tournament site yourself, go here: Soccer State Tournament — University Interscholastic League.
For anyone who can’t make the trip but would like to watch, there may be other video streaming options, but the one recommended by the UIL on its state soccer website page is the NFHS Network, www.nfhsnetwork.com.
Now, it’s not free. A month’s subscription is typically $12, but you can cancel after one payment. And hey, it is the state tournament, right?
The NFHS Network (which did have some issues during the regional tournament in Tyler last weekend, to be fair) is available on apps on mobile devices and on apps for smart TVs.
Kilgore is back for state tournament No. 5 – the other seasons were 2011, 2015, 2016, and 2017, that last one a state championship for the Bulldogs under coach Austin Walker.
Now KHS is led by first-year head coach Hector Peralez Jr., himself a former Bulldog, has won 25 games, lost just two, and tied two in this 2024 season. Kilgore had won 20 regular season games, including the District 15-4A Championship (for a just unreal 16th season), and then won five playoff games.
So far this season, Kilgore has outscored opponents 119-19 (that includes the playoffs – just 17 goals scored against the Bulldogs all year). They went 14-0-1 at home, 7-2-1 on the road, and are 4-0 in true neutral-site games this season.
The first two postseason wins – Lufkin Hudson (3-0 Kilgore) and Lindale (3-2 Kilgore) – were played and won at Kilgore’s own stadium, R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium. And Lindale, to be fair, gave the Bulldogs all they wanted, even tying the game before Kilgore broke that tie and went on to win the second-round contest.
A third-round soccer war, let’s just call it what it was, against Jacksonville was next, played on the Henderson ISD Lions Stadium turf. Jacksonville, who had been ranked No. 1 in the state, simply could not score, and Kilgore did: a single, solitary goal, scored by Adan Reyes, and a defensive effort for the ages, led by goalkeeper Chris Martinez, lifted the ‘Dogs to the 1-0 win.
That sent them to the UIL 4A Region II Tournament at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium, where they faced a Wilmer-Hutchins team that Kilgore overwhelmed, 2-0, both goals scored by Enrique Salazar.
And in the regional final on Saturday morning, Kilgore lined up against a tough Panther Creek team, a Frisco-area team that did what few thought they could: knock always-tough Palestine from the playoffs. But they did it, in the regional semifinal, and played well against Kilgore.
But a pair of Kilgore’s heralded seniors – Leo Yzaguirre and Reyes – scored a goal each, Martinez shined again, and Kilgore had another 2-0 victory. That one, fittingly, was the 100th victory of which the current seniors have been a part.
So, to recap: Kilgore gave up only two goals in all of its playoff run, outscoring opponents 11-0 this postseason.
Peralez’s story is this: he was a multi-sport athlete at KHS, a Kilgore boy, played soccer, football and basketball. His wife: Hi-Stepper Director Laycen (Watson) Peralez, also in her first season.
Peralez left Kilgore, earned his degree at the University of Texas, and returned home, coaching as a soccer and football assistant, assisting longtime Kilgore coach Tom Wait. Peralez earned his keep, learning on the job, more than just a star on the field, he became a star off it: a star on the sidelines, earning the position of Wait’s successor.
And now he’s the gatekeeper of the kingdom, so to speak, one of the state’s most storied soccer powers. And he can help them add to their trophy case. If the Bulldogs can win two games in Georgetown – one on Wednesday, then the title game on Friday – then Kilgore will lay claim to the second state boys soccer championship in its history.
Peralez will have his regular assistant coach, Mason McCormack, and girls head coach Todd BonDurant, by his side during this potential title run.
But there’s opposition, of course, a team standing in the way on Wednesday, an unbeaten team.
That’d be Boerne (22-0), whose Greyhounds – purple and white are their colors, by the way – are seeking the fourth championship in program history.
Boerne is also making its fifth state tournament appearance, having been to Georgetown in 2002, 2006, 2021, and 2022. They won state titles in 2021 and 2022, plus a title back in ’06.
Boerne is coached by Michael Strong, and also has five playoff wins, of course, coming into its game against Kilgore: Largo Vista (4-0 Boerne), San Antonio Memorial (3-0), Marble Falls (3-2), Hildalgo Early College (3-2), and Progreso (1-0), outscoring the opposition 14-4.
The season is over, of course, for the Kilgore-Boerne loser.
But the winner will move on to face either San Elizario (22-3) or Navasota (23-2-1) in the state championship game at 2:30 p.m. Friday.
When it comes to that, we’ll preview that game.
Wednesday’s other games are also 4A. The two girls semifinals are the first two games on Wednesday. Celina (24-1-2) faces Lumberton (22-4) in the first girls semifinal at 11 a.m., and then Salado (31-1) faces the Boerne girls (yeah; they’re 22-1-3) at 1:30.
Kilgore and Boerne follow in the first boys semifinal at 4 p.m., and then the Navasota-San Elizario game at 6:30, the nightcap.
Thursday’s schedule has the two Class 5A girls semifinals first: Colleyville Heritage (23-0-2) vs. Pflugerville Hendrickson (21-3-2) at 9:30 a.m., and Frisco Wakeland (24-0-2) vs. Leander Rouse (20-4-3) at noon.
The 4A girls final is set for 2:30 p.m. Thursday, followed by two 5A boys semifinals. First at 5 p.m. is Leander Glenn (29-0-1) against the Wakeland boys (18-5-3), and then at 7:30, Midlothian (23-2-3) against Baytown Goose Creek Memorial (21-3-2).
Friday’s games have two girls semifinals at 9:30 and noon, before the 4A boys final. The 9:30 girls 6A semi pits Rockwall (21-3-2) against Austin Westlake (16-4-2), and the noon game has Prosper (24-2-2) taking on Katy Seven Lakes (19-3-5).
Then, the Kilgore-Boerne winner faces either San E or Navasota Friday at 2:30, and the two boys semifinal games Friday night: Seven Lakes boys (23-1-2) against Duncanville (20-2-3) at 5 p.m., and Austin Vandergrift (22-2-2) against Lewisville Flower Mound (22-2-2) at 7:30.
And Saturday’s games are the 5A and 6A finals. The 5A girls finals are at 11 a.m. Saturday, followed by the 5A boys at 1:30. The 6A girls will play Saturday at 4, and the 6A boys put a wrap on the tournament Saturday night, a start time of 6:30.
Kilgore’s roster, and student managers / trainers:
| Player Number | Name | Class | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Eddie Jimenez | So. | GK |
| 1 | Chris Martinez | Sr. | GK |
| 2 | Alex Perez | Fr. | FORW |
| 3 | Luis Serrano | So. | FORW, MF |
| 4 | Jose Vazquez | Sr. | MF |
| 5 | Johnathan Perez | Fr. | FORW, MF |
| 6 | Leandro Yzaguirre | Sr. | D, MF |
| 7 | Adan Reyes | Sr. | FORW |
| 8 | Jordy Velasquez | Fr. | MF |
| 9 | Diego Rojas | Sr. | FORW, MF |
| 10 | Jacob Contreras | Sr. | MF |
| 11 | Ruben Rodriguez | Fr. | MF |
| 12 | Javier Baide Villanueva | Fr. | D |
| 13 | Enrique Salazar | Fr. | FORW, MF |
| 14 | Christian Cedillo | Fr. | FORW, MF |
| 15 | Jobani Chavez | Sr. | D, MF |
| 16 | Chris Perez | So. | D |
| 17 | Jorge Aleman | Jr. | D |
| 18 | Gustavo Trejo | Jr. | D |
| 19 | Joseph Chavez | Sr. | D |
| 20 | Omar Lopez | Fr. | D |
| 21 | Peyton Roberts | So. | D |
| 22 | Oscar Grajales | Fr. | D |
| 25 | Jose Gonzalez | Fr. | MF |
| 33/99 | Diego Campos | Fr. | GK |
Managers, Trainers, Statisticians
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Juan Rea | Manager |
| Jovanny Cervantes | Manager |
| Yailenn Rojo | Manager |
| Anthony Garcia | Manager |
| Jaime Vazquez | Manager |
| Edgar Contreras | Manager |
| Jeff Davis | Athletic Trainer |
| Jaelie Sosa | Student Trainer |
| Brooklyn Polve | Student Trainer |
Boerne’s roster:
| Player Number | Name | Class | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | Ben Niedecken | Jr. | GK |
| 0 | Hadden Silva | So. | GK |
| 1 | Brody Bowen | So. | FORW |
| 3 | Shae Gonzales | So. | MF |
| 4 | Hudson Stevens | Jr. | D |
| 6 | Gabe Sallick | So. | MF |
| 8 | Ramzy Handal | So. | FORW |
| 10 | Justin Bain | Sr. | D |
| 12 | Jake Pearson | Sr. | D |
| 13 | Owen Kalapaca | Sr. | FORW |
| 14 | Felix Theiss | Jr. | FORW |
| 15 | Caleb Benchoff | Sr. | STRK |
| 16 | Elian Arreola | Sr. | FORW |
| 17 | Austin Vecino | Jr. | D |
| 18 | Brett Hettie | Sr. | MF |
| 19 | Aaron Vazquez | Jr. | FORW |
| 20 | Liam Griffiths | Jr. | MF |
| 21 | Hudson Vickery | Sr. | D |
| 22 | Kolton Fischer | Fr. | D |
| 23 | David Gil | Jr. | MF |
| 25 | Jarrett Ibarra | Sr. | D |
Managers, Trainers, Statisticians
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Chloe Salazar | Trainer |
| Aislynn Phillips | Trainer |
| Trenton Mays | Manager |
| Ethan Boisvert | Manager |