WATCH: Crazy, Controversial Ending of This Texas HS Football Game

We are only three weeks into the Texas high school football season, and there have already been some amazing games and crazy upsets.

In East Texas, some of the best teams in the state have been playing against each other in non-district action, and many of those games have been nail-biters and classics.

Kilgore Bulldogs at Gilmer Buckeyes (The Set Up)

Everything about this game pointed to a potential prime-time classic. The Buckeyes are the defending Class 4A-II state champs. They started off the year with two losses to East Texas powerhouses (Pine Tree and Chapel Hill), and did not want to suffer their third straight loss.

Kilgore, meanwhile, came in ranked number 5 in the state in Class 4A-I after knocking off 5A Whitehouse and one of the best teams in the state - Carthage.

A Tight Battle

The game was everything fans thought it would be. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, but Gilmer would tie it at 10 going into the half.

The Buckeyes took their first lead of the game with an early third quarter touchdown, however, Kilgore would answer with a quick touchdown of their own. However, the extra point was missed so Gilmer kept a 17-16 lead.

That's the way the score stayed until the wild final 2 minutes of the game.

The Wild Final Two Minutes

With a little over 2 minutes to play, Kilgore would turn a short swing pass into a 62-yard touchdown. The try for two was no good so the Bulldogs reclaimed the lead 22-17.

Gilmer would quickly march down the field. Then, with 1:26 left to play in the game, the Buckeyes scored on a 23-yard run. The extra point was good and Gilmer was now back on top 24-22.

Let's fast-forward inside the final minute of the game. Kilgore is driving and a pass play has taken the Bulldogs down to the Gilmer 7-yard line with 39 seconds to play. At that time, the Kilgore receiver returns to the ground with an injury.

I've seen comments that say it was a legitimate cramp, while others say it was a staged injury to buy some time for Kilgore. You can make your own decision by watching the video below at the 3:56:30 mark.

The 10-Second Rule

Kilgore did not have any timeouts left, and when a player goes down with an injury in the final tstages of the first or second half, it costs that team a 10-second run off from the clock.

The game clock was now at 29 seconds to play and Kilgore decided to run one more play to try and score a touchdown. The Bulldog coaching staff had the field goal team ready to take the field in case the touchdown was not scored.

The Controversial Ending

Kilgore's next play was a running play that took them to the 4-yard line. The running back was on the ground with 19 seconds to play. However, the Gilmer tackler took his time getting up thereby not allowing the Kilgore player to get up quickly.

This type of delay tactic happens quite a bit in football, and if the officials believe the action to be over the top, a delay of game penalty could be called against the defense. Once again, you can watch the video and make your own determination.

With 12 seconds to play, the running back is finally free to get up, but he develops a lower leg injury (possibly a cramp) and stays down. The officials stopped the clock with 6 seconds and made the ruling that the injury caused another 10-second run-off which ended the game.

Gilmer celebrated, Kilgore was seething.

A Few Questions

After watching the final minute of this game several times, a few questions come to mind.

Should the officials have called a delay of game penalty against Gilmer following the last play?

Would it have been wiser for Kilgore to try a pass play into the end zone rather than call a running play with 29 seconds left?

I realize no in-game reviews are allowed, but the clock is at 12 seconds when the injury occurs. A ten-second run-off would have taken the clock to 2 seconds. Would that have been enough time for Kilgore to line up and get the snap off for a field goal once the referee whistled the clock back into play?

It Was Still A Classic

Despite the controversy, this was still a classic between two outstanding teams. I believe that both teams will have a deep run in the playoffs in their respective 4A divisions.

And, I'll be eager to see the rematch of these two teams in September 2025.