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KILGORE — Kayson Brooks tossed four touchdown passes — two apiece to Jayden Sanders and La’Keyleon Graves — and the Kilgore Bulldogs opened the 2024 Class 4A playoffs with a resounding 66-6 win over the Vidor Pirates on Friday at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium.

Kilgore improves to 9-2 on the season and will move on to face either Houston Furr or Needville next week in the area playoffs.

Vidor, which had won four in a row prior to Friday’s blowout loss, ends the year at 5-6.

Kilgore, which had also won four in a row heading into the postseason, continued its solid play on both sides of the ball. Since losing on a last-second field goal to Henderson, Kilgore has outscored five opponents by a combined total of 250-41.

It didn’t take long Friday for the Bulldogs to take control.

Brooks, who came into the game having passed for 1,965 yards and 23 touchdowns, connected with Graves on a 66-yard scoring strike just 56 minutes into the contest to give the home team a 7-0 lead.

After recovering a fumble on Vidor’s second possession, Brooks went up top to Graves for 21 yards, and then Rayshaun Williams capped the scoring drive with a 23-yard TD run for a 14-0 Kilgore lead at the 6:29 mark of the quarter.

A 28-yard pass from Brooks to Javon Towns and a 5-yard run by Williams ended the first period, and on the first play of the second quarter Brooks hit Jayden Sanders from 9 yards out for the touchdown and a 21-0 Kilgore lead just six seconds into the second stanza.

Vidor fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, and Kilgore made them pay quickly with a 5-yard TD run by Isaiah Watters for a 28-0 Bulldog cushion.

Another Vidor fumble led to another quick Kilgore TD, this time on a 41-yard pass from Brooks to Sanders at the 8:14 mark to make it 35-0 Kilgore.

The Kilgore defense got into the scoring act on the next drive when Bi’syn Williams recovered a fumble for a TD that made it 42-0 with 6:35 still remaining in the first half.

Kilgore closed out the scoring before halftime with a 63-yard TD pass from Brooks to Graves, making it 49-0 at the break.

Vidor got on the board at the 7:12 mark of the third quarter on an 18-yard TD run by Skylar Stanovich, but KC added to the lead with 4:54 left when Eddie Jimenez booted a 43-yard field goal.

K’winn Reese raced 33 yards for a TD with 21 seconds left in the third quarter to give Kilgore a 59-6 lead, and on the first play of the fourth quarter — after Kilgore recovered a fumble on the kickoff, David McGowan ended the scoring with a 6-yard TD run to make the final 66-6.