Burnet football prepares for Wylie’s size, ‘salty defense’
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
BURNET — After going from one extreme to the other in a 51-45 overtime win against Marble Falls last week, the Burnet High School football team is more appreciative of familiarity.
And nothing is more familiar than the friendly confines of Bulldog Field.
The Bulldogs (1-0) welcome Abilene Wylie for their home opener at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 5 to their stadium at 1000 The Green Mile. Wylie (0-1) lost to Argyle 34-28 on Aug. 29.
While Wylie might not be too familiar to fans, Bulldogs head coach Kurt Jones knows quite a bit, and not just because he and his staff have watched film.
Jones is a Brownwood and Abilene Christian University graduate and knows the way Wylie head coach Hugh Sandifer prepares his players and runs his program.
“He’s been there for 29 years,” Jones said. “His program is known as one of the perennial powers. We know it’s a tremendous challenge.”
The first Wylie unit that caught Jones’ eyes is the offensive line of Grant Olson, Ryan Cox, Miller Boyle and Cooper Hedge.
“It’s nothing too different than what we faced against Marble Falls in terms of size,” Jones said. “They’ll roll in with an impressive group. They’re well coached, and they play salty defense.”
In the loss to Argyle, Wylie recorded 428 yards of total offense and gave up 183 but suffered five turnovers. Quarterback Cooper Rogers completed four of 15 passes for 98 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Running back Trey Kleffner had 16 rushes for 119 yards and caught four passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. Jaxon Money caught three passes for 99 yards.
Defensively, Wylie is led by all-state linebacker Clay Johnson, linebacker Kody Daniell and defensive ends Baylen Baker and Logan Gilliam.
“They’ve got our full respect and full attention,” Jones said. “We’re going to have to work like crazy.
A rain delay Aug. 29 pushed Burnet’s kickoff against Marble Falls to 8:45 p.m. The Bulldogs took a 17-10 lead at the half and pushed it to 45-17 with nine minutes left in the contest. Burnet did everything right throughout the third quarter and three minutes of the fourth. The offense recorded 257 yards, while the defense recovered a Mustangs fumble and forced a punt to build the advantage.
Then, Marble Falls mounted a comeback. Jones said he was not surprised by the momentum change, noting rivalry games bring out the best in players.
“We never felt comfortable,” he said. “When Burnet and Marble Falls play, you can’t figure out what’s going to happen. Give them a lot of credit; you’re fighting back to get back in the game. We needed to make a couple of more plays to put it away.”
Still, Jones said this game can only help the Bulldogs. From a weather delay to building a lead to surviving a comeback and winning in overtime, the coach said the team learned plenty about itself that helped them grow since their goal is for the season to go deep in the playoffs.
“Our expectation around here is to play in late November and December,” he said.
jfierro@thepicayune.com