WAR TO SETTLE THE SCORE? | Kilgore, Gilmer meet tonight in a top-10 battle – who’s got the edge?
If you don’t appreciate hard-nosed, physical football, you probably shouldn’t come to tonight’s Gilmer-Kilgore game at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium in Kilgore.
On the other hand …
The Buckeyes and Bulldogs will be meeting for only the 12th time, but it’s one of those rivalries where slobber-knocker comes to mind. Certainly not in a hateful or mean way, just football being football like it is.
Oh, yeah, it’s Kilgore’s homecoming, also, so get there early for pre-game pomp-and-pageantry. Game time follows at 7:30. Hear it live on KDOK 105.3-FM on the call of the Ragin’ Red Broadcasting crew, in their 44th year of calling Kilgore High School football. You can also hear that broadcast on KDOK-Ragin’ Red Broadcasting.
Despite Gilmer’s 24-22 win a year ago, a tense one at that, Kilgore leads the series 6-5. This is one of those games the coaches say you play to prepare yourself for later in the season (ie: hopefully if things go right the playoffs).
For Kilgore, there’s one more non-district contest, for Gilmer, district starts three weeks down the road. After two games, both teams are 1-1.
“We’re still finding our identity,” said Buckeyes’ head coach Alan Metzel.
With 11 new starters on offense and eight on defense, it’s understandably a process.
“We’re progressing and hope to take another step of development this week. When you play the Bulldogs, you know the game will be a physical, high-level game. Coach (Clint) Fuller always has his guys ready to play.”
“I believe we’ve had a good week of preparation,” Kilgore coach Clint Fuller responded when asked about his week and the upcoming matchup against the Buckeyes. “It’s always a battle. Both teams have a lot of pride and tradition. I expect (the game) to be won in the fourth quarter.”
So many of them have. Like last year’s contest in Gilmer when the ‘Dogs took a early 10-0 lead before the Buckeyes knotted things with a fumble recovery, leading to a tying 40-yard field goal with just over a minute remaining in the second quarter.
Gilmer then cashed in another turnover, this one an interception, putting together a 28-yard scoring march to take a 17-10 lead.
The ’Dogs answered, taking a 22-17 lead, but fell short as the Buckeyes scored the game-winner with just 1:26 left to play to prevail 24-22.
The 2023 game was even closer with Kilgore winning 24-23. The Buckeyes have won two of the last three meetings between the two schools, coming away with a 40-26 decision in 2022.
Gilmer opened this season with a victory over Pine Tree, but Chapel Hill rallied from behind last week to win 41-26. Kilgore dropped its opener against Carthage, before beating Whitehouse rather convincingly 49-14 a week ago.
Both are ranked in this week’s Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Poll. Gilmer is 10th in the Class 4A Division II rankings, while Kilgore is 3rd in 4A Division I.
In two games, Buckeyes’ quarterback Zade Taylor is 17-of-32 passing for 239 yards and one touchdown, and he also has 230 rushing yards and three scores. The leading rusher, thus far, though, has been Tayveon Horne with 252 yards on 40 carries. Solomon Jackson leads the receiving corps with six receptions for 108 yards.
Defensively, players to watch include ILB Trey Lee (15 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 FR), DE Jet Bates (14 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, 8 hurries), S Amare Garrett (13 tackles), DT Tyler Hagler (6-1, 310) and the big guy DL Ismael Camara (6-6, 335).
Kilgore running back Rayshaun Williams, coming off a 169-yard rushing performance against Whitehouse, is the leading rusher with 202 yards on 24 carries for the Bulldogs. Quarterback Kayson Brooks is 31-of-50 passing for 463 yards and four touchdowns.
Nine different receivers for Kilgore have receptions. The leaders, though, are Lakeyleon Graves (6-96 yds, 1 TD), Williams (5-58), Tyler Johnigan (5-65, 1), T.K. White (5-78, 1), Dre’ Sanders (4-45) and Ja’Kalen Sheffield (3-109, 1)
Through two games, the leading tacklers for the Bulldogs have been Watters (23, 1 TFL, 1 Sack), Bi’Syn Williams (20, 1 TFL), Sheffield (21), and Graves (19), while Brayden Williams has three takeaways, two interceptions, returning one of those 41 yards for a touchdown, and a fumble recovery.
The Ragin’ Red defense is allowing its opposition an average of 17 points and 292 yards a game.
