Celina Claims 9th State Title in Blowout Over Kilgore

Kilgore looked to answer on their first offensive drive. The Bulldogs completed several passes as Kilgore raced down the field. At Celina's 12-yard line, Kilgore's Isaiah Watters took a handoff through the heart of the defense for a 12-yard touchdown. The Bulldogs tied the game 7-7 with under seven minutes to play in the 1st quarter.

The offensive fireworks continued on the Bobcats' next drive. Bentley and Rucker linked up again for another touchdown. This time, Bentley hit Rucker for a 60-yard score on 3rd down and long. A missed extra point left the lead at six points, but Celina retook that lead with 5:10 remaining in the 1st quarter.

A late hit out of bounds extended Kilgore's attempt to tie the game. Celina's defense looked to have stopped the Bulldogs before a hit on the sideline drew the penalty. Kilgore drove down to Celina's 20-yard line as the 1st quarter came to a close.

2nd Quarter

Kilgore's Javon Towns made a man miss on his way to a 20-yard touchdown catch early in the 2nd quarter. The touchdown tied the game at 13 before a successful extra point gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game, 14-13.

Celina responded with another drive that marched straight down the field. However, Kilgore's defense stepped up in the red zone to stonewall the Bobcats there. Braden Johnson nailed a 35-yard field goal, and the lead went back to the Bobcats 16-14 with 7:53 remaining in the half.

Following a punt, Celina added another field goal before the half. The Bulldogs had one final opportunity to put points on the board down 19-14 with 2:07 remaining in the 2nd quarter.

Unfortunately for Kilgore, a quick three-and-out allowed Celina to put up even more points before the break. Bentley hit Colton Rodriguez in stride for a 50-yard bomb. The Bobcats converted a 2-point conversion to carry a 27-14 lead into halftime.

3rd Quarter

Kilgore received the 2nd half kickoff, gained one first down, but then completely stalled out. They had to punt, and Celina took over with nine minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter.

Two plays later, Celina's Bentley once again found Rodriguez, this time for a 63-yard touchdown. The Bobcats began to put this game out of reach, up 34-14 with 7:36 left in the 3rd quarter.

Things went from bad to worse for the Bulldogs as Luke Biagini picked off Kilgore on the ensuing drive and returned the interception 27 yards for another Bobcats touchdown. Celina increased their lead to 41-14 with less than six minutes to play in the 3rd quarter.

Another interception from Kilgore led to another score from Celina. Harrison Williams ran the ball into the end zone for the Bobcats to make the score 48-14.

Kilgore then went three-and-out and punted the ball back to Celina. Two plays later, Bentley found Wyatt Villareal for a 21-yard touchdown. Bentley's 5th passing touchdown put the Bobcats up 55-14 with a minute to go in the 3rd quarter.

4th Quarter

The Bulldogs finally found success early in the 4th quarter. After driving the length of the field, Kayson Brooks found La'kaeyleon Graves in the corner of the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown. Graves had to make a circus catch to bring it in, and the Bulldogs crossed the 20-point mark but trailed 55-21.

Celina entered clock grinding mode whenever they touched the ball, and Kilgore never managed to threaten again. The Bobcats claimed their 9th state championship on Friday, 55-21.