Move over, Nederland

Photo by Kathy Bowden IT’S PRETTY — WE LIKE IT — BUT WE’VE GOT ANOTHER ONE IN MIND — Members of the Kilgore High School football team celebrate with the Class 4A Division II area playoff trophy, moments after the Bulldogs’ 40-11 victory over Nederland in Lufkin last Saturday. The Ragin’ Red (11-1), looking to defend last year’s 4A Division II state crown, is back in action this Saturday at Conroe, taking on La Marque. LUFKIN — Early on in Saturday afternoon’s Class 4A Division II area playoff game between Kilgore and Nederland, Nederland’s defensive strategy was obvious: try to slow Kilgore’s running attack and make the Ragin’ Red throw the football.

Let’s just say that things didn’t work out as planned.

The Kilgore offensive line manhandled Nederland’s front, allowed Jerek Sheffield to gain 233 yards rushing and score three touchdowns, and the Ragin’ Red defense shut down Nederland’s offense as KHS cruised to a 40-11 win, advancing to the next playoff game.

That game will be Saturday in Conroe, at Moorhead Stadium against La Marque, a team the Bulldogs defeated last season en route to the 4A Division II state championship. La Marque won the state title in 2003, and is ranked No. 1 in 4A in the state in the most recent Associated Press poll (at the end of the regular season).

Photo by Kathy Bowden HE’S A BIG OL’ BOY — Kilgore High School tight end Britt Mitchell (81, in white) grabs a pass from Chase Fisher. KHS (11-1) faces La Marque (12-0) on Saturday. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. Charter buses will be taken to the game for fans; see the information box above for more information.

KHS head coach Mike Vallery complimented both his players and assistant coaches for last weekend’s performance in Lufkin a game plan," said Vallery, whose team has eight straight playoff wins dating back to last season. "...And we’re proud of what Jerek was able to do. The offensive line did it’s job; that’s why he was able to have so much success."

The line — Josh Mathis, Ryan Whitmer, Lon Roberts, Joey White, Michael Huey, Adam Wiggins, Josh Slagle and tight ends Britt Mitchell, Wayne Daniels and Paul Springer — kept quarterback Chase Fisher untouched for most of the game. He was pulled down on a coverage sack.

Nederland nose tackle Ron Mohica, heralded as an AllState player (he’s over 6-2 and weighs 300 pounds), was rendered mostly ineffective in the contest, Kilgore’s second win in the playoffs this year and its 11th in the last 12 postseason contests.

Kilgore (11-1) got off to a great start when Nederland fumbled the opening kickoff — KHS linebacker Nick Cline picked it up, giving the Bulldogs the ball at the NHS 31. Kilgore would drive to the Nederland 11-yard-line and fail to score when a fourth-down conversion attempt (fourth and 3) failed. But KHS had claimed the momentum, and set the tone for the remainder of the game.

Kilgore’s defense held Nederland to three downs and out on its first series, forcing a punt and getting the ball back at its own 42. The offensive line and Sheffield went to work, picking up the first down on three straight rushes. Fisher was sacked on that first down, the coverage sack mentioned earlier (by Nederland’s Conner Brennan). But three plays later, Fisher made a nice throw to Chase Patterson that Patterson snagged, then took down to Nederland’s 7 for a 15-yard gain. Kilgore scored three plays later on a 2-yard run by Sheffield. Daren Chappell’s extra point was good, and KHS led 7-0 with 4:04 left in the first quarter. Nederland (6-4) used two of its three time outs in the half on that one Kilgore drive.

On the second play of the second quarter, Nederland managed to get off a great punt, and down it at the Kilgore 2.

Kilgore wasted no time, though, and Sheffield picked up 39 yards on the first two plays. The fifth play of the drive put Kilgore at midfield already, and with a personal foul/facemask on Nederland tacked on to a Sheffield 5-yard pickup, Kilgore was in business at the Nederland 27. Fisher would take it in himself five plays later, diving over the heart of the Nederland defense for a 1-yard score with 7:12 left in the half.

Nederland’s only score of the half came, honestly, on a fluke play. Fisher, rolling out and trying to make something happen just before halftime, tried to get the ball to Mitchell downfield. The ball got batted up into the air, appeared to bounce off a helmet and was picked off by Nederland’s Jesse Keffer. He returned it to Kilgore’s 23.

But the play that electrified the Nederland crowd did not lead to a NHS touchdown. Kilgore’s defense stood tall, forcing quarterback Alex Moshier to go 1 for 5 on the drive — the one pass completion, to receiver Ryan Butler, took the ball to Kilgore’s 8. But KHS defensive end Eddie Jones batted down a pass (one of three for him in the game) and Nederland’s Bulldogs were forced to kick a 25yard field goal. Clint Whitaker booted the kick and made it, putting NHS on the scoreboard just before halftime.

Nederland simply could not stop the Kilgore rushing attack, and when Kilgore got the ball following the second-half kickoff, the Bulldogs proved it. Kilgore put together an 80-yard, 4:45 drive that culminated with a 13-yard touchdown run by Torian Rodgers. Like Sheffield, Rodgers and Steven Smith ran hard in the game, and each had a touchdown. Chappell, who missed the second extra point, hit this one, and KHS led 20-3.

Taylor Strube threw Nederland’s Micah Mosley, for a 3yard loss on the NHS firstdown play, and Kilgore defensive back Jaron Shepherd knocked down (actually almost intercepted) a second-down pass by Moshier. On third down, KHS defensive tackle Coty Gatewood sacked Moshier for a 2-yard loss, and forced another punt.

On the third play of the fourth quarter, Sheffield got into the end zone again, this time on a 6-yard run, and he scored yet again with 6:54 left in the contest on a 3-yard run.

Smith got the Bulldogs’ final score on a 38-yard run where he was untouched after getting past the line of scrimmage, another testament to Kilgore’s good blocking.

The lone Nederland touchdown came with 33 seconds left on a 30-yard run by Mosley. The two-point conversion pass was caught, leaving the final score, and setting up Kilgore vs. La Marque next week.

The two schools played last season at College Station’s Kyle Field in the regional finals, resulting in a 26-21 Kilgore win. Like Kilgore, La Marque had a good regular season this year, going unbeaten. The Coogars beat Houston Wheatley, 50-14, on Friday night in Pearland to secure a rematch with Kilgore.

"I told our kids (before the game with Nederland) that they could play their way into the biggest game in the state by winning today," Vallery said after Saturday’s win. "And they did that. I believe — with La Marque being the 2003 state champion, and the No. 1 team in the state, and us being the defending state champions, that it is the biggest game in the state next week.

"...We want to encourage our crowd to follow us like they always do. We’re going to need the support."