PREVIEW: Henderson + Kilgore Meet in Pivotal 10-4A D-I Clash

DISTRICT 10-4A Division I

Henderson Lions (4-2, 1-0)

vs.

Kilgore Bulldogs (3-4, 1-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday
R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium, Kilgore

Coaches

Henderson: Phil Castles
Kilgore: Mike Wood

Last week

Henderson: def. Palestine, 38-7
Kilgore: def. Chapel Hill, 38-20

Next week

Henderson: vs. Chapel Hill, Oct. 26
Kilgore: at Van, Oct. 26

Players to watch

Henderson

DE Keivie Rose, Sr., 6-3, 264 (22 tackles, 5 for loss, 2 sacks, 11 QB hurries, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovery, 1 PBU)
RB Kevin Fields, Jr., 6-0, 190 (87 carries, 484 yards, 6 TDs; 4 catches, 50 yards)
RB Eli Jones, Jr., 5-10, 210 (40 carries, 284 yards, 4 TDs)
WR Caleb Medford, Jr., 6-3, 185 (17 catches, 294 yards, 4 TDs)
QB Sebastian DeLeon, Sr., 5-8, 155 (44-of-80, 689 yards, 8 TDs, 6 INTs; 33 carries, 123 yards, 1 TD)
LB Brady Odom, Jr., 5-11, 210 (79 tackles, 14 for loss, 1 sack, 8 QB hurries, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT, 5 PBUs)
WR/DB Kourtland Jackson, Sr., 5-7, 150 (16 catches, 192 yards, 1 TD; 9 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 INT)
LB Dalton Modisette, So. (32 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 QB hurry, 4 forced fumbles)
DL Jayquan Barnett, Sr., 5-10, 205 (24 tackles, 8 for loss, 1 sack, 7 QB hurries, 1 forced fumble)
OL Trace Tidwell, Jr., 6-2, 269

Kilgore

RB Kennieth Lacy, Jr. (80 carries, 513 yards, 6 TDs; 7 catches, 95 yards)
RB Tray Epps, Soph., 5-10, 175 (74 carries, 573 yards, 5 TDs)
QB Gus Witt, Sr. (40-of-77, 450 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT; 30 carries, 200 yards, 1 TD)
WR Deiontrae Wheat, Sr. (9 catches, 113 yards, 2 TDs)
LB Nesba Brown, Sr. (58 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 sacks, 3 QB hurries, 1 fumble recovery)
DL Deundre Blanton, Jr., 6-2, 265 (37 tackles, 5 for loss, 5 sacks, 5 QB hurries)
LB Khaylon Clayton, Sr. (46 tackles, 6 for loss)
DB Damien Parker, Sr., 5-10, 175 (76 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 QB pressure, 3 blocked kicks)

Just the facts

This is the 39th meeting between Kilgore and Henderson since 1980. Kilgore holds a 23-15 lead in the series.
Henderson is averaging 314.5 yards per game (193 rushing and 121.5 passing).
Seven different Lions players have rushing touchdowns this season.
After starting the season with two straight losses, Henderson has won four in a row.
Kilgore is averaging 320.5 yards per game (243.8 rushing and 76.7 passing).
As a team, the Bulldogs are averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
The last time either team had a losing season was 2014, when Kilgore finished 4-7.

Key matchup: Henderson defensive front against the Kilgore rushing attack. Kilgore does most of its damage on the ground with a backfield duo. Kennieth Lacy and Tray Epps have combined to rushing for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns so far this season. Rushing yardage accounts for 76 percent of the Bulldogs' offense. Kilgore has shown a predilection for rushing so far and it has gotten by on that strategy.

Henderson, on the other hand, seems built for handling the run. Keivie Rose, a Louisiana Tech commit, is one of the better defensive lineman in the area. Brady Odom is only a junior but leads the team in tackles and tackles for loss. He's joined by Dalton Modisette, who has already forced four fumbles this season. This Henderson defense has been one of the more solid groups in the past four weeks. If it can once again hold strong against Kilgore's rushing attack, it should have this game in hand.

Don't be surprised if: Kevin Fields ends up leading Henderson in rushing. Fields has handled the duties as the lead back nicely in his junior season. He's rushed for nearly 500 yards and six touchdowns so far and the Lions are trusting in him, as he has 87 carries so far. Expect his workload to once against be around 15-plus carries and don't be shocked if he nears 100 yards rushing.