Liberty Hill holds off Bulldogs 47-28 in bi-district contest
Burnet senior quarterback Austin Moore celebrates the 13-yard touchdown by junior running back Preston Reeves (40) as sophomore receiver Sterling Galban (1) and junior offensive lineman Jemal Alexander join them. Photo by Diana Cox
DANIEL CLIFTON • EDITOR
CEDAR PARK — The slot-T offense and a couple of explosive plays put the Burnet Bulldogs in a corner Nov. 13, but they still came out fighting against their rivals, the Liberty Hill Panthers, in a Class 4A Division I bi-district playoff game.
“I don’t question our heart at all,” said Burnet head coach Kurt Jones after the 47-28 loss at John Gupton Field. “We got ourselves into a situation where we had to press a bit in the third and fourth quarters. We tried an onside kick; it didn’t work, but that’s on us coaches. We didn’t coach it up enough. These kids, though, they never gave up.”
Liberty Hill (9-2) specializes in a misdirection offense that rarely passes, and it can prove hard to defend at times. The Bulldogs defense was tested several times, and in the end, the Panthers capitalized on a few big plays to get the edge on Burnet.
The first big play came in the first quarter when a Burnet punt pinned the Panthers on their own 2-yard line. But two plays later, Liberty Hills’ Caleb Guerin busted free from the 8-yard line for a 92-yard touchdown.
On the next drive, Burnet quarterback Austin Moore led the Bulldogs to the Liberty Hill 25-yard line, but Burnet just couldn’t convert on a fourth-and-2 situation, putting the ball back in the hands of Panther quarterback Garrett Wright and his teammates.
Four plays into that drive, Guerin once again broke free, this time for a 56-yard touchdown and a 14-0 Liberty Hill lead.
Burnet responded, though.
Using a combination of runs and passes, Moore worked the Bulldogs down to the Liberty Hill 13-yard line. Then Preston Reeves rumbled in for a 13-yard touchdown and cut the Liberty Hill lead to 14-7.
The Panthers, however, added a touchdown with 3:01 left in the first half, but it only took about 90 seconds for the Bulldogs to respond.
This time, Moore connected with Joel Johnson for a 28-yard touchdown pass, ending the first half with a 21-14 Liberty Hill lead.
The second half was much the same with Liberty Hill keeping the lead but Burnet staying within striking distance.The Panthers added a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, partly set up by a 60-yard run by Wright, to make it 28-14.
Again, the Bulldogs answered back. This time with Moore hitting Steven Gallardo for a 12-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 28-21.
But the back and forth ensued as the Panthers’ Gage Fulps scored on a 34-yard run to give Liberty Hill a 35-21 edge.
Burnet’s defense forced Liberty Hill to punt two drives later, giving the Bulldogs’ offense a chance to close the gap again. And they did. Moore found Johnson over the middle of the field, and the senior receiver turned it into a touchdown.
The Bulldogs trailed 35-28 with just under 10 minutes left in the game.
But the Panther offense, which gained pretty much all of its 450-plus yards on the ground, widened the difference again with Jon Shannon rambling in from 30 yards for a 41-28 lead.
On the Panther kickoff, Burnet fumbled the ball, giving Liberty Hill possession on the Bulldogs’ 12-yard line. Liberty Hill quickly took advantage of the mishap with Fulps punching it in from three yards out, giving his team a 47-28 lead.
With just under four minutes left in the game, Burnet pushed back, but Liberty Hills’ Ryan Rangle snatched an interception at the 2:42 mark to seal the Panther victory.
“I’m really proud of this group,” Jones said after the game. “We’ve worked hard to create a mentality that we’re not just satisfied getting into the playoffs. Each one of these boys will tell you this hurts. But they never gave up. And this group of seniors, well, I’m just so proud of them.”
daniel@thepicayune.com