KILGORE, Texas — "Gotta be able to trust your teammates, and you know, I do trust my teammates, I feel like they have trust in me," said Kilgore quarterback Kayson Brooks.
Well that trust was certainly on display last Friday in Kilgore's 42 to seven win over Chapel Hill. Brooks completed more than 75 percent of his pass attempts, finishing 10 for 14, picking up three touchdowns and nearly 350 passing yards along the way.
"He's the point guard of our offense, all he's gotta do is distribute it out to our receivers and get the ball to our backs, and let them go make plays, he's just gotta distribute the football. And he did an excellent job of that last Friday," said Kilgore head football coach Clint Fuller.
Brooks was a part of some huge plays on Friday, like his 92 yard touchdown scoring connection with La'Keyleon Graves. But just like Coach has set him up to do, Brooks credits his success to the work of his teammates.
"Got good receivers that're gonna go up and make plays, my O-line giving me the time to, you know, sit back there and make my reads to deliver the ball. You know my running backs helping out in pass pro, and them being able to run the ball so that the defense can, you know, scoot up," said Brooks.
As a junior, this is Brooks' first season as Kilgore's QB1, but Coach Fuller says he's done a great job of learning and adapting on the fly.
"As a young quarterback with not a lot of experience, experience is everything, and you know, over the first six games he's been able to grow every week," said Fuller.
Kilgore sits at five and two at this point in the season, but remember they're coming off a state playoff quarterfinals appearance last year, so this is a program with expectations. And that's not lost on Brooks, who's ready to lead his team on another run this year.
"Kilgore is like, you know, East Texas in general, is a big football state, so being the quarterback, and being able to just go out there each and every Friday with my brothers and go into battle with them, it's a blessing, and I just thank God that he gave me the abilities and the strength to go out there and perform," said Brooks.