Burnet looks to bounce back in battle against Fredericksburg
JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER
BURNET — The Burnet High School football team is traveling to Fredericksburg with the aim of not letting one loss turn into two.
The two squads meet at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 11 at Battlin’ Billies Stadium, 1107 Texas 16 South.
“It is just one of those classic Hill Country matchups,” Bulldogs head coach Kurt Jones said. “People around here appreciate that. Our kids are very similar in the kind of kids we have. I think it’s good for both programs. It’s always a good matchup and a good battle.”
The Billies (2-0) defeated Austin Travis 46-28 on Sept. 4 after squeaking by Lampasas 42-41 to begin the season.
The Billies will run the spread offense, a system that relies on snapping the ball quickly to not allow the defense to get set. Power runners and short throws that go for long gains are staples of the scheme.
Fredericksburg is led by senior Kyle Reeh, a dual-threat quarterback, who has completed 25 of 46 passes for 507 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions.
“Reeh is a good athlete,” Jones said. “He’s really given them a spark on offense. He probably throws the ball as well as we’ve seen Fredericksburg throw in several years. But then he can take off running with it and make some things happen with his legs also. So that’s always a concern when you’re playing an offense that’s a dual threat like that. He’s who makes their offense go.”
His favorite target is senior Cole Bourgeois, who has eight receptions for 184 yards and four touchdowns. Mitchell Edwards moved from receiver to running back and has 15 rushes for 123 yards and two touchdowns for the Billies.
“The receivers are just doing a good job entailing the timing on all their routes, and the passing game is good,” Jones said. “Their offensive line might not be the best that we’ve seen this year, but they’re scrappy and they’ll get after you. So our defense will be challenged.”
The Fredericksburg defense is led by junior defensive lineman Wade Davis and linebackers senior Garrett Brannan and Zach Deleon.
“Very impressed with their front defensive line. The two defensive ends are good athletes, strong kids who have motors that run,” Jones said. “When you watch them, they’re smart back there in the secondary. Most teams get themselves in a bind just by not communicating, not being smart in their alignments. That’s certainly not the case with Fredericksburg. You can tell they’re well-coached, so they’ll make you earn what you get.”
Burnet hopes to get senior quarterback Austin Moore back. He didn’t play during the 43-23 loss to Abilene Wylie on Sept. 4. Jones didn’t comment on Moore’s availability.
Junior quarterback Koby Edwards made his first start against Wylie. He completed 12 of 25 passes for 223 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
“We weren’t real excited about not having Austin Moore,” Jones said. “You go play an Abilene Wylie, you want to have (all starters available). But having said that, Koby did an outstanding job.”
One area that remains impressive is the number of players who have touched the ball either through a run play or catching a pass. To date, that’s 10 different Bulldogs. One of those is junior receiver Steven Gallardo, who has 12 receptions for 240 yards and two touchdowns and six rushes for 18 yards and a touchdown.
“If you’re not giving one opportunity, then we’ll go with another,” Jones said. “Steven has certainly shined over the last couple of ballgames and put up good numbers. We feel like, if our offense operates the right way, that eventually those numbers will come around for all those kids, and they’ll make their big plays. We know that’s certain about any of our skill position players.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com