Burnet strikes first, but then it’s all Gatesville in 47-7 win over Bulldogs
EDITOR DANIEL CLIFTON
GATESVILLE — The Burnet Bulldogs defense made an important stand late in the first half to force the Gatesville Hornets to settle for a field goal, and the two teams went into the half with the Hornets leading 17-7.
The second half was a much different story as state-ranked Gatesville won the District 13-4A Division I contest 47-7.
Burnet scored on the first drive of the game when Ian Carter rambled in from 5 yards out before the Hornets added 17 points. The late-half defensive stand gave Burnet some momentum and hope going into the locker room.
Gatesville crushed that hope and grabbed all the momentum by scoring on its first three possessions in the second half on its way to the lopsided victory.
The loss drops Burnet to 0-2 in district and 4-3 overall, while the Hornets go to 2-0 in district and 7-0 overall.
Gatesville, led by quarterback Jett Truss, demonstrated why the Hornets are one of the top 4A teams in Texas.
Burnet started the game with a 63-yard drive capped off by Carter’s touchdown run. The play was set up when quarterback Chandler Galban connected with his brother, receiver Sterling Galban, on a big pass play that put the Bulldogs on Gatesville’s 5-yard line. Carter’s touchdown gave Burnet its only lead.
Then, Gatesville slowly took control of the game. The Hornets went on a 75-yard drive to tie the contest.
Burnet’s defense came up with two fumble recoveries in the first half, but the Bulldogs couldn’t convert them into points.
The Hornets added one more touchdown and the field goal before the half.
On the first drive of the second half, Gatesville wasted little time scoring. Truss hit Derrick Bayer for a 47-yard touchdown, and with the extra point, the Hornets were up 24-7.
The Hornets recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, setting them up on Burnet’s 28-yard line. Truss again hooked up with Bayer, this time for a 15-yard touchdown, and just like that, Gatesville was.leading 31-7.
Burnet finally got the ball back, but the Hornets defense forced the Bulldogs to punt.
Gatesville took over on its own 24-yard line and moved out to the 37, where Anthony Costas got the call and raced 63 yards for another Hornets touchdown.
The Hornets added one more field goal and another touchdown before the game clock ticked down to zero.
The Bulldogs look to get back in the win column Oct. 27 when they host Liberty Hill. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Bulldog Field, 1000 The Green Mile in Burnet. The Panthers are coming off a win over Lampasas. Listen to the game on KMPN 95.9 FM or at KBEYFM.com starting with a 7 p.m. pregame show.
daniel@thepicayune.com