Bulldogs blow out Ingram, now set to clinch playoff bid
Burnet is now 3-2 in District 8-3A with one game left to play on their regular schedule and has a clear shot for a berth in the University Interscholastic League playoffs.
All the Bulldogs need is a victory on the road against Canyon Lake Nov. 7.
“They are a much-improved team,” Burnet Coach Doyle Walker said about Canyon Lake after the Bulldogs’ lopsided win over Ingram. “We will have our work cut out for us.”
Burnet had the advantage in numbers over Ingram during the game. The hapless Warriors had only seven reserves on their bench, and the number of Ingram supporters in the visiting grandstand barely surpassed the number of members in their marching band.
Burnet scored on their first possession after they returned the ball to midfield after the opening kickoff.
After a 28-yard run by Bubba Richards, Chandler West ran the ball into the end zone from the Ingram two-yard line. Tyler Clark kicked the extra point to give the Bulldogs an early 7-0 lead.
Later during the first quarter, Ingram failed to punt out of the Burnet end zone, and the Bulldogs defense collected two points on a safety.
A 37-yard pass from Dillon Chafin to Justin Wills and the point after by Clark boosted Burnet to a 16-0 lead.
West ran the ball 58 yards into the end zone to help give the Bulldogs a 23-0 advantage.
From that point, the game seemed assured for Burnet.
Another 58-yard touchdown run by West helped Burnet raise their lead to 30-0 by the end of the first quarter.
Before halftime, Burnet went up 43-0 on a two-yard run into the end zone by Richards and a 15-yard touchdown pass from Chafin to Spencer Thurman.
An extra-point attempt by Brandon Jacque was blocked by the Ingram defense.
Ingram failed to move into Burnet territory and managed only one first down during the first half.
As Ingram took the field for the third quarter, their marching band withdrew from the grandstand, and their cheerleaders’ yell cones went silent.
As Burnet maintained a ball-control offense, the score stayed 43-0 by the end of the third frame. Justin Battles intercepted for Burnet to keep the Ingram offense barren.
Some Burnet fans clapped for Ingram out of a sense of good sportsmanship as the Warriors picked up a first down on their own 28 with 3:05 left to play in the third quarter.
Nevertheless, the Warriors remained quite hopeless as the contest moved into the fourth quarter.
Soon after Ingram botched a punt on fourth down, Joe Brown ran 19 yards to give Burnet another touchdown. Jacque kicked the extra point to put the Bulldogs up 50-0.
Before the game ended, Brown ran 27 yards into the end zone, Jacque kicked the point after, and Burnet had a 57-0 lead and more than enough to get ready for their confrontation with Canyon Lake.
After the game, Walker instructed his players to remain mentally prepared for the game against Canyon Lake, a must-win situation for the Bulldogs.
“Remember who you are,” Walker said.
raymond@thepicayune.com