'Cats no longer a district foe, but still dangerous

School hooks up with Hallsville High School in any sport, it's a district game.

MIKE VALLERY The Longview-area school, only about 20 minutes away if that, is almost always a district foe for Kilgore, but not this year. The University Interscholastic League, basing its realignment every two school rather than the larger 5A, and then put all the Longview-area schools including Hallsville in

north-of-Interstate 20 district. with the south-of-I-20 district, District 14-4A, with Whitehouse, Henderson, Jacksonville, Nacogdoches, and Lindale.

But the Bulldogs and Bobcats almost always produce exciting football. Kilgore won four in a row in the series from 2002-05, lost here at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium to Hallsville in 2006, but then smashed the Bobcats in 2007, contributing to a seven-loss season for Hallsville.

The Bobcats look to be back, though, in a big way. They sent a message last week with a thorough 42-7 thrashing of normally-strong 2A power Tatum, and have looked good in scrimmages.

"We know their offense because it's pretty much our offense," Kilgore coach Mike Vallery said on Wednesday. "They do a lot of things similar to the way we do things, and they're a pretty good football team right now."

Photo by Lester Murray BIG PLAY — Kilgore wide receiver/defensive back Andrew Ector (left) is pushed out of bounds by a Carthage player, but only after getting a 50-yard kick return that would set up a touchdown. Kilgore (1-0) beat Carthage 33-20 last week, and visits former district rival Hallsville on Friday, a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Hallsville (1-0) got a threetouchdown, 137-yard performance from running back A.Jones in the win over Tatum, and he didn't even play in the fourth quarter.

The Bobcats led 28-0 at the halftime break, stretched it to 35- 0 before Tatum finally scored, and only allowed Tatum 9 yards of offense in the first half.

It all started early for Hallsville — like, on the opening kick — when Quantrail Johnson took it back 92 yards for the score. Johnson would score again in the game on a 16-yard run that pushed Hallsville's lead to a shocking five touchdowns over a Tatum team that won the Class 2A championship three years ago and the 3A title two seasons ago.

The Eagles didn't score until the fourth quarter.

Salty Carthage put up a little more fight for Kilgore (1-0) in a hot night at R.E. St. John.

"I've been going to all kinds of sporting events here for over 30 years, and that was the hottest football game I've ever sat through," longtime Kilgore-area sports fan Gene Fout told the Kilgore News Herald on Wednesday.

The players for both KHS and Carthage would likely agree. There were problems with cramps for both programs all night.

A turnover, a fumble, by Kilgore allowed Carthage to get the first touchdown of the night, a 19- yard pass from S'Darius Blackshire to tailback Dwight Smith on a pass play. Kilgore tied the game moments later when quarterback Steven McBryde tossed a touchdown pass of his own, a play that Andrew Ector took to the end zone, a 40-yard touchdown. Ryan Bustin kicked the extra point. Bustin was incredible against Carthage — he went 4-for-4 in extra points, a 33-yard field goal and averaged 44 yards per punt.

Kilgore went up 14-7 on a 4- yard interception for a touchdown by defensive end Tyler Dennis, but then saw Blackshire lift his team again, this time on a pass to Jarvin Robinson. Robinson went the distance, 68 yards, and scored, tying the game. But that would be as close as Carthage would get.

McBryde got his second touchdown pass of the game, this time to Xavian Sanders, just before the half to put KHS up 21-14.

Carthage scored again early in the second half on a 76-yard touchdown run by Smith, but the