WAKE UP! ON ETBLITZ | Complete list of scrimmages, where all ETB football teams are Thursday & Friday
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you haven’t been by Cozy Coffee Station to get something fantastic, do it! You won’t regret it. They’ve got two locations in East Texas: in Gilmer at 755 Highway 271 North, and in Kilgore at 110 Midtown Plaza, in the Credit Union of Texas in both locations. Check ‘em out online right here: Home | Cozy Coffee Station.
Scrimmages tonight, Friday;
watermelon fest at Kilgore tonight
They’re not games, but they are “game-like events.”
Every football program in the ETBlitz.com coverage area, all 15 of them, play in preseason scrimmages either tonight or Friday night. And conveniently for you guys, here’s a list of all of ‘em.
Also, here’s a link to the schedules for all of these teams: ‘BOUT THAT TIME! | All the schedules for football programs in the ETBlitz area | Presented by KILGORE MERCANTILE & MUSIC.
Tonight’s scrimmages
Gladewater, Troup: The Coach Jermaine Lewis era begins at Gladewater this week, the first of two scrimmages.
The Bears visit another team in the ETBlitz.com coverage area – coach Sam Wells and the Troup Tigers – tonight at 7:15 p.m. In scrimmage number two, they’ll host North Lamar next Thursday at 7.
Troup’s second scrimmage is also at home, next Thursday at 6 p.m. against Alto.
Arp, Beckville: Two more ETB-area programs scrimmage each other tonight, a 6 p.m. start, as the Arp Tigers go see coach Cody Ross, Jorden Prince and the Beckville Bearcats.
Arp hosts San Augustine for a second scrimmage next Thursday, Aug. 21, at 6, and Beckville visits Garrison next Thursday.
Overton: The Mustangs have had back-to-back 10-win seasons, and are aiming to win even more than that this season.
They host Union Grove tonight at 5 p.m. for a scrimmage at Coach Chester Roy Stadium, and then next week, they’ll visit Ore city, a Thursday night scrimmage at 6.
Friday’s scrimmages
Kilgore: Coach Clint Fuller and the Bulldogs are going to Mesquite Poteet for their first of two scrimmages. They’ll scrimmage at Poteet (at 3300 Poteet Drive in Mesquite) on Friday, with junior varsity and freshmen starting at 5:30, and varsity at 6:30.
Tonight, the Bulldogs interact with their fans after practice, as it’s the annual watermelon fest. When Kilgore’s practice is over, fans turn out to meet the football teams at KHS, and normally, there are performances by the band, the cheerleaders, the Hi-Steppers, and the twirlers, and often, Kilgore Middle School’s Star Steppers perform. Then, everybody can have all the watermelon they want.
That’s tonight at 7:30, just outside the Mitchell Field House on campus.
Kilgore opens the season on Friday, Aug. 29 at home against Carthage.
Henderson: Ricky Meeks is back in Henderson, over a dozen years after helping his father Dickey Meeks coach the Lions to a 3A state football championship (3A prior to Texas adding a 6A classification.
The Lions’ scrimmages are both on the road. The first one is Friday night at Hallsville, (the start time for this is listed absolutely nowhere), and next Thursday, Aug. 21, the Lions head to Tatum for the second scrimmage.
Before tomorrow’s scrimmage at Hallsville, though, you can meet the Lions – in fact, you can meet the whole darn faculty AND go to the community pep rally, all at the stadium. Meet the teacher is at 6 p.m. and then Meet the Lions and the pep rally will follow at 7.
Henderson’s season opener is at Athens on Friday, Aug. 29.
Gilmer: Coach Alan Metzel and the Buckeyes have a scrimmage at home at Jeff Traylor Stadium on Friday night with varsity starting at 7, hosting Paris. Then next week, on Thursday, Aug. 21, they visit Whitehouse, and that’s also a 7 o’clock scrimmage.
The Buckeyes open the season at Pine Tree on Aug. 29.
Carthage: Defending 4A-DII champion Carthage will host Whitehouse for a scrimmage on Friday night at 7 p.m., and this is the only scrimmage for coach Scott Surratt and the Bulldogs prior to their season opener at Kilgore on Aug. 29.
Pine Tree: Coach Jason Bachman and the Pirates want to follow a very good season in 2024 with an even-better ’25.
It’ll begin with a scrimmage at Center on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. And then next week, the Pirates host Marshall on Thursday night, also at 6:30.
White Oak: The Roughnecks, who won five games a year ago after going winless in 2023, look to continue that improvement this year. The first step, the preseason scrimmages, begin Friday at home against New Diana, a 6:30 p.m. start. And then the ‘Necks go to West Rusk for a scrimmage next Thursday, Aug. 21, also at 6:30.
White Oak’s season opener is on the road at Eustace on Aug. 29.
Leverett’s Chapel: Coach Keith Hughes and the Lions – the only six-man football program in the ETB area – are headed to Fruitvale on Friday for a multi-team scrimmage that’s set for a 6:30 p.m. start.
Tatum: The Eagles hit the road for the first scrimmage – that’s Friday night at 6 p.m. in Timpson.
But they’ll be home for the second scrimmage, next Thursday night at Eagle Stadium against Henderson. That one also begins at 6.
West Rusk: Coach Rafe Mata’s Raiders will be home for both scrimmages.
They’ll host Garrison Friday night at 6:30 p.m., and then next week, on Thursday, they’ll host White Oak at 6:30 p.m.
Sabine: The Cardinals visit Waskom Friday night at 7:30 p.m., and then next Thursday, they’ll host scrimmage number two against Edgewood, at 6:30 p.m.
