Surprise, and not a good one: KHS soccer season is over
Apr. 7—As difficult as it is to believe, high school soccer season has ended now for both Kilgore High School teams.
Coach Todd BonDurant's Lady Bulldogs lost, 1-0, to Bullard on Friday afternoon in a UIL Class 4A girls third round playoff contest, a game that didn't appear in the News Herald's weekend edition last week due to early Good Friday press time.
The Lady Bulldogs had won their first two playoff games, beating Lufkin Hudson decisively (6-0) in round one and then edging out powerful Pleasant Grove, 1-0, on Tuesday this week.
Bullard's Liz Conner scored the game's lone goal off an assist from freshman Addy Cummings. According to Brandon Ogden, who covered the game for M. Roberts Media, with both Cummings and Conner in the clear, it was Conner who scored with 14:14 left.
Kilgore took a shot with 9:25 to play, but Bullard's Emily Clark made the save. With just over four minutes left, then again with 2:15 left, Kilgore scared the Lady Panthers with good shots, only to come up short.
Bullard got the win and advanced to the regional semifinals.
Ogden reported that Kilgore's Alejandra Whitaker made multiple saves in the first half for the Lady Bulldogs, including one with 1:04 remaining on a shot by Bullard's Anna Conner.
In the second half, it was Kilgore attacking, but Bullard managed to stave off the efforts.
For the first time in over a decade, both Kilgore High soccer teams' seasons are over. The Bulldogs were upset in a shootout, 5-4, on Tuesday night in Longview, in the second round. Between them, the Kilgore teams have made six trips to the UIL's state tournaments in the last decade.
See the District 15-4A all-district teams, chosen by the district's coaches, in this Saturday's News Herald.
Members of the KHS Lady Bulldogs this season: Alejandra Whitaker, Maria Whitaker, Emma Taylor, Zoe Craven, Madison Alford, Estrella Galvan Vasquez, Vanessa Velasco, Laramie Cox, Samantha Rodriguez, Gloria Cedillo, Lesley Herrera, Heavenly Caldwell, Cristina Rosas, Berenice Zarazua, Brianna Alvarez, Yamila Valenzuela, Jaqueline Estrella, Alexia Sosa, Skylar Greenberg, and Emily Beason. Managers for the team are Vanessa Ramirez and Pamela Zarazua, and the Lady 'Dogs are coached by Todd Bondurant and Jason Bragg.
The Bulldogs' roster this season: Anthony Salinas, Daniel Estrella, Angel Esparza, Dereck Garcia, Tray Epps, Leo Yzaguirre, Izaiah Ramirez, Chris Baldazo, Valente Cedillo, Ricardo Cedillo, Adrian Estrella, Jaime Baldazo, Richie Avalos, Jobani Chavez, Gio Araujo, Efrain Mojica, Adrian Herrera, Max Torres, Josue Rosas, Isaac Guiterrez, Yamir Sanchez, Jacob Contreras, Angel Rico, Alberto Gonzalez, Jaime Vazquez, and Chris Martinez. Tom Wait is the Bulldogs' head coach; Steven Hamner is Wait's assistant, and the manager is Connor King.
