KHS to play Gilmer, Marshall in non-district games
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

The University Interscholastic League's district realignment for the next two school years is complete, and the Kilgore High School football program already has a tentative 2008 schedule in place.

Sites of games will be set after a district meeting, but Kilgore head football coach and athletic director Mike Vallery already has the opponents scheduled for the 2008 season, and released that information to the Kilgore News Herald on Friday afternoon.

Things could change, but Vallery and other coaches have agreed in principle to a schedule. The Bulldogs will open the season Aug. 29 against Carthage. Hallsville, formerly a district rival, will be the Bulldogs' opponent on Sept. 5. Another former district rival, Marshall, will line up against KHS on Sept. 12.

The non-district schedule continues against a strong Class 3A team, the Gilmer Buckeyes, on Sept. 19, and concludes with against Palestine Sept. 26.

Kilgore will have an open date Oct. 3, then begin its District 14-4A schedule on Oct. 10. The district opponents will be Henderson, Jacksonville, Lindale, Nacogdoches and Whitehouse, but dates of those games and sites will be set at an upcoming district meeting.

The sites of those games will determine in large part where the non-district games are played.

Under the UIL's new realignment, Kilgore is no longer in a district with the Longview-area schools. Finding non-district opponents is not always easy, and Vallery said both Hallsville and Marshall were in agreement with him to keep those football rivalries going. For the first time in several years, Kilgore won't face Pine Tree on the gridiron.

If the Bulldogs don't conduct a spring session, they can have two scrimmages in August. If that's the case, Kilgore will scrimmage Tatum, and then scrimmage Mount Pleasant on Aug. 23. If the Bulldogs go through spring, the scrimmage with Tatum will likely be canceled.