Kilgore outlasts Lindale, 49-35

Published 11:00 pm Friday, October 7, 2022

LINDALE — Isaiah Ross ran for 343 yards and three touchdowns as the Kilgore Bulldogs took a 49-35 win over No. 10 Lindale on Friday night at Eagle Stadium.

The Bulldogs finished with 537 yards in the contest.

Lindale got the ball first on Friday and got down to the Kilgore 36 before being stopped on fourth down. Kilgore answered with a 21-yard touchdown pass Da’Marion VanZandt to Matthew Tyeskie to give Kilgore a 7-0 lead.

Lindale used a 39-yard kickoff return by Michael Shannon and a 15-yard penalty on Kilgore to start in Bulldog territory. Lindale eventually lined up for a 28-yard field goal that was blocked by Peyton Christian that was picked up by Zaylon Stoker and returned 75 yards for a touchdown to make the score 14-0 with 5:04 left in the first quarter.

The Eagles got on the board with an 11-yard run by Clint Thurman to cut the score to 14-7 with 2:36 left in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Lindale fumbled, and Jayden Sanders recovered for the Bulldogs. Three plays later, Kilgore extended its lead. Ross had runs of 28, 21 and 7 yards to find the end zone with a 21-7 lead with 8:49 left in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs added to their lead with 3:49 left in the second quarter on another 21-yard strike from VanZandt to Tyeskie.

Kilgore’s Chris Williams then got his first interception of the night, but the Bulldogs missed a 45-yard field goal attempt.

The score remained 28-7 at halftime.

The Bulldogs added to their lead to start the third quarter on and 8-yard run by VanZandt. Lindale came back with a 2-yard touchdown run by Devin Daniels to put the score at 35-14.

With 1:47 left in the third quarter, Ross broke loose for a 53-yard scoring run. Just 1:11 later, Thurman found Marcus Field for a 40-yard touchdown pass to cut the score to 42-21.

After Kilgore missed a 42-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, Thurman found field for a 43-yard touchdown pass to make the score 42-28 with 8:28 to play.

Ross found the end zone once again, this time with a 21-yard run, putting the score at 49-28 with 5:24 to play.

Lindale scored on a 5-yard run by Patrick Daniels with 2:05 to play to trim the score to 49-35. The Eagles picked up three fourth-down conversions on the drive, including fourth downs of 15 and 20 yards with completions from Thurman to Ethan Moriarty.

Ross then fumbled, and Lindale’s Gabe Hart recovered. Two plays later, Williams had his second interception of the night, picking off the pass in the end zone to seal the victory.

Thurman was 29 of 44 for 400 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and he ran for 48 yards and a score. Moriarty had 10 catches for 150 yards, and Field added seven receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Alex Romero made seven grabs for 73 yards.

Lindale (4-3, 2-1) will play at Chapel Hill next week. Kilgore (5-2, 3-0) will host rival Henderson.