WAKE UP! on ETBLITZ, SATURDAY EDITION | Baseball updates, Henderson signing day, and it’s Saturday – that means an ’80s look-back! (w/video)
EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s time to wake up – and Wake Up! on ETBlitz.com is where to do it. Below, there’s recognition of Henderson High School’s huge signing day this past week; an update on who’s still in, and who’s unfortunately out, of the high school playoffs; the 7-on-7 state qualifier today in Kilgore; and an ‘80s song we all still hear at just about every Friday night football game. Thanks to Cozy Coffee Station, with locations in Kilgore and Gilmer, for sponsoring Wake Up!, and you can enjoy their products every day. Order online, ahead of time, here on their site: Cozy Coffee Station.
High school baseball playoffs
The ETBlitz.com coverage area had three teams still playing in the University Interscholastic League’s baseball playoffs on Friday, but by the end of the night, there was just one still standing.
Henderson, playing Pleasant Grove in the UIL Class 4A, Division I playoffs, lost game two, 13-0. That means Pleasant Grove moves on to the third round of the 4A postseason, and Henderson finishes the season with an 18-14 record.
That was the first season under coach Brock Lemire, and it led to a playoff berth in one of the toughest districts for certain in East Texas, maybe in the state.
Tatum ran into a Liberty-Eylau team in the UIL Class 3A, Division I playoffs, a Leopards’ team with just four losses the entire season in 32 games.
The Eagles, who have gone deep into the baseball playoffs the last two years, finish up with a 21-11 record and having won the District 16-3A championship.
Now, those Overton Mustangs.
Overton swept Bowie, winning game one, 11-1, and game two, 5-0. Here’s our recap: OVERTON MOVES ON | Baseball playoffs over, sadly, for Tatum & Henderson; more coming.
Overton will face Gary this coming week. Hoping you get it done, Mustangs!
7-on-7 today in Kilgore
We’ve had a couple of stories on this this week here on ol’ ETB (IT’S BACK! | Kilgore hosts 7-on-7 state qualifier on Saturday, REMINDER: 7-ON-7 QUALIFIER AT KILGORE SATURDAY | Teams playing for a chance at state tournament in June).
Teams from Kilgore, Sabine, Lindale, Jefferson, Palestine, Chapel Hill, Pleasant Grove and Van Alstyne are all gathering at Kilgore’s R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium this morning. They’re all trying to win the tournament – that’ll qualify them for the Texas 7-on-7 State Tournament in College Station on June 26-28.
If you’ve never seen a 7-on-7 game, you’re in for a treat. It’s strictly passing – they wear soft helmets and there’s no tackling, just touch. The field dimensions are shorter, and there will likely be at least two games going at all times, until the finals.
Read more about the differences in regular football and 7-on-7 in either of those stories above.
Concessions will be going, and everything begins at 8 a.m. Kilgore won this tournament last year, and went on to the state tournament, reaching the semifinals. Sabine also went to the state tournament last season.
Good luck to both of them again today.
Henderson High School signing day
We’re late on this, but someone was stuck in traffic (Mitch Lucas raises hand) in Longview, so the credit for this photo and information goes to Henderson ISD, and specifically for the photo to David Chenault. Thank you, David.
Signing days are the good stuff, so to speak, because it’s a happy day for everyone. It’s easy to smile on signing day.
Now, we have our signing story, but we didn’t have a photo of every single student who took part in signing day at HHS. So we’re running a group photo (below), with all the signees, right here and then you guys can go read more about all of ‘em in the story.
Signing collegiate letters of intent on Wednesday were (in alphabetical order) Giselle Alejandro, Johnathan Bateman, Brian Biggs, Manning Bradley, Kayne Brantley, Kate Charlo, Kyeisha Clater, Addy Davis, Chloe Ellis, Danita Gonzalez, Kinsey Kersh, Hannah Nelson, Nolyn Norris, Kiyun Pellum, Addison Standley and Aaron Thornley.Top of Form
Congratulations, you guys!
It’s Saturday, time for an 80’s classic
The song we picked today is one that you can’t go to a game, even today, without hearing.
The Rocky movie franchise had two films in the 1980s: 1982’s Rocky III, which made Mr. T famous as Clubber Lang, and then 1985’s Rocky IV, taking advantage of the end of the Cold War era, with Rocky against big Soviet doper Ivan Drago.
The soundtrack from Rocky IV has been used in sports and at games for decades, but the hit that everyone thinks about from those films was “Eye of the Tiger,” by Survivor. The LSU band – and about EVERY band – still plays that song.
Now, the video is hokey, but the song holds up. Here it is:
We’ll be back later today with coverage of the 7-on-7 state qualifier in Kilgore, and more. Hope you guys have a great weekend!
