PLAYOFF TIME | Kilgore soccer teams both host Hudson Tuesday night
The regular season behind them both, Kilgore High School’s soccer teams are ready for their annual runs in the University Interscholastic League’s Class 4A playoffs.
The aim of both, of course, is to be playing for a state championship in Georgetown in April.
For that to happen, the first step is to win their first games. And those are at home, at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium, on Tuesday night.
Both Kilgore teams will play Lufkin Hudson in the bi-district, or first round, of the 4A postseason. The Lady Bulldogs, coached by Todd BonDurant and Jason Bragg, will hit the field Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., and the Bulldogs, coached by Hector Peralez and Mason McCormack, will play Hudson right after.
Another couple of reasons to be there for the game: a halftime performance by the Kilgore High School Hi-Steppers, and a scrimmage by kids from the Kilgore Soccer Association – which helped fill out these high school teams that are so talented.
As for the teams…
“We’re pretty healthy,” Peralez said, “and ready to go. They’re excited, everybody is in good spirits.”
The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 1-0 loss at Class 5A’s Nacogdoches in what amounted to a playoff warm-up game. Kilgore’s boys are 20-2-2, and go into the postseason as the District 15-4A champions, with a 13-1 record to finish that up.
And here’s the number one thing of which Hudson should beware on Tuesday: Kilgore is 13-0-1 at home.
The Bulldogs scored 108 goals on the season so far, and in 24 games, allowed only 17.
And their senior class is closing in on 100 wins. To get to that 100th win, it seems Kilgore will need to win the regional tournament in Tyler – which would send them to Birkelbach Stadium in Georgetown for the 4A boys state tournament, by the way.
Peralez assured ETBlitz that no one is putting a cart before the horse: they’ll take the games one at a time, and not look ahead.
It’s been a season of streaks for the ‘Dogs: an 11-game win streak until the one and only loss in district play (at Center on Feb. 19), and then a six-game winning streak before dropping the close contest at Nacogdoches last Tuesday.
The Hudson Hornets are 12-9-3 on the season to date, 5-7 on the road and have given up more goals than they’ve scored (69 to 60).
They had lost two in a row (to Palestine, no shame in that) and Madisonville before winning their last regular season game at home against Palestine Westwood, 3-2.
The winner of the Kilgore-Hudson boys game will face either Lindale or Mount Pleasant, likely this Thursday, due to the Good Friday holiday.
Kilgore’s Lady ‘Dogs had a little different road, but they’re here.
The Kilgore girls went 18-4-1 in the 2023 season, and 14-2 in District 15-4A, both losses coming to Henderson in very close games: a 2-1 game at Henderson on Feb. 2, and a 1-0 loss at R.E. St. John on March 5.
Kilgore had won six straight before the first loss at Henderson, then won seven straight before the second loss. KHS goes into the playoffs on a three-game winning streak, but kind of a long off period: the Lady ‘Dogs haven’t played since Friday, March 15, that 10-0 home win over Tatum that had been plagued by thunderstorms – it actually was called a game with four minutes left, due to lightning.
The Lady Bulldogs are 8-3 at home, 7-1 on the road and 3-0-1 at neutral sites this year. They’ve scored 102 goals and only allowed 15 all season.
This year, Kilgore’s girls are led in scoring by Phenix Rivers, who has 16 goals – and scored at least two goals in a game on four occasions.
Reese Burgess has 12 goals this season, Angelina Canchola has 10, and Gloria Cedillo has eight.
Kilgore has had 64 assists this year: Lexi Lara leads that category (10), followed by Burgess and Cedillo (nine each) and Rivers (eight).
They’ll face a Hudson team on Tuesday that went 13-7-2 overall, finished their district with a 10-4 record, and is 5-4 in true road games this season.
The Lady Hornets have outscored their opponents 71-31 this year, and won their final two regular season games: 1-0 over Madisonville and 3-0 at Westwood.
The Kilgore-Hudson girls winner will face either North Lamar or Bullard in the second, or area, round.