2-minute drill

Published 3:40 pm Sunday, December 29, 2024

By Staff Reports

ETCA HALL OF HONOR: Officials from the East Texas Coaches Association (ETCA) announced the seven exceptional individuals, representing the sport of football, who will be honored during the 2025 ETCA Hall of Honor banquet in March.

Hall of Honor inductees include:

Head coach: Barry Norton (Texas High)

Head coach: Greg Owens (Lindale/Sulphur Springs)

Kyle Preston Assistant Coach Award: Kenneth Ferro, Kilgore



Player: Larry Centers (Tatum/SFA).

Other honorees include:

Distinguished Service Award: John and Chase Barbe Graduate Sales – Balfour

Football Official: Terry Edwards, Longview TASO

State Champions: Carthage

The ETCA Hall of Honor Banquet is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 1 at The Holiday Inn North – Infinity Event Center, 300 Tuttle Circle, Longview.

The ETCA supports coaches, parents and student athletes through the promotion of football in East Texas; professional development for coaches; provision of scholarships and financial aid to coaches in times of personal tragedy.

For information: John King (jking@lisd.org).

BLALOCK CLASSIC: The 2025 Evelyn Blalock Classic is set for Jan. 2-3 at Kilgore College’s Masters Gymnasium.

The event, honoring longtime Kilgore College Lady Rangers’ head basketball coach Evelyn Blalock, will feature three women’s games each day.

Day one of the tournament will feature Panola vs. Odessa at 11 a.m., Tyler vs. McLennan at 1 p.m. and Kilgore vs. Hill at 3 p.m.

Day two will have Tyler vs. Odessa at 11 a.m., Panola vs. Hill at 1 p.m. and Kilgore vs. McLennan at 3 p.m.

Tickets are on sale at www.kilgore.edu/wbbball-tickets.

Blalock, who died in June of 2011 at the age of 72, built the Kilgore College women’s basketball program from scratch and turned it into a three-time national championship winning program.

She started the program at KC in 1979 and led the Lady Rangers for 18 seasons — compiling a 408-166 record and winning national titles in 1988, 1990 and 1993. Her teams won six Region XIV Conference titles and qualified for the national tournament three additional times: 1986, 1987 and 1991.

She was inducted into the NJCAA Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1999 and was added to the Kilgore College Hall of Fame in 2002.