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Burnet 7-on-7 football team qualifies for state tournament

JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF

LORENA — The Burnet High School 7-on-7 varsity football team has qualified for the Division II state tournament after finishing second at the Lorena State Qualifying Tournament on May 16.

The state tournament is July 9-10 at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex, 3101 Harvey Road in College Station.

While it’s not unusual for the Bulldogs to earn a spot at the state tournament, qualifying for the seventh consecutive year, the manner in which they acquired the berth was impressive.

Burnet appeared in Lorena without starting receivers Steven Gallardo, Brock Foster and Joel Johnson, who were running in the 4×100-meter relay at the Class 4A state track-and-field meet. Coordinator Andy McHazlett said the opportunity to get other receivers repetitions was the top reason for attending.

“Let the kids get some extended work and let them compete and see what happens,” he said.

Drew Kiser, who has decided to rejoin the football team after a two-year hiatus, slid into Johnson’s spot, while Tyler Ford, who was on the junior varsity last year, stood where Foster lines up.

“Drew looked good,” McHazlett said. “Tyler has been in the system for a while. It’s nice to see someone who pays his dues have a remarkable day. They really got after it and played well.”

The coach said all players are trained to step in at a moment’s notice.

“We prepare our backups, especially in the spring,” he said. “Our backups get the same amount of repetitions as our starters. They feel good when they do go in. Obviously, it has a lot to do with athletic ability and knowing your role.”

The pool didn’t do the Bulldogs any favors. They played District 13-4A Division I foes Gatesville, winning 32-18, and China Spring, winning 20-19.

While Burnet played well on both sides of the ball against Gatesville, the Bulldogs found themselves in a 19-0 deficit at the half against China Spring.

So another important part of the tournament emerged for Burnet: quarterback Austin Moore’s ability to examine the first half and make adjustments to his approach in the second. McHazlett said Moore realized he would have to change up his approach. During the first half, the Bulldogs had only one first down. In 7-on-7, offenses have three downs to get 15 yards. So Moore decided to take short routes and methodically work the drive as opposed to continually looking for the home run ball.

“Moore took a more efficient approach,” McHazlett said. “There are going to be times when you struggle. He changed things up and gave them a chance to win.”

Burnet took a 20-19 lead with minutes left in the game. China Spring reached the 3-yard line, but Michael Lindley got an interception in the end zone to seal the win for Burnet.

The Lorena tournament had three pools, so the winners played in a round-robin format. After a bye, the Bulldogs faced Fairfield, which had beat La Grange in the first game, and won a back-and-forth contest.

Burnet was losing by two points when Kyle Cavender took an interception back for touchdown late in the game. After the Bulldogs defense held, the offense took possession of the ball and ran out the clock for the 26-21 victory.

Burnet coaches and players knew that if they beat La Grange, they’d win the tournament outright.

In the end, La Grange beat Burnet 26-20 when the Bulldogs dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone toward the end of the game. That helped La Grange win the tournament. It had scored the most points — 52 — during its two games to secure the first automatic bid to the state tournament. And since Burnet beat Fairfield in a head-to-head game, the Bulldogs took the second bid.

“We were excited,” McHazlett said. “They competed. The kids stepped up. It was nice to see. They played hard.”

Burnet will host a state-qualifying tournament at the practice fields, 1000 The Green Mile, on June 13 and travel to play in another in San Antonio on June 20. Though the Bulldogs won’t be able to advance to the semifinals if they win their pool, McHazlett said Burnet will still play in the tournaments to get extra practice.

jfierro@thepicayune.com