Over in New Caney, a ticket to AT&T Stadium was on the line on a dreary and misty Friday night.
After being eliminated the last three years by Chapel Hill, Kilgore finally got over that hump last week with a dominant performance, setting up a semifinal matchup with a La Vernia squad that has gone through the ringer to get to this point.
The Bears previously took down Region IV favorite, Austin LBJ, and avenged two regular season losses to Port Lavaca Calhoun and Bay City. Kilgore was looking to get back to the state title game for the first time since 2013, while La Vernia was looking to make their first state championship game appearance in school history.
Game Recap
La Vernia received the opening kick and went three-and-out. The resulting snap was mishandled and Kilgore was there to down the ball at the Bears eight-yard line, setting up the Bulldogs in prime scoring position. The La Vernia defense would step up though, as they held strong, forcing a 22-yard field goal by Kilgore’s Eddie Jimenez, making it 3-0 Bulldogs early in the first quarter.
The next three drives all resulted in three-and-outs, giving the ball to Kilgore at the 50-yard line with a little over three minutes left in the first quarter. Five plays later, Kayson Brooks took off down the left sideline for a 29-yard touchdown, making the score 10-0 Kilgore at the end of the first.
Early in the second quarter, Kilgore would add to their lead. On fourth and six, Brooks found Lakeyleon Graves on a short pass, finding a seam and taking it 30-yards for the touchdown, giving the Bulldogs the 17-0 edge. A turnover-on-downs by La Vernia, followed by a three-and-out by Kilgore, gave the ball back to the Bears with 5:30 remaining in the half. La Vernia used a 14-play drive to march down the field and run the first half clock, finishing off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run by Keegan Hajek.
At the half, Kilgore led 17-7.
A trio of three-and-outs and a turnover-on-downs through the first four drives of the second half would give the ball back to Kilgore midway through the third quarter, where they would add to their lead. Isaiah Watters took the handoff straight up the middle and powered his way into the end zone for a four-yard touchdown. Kilgore led 24-7 at the end of the third.
On the opening play of the fourth quater, Kilgore got on the board again, as Brooks found Michigan commit Jayden Sanders wide open down the left sideline for a 59-yard touchdown. La Vernia would get into the end zone themselves in the fourth quarter, as Hajek ran in a three-yard touchdown run for his second score of the game. The two-point conversion failed, making it 31-13 Kilgore with 6:49 remaining. Another touchdown by the Bulldogs, this time a three-yard run by Watters, would close the door on this one.
Kilgore advances to the state championship for the first time since 2013 with a 38-13 win. The Bulldogs will look to capture just their second state title in school history, as they take on Celina next Friday at 3:00pm.
