Soccer Teams Across East Texas Kick Off 2013 Season This Weekend

Scrimmages are out of the way and soccer teams across East Texas start the 2013 season this weekend.

Many of them will participate in tournaments, including the top two ranked boys teams in the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches Class 4A Region II poll: No. 1 Mount Pleasant and No. 2 Kilgore.

Mount Pleasant is the defending Region II champion after reaching the 2012 4A state semifinals, where the Tigers lost to Wichita Falls Rider. Region II's top-ranked Tigers play Canyon Randall at 5 p.m. Thursday at Frisco's Heritage High School to kick off the season at the Frisco tournament.

Region II No. 2 Kilgore, which reached the 2011 4A state championship game before losing to Boerne Champion, hosts a tournament starting Thursday. The Bulldogs play Athens at 1 p.m. at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium to start the season.

On the girls side, Pine Tree is the lone ranked East Texas school. The Lady Pirates return 10 players from last year's team and are ranked No. 7 in the TASCO Region II girls poll. Pine Tree, which opens the season at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Pine Tree Stadium against Nacogdoches, reached the 4A Region II semifinals last year before losing to eventual state champion Highland Park.

Here's a rundown of soccer action this weekend, according to schedules on schools' websites.

Kilgore Tournament (Boys)

• Kilgore vs. Athens, 1 p.m. Thursday
• Athens vs. Tyler Lee, 3 p.m. Friday
• Kilgore vs. Paris, 7 p.m. Friday
• Athens vs. Paris, 12:30 p.m. Saturday
• Kilgore vs. Palestine, 2:30 p.m. Saturday
• Also participating: Marshall, John Tyler

Frisco Tournament (Boys)

• Mount Pleasant vs. Canyon Randall, 5 p.m. Thursday, Frisco Heritage High School
• Mount Pleasant vs. Dallas W.T. White, 2 p.m. Friday, Pizza Hut Park, Frisco
• Mount Pleasant vs. Frisco, 7 p.m. Friday, Frisco High School
• TBD, Saturday

Forney Invitational (Boys)

• Longview vs. Sulphur Springs, 11:30 a.m. Thursday, North Forney High School
• Longview vs. Lindale, 3 p.m. Thursday, North Forney High School
• Longview vs. Waco University, 11:30 a.m. Friday, City Bank Stadium
• Longview vs. Ferris, 4:45 p.m. Friday, City Bank Stadium
• TBD, Saturday
• Also participating: Hallsville, Pine Tree

Klein Showcase (Boys)

• Lufkin participating
• Scheduled Thursday through Saturday

Mount Pleasant Tournament (Girls)

• Longview vs. Sulphur Springs, 4 p.m. Thursday
• Longview vs. North Forney, 10 a.m. Friday
• Longview vs. Liberty-Eylau, 4 p.m. Friday
• TBD, Saturday
• Also participating: Mount Pleasant, Hallsville, Lindale, Pleasant Grove

East Texas Shootout (Girls, in Palestine)

• Teams participating: Palestine, Athens, Carthage, Center, Kilgore, Spring Hill, Texas High
• Scheduled Thursday through Saturday

Lady Pirate Tournament (Girls)

• Nacogdoches vs. Pine Tree, 10:30 a.m. Thursday
• Corsicana vs. Nacogdoches, 3 p.m. Thursday
• Whitehouse vs. Nacogdoches, 10:30 a.m. Friday
• Whitehouse vs. Corsicana, 2:30 p.m. Friday
• Pine Tree vs. Corsicana, 7 p.m. Friday
• Pine Tree vs. Whitehouse, 11:30 a.m. Saturday

Red Bull/Nolan Tournament (Girls, in Forth Worth)

• Tyler Lee participating
• Scheduled Thursday through Saturday

Boys Single Games

• Carlisle at Center, 6 p.m. Thursday
• Sour Lake Hardin-Jefferson at Lufkin Hudson, 7 p.m. Friday
• Chapel Hill at Nacogdoches, 7 p.m. Friday
• Henderson at Pittsburg, 7 p.m. Friday
• Pleasant Grove at Whitehouse, 7:15 p.m. Friday
• Center at Atlanta, 6 p.m. Friday

Girls Single Games

• Jacksonville at Lufkin, 6 p.m. Friday
• Center at Marshall, 7:30 p.m. Friday