WAKE UP! on ETBLITZ | Updating the baseball & softball playoff situation; Overton’s Christian Hall; Cowboys’ top draft pick Tyler Booker (w/video); and Eddie Murphy?!?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to Wake Up! on ETBlitz.com. It’s our new feature, and it’ll be on the site every single morning, like — forever. Here, we just get you ready for the day: we let you know what’s happened in sports the last 24 hours or so; we tell you what’s coming up in local sports, maybe even sports around the state or even nationally, if something big is happening; you might have a few laughs with us; and today, we’re unveiling a regular feature: THE 80’S RULED! Wake Up! is brought to you by the Cozy Coffee Station, and they do have all kinds of great coffee, but they have so much more. Check out their menu at Home | Cozy Coffee Station, and go by and see Ashley and Oscar and the entire group at their Kilgore location (at 110 Midtown Plaza) or in Gilmer (755 U.S. Highway 271). You can also find both locations on Instagram and on Facebook. Now, let’s have some fun. And Wake Up!
HIGH SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
After a full day of competitors from schools in the ETBlitz.com area on Thursday, from our 3A and 4A schools, only two athletes from our area — Overton’s Christian Hall and Henderson’s Lane Meador– were competing on Friday at the University of Texas in Austin at the UIL State Track & Field Championships.
Meador was competing in the 100 meters in the boys wheelchair division, and finished eighth in 23.50 seconds.
Hall represented the Mustangs in the 2A boys high jump, and finished tied for sixth, with a best of 6 feet, 2 inches.
Congratulations, guys, on those finishes, and in representing your schools on the state’s biggest stage for track and field.
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HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
Here’s a drive around the ETBlitz.com coverage area, as we look to see how the different UIL baseball playoff series are going. We know how it went for Tatum, with Tristin Berry on the mound: Mineola didn’t get one freakin’ hit!
We gave a more detailed report on Friday (right here: PLAYOFFS CONTINUE | Tatum & White Oak join the party tonight, as the other series resume; Overton advances in a one-gamer) but here’s where everything stands, the very latest.
Kilgore
The Diamond ‘Dogs lost game one, 4-0, of their UIL Class 4A-Division I playoff best-of-three to Lindale.
Game two is set for Saturday at 1 p.m., at Lindale, and if the Bulldogs can win that one, they’ll force game three. Kilgore is still very much in this thing.
The series winner gets either Nevada Community (19-8) or Sulphur Springs (18-9).
Henderson
The Lions also couldn’t get away with the win in game one of their 4A-DI home-and-home series against Mabank.
Mabank, leading the series 1-0, hosts game two today (Saturday) at 4 p.m. Henderson has to win that one to have a shot at winning the series: game three, if the Lions can win game two, will be right afterward, also obviously at Mabank.
The Henderson-Mabank winner moves on to the area round to face either Pleasant Grove (26-5) or Caddo Mills (21-7), whose series was tied on Friday night.
Tatum
How ‘BOUT those Tatum Eagles?!
And how ‘bout Tristin Berry? He threw a seven-inning masterpiece, not allowing Mineola a single hit, walked just one, in a 4-0 win in game one of the best-of-three series between the teams, being played at Brook Hill.
Game two is Saturday at noon, and Mineola has to win it to force game three. Otherwise, Tatum moves on to the second round of the 3A-Division I playoffs and will face either Liberty-Eylau (26-4) or Daingerfield (11-7-1).
Tatum is 20-8 on the season for coach Dustin Russell, after that big game one win.
The Eagles had a big inning in the second against the Yellow Jackets – in fact, it was huge. In that inning, Tatum got all four of its runs in the game.
Cooper Whiteus was the man, going 3-for-3 with a double and a triple in the game for Tatum. And then Grant Adcock, Kody Hines, Dustin Henigan, Tucker Anthony and Jaxen Prince each had a hit: Henigan’s was a double, and he had an RBI; Anthony also hit a double, and had an RBI; and Adcock had a single and an RBI.
Berry was on the money on the mound: a complete-game, seven inning win. He allowed no hits, as mentioned, walked just one, and struck out three.
West Rusk
We don’t like reporting this one. The Raiders had won game one of their series against Edgewood, 4-3, at Bullard High School.
But Edgewood won game two, and then won the third and deciding game three; Edgewood advances to the second round, where they’ll meet either New Diana (21-7) or DeKalb (16-11).
West Rusk finishes their season with a 13-15-1 record. And we’ll have more on the Raiders’ losses to Edgewood later today.
Troup
As mentioned Friday in Wake Up!, the Tigers dropped both game one and game two of their best-of-three series against Grand Saline, at Athens High.
Grand Saline won game one, 8-5, on Thursday night, and then game two was also played, and Troup came up short in that one, 9-6.
In game one, GS trailed 3-1 before scoring four runs in the fourth inning, taking a 5-3 lead.
They’d outscore Troup 3-2 the rest of the way. Each team had four errors.
The Tigers finished with seven hits: Carter Graves had two of them, both singles; Caden Switzer had a single and 2 RBI; James Pierce also had a single and an RBI; Joshua Childress had a single; and Kash Hardy and Logan Lockey each had a single; Lockey added an RBI.
Caden Graves and Hardy took on pitching duties. Graves went 3 2/3 innings, allowing five runs (earned) on two hits, walked five and struck out one. And Hardy went 3 1/3 innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits, and walked five.
The second game was just as wild, if not more. The score at the end of the first inning was Grand Saline 5, Troup 3, and Grand Saline did its damage with only two hits on the board. The Indians managed to draw 12 walks.
Carson Davenport struck out eight for Troup, in four innings. Switzer went 1 1/3 innings, and Lockey, 2/3 of an inning.
The Tigers went down swinging, and hitting. They had 10 hits in the game. Lockey had three of them, and two doubles, to go with 3 RBI. Pierce and Carter Graves and Hardy each had two hits: one of Graves’ hits was a double. Hardy had an RBI. And Conner Smith also had a hit.
White Oak
The Roughnecks won game one of their best-of-three with Malakoff, beating the Tigers 13-7 on Friday.
That game was at Mike Carter Field in Tyler. But game two will be today (Saturday) at 2 p.m. at Edgewood, and game three, if Malakoff can force it, would be 30 minutes after game two ends.
White Oak (18-8 on the season) belted 11 hits in seven innings, and capitalized on three errors by the Tigers. White Oak did allow seven runs in the fifth inning, but the ‘Necks never trailed, scoring three runs in the first inning, one in the second, one in the fourth, five in the fifth, and three in the sixth.
Those 11 hits? Well, three each were by Tyson McKinney and Brady Greenwood. Greenwood had a triple and two singles, and had 5 RBI. McKinney had a triple as well, and two singles, and scored four runs.
Jaxsen Ludlow had a double and an RBI; Jordy Robertson had a single; Will Thomas had a single; and Braden Callens had a single and an RBI. Collin Wheat also added an RBI.
Wheat threw five innings, allowing seven runs (but just two earned) on four hits, with four walks and seven strikeouts.
Logan Langewisch pitched two innings, allowing nothing – zeroes across the board – but struck out two.
The winner of the series meets Hughes Springs (22-6), who already won its first-round series against Atlanta and is waiting on either White Oak or Malakoff.
Overton
As we said on Friday in Wake Up!, Overton coach Christopher Cook and the Mustangs lost a flip to have a best-of-three-game playoff against LaPoynor, whose Flyers took their chances in trying to beat Overton in a one-game playoff.
It didn’t happen.
Overton scored two runs in the second, then allowed the Flyers to tie it at 2. But the Mustangs would score twice in the fifth and then hold on.
We have an update: Overton (23-6) will play James Bowie (19-6) in the second round.
It’ll be a best-of-three series. Game one will be at Tatum on Thursday, a 7 p.m. start, and Overton will be the home team in the third base dugout.
Game two will be Friday at Atlanta, a 5 p.m. start, and Overton will be visitors for that one.
If a game three is needed, it’ll be Friday night at Atlanta, 30 minutes after game two.
Leverett’s Chapel
The Lions also are unfortunately out of the playoffs after a tough doubleheader against Avalon on Thursday in Edgewood.
LC lost the first game, 7-3, and the second, 19-2. In game one, Davis Tryon, Trent Wheat, Ethan Kirk, and Carson Ford all had hits (Tryon had a double); Wheat and Keaton Geter each had an RBI. In the second, Tryon, Williams, Kirk and Carson Ford each had a hit for LC; Ford had a double.
The Lions finished the season with a 5-8-1 record, but got into the playoffs in the first year for coach A.J. Hendrix.
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HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS
The rain messed with their schedule, but the University Interscholastic League (UIL) softball playoffs, the second round, is going on now – Henderson, Gilmer and Troup all were in action on Friday, and all were trying to bounce back after losing the first game of their best-of-three series.
Henderson
Coach John White’s Lady Lions, facing Nevada Community, split games one and two on Thursday night at Athens High School.
Game three was to be played on Friday, but that’s been changed. Rainy weather forced the move to Saturday, back at Athens High, an 11 a.m. first pitch.
The winner moves on to the Class 4A, Division I regional semifinals (better known as round three) to meet either Sanger (17-7-3) or Ferris (14-12-2) next.
On Thursday, it was a battle. Actually, it was two.
Henderson dropped a 6-4 decision in game one, in spite of a big game by Jacie Boothe and Chloe Ellis, but then bounced back with a 12-10 win in game two.
Ellis, the current Whataburger / ETBlitz.com girls Player of the Week, went seven innings and allowed no walks and struck out nine. Boothe had a home run, a single and 3 RBI. Henderson took a 4-0 lead, but Community’s Lady Braves would punch back.
After an RBI double by Graci Schroeder, Community hit three straight singles, loading the bases, and then Abby Ruiz did it: a grand slam. Community would get the 6-4 game-one win.
Game two was back-and-forth, and went to extra innings after the Lady Braves had a five-run sixth inning.
Henderson’s Addi Standley scored Kristina Jackson and Taniya Vanzandt in the 10th inning, giving the Lady Lions a 12-10 win.
Standley finished with 4 RBI on a double and three singles. Jackson had two singles and 3 RBI. McKenna Moon had a double and 2 RBI. Colbie Rountree had three singles and 3 RBI, as well. Ellis had two singles, and Vanzandt and Booth each had one.
It was Boothe on the mound early, with a hit allowed, a strikeout and four walks. Ellis came on and finished with eight walks allowed and nine hits allowed, but also with eight strikeouts.
Good luck to Henderson today in Athens in game three!
Gilmer
Unfortunately for the Lady Buckeyes, their season came to an end on Friday in Mount Pleasant, falling to Sulphur Springs, 1-0, in game two after they had already dropped game one. Gilmer needed that game-two win to force a third game.
Sulphur Springs had won game one on Thursday, 2-1.
SS moves on to face either Godley (26-6) or Lake Dallas (17-10) in round three, also in the 4A-DI playoffs.
The Lady Buckeyes finished the 2025 season as the District 16-4A champions, and with a 23-7-2 overall record.
We’ll have more on game two later today.
Troup
The Lady Tigers, sadly, are also out, after their season came to an end at the hands of DeKalb on Friday – DeKalb took game two, 4-1, after winning game one on Thursday night, 4-3.
Each team scored a run in the fifth inning, in the series being played at Longview High.
Dekalb, though, not only broke the tie, but scored three runs in the seventh inning to get the game two win, and end the series.
Troup, the 16-3A champion, bows out of the 3A-Division II playoffs with a 26-7 overall record this season, a season where a dynamic freshman class really helped – imagine what they’ll do together down the road.
One of those freshmen, Kiyah Arterberry, had a solo home run in game two against DeKalb. Another freshman, Heather Longino, had a double, the Lady Tigers’ only other hit.
DeKalb pitcher Kaydee Brown went all seven innings, allowing just the one run, earned, on two hits. She walked two and struck out nine.
Taylor Gillispie of Troup, a two-time Whataburger / ETB Player of the Week, also went all seven innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits, walked four and struck out six.
DeKalb advances to round three to meet McKinney Boyd.
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O-LINEMAN TYLER BOOKER NOW A COWBOY
There was a monumental sports event last week. You might not have been in tune with it, might not have wanted to sit down for like 17 hours (seriously) to watch the whole thing – it didn’t have a score, there were no balls thrown, but there were winners and losers. We just won’t know who they are for three to four YEARS.
What the heck are we talking about?
Well, the NFL Draft, of course.
University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward was the No. 1 overall pick, and he’s headed to the Tennessee Titans.
Now, if you’re a dedicated FOR REAL Dallas Cowboys fan, you’ve at least seen the footage of the Cowboys’ first-round draft pick. His name is Tyler Booker, and he’s a rather large gentleman from the University of Alabama, where he did a LOT of winning. He’s an offensive lineman, a guard, specifically, and his job is to keep Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott standing upright – oh, and to open up holes for the running backs.
Booker was pick No. 12 overall, and he was pretty enthusiastic. Turns out, he trained recently in the Dallas area, and told ESPN’s Molly McGrath right after he was picked that going to Dallas was a dream come true.
Here’s Booker’s introductory press conference as a Dallas Cowboy.
THE 80’S RULED
Boy, they did: our music was great, the country’s economy was in great shape, and we had very few military conflicts. We were rockin.’
What we DID have was great pop culture.
So many classic things that people name came from the 80s: “Back to the Future,” “Miami Vice,” Rubik’s Cube… and Eddie Murphy.
Check out this clip. If you grew up in the 80s, this brings back memories:
So, in the film, Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall, visitors to America from Africa, take a job at a restaurant, “McDowell’s.” It has a familiar theme. Here’s the owner of McDowell’s to explain it.
A lot of us really love the music from the 80s, even people who didn’t grow up then. So every Saturday, here on Wake Up!, we’re going to bring back a classic 80s song. We dug deep for this one: it’s Sammy Hagar, with the theme from the Sylvester Stallone film “Over the Top,” probably the ONLY movie ever made with pro arm wrestling as backdrop. But the song… aw, man, the SONG. Here’s Sammy.
That’s it. Hope you guys enjoyed Wake Up! for this Saturday morning. We’ll be back on Sunday. Have a great weekend.
