Burnet football begins district at China Spring
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
BURNET — The second part of the season starts for the Burnet High School football team Oct. 10.
That’s when the Bulldogs (4-1) go to China Spring (3-2) to begin District 13-4A Division I play.
The game starts at 7:30 p.m. at Cougar Stadium, 7301 N. River Crossing in China Spring.
“Our mindset is to be the district champions,” Burnet head coach Kurt Jones said. “You have to go out and win. I think we’ll be one of those teams in the mix. It’ll be very important we go there focused and ready to take care of business. We need to walk in with a swagger and be ready to play our best.”
The Cougars beat Class 2A Division I defending state champion Cameron Yoe (23-14), Lorena (42-36) and Bullard (38-27) but lost to Waco Connally (40-35) and Fairfield (35-21).
China Spring returns nine defensive starters led by defensive backs Tristan Czajkoski and Cutter Haigood and linebackers Zachary Goforth and Ross Liles.
“They’re making strides,” Jones said. “They’re playing better and better. Their defensive line and linebackers are the strength of their defense.”
The China Spring offense is led by sophomore quarterback Brett Cain, a 6-foot-4, 195-pounder with a good arm, according to reports. The most experienced group is the offensive line.
Jones said the Cougars utilize the spread offense but try to be balanced in the run and pass.
“Our defense is playing a little bit better,” he said.
Both teams had two weeks to prepare because of the district-wide bye.
“It gives you a chance to do a slower install,” Jones said. “There’s a handful of things we want to put in. But there’s not a rush to have it all put in (Oct. 10.)”
The Bulldogs’ day off was Sept. 29, though they watched film and lifted weights. Coaches called for normal practices Sept. 30-Oct. 2. The week ended with watching film and position meetings.
Jones said the staff had a list of things on which players needed to improve. The goal was to have solid practices without the intensity dropping, he said. And practices ended 10 minutes earlier each day.
He acknowledged the ongoing challenges facing the Bulldogs, particularly fielding punts and kickoffs. But the coach also believes those are solvable.
“There’s no limit to how good we can be if we hang on to the ball and iron out the kinks,” he said. “At times, we were sharp on offense. We could have done some things better.”
Listen to the Burnet game on KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune or at KBEYFM.com. A pre-game show is at 6:30 p.m.
jfierro@thepicayune.com