WHERE’S EVERYBODY AT?! | Schedule for East Texas teams remaining in the football playoffs

OK – in our annual game of last-man-standing in the University Interscholastic League high school football playoffs, who’s still on their feet?

Here are the teams in the East Texas region that are still playing, and there aren’t many: only one in the ETBlitz.com area, the Kilgore High School Bulldogs.

The winners of this weekend’s games will be playing next week at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in their respective state championship games.

UIL Class 4A, Division I playoffs – KILGORE (12-2) vs. LA VERNIA (11-3), Friday, 7:30 p.m., Randall Reed Stadium, New Caney.

KISD will have a send-off around 12:30 p.m. from the Mitchell Field House on campus, and an early release on Friday at 1 p.m. to help accommodate those who are traveling to the game. It’s at Randall Reed Stadium (21360 Valley Ranch Parkway, New Caney), in the Houston area about 172 miles from Kilgore, which has been a pretty regular playoff stop for the Kilgore Bulldogs since 2015.

Kilgore is the visiting team this time, La Vernia obviously home, and RRS has a clear-bag policy. That policy is here: https://www.newcaneyisd.org/uploaded/Athletics/Clear_Bag_Policy.pdf.

If for whatever reason you need to know more about stadium policies, here they are: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1701450043/newcaneyisdorg/oioeymvlwnlvr00gxngt/StadiumPolicies.pdf.

As for ticket information, there is only one price: $8 each. You can buy them by clicking here: https://gofan.co/event/2537483?schoolid=TX98159

Texas High School Coaches Association, district passes, Gold Card passes and senior passes are all accepted.

For anyone who can’t go – or if you can, but you’d still like to listen to the game in the stands (don’t laugh; a lot of people do it) – listen to the Ragin’ Red Broadcasting team on KDOK 105.3-FM, or streaming online here: Kilgore vs. La Vernia. Just click on the Kilgore helmets.

For video streaming online, it’ll take a subscription, but there’s the NFHS Network, and that link is here: 2024 UIL Football Semifinal Kilgore High School vs. La Vernia High School – 12/13/2024 | Live & On Demand.

Oh, yeah: don’t forget your towel.

Kilgore’s cheerleaders are asking fans to take part in a Ragin’ Red & White Rally at the game. Pine Tar Sports has donated 250 white rally towels, first-come, first-serve, that can be gotten at the game from the cheerleaders.

We’ll have a more in-dept preview by our own Joe Hale, including a sit-down with Kilgore coach Clint Fuller, on Thursday here on ETBlitz.com.

What are “they” saying?

Apparently, Kilgore is the favorite in the game.

The well-respected Matt Stepp, from Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, had this to say, among other things:

“Kilgore finally ended its playoff curse against Tyler Chapel Hill. …Kilgore’s speed on both sides of the ball will be a major challenge for La Vernia, but the Bears showed they can handle speed in their win over Austin LBJ. The key and what makes Kilgore a contender to win a state title is the Bulldogs’ physicality, combined with overwhelming speed,” Stepp wrote on Texasfootball.com. A subscription to that site, the DCTF site, is well worth it – content about all Texas high school sports year-round.”

The Kilgore-La Vernia winner will face either Celina (14-0) or West Plains (11-3) – WP took down favored Stephenville last week. Celina and WP will play Friday at 7:30 as well, at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene.

And the state title game for that group – Class 4A, Division I – is next Friday, Dec. 20, at AT&T Stadium, a 3 p.m. kickoff.

Other games this weekend involving teams from East Texas:

UIL Class 4A, Division II playoffs – CARTHAGE (13-1) vs. BROCK (13-1), Friday, 7 p.m., McKinney ISD Stadium.

Tickets are $10 each, and can be purchased at this link: https://my.hometowntickting.com/agency/0d871d1c-f33c-4d72-8862-d8072f99235b/events/b821fd22-c5a4-474f-8376-5600c7f0ea86

All ticket sales are online only, and Carthage is the home team.

Hear the Carthage call of the game here: KGAS 104.3 or 1590-AM.

Again, streaming live video of this game is available online for a subscription; there’s the Carthage broadcast here, 2024 UIL Football Semifinal – CARTHAGE HOME BROADCAST Brock High School vs. Carthage High School – 12/13/2024 | Live & On Demand, or the Brock broadcast here: 2024 UIL Football Semifinal – BROCK HOME BROADCAST Brock High School vs. Carthage High School – 12/13/2024 | Live & On Demand.

Brock moved up under the latest UIL re-alignment from 3A to 4A-DII, and it’s swimming with the big boys playing nine-time state champ Carthage.

And part of Stepp’s preview: “Brock’s made a good run, but even in their 3A days, they’d have trouble with speedy, athletic teams from East Texas.”

UIL Class 2A, Division I playoffs – JOAQUIN (10-4) vs. GANADO (13-1), Thursday, 7 p.m., Woodforest Bank Stadium, Shenandoah.

Ganado is home, although the link to the website to buy tickets appears to be broken. We’ll update this.

Stamford and Hamilton also face off Thursday night, in Mineral Wells, and the winner of that game will face the Joaquin-Ganado winner next week in the 2A-DI state title game.

The NFHS subscription service will also carry this one, for a fee. Watch it here: 2024 UIL Football Semifinal Joaquin High School vs. Ganado High School – 12/12/2024 | Live & On Demand.

“Ganado’s a big and physical team that matches up well with Joaquin,” Stepp wrote.

And of course, there’s this one:

UIL Class 6A, Division II playoffs – LONGVIEW (12-2) vs. SOUTHLAKE CARROLL (14-0), Saturday, 2 p.m., Southern Methodist University.

Longview’s Lobos journey west to face Southwest Carroll in the 6A-DII state semifinal game. Tickets are $10 each, and of note, parking is ALSO $10. Tickets can be purchased here: https://smumustangs.evenue.net/events/ATH-HS

The Lobos beat defending state champ DeSoto last week.

See the game (for that subscription fee) here: 2024 UIL Football Semifinal Carroll High School – Southlake vs. Longview High School – 12/14/2024 | Live & On Demand.