LOCAL SPORTS IN BRIEF
BY SPORTS EDITOR MITCH LUCAS
SOCCER

THEY MEET AGAIN TONIGHT - Kilgore's Zach Driver (4) and the Bulldogs will meet Athens again tonight, as the second round of District 17-4A play begins. The schools' junior varsity teams will play at 5:30 p.m. at Athens, with varsity afterward. The girls teams will play here, also beginning at 5:30 with JV.

Next round starts for KHS

The second round of District 17-4A play begins tonight for both Kilgore High School soccer teams, and both will face Athens.

The boys, coached by Kris Duplissey and Joey Pippen, will play at Athens - a 5:30 p.m. junior varsity start, varsity to follow - and need a win to get back in the thick of the 17- 4A playoff race. The top three teams make the playoffs, and right now, the Bulldogs are 3-5, and in fifth place. The JV Bulldogs have just one loss this year, and just one loss in district play.

Coaches Amanda Walzel and Alice Crocker will have their Lady Bulldogs in action here at home at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium, also playing Athens and also beginning with JV at 5:30. The Lady Bulldogs' varsity team is 3-4-1 in district play, coming off a win over Hallsville on Tuesday night. The girls' JV has just one district loss.

BASEBALL

KBBA registration begins Saturday

Sign up for the 2008 season of the Kilgore Boys Baseball Association (KBBA) will begin Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the KBBA fields on Harris Street.

Registration is $75 per player. Children must be five years old before April 30, and should bring birth certificates to registration. Ages range from five through 14.

It will be on Feb. 22 from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., on the 23rd from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., and tryouts will be there on March 1, the time to be announced.

For more information on KBBA, call its office at (903) 984- 4170, or contact the organization by e-mail (to Stephanie Osteen) at kilgorebaseball@yahoo.com.

KHS starts season Monday

The Kilgore High School baseball team will begin its 2008 season, the second under head coach Jeff Blackstone, on Monday at Wills Point, a 6 p.m. first-pitch. The Bulldogs will head to Tyler to take part in the Rose City Classic next weekend, and the first home game here at Driller Park will be Tuesday, Feb. 26, against Bullard.

The Oil Belt Tournament will be played in its entirety here at Driller, and is set for Feb. 28 to March 1.

If you'd like to see KHS in one final tune-up before the season begins, you can come out to Driller today for their scrimmage against Carthage, a 5 p.m. start.

The Bulldogs' junior varsity scrimmages at Carthage today at 5, and will open its season at home on Monday against Tyler Lee.

Blackstone is assisted by Ronnie Lee Garvin and Ronnie Hendrix.

SOFTBALL

KYSA registration begins Feb. 23

Registration for the spring season of the Kilgore Youth Softball Association (KYSA) will begin Saturday, Feb. 23, and will be held several days throughout the first portion of March.

Registration will be held at the sports complex on Highway 135 (that's also where games are played) at the red building. There is a registration fee of $75 per player, with discounts after registering two players from the same household.

The first registration day is Saturday, Feb. 23, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the sports complex. There are two more Saturday registration days: March 1 and March 8, both from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

There are also a pair of mid-week registration days: Tuesday, Feb. 26 (from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.) and Tuesday, March 4 (from 4 p.m. until 6).

There will be no late registration this year.

For more information on KYSA, contact Evelyn Stokes at (903) 984-8704, or see the KYSA website at kysakilgore.org.

GOLF

ACS golf-a-thon March 8

Here at Meadowbrook Country Club on Saturday, March 8, there will be a golf-a-thon to benefit the American Cancer Society, and when I say golf-a-thon, I mean it: participants will play 54 holes of best ball, with a triple bogey maximum on any hole played.

To enter, you provide a minimum donation of $500 to the American Cancer Society.

For the donation, your food and drink for the day will be provided, you'll get a Nike Dri-Fit shirt, your cart and green fees are included in that donation, and dinner and drinks at the end of the day.

Cash prizes for the low nine, the low 18, the low 36 and the low 54, based on handicap, will be given.

To enter, you'll need to call Greg Collins at (903) 988- 3413 by Friday, Feb. 15. Be prepared to let Greg know a shirt size and if you'll need a cart. +