PLAYOFFS TONIGHT! | A look at all five games involving ETBlitz-area teams (Kilgore, Gilmer, Arp, WR and Troup)

EDITOR’S NOTE: Joe Hale contributed to this story.

Two of the seven playoff teams from the ETBlitz.com area have played their first-round games already: Overton moved on with a big win, while Tatum bowed out, having ran into No. 1 Malakoff in Tyler.

Tonight, everyone else jumps into the pool. Here’s the schedule, in order of kickoff time, and ticket and broadcast information where available; we don’t guarantee these links. We have tried to include those from the schools’ social media.

• UIL Class 4A, Division II playoffs: Gilmer (7-3) vs. Center (8-2), 7 p.m., Friday, Eagle Stadium, Tatum. Tickets are cash only, $5, at the gate. Here is the link where Gilmer games are normally streamed online: Gilmer High School – Athletics Stream.

The winner of Gilmer-Center goes on to the second, or area, round next weekend to meet either Sunnyvale (7-3) or Caddo Mills (6-4).

Gilmer is the defending UIL Class 4A-DII state champions, and all eyes are on the Buckeyes and coach Alan Metzel to see if they can repeat.

The Buckeyes’ passing game is good, and they have three more-than-capable players to pull the trigger. It starts with Brady McCown, who has thrown for 1,893 yards, completing 145-of-249 passes. McCown has 16 touchdown passes and just three interceptions this season. Cadon Tennison and Zade Taylor also could see playing time.

Gilmer has rushed for 1,790 yards and 29 touchdowns, led by senior Trillyon Butler, who has 814 yards and 11 of those scores. Taylor has 348 yards and eight touchdowns.

Brendan Webb is Gilmer’s leading receiver: 42 catches, 649 yards, eight touchdowns, and an average of 15 ½ yards a catch.

Geremiah Noble has 30 catches for 440 yards and two TDs.

Senior kicker Brayden Pate has hit 37 of 40 extra point attempts, and is 5-of-7 in field goal kicks this year, a long of 41.

Defensively, Alex Guillen leads the team in tackles with 78, and 14 tackles for loss. Jet Bates has 77 tackles, 11 for loss, and Devin McDonald isn’t far behind: 73 tackles, nine for loss. Guillen also has six sacks, the team leader, and Bates has four. The team as a whole has 18 sacks this season, and 79 quarterback hurries.

The Buckeyes have 12 interceptions and have recovered seven fumbles this year. Webb leads with three interceptions, and Butler and Taj Manson each have two.

Center’s Roughriders have won eight games this year (5-0 at home) and have outscored their opponents, 369-253. They’ve won three of their last four as the playoffs begin, having beaten Bullard, Brownsboro and – last week – Rusk. The loss in the mix was a 43-26 loss to Athens on Nov. 1.

Senior quarterback Travis Belin has been fantastic for Center: 122-of-212, 2,075 yards, 25 touchdowns and just two interceptions all year. Receiver Timothy Johnson is the leader, far and away: 74 catches, 1,290 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Center has also ran for 1,813 yards and 23 touchdowns; Belin and freshman Jaysis Villegas each have four touchdown runs. Villegas leads with 383 rushing yards; Belin has 141.

Cody Adkinson leads Center with 126 tackles and 27 for loss; Easton Wulf, just a sophomore, has 114, and also has 27 tackles for loss. Adkinson also leads the team with seven sacks. The Roughriders have 10 interceptions, and 10 fumble recoveries.

• UIL Class 3A, Division II playoffs: Troup (7-3) vs. Anderson-Shiro (8-2), 7 p.m., Friday, Monte Jack Driskell Stadium, Crockett. Here’s a link for the broadcast of Tiger Sports Net: https://tigersportsnet1.mixlr.com/events/3816562.

Troup goes into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed from District 11-3A, DII, and with back-to-back wins. The Tigers average 4 points a game, and allow about 25.

They’ve ran for 2,883 yards as a team, an impressive number, and Bryce Wallum, the current Built Ford Tough Player of the Week in the state in Class 3A, leds with 1,407 yards and 17 touchdowns on 146 carries, averaging about 140 yards a game and 9 ½ per carry.

Brett Wells, a sophomore, has 1,320 yards, nine touchdowns and averages 6.9 a carry.

Defensively, Jackson Walker has 100 tackles, leading the team. Noble Kendrick is second (83). A.J. Dewberry leads in sacks (four), and Hayden Huml with four interceptions.

The Troup-Shiro winner will face either DeKalb (9-1) or Lone Oak (7-3) in round two next week.

• UIL Class 3A, Division II playoffs: Woodville (8-2) vs. Arp (7-3), 7 p.m., Friday, Eagle Stadium, Rusk. They’re playing for the right to move on to round two, against either Grand Saline (10-0) or Hooks (5-5).

Arp, of course, has Josh Smith on their team, and that’s important, because Smith has 1,445 rushing yards this season, and 19 touchdowns – he’s running on average for 145 yards each game. The Tigers, as a team, have 2,910 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns this year.

• UIL Class 3A, Division II playoffs: Newton (7-3) vs. West Rusk (4-6), 7 p.m., Friday, Lumberjack Stadium, Diboll. West Rusk is the visitor; tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students, cash only at the gate. Passes (Texas High School Coaches Association, military, seniors and District 11-3A, Division II) are accepted. The game is being broadcast here: KWRD – West Rusk-Newton.

Coach Rafe Mata and the Raiders drew the “lucky” straw to get to face state-ranked Newton this week – but it’s not like Newton hasn’t lost; they’ve lost three times this season.

The Raiders have utilized two passers this year: Judson Dotson and Troy Hunley, who have combined for 1,237 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

West Rusk has ran for 1,842 yards and 20 scores, led by Cole Jackson – 103 carries, 564 yards and 10 of those TDs.

Hunter McCandless leads the way with 96 tackles, and Jackson has 93. Cam Robinson has three sacks and 15 hurries. The Raiders have 11 sacks and 40 hurries this year.

The winner of West Rusk-Newton will meet either New Boston (5-5) or Edgewood (7-3) next week.

• UIL Class 4A, Division I playoffs: Vidor (5-5) vs. Kilgore (8-2), 7:30 p.m., Friday, R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium, Kilgore. Tickets are available at the gate, but also here: https://www.kisd.org/our-district/districtdepartments/athletics.

Hear the game live, the call of the Ragin’ Red Broadcasting team, on KDOK-FM 105.3-FM, and streaming online here, just click the Kilgore helmet: Chalk Hill Communications. Here’s the Kilgore Bulldog Media video streaming link: Kilgore vs Vidor.

Through 10 games, sophomore RB Rayshaun Williams leads the Bulldogs’ rushing attack, which has gained 1,284 yards on 266 carries, with 721 yards and five touchdowns. Williams also has 23 receptions for 280 yards and two other scores.

Quarterback Kayson Brooks, a junior, has completed 64.3 percent of his passes (141 of 219) for 2,180 yards with 26 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

Michigan verbal commit Jayden Sanders is Kilgore’s leading receiver with 38 receptions for 647 yards, averaging 17.0 yards per catch, for five scores. A corner on defense, Sanders got his second interception of the season in last week’s regular-season finale against Mabank.

Besides Sanders pick against Mabank, junior David McGowan also had an interception, his first of the season against the Panthers, giving Kilgore 22 take-aways, 17 interceptions to go with five fumble recoveries.

Leading tacklers for the ‘Dogs continue to be free safety Jakalen Sheffield, along with linebacker brothers La’Perrion Graves and Lakeyleon Graves.

The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 332-145.

Tonight’s opponent, Vidor, opened its season with a loss against Silsbee, before beating Santa Fe, 28-14, to then lose its next four games two of those against district opponents (Bridge City and Huffman-Hargrave).

The Pirates then rallied to defeat Lumberton, Liberty, Hardin-Jefferson and Livingston. In those wins, down the stretch, the Pirates averaged 51.75 points per game, allowing an average of 20.25 points per contest.

Another interesting fact, the Ragin’ Red are 26 of 29 inside the red zone (inside the opponents’ 20-yard-line), scoring 20 touchdowns and converting six field goals.

The Kilgore-Vidor winner will face either Needville (6-4) or Houston-area Furr (6-4) next weekend, in the second round.