Burnet’s second half seals 34-7 victory over Canyon Lake
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
FISHER — The Burnet Bulldogs simply wore out the Canyon Lake Hawks during the second half Sept. 20 for a 34-7 win.
With the victory, Burnet improves to 3-1.
After forcing the Hawks to go three-and-out on the opening drive of the game, Burnet went 85 yards on its first possession to score. The touchdown came when Bulldogs quarterback Derek Kiser hit Brock Foster on a nine-yard touchdown reception for a 7-0 lead.
But Canyon Lake answered back with a 55-yard drive of its own. The Hawks slot T offense gave the Bulldogs defense some problems early in the game.
The Hawks found themselves in a fourth-and-1 situation, but Canyon Lake’s McGuire Johnson capitalized on misdirection to get the first down.
A few plays later, the Hawks’ Hayden Dubois busted into the end zone on a seve-yard run to tie it up 7-7.
In the second quarter, Canyon Lake again began moving down the field. This time, the Hawks made it all the way to Burnet’s 10-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-6 situation, the Hawks set up for a field goal but, instead, attempted to get the first down.
However, the Bulldogs didn’t bite on the fake, and Burnet’s Cutter Dewbre stepped up to make a crucial tackle. The ball went over to the Burnet offense on downs, and Kiser and crew took advantage of it.
Starting on their own 19-yard line, the Bulldogs went 81 yards for the score. Kiser struck Blayne Parisher for a 23-yard completion early in the drive. But the touchdown came on a third-and-10 situation on the Hawks’ 37-yard line when Kiser connected with Cody Jones.
The point-after attempt failed, but Burnet led 13-7.
Canyon Lake once again threatened on the next drive.
Quarterback Skyler Tschoepe hit Josh Devries on a quick pass with 31 seconds left in the half. But Devries orchestrated a perfect “hook-and-ladder” play to T.J. Jones, who turned it into a 28-yard gain.
The Hawks made it down to the Burnet 16-yard line with three seconds left in the half. Mike Thorp attempted a 32-yard field goal, but Burnet’s Jeremy Ayers broke through and blocked the attempt, sending the Bulldogs into the half with a 13-7 lead.
While the Hawks kept it close in the first, Burnet broke it open in the second half.
The Bulldogs scored on three of their five possessions, though, on the final one, Burnet simply ran out the clock.
Kiser again struck Parisher, this time for a nine-yard touchdown pass with 2:01 left in the third. The Bulldogs completed the two-point conversion to build a 21-7 lead. Then, Foster added another Bulldog score on an eight-yard run. The point-after attempt failed, making it 27-7.
The final score came with Burnet facing fourth-and-5 on the Hawks’ 41-yard line. Kiser hit Cody Jones on a little swing pass toward the sideline. Jones, who was about three yards behind the line of scrimmage when he caught the ball, rambled to the end zone to secure the victory.
Burnet hosts the Taylor Ducks at Bulldog Field, 1000 The Green Mile, on Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
daniel@thepicayune.com