Burnet hosts ‘confident’ Gatesville in district home opener
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
BURNET — The Burnet High School football team continues preparations for a confident Gatesville squad during the Bulldogs’ District 13-4A home-opener Oct. 24.
The game will be played at Bulldog Field, 1000 The Green Mile, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. Listen to the match on KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune or at KBEYFM.com with a pre-game show starting at 6:30 p.m.
“Our full attention is on Gatesville,” Burnet head coach Kurt Jones said.
The Hornets (3-4 overall, 1-1 district) defeated Lampasas 38-20 on Oct. 17 but led 38-6 with three minutes left in the second half. Gatesville used a variety of plays to build its lead.
After taking a 10-0 advantage, the Hornets recovered an onside kick that quarterback Jeff Speer turned into a five-yard touchdown with 69 seconds left in the half.
Gatesville had 401 yards of total offense to Lampasas’ 294. Running back Alex Thompson had 98 rushing yards, while Speer passed for 115.
The Hornets utilize a spread offense with the aim of having a balanced attack.
The defense is led by Cooper Edmiston and Addision Santulan, who each had 10 tackles against Lampasas, Sam Jackson, Michael Hallman and Nick Gibson.
“They’re always going to be well-coached,” Jones said.
Two years ago, the Hornets reached the fourth round of the playoffs but lost most of those players to graduation. Last season, Gatesville featured players making their starts on the varsity level for the first time.
Now those athletes are all older and more experienced.
“They’re stronger and playing better ball on the season,” Jones said.
The Hornets will not be the only team with confidence. The Bulldogs (6-1, 2-0) earned another big district win on the road against Waco Robinson, 45-23, on Oct. 17.
“We had a great effort out of the kids,” Jones said. “It was a great atmosphere. We really felt like whoever won this one would take a huge step toward the district championship.”
Burnet took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Rockets defense tightened. That allowed Robinson to tie the game at 10-10 at the half with a 37-yard field as time expired.
“They swung momentum,” Jones said.
But in the second half, the Bulldogs scored three consecutive touchdowns starting with a three-yard run by Wesley Shackelford. Later, junior quarterback Austin Moore hit receiver Joel Johnson on touchdown passes of 14 and 58 yards to give Burnet a 31-17 lead.
After the final Robinson touchdown, Moore found Brock Foster for a 21-yard score and Johnson a third time for a 30-yard touchdown for Burnet.
“I was super proud of our kids for answering the ball,” Jones said. “We were really pouring it on. Their defense was rock solid, especially their front seven.”
Burnet senior Cory Cavender and junior Darius Johnson each had an interception, while seniors Jarrett Thornley, Wyatt Shepperd and Cameron Chafin and junior Cullen Ferrill each recovered a fumble.
Jones commended the Bulldogs offense for picking up the pace in the second half.
“(Robinson) likes to play an uptempo style of offense,” the coach said. “I don’t know that they’ve defended (our style) of uptempo. It’s huge to start district with two games on the road and come away with two big victories.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com