PHENOMENAL FIVE | Kilgore’s Sanders & Christian, White Oak’s Ludlow, Overton’s Edwards & Oates all named to Super Elite Teams
Football is over, but man, are the awards still being handed out.
Here at ETBlitz.com, we just announced our 2024 All-ETBlitz.com Football Team (HERE IT IS | The 2024 All-ETBlitz.com Football Team!) last weekend; the area newspapers are doling out their own awards; and the annual Blue Bell / Texas Sports Writers Association All-State Awards are still to come.
But we’ve also got a few players from the ETBlitz coverage area that have made the Dick’s Sporting Goods / Texas High School Coaches Association’s Super Elite Teams.
What is this, exactly?
Well, from the Texas High School Coaches’ Association’s own website, this description:
“The THSCA Super Elite Teams consists of high school players nominated by current professional members of the Texas High School Coaches Association. The player must meet the THSCA award criteria to be nominated. The award recognizes student athletes across the state of Texas for their exemplary athletic achievement in their respective sport.
“Each nomination will go to the S.E.T. (Super Elite Teams) Committee to determine the finalists who have made the Super Elite team in each classification. Super Elite teams will be honored after the state championships have been announced. This award will begin in the Fall of the 2022-23 school year.”
The criteria for nominees, also according to the site: that players be of good moral character; that this is for varsity athletes only; that they’re a member in good standing of their team at the time of nomination, and that they have excelled as an elite member in their sport.
Super Elite Teams are also announced in volleyball, in boys and girls cross country, and believe it or not, water polo.
Earning their spots on these teams from schools in the ETBlitz area are Overton wide receiver Jayden Edwards and offensive lineman Eathen Oates, as a part of the 2A team; White Oak’s Jaxsen Ludlow as a special teams standout for the 3A team; and Kilgore defensive lineman Cameron Christian and defensive back Jayden Sanders on the 4A team.
Sanders, of course, also made the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football’s 2024 Whataburger Super Team. He’s a University of Michigan signee, and really, honestly, probably could have made both as a wide receiver, as well.
On defense this year for coach Clint Fuller’s Kilgore Bulldogs, Sanders finished with 46 tackles, three interceptions, 14 pass break-ups.
His teammate, Christian, had 106 tackles, 49 solo, 11 for loss, seven sacks for arguably the best defense in the state, at least at the Class 4A, Division I level. Kilgore won District 9-4A, Division I, and ran roughshod through the playoffs all the way to the 4A-DI title game, losing there to Celina.
Edwards and Oates suited up for coach Scotty Laymance’s Overton Mustangs, with a second straight season of 10 wins. This year, they had a couple of nail-biters: an overtime win in Mount Enterprise (that was the ETBlitz.com game of the year, as a part of that All-ETBlitz Football Team above), and a second-round playoff win over multi-time state champion and state finalist Mart.
Edwards, a receiver and a very decorated one (a Built Ford Tough Player of the Week and a Whataburger / ETBlitz.com Player of the Week), finished 2024 and his final season at Overton having made 80 catches for 1,501 yards, 22 touchdowns, and averaged 18.8 yards per catch.
As a part of an excellent offensive line, Oates helped the Mustangs roll up 3,429 passing yards (with the great Bryce Still at quarterback), 42 passing touchdowns, and 1,917 rushing yards and 33 rushing touchdowns.
And Ludlow, the son of White Oak head football coach Michael Ludlow, was named as a punter to the 3A team, although he might have very well made it as a quarterback. His punting numbers for the Roughnecks: 24 punts, a 38.6-per-kick average; a long of 54 yards this season; and he landed seven inside the opponents’ 20-yard-line.
Congratulations to all five of these young men from the ETBlitz.com area that earned this achievement, and if you’d like to see all of the Texas High School Coaches Association’s Super Elite Teams, here’s the link: 2024-25-Football-SET.
The football team Kilgore was incredible, but we have a Ladydog soccer team with one district game away from zero goals allowed in first round of district play. Currently 6-0 in district, 31 goals made and 0 allowed. Senior night on Monday.