Kilgore’s season ends with 10-0 loss to Stephenville in 4A-DI state championship

Published 4:57 pm Friday, December 19, 2025

ARLINGTON — Kilgore’s 14-game winning streak came to an end with a 10-0 loss to Stephenville in the Class 4A Division I state championship game Friday afternoon at AT&T Stadium.

“I’m really proud of our kids,” Kilgore head football coach Clint Fuller said. “After last year, we were on a mission to get back here. And to be able to accomplish that is a huge accomplishment within itself. The result is not what we wanted, but it doesn’t change how I feel about our kids, their heart and their toughness. We just didn’t get the outcome we wanted today.”

The Bulldogs were playing in a state championship game for the fourth time in program history and for the second consecutive year, falling to Celina 55-21 in the 2024 final.

Kilgore’s season began with a 21-10 setback to Carthage, which was playing in Friday’s Class 4A Division II state championship game. It ended with a loss to Stephenville, which went 16-0 including a 24-21 win over the previously mentioned Celina team last week in the state semifinals.

“I seem them every day, and I see how hard they work, how much they sacrifice, the love they have for each other, the love they have for their coaches and the love they have for their community,” Fuller said. “Would I have loved to win a state championship? 100 percent. Does it change anything about I feel about our kids? No. They’re unbelievable, and I love them with all my heart, and I’m appreciative and grateful for everything they’ve done for our program and for our community. I’m indebted to them. I’m the fortunate one. I’m the one who gets to be around them every day. I’m very grateful for what they’ve done for our program.”

Kilgore’s defense made headlines for not allowing a touchdown since Nov. 14 in a 61-14 win over Little Cypress-Mauriceville in the postseason opener, and those two touchdowns came in the fourth quarter once the game was way out of hand and the starters were done for the night.

After a scoreless first half on Friday — the first in a state championship game since Boyd’s 17-14 win over Newton in the 2004 Class 2A Division I state championship game — Stephenville was able to quick-strike the Bulldogs for a touchdown on the first drive of the second half. The Yellow Jackets needed just three plays for the lone end zone trip of the contest. On the second play, Zyler McClendon ran 28 yards to the Kilgore 40 on a play that appeared like he was going to score a touchdown, but the official ruled him out of bounds. The next play was a 40-yard connection from Trot Jordan to Adan Jergins to give Stephenville a 7-0 lead with 11:38 left in the third quarter.

“That’s exactly what we didn’t want to allow them to do,” Fuller said. “If they can grab the momentum in a drive or in a game, that’s what they’re going to try to do. If they can piece together a couple of runs and get you creeping toward the box, they’re going to try to throw it over your head. And that’s exactly what they did in that drive. We had done a great job in the first half of not allowing that because we were stopping the run on early down and distances. And then after that drive, we kind of regrouped and got our footing back defensively and were able to contain them for the rest of the game.

The Yellow Jackets later added a 41-yard field goal by Brighton DeVivo with 8:58 left in the game that made the score 10-0. DeVivo missed a 41-yard attempt in the first quarter.

Recognized for its defense that allowed just 138 points all season, the Kilgore offense entered Friday averaging 40.6 points per game, but Stephenville forced four turnovers to pitch its fourth shutout of the season.

“Stephenville, we started watching them last week, and they don’t have a weakness,” Fuller said. “Offensively, defensively, they’re a very solid football team. We knew that going in. We knew that they were really good football team. It starts up front, where they’re great on both sides of the ball. Defensively, they’re solid; they haven’t given up many points this whole year. As so we knew it was going to be a low-scoring defensive battle. We just weren’t able to make the plays that we needed to get to the 13 points.”

Kilgore was intercepted by Hudson Butchee on the opening drive of the game. On the second drive, Kilgore lost a fumble recovered by Cooper Fergason.

Early in the second quarter, after Kilgore’s Bi’syn Williams recovered a fumble and returned it 39 yards to the Stephenville 46, the Bulldogs got inside the 10-yard line, but Willis Jackson picked off Kayson Brooks in the end zone.

Following Stephenville’s touchdown drive to start the second half, Kilgore moved into Stephenville territory and set up for a 46-yard field goal by Eddie Jimenez, but the kick went wide left.

Kilgore got into Stephenville one final time in the fourth quarter after the Yellow Jacket’s field goal made the score 10-0. But a sack on fourth down gave the ball back to Stephenville. On Kilgore’s final drive of the game, Jackson intercepted Brooks once again, and Stephenville was able to run the time out from there.

The Bulldogs (14-2) finished with 150 yards — 110 on the ground as Rayshaun Williams finished with 73 yards on 14 carries. Brooks completed 14 passes for 40 yards. Tyler Johnigan was the leading receiver with four grabs for 35 yards.

Stephenville ran for 173 yards, including 86 by Jordan and 85 by McClendon.

“84 is a stud, so he’s going to make it difficult to run the ball,” Stephenville head football coach Sterling Doty said of Kilgore defensive lineman Cameron Christian, who is a Texas State signee.

Jordan was 6 of 15 passing for 78 yards and the one touchdown. Jergins made three catches for 62 yards and a score.

Jordan was the game’s Offensive MVP, and Butchee was the Defensive MVP with 10 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception.

David McGowan led the Bulldogs with 12 tackles and a tackle for loss. Ja’Kalen Sheffield had 11 tackles, and Isaiah Watters had 10 tackles, a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.

The state championship for Stephenville is the seventh all-time for the Yellow Jackets — joining the 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2012 and 2021 teams.

STEPHENVILLE 10, KILGORE 0

Stephenville 0    0    7    3 — 10

Kilgore        0    0    0    0 —  0

SCORING SUMMARY

Third Quarter

S — Aden Jergins 40 pass from Trot Jordan (Brighton DeVivo kick), 11:08

Fourth Quarter

S — DeVivo 41 FG, 8:58

TEAM STATISTICS

                      S           K

First downs      13         9

Rushing        41-173    21-110

Passing          78         40

Total             251       150

C-A-I          6-15-0    14-21-3

Punts          3-45.3     3-33.0

Fumbles-lost 3-1         2-1

Penalties      4-42       3-20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Stephenville: Trot Jordan 17-86, Zyler McClendon 20-85, Carter VanZandt 2-6, Team 2-(-4). Kilgore: Rayshaun Williams 14-73, Ja’Kalen Sheffiled 1-20, Kayson Brooks 6-17.

PASSING — Stephenville: Trot Jordan 6-15-0 78. Kilgore: Kayson Brooks 14-21-3 40.

RECEIVING — Stephenville: Adan Jergins 3-62, Brighton DeVivo 2-14, Zyler McClendon 1-2. Kilgore: Tyler Johnigan 4-35, Rayshaun Williams 3-(-7), Dré Sanders 2-3, Gavin Wall 1-8, LaKeyleon Graves 1-3, Ja’Kalen Sheffield 1-3, Kayson Brooks 1-0, Jonathan Barron 1-(-5).