LET’S TALK BULLDOG FOOTBALL! | Kilgore-Needville preview, with ticket links, numbers, and what you need to get you ready for Friday

About 241 driving miles separate Kilgore and Needville on the map.

Despite that, there’s a bit of familiarity between Kilgore’s Bulldogs and Needville’s Blue Jays, who meet in the University Interscholastic League Class 4A, Division I football playoffs, for the second time in almost a year on Friday night in Houston.

They meet in a 4A-DI area (second) round playoff game at C.E. King’s Sheldon ISD Panther Stadium. Game time is 7 p.m.  

Kilgore ISD is releasing at 1 p.m. Friday for Thanksgiving holidays, and will be out all week next week.

Anyone planning to go, here’s the address of the stadium:

Sheldon ISD Panther Stadium, at C.E. King High School, 11433C East Sam Houston Parkway North, Houston, TX, 77044.

Kilgore is the visitor. Tickets are $8 for adults, and $5 for students. Cash can be used for tickets at the gate, but all tickets at the gate are $10. To order tickets online, go to Kilgore (Visitors) vs Needville (Home) | SHELDON ISD Box Office.

Hear the Ragin’ Red Broadcasting team call the game live on KDOK 105.3-FM, or hear the streaming broadcast here: Ragin’ Red Broadcasting / KDOK / Kilgore-Needville.

At the time this story is being put on the site, we’re not sure about video stream of the game. Here is the Kilgore Bulldog Media YouTube Channel, just in case: The Bulldog Media Network – YouTube. If ETBlitz.com has an update on this, it’ll be right here.

Also, there will be a community send-off from the Mitchell Field House on campus at 12:30 p.m.

Now, to the game.

The two teams, in fact, played 51 weeks ago in the regional semifinals at Randall Reed Stadium, with Kilgore winning 35-14, improving to 12-1.

Somewhat surprisingly, or not, Kilgore’s backup quarterback at the time, Kayson Brooks, came in to see his most significant action until that time.  He stepped in and stepped up in a big way, much like he has this year during 7-on-7 competition in the spring and now 11 weeks into the regular season.

When they met last year, Needville was 10-2. This time they’re 7-4, finishing as the district runner-up to Stafford, also 7-4 and 4-1 respectively.

The other three of the 9-4A Division I playoff teams – Pine Tree, Chapel Hill and Lindale – are all in action Friday night, as well.

Chapel Hill (8-3) meets unbeaten Houston Worthy (11-0) at 7 p.m., Thursday at Turner Stadium in Humble. Lindale (6-5) plays Navasota (6-5) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Panther Stadium in Waco, and Pine Tree (10-1) faces Stafford at 7:30 p.m. also on Friday at Bruce Field in Athens.

At one point, the Blue Jays were 2-3 before winning four district games in a row before falling to Stafford 17-10 in the final week of the regular season. Needville comes into the second-round of the playoffs, averaging 32.2 points per game and allowing 27.1.

Against Furr last week, running back Jamarkus Jack gained 98 yards and scored four touchdowns and Kobie Campbell added 84 rushing yards and two touchdowns, besides picking up 69 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Sophomore quarterback Cameron Hall is 74 of 125 passing for 1,347 yards and 16 touchdowns with four interceptions, besides rushing for 302 yards.

Campbell, another sophomore, leads the Jays’ rushing for 1,264 yards (209 carries) and 16 touchdowns. He’s followed by Jack, a senior, (97 carries for 753 yards, 12 touchdowns) and Hall (89 carries, 302 yards, and a score). The leading receivers are Braydon Gilliam (13 catches, 393 yards, five touchdowns), Jack (25 catches for 365 yards, and also has five touchdowns), and Kade Ramirez (20 catches for 308 yards and two touchdowns).

Kilgore’s defense is allowing just 8.2 points per game. It is led by inside linebacker La’Perrion Graves (100 tackles, seven for loss, two sacks, and a fumble recovery); free safety Jakalen Sheffield (92 tackles, one for loss and two interceptions), outside linebacker and current Whataburger / ETBlitz.com Player of the Week Lakeyleon Graves (87 tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks and three interceptions), and defensive end Wylie Mitchell (70 tackles, eight for loss and three sacks).

A defense that has 17 interceptions added as many fumble recoveries last week as they had in the entire regular season (five) to give them 10 fumble recoveries in 2024. Ballhawk cornerback Dre’ Sanders leads the way in both interceptions (four) and fumble recoveries (three).

Early in the season, Kilgore averaged only 24.5 points a game, but that changed rather dramatically after a three-point loss to Henderson on Oct. 4. In five games since, the Bulldogs are averaging 50 points a game, and scored a season-high 66 last week against Vidor.

The job of slowing the Ragin’ Red falls to a Blue Jays defense anchored by free safety Colton Butler, middle linebacker Diego Hernandez, and defensive back Kase Vacek, who leads the Jays  with three interceptions. With 97 tackles, Butler also has seven for loss, and a sack, while Hernandez has 90 tackles, including 15 for loss and four sacks.

Brooks, the Kilgore quarterback who came on to complete 7-of-8 passes for 103 yards, a touchdown and an interception against Needville last year. Thus far this season, he’s completed 152-of-232 passes for 2,444 yards, 30 touchdowns and just six picks.

The top receivers have been Jayden Sanders (43 for 726 yards), Javon Towns (31 for 518 yards), running back Rayshaun Williams out of the backfield (25 for 284 yards) and Lakeyleon Graves (24 for 620), and they’ve combined for 27 touchdowns.

Brooks has five receivers with 15 or more receptions, and has thrown to as many as 13 different teammates.

Williams is the leading rusher with 775 yards on 154 carries and six touchdowns.

Kilgore has outscored 11 opponents 398-151 and is an outstanding 29-of-32 in the Red Zone, scoring 23 touchdowns and getting six field goals by kicker Eddie Jiminez, who has eight for the season.

The winner between Kilgore and Needville advances to meet either Lindale (6-5) or Navasota (6-5) next week in the third round.