By the time this edition of the Kilgore News Herald hits the stands, both Kilgore High School soccer programs will know their fates: the season could be over for one or both – or the regional tournament awaits, for one, or for both.
That’s because both Kilgore girls and boys soccer programs were to play huge games on Friday night following the print deadline for this edition of the News Herald. The Bulldogs, under the guidance of longtime East Texas coaching great Tom Wait, were to play Palestine at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium on Friday for the right to advance to next week’s UIL Class 4A boys regional tournament, right back at Rose Stadium.
Kilgore’s Lady Bulldogs, coached by Todd BonDurant, were to take on BonDurant’s former program, Spring Hill, for a third time this season, this time in a third-round 4A playoff game at Pine Tree’s Pirate Stadium on Friday, also with a regional tournament berth on the line. That tournament also is to be played next week at Rose.
See updates on both the ‘Dogs and the Lady Bulldogs right now online at kilgorenewsherald.com, and coverage of both in next week’s print and online editions.
Kilgore boys: For about a decade, no boys soccer program in East Texas has been better than Kilgore or Palestine. Or is it Palestine or Kilgore?
That might depend on where loyalties lie.
“I can tell you this,” Wait said Wednesday. “My first year here, back in 2018, (Palestine) handed us our worst loss. We’ve met them a bunch of times before then, since then and Kilgore and Palestine have had some good battles. They’re always very strong. We’ve been fortunate that we’ve been strong a long time.
“But that year, we were going through that transition, with me being new. I remember that. Really well.”
The two programs have been back and forth, forth and back, have each won a state title, have each ended each other’s seasons over the last several years. There’s mutual respect between the programs, between the coaches, between the players.
And Friday night, they’ll meet again, thanks to a pair of wins earlier this week.
Palestine defeated Bullard to punch its ticket to the UIL Class 4A third round, and Kilgore punched its ticket emphatically, a 3-0 blanking of Cumberland Academy Tuesday night at Pine Tree High School’s Pirate Stadium in Longview.
Friday night, Kilgore (23-3-2) and Palestine (25-2-1) were to meet in the ultimate setting: another winner-take-all playoff game in Tyler. For the loser: the season is over. The winner advances to the regional tournament next week, also to be played at Rose Stadium, for an opportunity to represent the region at the UIL state soccer tournament April 13-16 at Georgetown’s Birkelbach Stadium – old stomping grounds for both teams.
This time a year ago, Wait and his Bulldogs were facing the sting of bitter disappointment.
After winning another district championship and on an apparent mission to get back to the state tournament – Kilgore has been to four of them since 2010, and won a state crown in 2017 – the Bulldogs were upset by Pittsburg before getting back to regionals.
It was a feeling Wait said his team hasn’t forgotten. Not to this day.
“You ask what it felt like?,” Wait said. “I’ll tell you. It was a big taste of reality, and the reality is that if you don’t fulfill your objective – we had chance after chance to score, had a huge shot advantage, and didn’t get it in – anything can happen. Someone’s gotta move on. And that day, it wasn’t us.
“It was very sobering. It was very humbling. In the locker room that day, and every day thereafter, we started planning. We’ve been getting ready, getting ready for the next year, for this year, for this moment. Our locker room, our environment – it became a very workmanlike place. (The kids) have done it. They’ve flourished in the weight room. They’ve flourished in training. They’ve flourished in the classroom. They’ve worked hard. And they love this game. That’s what we’ve been going through, until now. We’ve got a great mix of kids. I have to tout our seniors. They’ve been just great, great leaders for this team.”
Wait might underestimate his own contributions.
Wait is actually in his second stint as Kilgore’s head soccer coach, and has made stops at Hallsville and other places. He returned in 2018, replacing Austin Walker, who departed for Midlothian Heritage after leading the Bulldogs to that state title in ’17.
Wait had to guide the Bulldogs through the COVID-19 season, of course, and has done little else but win. Since his return, Kilgore boys soccer is a staggering 101-23-12.
That includes the most recent win, that 3-0 win over Cumberland Academy on Tuesday, the second-round playoff win.
After a scoreless first half, Jacob Contreras and Josue Rosas gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead, and Adrian Estrella finished it, with the third and final goal of the game.
The defense was simply outstanding, as it has been all season, led by keepers Anthony Salinas and Chris Martinez. In fact, Kilgore has given up 11 goals all season – just three in the month of March.
Kilgore faced Palestine earlier this year, in tournament time. The Bulldogs topped Palestine, 2-0.
Wait’s strategy for his team?
“That’s a lifetime ago,” he said. “We’ve both played the bulk of the season since then. We’re entirely different teams. We’ve gotten better. I’m betting they’ve gotten better. We know they’re going to give us the best effort they can, and I hope we give our best effort.”
Kilgore girls: Freshman Reese Burgess scored two first-half goals, and the Kilgore Lady Bulldogs held off the Bullard Lady Panthers for a 2-1 victory in the area round of the UIL Class 4A girls soccer playoffs Tuesday night at Tyler Legacy High School.
Kilgore advanced to face Spring Hill, a third meeting this year between the two teams. Spring Hill won the first, Kilgore the second. The third will be the season-ender for one, and send the other to the regional tournament.
“We’re freshmen heavy,” Kilgore head girls soccer coach Todd Bondurant said. “We’re predominantly freshmen with one senior starter. We just came out and played. We’ve been talking all week about how we’re going to have to play above our level.
“This was a long time coming. Nobody picked us. We had to work ourselves out of a hole in district. We were in fifth place, ended up tied for second and took third coming into the playoffs. We’re doing well, and we’ve improved every game. This game, right here, it was the best game we’ve put together.”
Burgess’ first goal came with 26:41 left in the first half. Laramie Cox delivered a corner kick, and Phenix Rivers knocked the ball over to Burgess, who sent it past the keeper for the 1-0 lead.
With 12:45 left in the half, Rivers found Burgess again for the 2-0 lead.
“It got real scary at the end,” BonDurant said. “We wanted them to clear it, and we just couldn’t clear it.”
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