Texas high school football championships continue on Friday with Kilgore and Celina meeting in the UIL 4A Division I state title game.
Undefeated Celina is the favorite to complete the dream season, but Kilgore has won nine straight in dominating fashion and is too good to count out.
Kilgore has arguably improved every season for six years leading up to what’ll be its first state finals appearance since 2013. After a rare down year (4-8) in 2018, the Bulldogs went 8-3 in 2019, 11-3 with a quarterfinals appearance in 2020, 11-2 with a regional finals appearance in 2021, 10-4 with a round-of-16 appearance in 2022, and 12-2 with a quarterfinals appearance in 2023. Now they’re 13-2 and all the way to the biggest game. Kilgore also routed Chapel Hill 30-6 in the quarterfinals after losing nail-biters to Chapel Hill the previous three postseasons in a row.
However, Kilgore will be an underdog against the undefeated Bobcats of Celina. Like Kilgore, Celina has been knocking on the door for a few years without breaking through to the state finals until now, going 34-6 in its previous three campaigns. Celina’s last state finals appearance was in 2015 when it fell 22-3 to West Orange-Stark despite entering 16-0. In that sense, the Bobcats will not be looking for a repeat performance – but they will look to repeat the success they’ve found 15 times in 15 tries this season.
This state final features not only a laundry list of future college football players but also a few national recruits.
Celina QB Bowe Bentley is a 4-star recruit ranked 11th at his position in the Class of 2026, and he’s thrown for 3,063 yards and 42 touchdowns while rushing for 866 yards and 16 more TDs. His top targets have been Eathan Rucker, Colton Rodriguez, and Wyatt Villarreal, the latter of whom is a 6-foot-5 TE with multiple D-1 offers. Celina also runs the ball proficiently behind Logan Gutierrez and Harrison Williams, who’ve both run for over 1,400 yards in 2024.
Kilgore is also led by a 4-star recruit, Michigan-bound CB Jayden Sanders, who’s the Bulldogs’ top receiver as well. 3-star ATH prospect Lakeyleon Graves is another one of their leading receivers, and 3-star DL Cameron Christian leads a productive Kilgore defensive front with six sacks. Like Celina’s RBs, Kilgore QB Kayson Brooks isn’t a national recruit but is one of the best players on the field, entering with 3,187 yards and 38 touchdowns passing on 68.6% completion.
Here’s everything you need to know about live streaming Celina vs. Kilgore.
How to watch Kilgore vs. Celina football
- Live Stream: Watch on FanDuel Sports Network.
Celina vs. Kilgore will air live on FanDuel Sports Network Southwest. You can subscribe to FanDuel Sports Network on a monthly basis or an annual subscription.
Kilgore vs. Celina start time
- Date: Friday, Dec. 14
- Time: 3:00 p.m. CT / 1:00 p.m. PT
The opening kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20. The game will be played at AT&T Center in Arlington.
For those who can’t live stream the game but want to follow along in real time, TSN has you covered with a live updates post with score changes, big plays, and a postgame recap.
