Burnet loses close game to leader Waco La Vega
JENNIFER FIERRO · STAFF WRITER
BURNET — District 13-4A Division I leader Waco La Vega survived a late charge by the Burnet Bulldogs football team to earn a hard-fought 32-25 victory Oct. 30 at Bulldog Field, one of the toughest stadiums for visiting teams to win at.
The Bulldogs (5-4 overall, 1-3 in district) reached the Pirates’ 25-yard line with 14 seconds left in the game. But an interception by La Vega ended the contest.
Burnet led or was tied for more than 46 minutes of the 48-minute game. However, the Pirates (9-0 overall, 4-0 district) scored on their final two drives to ensure the victory.
La Vega’s winning touchdown came off a flea flicker from sophomore quarterback Jamal Williams to junior receiver Jamun Guilford for 63 yards in a one-play drive with 1:23 remaining in the contest.
La Vega tied the game at 25-25 when senior athlete Parrish Cobb, who is committed to the University of Oklahoma, lateraled the ball to senior receiver Moses Chase for a 14-yard touchdown with 2:39 left in the game. The drive covered 17 yards in 13 plays.
The Pirates also scored on a safety midway through the third quarter when the Bulldogs had a high snap go out of the end zone. That cut the Burnet lead to 22-17.
The Bulldogs, however, pulled out all the stops in building a 22-15 halftime lead.
Burnet took the opening drive 86 yards in eight plays highlighted by a six-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Wesley Shackelford from senior quarterback Austin Moore. Kicker Ryan Robertson added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
The Pirates tied the game at 7-7 when sophomore running back Kendall Ratliff ran in for a five-yard touchdown. The play completed a 71-yard, 11-play drive with 19 seconds left in the opening quarter.
The Bulldogs regained the lead when senior receiver Joel Johnson caught a 15-yard pass from Moore for a 13-7 advantage with 10:53 left in the half. But the biggest play of the drive was when Johnson caught a 40-yard pass on a fake punt.
Burnet junior defensive back Michael Lindley scored a safety when he tackled sophomore running Kemoche Hobbs in the end zone to give the Bulldogs a 15-7 lead with 5:10 left in the half.
La Vega was forced to punt after the safety, and the Bulldogs made them pay.
Burnet sophomore receiver Sterling Galban caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Moore to finish an eight-play, 65-yard drive for a 22-7 advantage.
The Pirates trimmed the deficit to 22-15 with 1:46 remaining in the second quarter when Hobbs capped off a three-play drive with a three-yard touchdown run on a drive that covered 55 yards. Junior tight end Jalen Gomez caught the two-point pass.
Burnet recovered one fumble in the first half though the Bulldogs had to punt. And Cobb had an 87-yard interception return for a touchdown called back because the Pirates were offsides.
La Vega had 363 yards of total offense with 238 on the ground and committed four fumbles, including three in the second half, but only lost one. Ratliff finished the game with 14 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Hobbs had 11 carries for 71 yards and a score.
Moore completed 20 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns, while Johnson had four receptions for 134 yards and a score and junior receiver Steven Gallardo caught seven passes for 72 yards.
The Bulldogs end the regular season at Lampasas at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 at Badger Stadium, 190 E. Ave. B. A win will propel Burnet into the playoffs. Both Burnet and Waco Robinson have the same 1-3 district record, though the Bulldogs beat the Rockets 40-35 on Oct. 16. If the two teams end the regular season with the same district mark, Burnet advances to the playoffs because of the win over Robinson earlier in the season.
Listen to the contest on 106.5 powered by KBEY or at KBEYFM.com under “Burnet Football” starting with a 7 p.m. pregame show.
jfierro@thepicayune.com
SCORING AND STATS
FIRST QUARTER
B – Wesley Shackelford six-yard pass from Austin Moore (Tyler Torres kick), 9:35
LV – Kendall Ratliff five-yard run (Jason Vasquez kick), :19
SECOND QUARTER
B – Joel Johnson 15-yard pass from Moore (Torres kick), 10:53
B – Michael Lindley safety, 5:10
B – Sterling Galban 16-yard pass from Moore (Torres kick), 2:32
LV – Kemochè Hobbs three-yard run (Jalen Gomez two-point catch), 1:46
THIRD QUARTER
LV – Safety off a Burnet high snap that goes out of the end zone, 7:25
FOURTH QUARTER
B – Torres 23-yard field, 8:24
LV – Moses Chase 14-yard run (Hobbs two-point run), 2:39
LV – Jamun Guilford 63-yard pass from Jamal Williams (Vasquez kick), 1:23
TEAM STATS
LA VEGA — First downs, 18; total yards, 363; rushes-yards, 49-238; passing, 125; interceptions, 0; comp-att-int, 8-13-0; fumbles-lost, 4-1; penalties-yards, 8-55
BURNET — First downs, 15; total yards, 323; rushes-yards, 22-44; passing, 279; interceptions, 1; comp-att-int, 20-34-1; fumbles-lost, 1-0; penalties-yards, 6-55
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING – (Waco La Vega), Parrish Cobb 9-59, Ratliff 14-97-1 TD, Chase 4-15-1 TD, Williams 7-(-11), Hobbs 11-71, Kainon Allen 4-7. (Burnet), Preston Reeves 11-24, Moore 4-6, Steven Gallardo 3-4, Brock Foster 3-10, TEAM 1-0
PASSING – (Waco La Vega), Williams 8-13-125-1TD-0 INT. (Burnet), Moore 20-34-279-3 TDs-1 INT
RECEIVING – (Waco La Vega), Cobb 2-17, Brandon Benson 2-16, Guilford 1-63-1 TD, TEAM 3-29. (Burnet), J. Johnson 4-134-1 TD, Gallardo 7-72, Galban 3-41-1 TD, Shackelford 4-10-1 TD, Reeves 1-7, Foster 1-15