HERE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT | Important notes, dates to remember for KHS football

Jun. 23—No, they didn't move football season up: it'll still start in late August. But here's a few things Kilgore High School fans may want to know — important dates, and other miscellany — for calendar-marking, planning and just to flat-out fire you up.

First off, in case you missed it, Kilgore football will have a new leader this fall. It's been well-documented here in the News Herald, but coach Clint Fuller is the new head man in charge of the Ragin' Red, following the coaching retirement of Mike Wood, who remains on staff as athletic director.

Almost the entire coaching staff will return, although longtime trainer Darrell "Red" Ganus retired and entered the public sector in a different field. Jeff Davis is Kilgore's new head trainer. Meet all the coaches and players, trainers and everyone else involved with the program, on Saturday, August 7 at the team's photo day on campus.

Practice will begin that Monday before (on Monday, August 2), and the first day in pads is Friday, August 6.

KHS will welcome fans, family and friends for the annual watermelon fest on Thursday night, August 12, and then business picks up: Kilgore scrimmages at Gilmer on that following night, August 13, and then finishes the preseason with a scrimmage at home against Carthage the next Friday, August 20.

Then it gets real.

Fuller — whose father coached defense at Kilgore College in the 80's and early 90's, and who played at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium as a kid — takes the sidelines there as the Bulldogs' new coach in a regular season game, his debut, against Nacogdoches on Friday night, August 28.

The Bulldogs visit Hallsville the next week (Sept. 3), and then play a homecoming game against Pine Tree on Sept. 10. Kilgore plays at Gladewater on Sept. 17, and then finishes the non-district schedule at home against Palestine on Sept. 24.

Kilgore's open date is Friday, Oct. 1, and then the 'Dogs hit the District 9, Division I schedule. They play at Mabank on Oct. 8, host Chapel Hill Oct. 15, visit Henderson Oct. 22, host Athens Oct. 29, and finish the regular season with a road trip at Lindale on Nov. 5.

Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine (inset) has debuted its 2021 edition, and the editorial staff have their preseason polls of the Texas high school classifications in that issue. In 4A, Kilgore is ranked ninth in their 4A preseason poll. Lindale is a slot above (eight) and Chapel Hill, another district rival, is at number 12.

Fuller will have some decisions to make. The Bulldogs lost a very talented class to graduation that included quarterback Dalton McElyea, who owns about every Kilgore passing record now, as well as Tray Epps, who owns a few of the Bulldogs' coveted rushing records, Swiss army knife Donovan Adkins, who played as receiver, defensive back and returned kicks and punts, linebackers Brian Brown and Eli Caruthers, receiver / punter Cade Pippen, and just about every starting offensive lineman.

There's plenty of talent back, though: defensive end Alex Chavez, safety Davin Rider, receiver Matthew Tyeskie, receiver Jermaine Roney, and quarterback Da'Marion VanZandt, to mention a few.

All the information fans will need to follow the Bulldogs, including their roster and previews of each game, will be a part of the News Herald's annual football preview, which will be a part of the edition on Wednesday, August 25.