Bulldogs fall short in Mesquite

Photo by Dr. Jeff Davis ANOTHER GREAT YEAR — Kilgore High School running back Frank Reddic (4) scored a touchdown on this play against Ennis on Friday night at Mesquite Memorial Stadium. The Bulldogs lost the UIL Class 4A Division 2 area playoff game, though, 48-21. Reddic is one of several seniors on the Ragin' Red that made 2008 another year to remember: a District 14-4A championship, a bi-district playoff championship win in Marshall, and wins over several arch-rivals, including 3A power Gilmer. MESQUITE — Both Kilgore High School and Ennis High School scored in the first three minutes of Friday night's UIL Class 4A Division 2 area playoff game.

Unfortunately for Kilgore, the Ennis Lions had just a bit more firepower in this contest.

Kilgore finished its season at Mesquite Memorial Stadium against the Lions, a 48-21 final that had enough fireworks in the first half for an entire game.

The Bulldogs completed the 2008 season with a 9-3 record, the second year Kilgore has gone 9-3, and the fifth year of the last seven that the Ragin' Red won at least nine games. Kilgore won the District 14-4A championship this year, and beat Marshall — avenging one of the Bulldogs' regular-season losses — in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

In addition, Kilgore senior running back Frank Reddic finished right at the 2,000-yard rushing mark.

Ennis, though, is the team advancing in the 4A playoffs. The Lions will face Rockwall Heath (12-0) this weekend.

For Kilgore, it was a case of running into a team with a quarterback who had a hot hand and two receivers that just about refused to drop a pass. Ennis quarterback D.J. Betik went 3-for-3 on the opening drive of Friday's game, the big one the final one, a 39-yard touchdown pass to Deonte Mc- Dade. McDade crossed the goal line with 10:51 left in the contest. Kicker Colby Threet missed the extra point, though, and Ennis led just 6-0. The score was set up by a big opening kick return.

Kilgore fought back quickly. Senior wide receiver/defensive back Andrew Ector took the ensuing kickoff back 30 yards to the Ennis 45-yard-line, and on third-and-6, Reddic broke free from Ennis defenders for a 41- yard touchdown. Ryan Bustin hit the Bulldogs' extra point attempt, and the Ragin' Red led 7-6 with just over two minutes gone off the clock.

But that would be the only Kilgore lead of the game. The teams traded offensive possessions following Reddic's touchdown, but Kilgore was forced to get out of the shadow of its own end zone when Threet's punt pinned the Bulldogs at their 1. Bustin got off a good punt, but still Ennis took over at the Kilgore 38, and scored on the firstdown play, a 38-yard pass to Kyle Guinyard. The Lions went for two points rather than the extra point attempt, got it and led 14-0 with 4:35 left in the opening quarter.

The Lions made a play on the kickoff that would change the game.

Ennis recovered a loose ball, setting them up with great field position again at Kilgore's 33. Three straight Betik passes, two to Guinyard and one to Mc- Dade, put Ennis down to Kilgore's 5, and tailback Tim Hearne did the rest, scoring on the 5-yard run that followed. The Lions led 21-7.

Kilgore coach Mike Vallery elected to punt on the ensuing fourth-down from Ennis' 36, and try to pin the Lions back, as Ennis had done to KHS. It worked, and how — Hearne was hit on second down by Kilgore linebacker Mishaud Austin, and Kilgore defenders fell on the loose ball, setting the Bulldogs up with first-and-goal at the Ennis 2. Reddic scored two plays later, and the Bulldogs were back in it, trailing 21-14 with 8:35 left in the half.

The Ragin' Red defense had a hard time, though, slowing the Ennis pass-happy offensive attack. And on the next possession, Betik found Guinyard again, this time for 29 yards down to Kilgore's 37. From there, it was just short-distance, high-percentage-completion passes to McDade, the final one a 9-yard touchdown.

The Bulldogs were unable to convert for a first down on their next offensive possession, with a fake reverse/pass play from Ken Smith to Ector falling incomplete on second down. Steven McBryde's third-down pass was also incomplete, and Ennis re-claimed the ball at its own 31.

Guinyard hurt Kilgore again, making another catch from Betik for 18 yards on the very first play of the drive, and the Lions would score before halftime, a backbreaking score that put KHS down 35-14 at the half.

Hearne would score on a 2- yard run in the end of the third quarter to give Ennis a 42-17 lead, then again in the fourth on a 1-yard run. Kilgore blocked the extra point on the last Ennis score. The final Kilgore touchdown of the season was scored by Courtney Maddox on a 7-yard run with 2:20 left.

Betik completed 30 of 37 passes for 305 yards.