WAKE UP! | See the new polls, the stats on ETBlitz now, and how ’bout them Cowboys?!!
EDITOR’S NOTE: Doing an impromptu survey of our readers — you might call you guys “customers,” as well — we find that they also tend to be customers, to do business, with our advertising partners. And we think that’s fantastic, because we believe in all of the businesses that partner with us! A business that the customers we talk to all seem to love is Cozy Coffee Station. And there’s a good reason for that, the most simple reason ever: they’re good. Their products are good. So if you like a good cup of coffee, whether it’s black, cream and sugar, or the most tricked-out coffee or latte you can think of, go hit Cozy Coffee Station. They’re located in Kilgore, at 110 Midtown Plaza, and in Gilmer at 755 Highway 271 North. See their menu before you go at cozycoffeestation.com.
New polls are out
We do so much here — stories, features, updates, schedules, polls, photo galleries, and you name it — that the only time we’re not working on ETBlitz is really when we’re sleeping. Seriously.
But I don’t want to forget to remind you guys about the new polls that are out. The polls we recognize here at ETBlitz are the Texas Girls Coaches Association’s state poll for volleyball, and the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football state poll for high school football. We believe those are the two most respected by the coaches, by the players, and by you guys, the fans.
So here’s the new DCTF state football poll: NEW POLL! | Carthage #1 in 4A-DII; Kilgore still #3 in 4A-DI; Gilmer drops out; Troup up to #9 in 3A-DII.
And that’s not just the ranking and the school. It’s time-consuming, because we put the ranking and the school, but also, like DCTF, we list who each team faced the previous week, what the outcome and the score was, their ranking in the poll the last week, and what each team has next.
Volleyball plays so many games, it would be difficult to do that, but the TGCA is efficient and consistent. And here’s the state volleyball poll: STATE VOLLEYBALL POLL | Tatum sixth in 3A, Beckville seventh in 2A.
Statistics, too
In addition to the new state polls for high school and volleyball, we’ve taken all the stats from the football programs that we could get, and placed them here on the site for y’all to see. The only ones we couldn’t get immediately are Pine Tree, Tatum, Leverett’s Chapel and Beckville. The other 11 programs that we cover are all here on the home page.
Way more today on ETB
I’m not going to list all the things we have planned for the next 24 hours or so, because I’ll forget something, like usual. But let me just say you’ll particularly enjoy a couple of photo galleries that are coming, from this past weekend, and the new Eye Spy! feature. You’ll know that one when you see it; you don’t want to miss it.
Cowboys Corner
So, the National Football League has played two complete weeks of ball so far, now that the Monday night games have concluded.
I’ll say this: not only was I entertained — the Dallas Cowboys are ALWAYS entertaining, if they’re nothing else — but what I saw Sunday, and I’m surprised to say it, looked like — an actual FOOTBALL TEAM.
I didn’t like the fact that they trailed the normally-awful New York Giants at all in the game, and there were definitely mistakes. And Giants quarterback Russell Wilson looked like he’d turned the clock back to his 2015 self. Wilson throws one of the best deep balls in the history of the game. I’m comfortable saying that. And Dallas was burned not once, but twice, by that on Sunday.
But for once, for once in a long time, when someone took a late lead on them, the Cowboys didn’t just wilt away.
They punched back.
Quarterback Dak Prescott, with almost no time left on the clock, used arm and legs, and sheer will, in guiding the offense down the field to get kicker Brandon Aubrey into range. And his range is like the length of the parking lot of Disneyworld. Aubrey sent the game into overtime, and ultimately, Dallas won. It was close, it was thrilling, and it was exactly the kind of game a team HAS to have to build confidence. Later in the season, when things get tooclosetocalltight like I just wrote that, they can point back to games like this and say, “Hey, we got this. We got this because look what we did on September 15 against the freakin’ Giants.”
So Dallas isn’t leading the NFC East Division. That would be the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, who are 2-0, including a win over Kansas City. Dallas is 1-1, as are the Washington Commanders, and the Giants are last in the division right now, at 0-2.
But the chances of Philly winning all of its games is just under my chances of going up onto the tallest building in Kilgore, putting on a bird suit and flying to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It’s not happening. So when the Eagles lose, Dallas has to be ready to capitalize.
