Bulldogs face familiar foe in round one

first playoff game of the 2008 season pits Kilgore High School against Marshall. After all, the two teams, former district rivals, have decided plenty of history and made plenty of it in the last five years, and often had to go around each other to do it.

Photo by Dr. Jeff Davis CONSIDER YOURSELF STOPPED — Kilgore's Jordan Henderson (12) and Shaun Edwards (30) wrap up Nacogdoches' Jacoby Ervin. The Bulldogs defeated Nac, 27-14, in last weekend's regular-season finale, and begin the Class 4A playoffs Friday night at Marshall, a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. The Bulldogs' defense get their second shot at Marshall this year. Kilgore is 4-3 against the Mavericks in the last seven games, and 3-1 at Maverick Stadium since 2002. Kilgore (8-2) visits Marshall (6- 4) in the bidistrict, or first, round of the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 4A Division 2 playoffs on Friday night at Maverick Stadium, a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. According to Kilgore News Herald archives, this is the first-ever playoff meeting between the rivals.

And Maverick Stadium might not be a bad site for the game, if you're a Kilgore fan. The stadium, where the home band sits on the visiting side and the scoreboard lights are Maverick-red, has been a fairly good place for Kilgore to play in recent years. KHS is 3-1 in Marshall since 2002, the one loss having came this year.

Photo by Lester Murray THINKING AHEAD A PLAY OR TWO — Kilgore High School head coach Mike Vallery (above) has the Bulldogs in the playoffs again, the 13th time in 14 years. The Ragin' Red (8-2) plays at Marshall (6-4) on Friday in a UIL Class 4A Division 2 bidistrict game. The Bulldogs -- playing very impressive football since dropping the Hurricane Ike Bowl at Marshall, 28-18, in the third week of the season — come off a 27-14 win over Nacogdoches that wasn't that close. Kilgore is now the District 14-4A champion, and facing a by injuries, including to quarterback and all-purpose player Darius Jones. Jones, an Oklahoma verbal commit, has played sparingly in recent weeks as the Mavericks tried to navigate a difficult District 13- 4A schedule that included losses to Longview, Texas High and Sulphur Springs.

Marshall has lost three of its last four games, but beat Mount Pleasant, 28-18, last week. The Mavericks are coached by Thedrick Harris, in his second year at the helm after replacing Rodney Southern.

While the Mavericks have had their problems, Kilgore has been cruising, save for a loss to Lindale five weeks ago, a game the Bulldogs could really have won, minus a few mistakes. Since then, KHS has won four straight and looked good doing it. Wins have came by slim margins (a 34-31 last-second victory over Whitehouse) and a big ones (30-0 over Henderson, 35-7 over Jacksonville and last week's titleclinching win at home against Nac).

And this season also has featured a Kilgore win over Gilmer, which happened the week after the Bulldogs lost at Marshall.

Still, KHS head coach Mike Vallery, who is 4-3 against Marshall since becoming the Bulldogs' head coach in 1995, expects a battle at Maverick Stadium Friday night.

"They have been banged up," Vallery said. "But we expect to see their best."

Kilgore's best this season has been very good. The Bulldogs outscored Nac 27-0 for the bulk of last week's game, a game Nac could have used to get into the playoffs, had the Dragons won.

But Kilgore's defense was just stiffling. Xavian Sanders, a wide receiver and defensive back who plays almost every snap of the ball, had an 82-yard touchdown catch from Steven McBryde on the first series, but added two fourth-quarter interceptions and another touchdown catch to boot.

Sanders' picks weren't the only defensive eye-opener. KHS allowed Nac just 217 total yards (109 on the ground, 108 through the air). The Bulldogs were penalized just twice defensively for a total of 30 yards, and only gave up one touchdown: the final one came on a kick return for a score by Damian Leonard with just five seconds left.

Linebackers Mishaud Austin and Taylor Carter, two newcomers to the Ragin' Red varsity program this year, each had nine tackles. Austin had two sacks and Carter added a tackle for a loss of 5 yards. Those two are leading the Bulldogs in tackles this year, as well — Austin has 79, Carter 63.

Sanders had eight tackles against Nac, as did linebackers Javarri Kelly and Deadrick Lacy. Defensive end Tyler Dennis had a tackle for a loss, and defensive end Dominique Jones and defensive tackle Vince Cano each had seven tackles.

Kilgore allows just about 243 yards of offense per game.

Up front, Jones, Dennis, Shaun Edwards, Cano, Blayne Cole and Shadow Stokes get the most playing time on the defensive line, and Jones is a University of Texas verbal. The linebacking corps is very, very good. Austin, Carter, Kelly, and Lacy are joined by Trevor Moon (53 tackles, six for loss) and Jordan Henderson.

The secondary is also a good one. Sanders is joined by Andrew Ector, C.J. Gary, and Kendall Moore. Each has had his share of big plays this year. Sanders leads the team with four interceptions; Gary has three. Ector has 10 pass break-ups to lead the Bulldogs, and Moore has 43 tackles. Mike Wood is the Bulldogs' defensive coordinator.

One player who helps the KHS defense by putting the opponents in difficult field position is Ryan Bustin, the Bulldogs' punter and place kicker. Bustin, just a junior, has 2 1/2 years of experience under his belt, and many a clutch kick. Not all of them are field goals, however.

Bustin has 28 punts this season, and is averaging 40 yards per punt. At one point just a couple of games ago, he had gotten his average up to 43 yards per punt, an average college kickers would boast about. Bustin has hit 30 of 33 extra points he's attempted, and 9 of 10 field goals, including a 45-yarder, and a 32-yard game-winner against Whitehouse as time expired.

The motor of the Bulldogs' offense is senior running back Frank Reddic, who seemingly gets stronger each quarter of every game. Reddic, the son of Bulldog assistant coach and former KHS standout Jerry Reddic, is often the focal point of the opposing team's defensive game plan.

But teams are finding out that it's one thing to plan for Reddic and the Bulldogs' rushing game: it's another thing altogether to stop it, or even slow it down.

Reddic has 1,512 yards and 17 touchdowns on 258 carries, averaging 5.9 yards a carry. He's like laughing gas — the longer you use it, the more effective it becomes.

Reddic is joined in the backfield by other talented players: Courtney Maddox, another senior and a speedy back who has 291 yards and three touchdowns on 62 carries, and by Moon, a good coombination of speed and power who has 216 yards and two scores. The fullbacks are Matt Goff and Brandon McCarty.

When you talk about Kilgore's offense,you've got to talk about the running game. But lately, it's been Air Kilgore, as well.

The Ragin' Red has been working on its passing attack, and it's been impressive. Sanders now has 12 catches for 265 yards and four touchdowns on the season, and Ector has 17 catches for 400 yards and three scores. Others who are a threat to make a big play on a catch include Devaron Harvey, who had a 37-yard catch agains Nac last week; Will Mixon; Reddic; Ken Smith, who doubles as the team's second-string quarterback and gets playing time under center as well; and tight ends Dominique Jones, Tyler Dennis and Blayne Cole.

The starting quarterback is Steven McBryde, a smart and tough player, and he's been on the money in recent weeks. After a career day at Jacksonville two weeks ago, McBryde threw for 121 yards and two touchdowns last week against Nac. He also threw an interception, but it came on fourth and very long and served as basically a punt for the Bulldogs. On the season, McBryde has completed 52 of 120 passes for 907 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. Smith has thrown the ball only twice, having completed one, but has a good arm and is a dangerous threat running the ball.

Quarterbacks and running backs are only as good as the offensive line, and Kilgore has a good one. Jeff Watson, Cano, Colby Rosen, John Swanson, and Tyler Waddle get the bulk of the playing time, too. The unit, combined with the tight ends, has done a magnificent job of protecting McBryde and Smith, and in opening holes for the running game, too. A few members of this line were injured when Kilgore met Marshall the first time — the line looks to be at full strength in this game.

Kilgore's offensive coordinator is Chris Vallery. Assistant coaches for Kilgore are Keith Myers (offensive line), Charles Pressley (secondary), Les Loper (inside linebackers), Mark Roskos (outside linebackers), Jay Dean (running backs), Andy Robinson (wide receivers, John McGilvray (tight ends), Michael Bradsshaw (kicking), Ronnie Hobbs, Ronnie Lee Garvin, Joey Pippen, Jerry Reddic, and Jeff Blackstone.

Kilgore's very good athletic trainers are Darrell "Red" Ganus and Amanda Cecil.

Tickets are still on sale early at the KHS athletic offices from 9 a.m. until noon on Friday.

If you can't make it to the KHSMarshall game but you'd like to listen, do so live on the radio on 1240-AM, or online at tsrnsports. com, the Texas Sports Radio Network's website. The Ragin' Red Broadcasting team of Doug Smith, Ronnie Chappell and Don Hedrick will be calling the action.