Burnet battles undefeated China Spring to kick off district
JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER
BURNET — Two football teams that have played for state title games in the past decade will meet at Bulldog Field on Oct. 9.
That’s the site of the 7:30 p.m. kickoff between Burnet and China Spring. The high school stadium is located at 1000 The Green Mile. Listen to the game on 106.5 powered by KBEY or at KBEYFM.com under “Burnet Football” starting with a pregame show at 7 p.m.
Insiders believe this Cougars squad is the best since China Spring lost to Celina 21-14 in the Class 3A Division II state title game in 2007. Burnet appeared in back-to-back championships in 2002 and 2003, losing both times.
This year’s China Spring team is a perfect 5-0, but the heart of the schedule begins Oct. 9 when the two start District 13-4A Division I play.
“They’re … just playing really good football,” Burnet head coach Kurt Jones said. “Evaluating them on film, they don’t have weaknesses.”
The team is led by senior quarterback Kameron Coe, who guided the Cougars to the 7-on-7 Division II state title game, which they lost 40-39 to Navasota in July.
Running back Keaton Dudik is coming off a 237-yard rushing and four-touchdown performance in a 51-20 victory over Fairfield on Sept. 25.
“The Coe kid at quarterback is a great athlete. The Dudik kid at running back has tremendous feet and can flat out run,” Jones said. “The receivers are good. Their offensive line is big, probably averages about 275 pounds per man up front. We’re going to have our work cut out for us.”
Part of what makes the Cougars so dangerous is Coe’s ability to make plays with his legs, the coach said. The zone read is one of his favorite packages to run, he added.
“He can pull the ball up and throw it down the field really well also,” Jones said. “So they’re going to test our defense out just about any way it can be tested.
Defensively, the Cougars have performed well, too. While the offense is averaging 44 points a game, the defense is giving up an average of 17 points a contest.
And while Fairfield scored 20 points against China Spring, the Eagles had been averaging 352 yards of total offense and 51 points a game before playing the Cougars.
The unit is led by senior defensive end Wesley Field, who is 6 feet 4 inches and weighs 225 pounds.
“I think the Field kid on the defensive line is a handful,” Jones said. “Their defense is salty as well. They run to the ball. They’re very active.”
Jones said part of the Cougars’ game plan is moving players to different spots and being very active before the ball is snapped. It will be important that the Bulldogs stay on schedule, he said, no matter what kind of offensive play is called.
“We’re going to have to do a good job with it all,” he said. “We’re also going to have to run the ball well.”
The key to the contest is playing sound, error-free football, the coach said, because both teams match up so well against one another.
“You can’t take any snap for granted, so it won’t matter if we’re out there on offense, defense or special teams,” he said. “We’re going to have to execute to near perfection.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com