Henderson swept; ’Dogs all alone in first

A HAIR-RAISING SITUATION — Kilgore’s Jessica Dukes (above), a senior, reacts after a header against Pine Tree last Friday. Both KHS soccer teams defeated Henderson on Monday and are in good playoff position. Photo by Lester Murray The Kilgore High School Bulldogs now have something in common with NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson: they’re in the driver’s seat.

The Bulldogs have taken complete control of District 32-4A’s boys division, defeating Pine Tree — at Pine Tree, no less — in overtime on Friday, then beating Henderson, 3-2, on Monday in a game that had to be changed to accommodate TAKS testing today.

Kilgore, now, is 13-3-1 overall, and more importantly, 6-1 in 32-4A play. They Bulldogs, coached by Michael Bradshaw and Clint Toon, own the tiebreaker over Pine Tree, and the Pirates did Kilgore a favor on Monday by handing another playoff contender, Hallsville, a loss.

On top of that, the Bulldogs have the home field edge. They’re home in two of their last three games of the regular season. They’re here again on Friday against Longview, visit Hallsville on Tuesday and then wind up the regular season at home next Friday against Marshall.

Kilgore’s Lady Bulldogs, coached by Amanda Farmer and Alice Crocker, notched a huge win Monday night, too, big for their playoff hopes. Kilgore’s girls went on the road and defeated Henderson, 3-2, to get the season sweep over the Lady Lions.

The Lady Bulldogs are now 3-4 in district play, and one more win will likely clinch at least a playoff berth for them. They also have three games left: at Longview Friday, at home against Hallsville on Tuesday, and at Marshall next Friday.

• Boys: Kilgore hasn’t had much success against Pine Tree in boys soccer in recent years, but neither has anyone else. The Pirates have been an East Texas soccer power.

But this year, Kilgore has had their number. The Bulldogs proved that again Friday night at Pirates Stadium in Longview. In a steady, misty rain, Kilgore got a secondhalf goal from senior Oscar Davilla to tie the game, which eventually went to overtime.

With just 15 seconds left in the second half of the OT session, Kilgore’s biggest gun of the season, sophomore Jose Barron, came through in the clutch again, getting a goal that put Kilgore in front, 2-1, the final score.

Here against Henderson on Monday night, the Bulldogs and Lions were standing tall defensively — until the second half, when Henderson’s defense slipped a bit, allowing KHS two very quick back-to-back goals.

Hugo Orta, another sophomore, gave Kilgore a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the second half, and then Barron made it 2-0 less than a minute of game time later.

The Bulldogs went up 3-0 courtesy of Brett Forbus, and looked to be in complete control. Henderson did get two goals late, but never really threatened to pull the upset. Kilgore goalkeeper Corey Thompson, a senior, was on his game, making three saves in the first half and seven in the second half for a nice performance.

Also, Kilgore’s junior varsity boys won for Toon, a 2-0 victory.

• Girls: Pine Tree escaped Kilgore’s Lady Bulldogs twice this season, both times in 1-0 games. The Lady Pirates’ Amanda Wallin scored with just over five minutes gone in the second half to give PT a 1-0 lead, and while Kilgore did have a few late shots on goal, the Lady Pirates were able to leave with the win and remain in first place in the girls division of 32-4A.

At Henderson Monday, though, Kilgore’s offense pulled it out, leaving with a 3-2 win.

The Lady ’Dogs got on the scoreboard thanks to Macy Reynolds, who scored on an assist by Kandace Shackelford. The second goal came on a corner kick by Jorri Cheshire, and the third came on a kick by Kaity Stoner, assisted by Sarah Mendenhall.

Also, the JV girls won, 3-1.