BROWNSBORO -- It wasn't in dominating fashion, as it was the last three seasons, but the Kilgore Bulldogs are headed back to the playoffs once again.

Kilgore made sure of that with a 288-yard rushing performance in a 27-7 win over Brownsboro at Bear Stadium Friday night.

With the win, Kilgore, which played a difficult non-district schedule and has been overwhelmed with injuries, is 3-6 overall and 2-3 in District 9-4A Division I play. The Bulldogs finish the regular season at home against Henderson next Friday. Brownsboro dropped to 1-8, and will be one of two teams in the district to miss the postseason, along with Palestine.

Brownsboro got onto the scoreboard first, courtesy of a 36-yard pass from quarterback Wyatt Rinehart to Xavier Richardson. But Kilgore went 55 yards to tie it late in the first quarter on a 1-yard run by junior Jaquorius Smith.

The score remained tied at halftime, but Kilgore was impressive in the second half. The Bulldogs went 72 yards downfield over 15 plays in just under nine minutes, capping the drive with William Colbert scoring on a 1-yard run.

Ironically, although Kilgore's defense held Brownsboro to just 185 total yards, the Bulldogs' best defensive play might have been a mistake by the Bears.

Brownsboro drove deep into Kilgore territory, trailing just 14-7, when Rinehart called for the snap in a shotgun formation. The snap went flying over his head, and before he could fall on it, the Bears lost 20 yards, all the way back to Kilgore's 40-yard-line. His pass on the third-down play was incomplete, and the Bears were forced to punt.

Kilgore made them pay. Smith put Kilgore up by two scores on a 2-yard touchdown run with 2:36 remaining, and then Caylon Williams scored on a 43-yard run with 1:19 to play to put the game completely out of reach.

Williams led Kilgore's ground game with 85 yards and the touchdown, Smith had 84 yards and two scores. Colbert was 6 of 9 for 60 yards and Nick Orange had three catches for 39 yards.

Rinehart went 9 of 19 for 145 yards and the score to Richardson. Brownsboro tailback Damien Thompson had 36 yards rushing and Jamal Bell had five catches for 57 yards for the Bears, who play at Palestine next Friday.

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