Burnet 7-on-7 football team advances in state tournament after going 3-0 in pool play
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
LEANDER — The Burnet High School 7-on-7 football team advances to the Division II championship bracket of the state tournament after going 3-0 in pool play.
The Bulldogs beat Kaufman 34-26, Kountze 41-13 and Booker 47-37 on July 11.
“The boys did the job they had to do,” 7-on-7 coach Jon Huff said. “They did a good job.”
Burnet opens the championship bracket July 12 against Ingleside at 9 a.m. at the Southwest Williamson County Regional Park, 3005 CR 175.
The Bulldogs’ final game of pool play, against Kaufman, was a true test for the team.
After taking a 14-0 lead, Kaufman had two interceptions and forced a turnover on downs to grab a 20-14 lead at intermission.
“We talked to them. We needed the defense to step up,” Huff said. “We ran our starters on offense and defense to start the second half.”
That continued for three consecutive possessions after the opponent failed to score on two opportunities.
“(The Bulldogs) knew what they had to do to get the job done,” Huff said.
Though Burnet had a slim 24-21 lead at the half against Booker, Huff said the break was used to emphasize the importance of defense.
“We came back and shut them down,” he said.
Some of the highlights of the day included:
• Kody Hall, Tyler Krause and Evy Medrano each had interceptions;
• Austin Huff caught a 35-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown pass from Derek Kiser, and Blayne Parisher “had a couple of games where he caught everything in his direction,” Huff said.
To be crowned the state championship, a team has two win five games on July 12. Huff said the Bulldogs will have more linebackers available to help offset the Texas heat.
“They understand it’s all or nothing,” he said. “We’ll rotate everyone almost every series.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com