Liberty Hill defeats Burnet 44-23 with second-half surge
Burnet's Steven Gallardo hauls in a pass for a Bulldogs' touchdown during the Oct. 21 game against Liberty Hill. The Panthers went on to win the game 44-23. The Bulldogs drop to 1-2 in district play. They host the Lampasas Badgers on Oct. 28. Photo by Glenn Morris/FTMOG.com
DANIEL CLIFTON • EDITOR
LIBERTY HILL — The Liberty Hill Panthers answered quickly after the Burnet Bulldogs’ early touchdown in the first quarter, and then they never looked back as they beat the Bulldogs 44-23 on Oct. 21.
The loss drops the Bulldogs to 1-2 in District 13-4A Division I play and 6-2 overall, while Liberty Hill improves to 2-1 in the district.
In what’s considered a big rivalry game, the Burnet Bulldogs came out swinging in the first quarter. Koby Edwards struck Steven Gallardo for a 61-yard touchdown less than two minutes into the game. Burnet failed on the extra point, but the Bulldogs showed they could score on the Panthers, and quickly.
But the Panthers weren’t intimidated as they hit back on the ensuing drive. Liberty Hill’s Reid Sanders tied things up with a rushing touchdown, and Michael Shipley gave the Panthers a one-point edge with his extra point.
The Panthers would hold the lead throughout the rest of the game.
The two defenses held their grounds on the next two drives. But on Burnet’s third drive of the game, Edwards left the game with an injury. Senior Rowdy Holmes stepped in and took control of the Bulldogs’ offense.
Burnet moved the ball to the Liberty Hill 43-yard line but ended up having to punt.
Then Liberty Hill started taking control. Starting from their own 5-yard line, the Panthers worked their way to their own 25 before Sanders exploded for a 75-yard touchdown run and a 14-6 lead.
Burnet’s Tyler Torres cut into the Panthers’ lead with a 22-yard field goal to make it 14-9
But big plays seemed to plague the Bulldogs as the Panthers’ Freddy White raced 57 yards on the next drive to set up Liberty Hill on the Burnet 20-yard line. A few plays later, Liberty Hill topped off the drive with a touchdown and a 21-9 lead.
Burnet, however, seemed to have an answer to the Panthers. A few drives later, Liberty Hill coughed up the ball on its own 34-yard line. A holding call pushed Burnet back 10 yards, but then Holmes hit Gallardo on a fourth-and-15 situation to get a first down. The Bulldogs worked their way down to the Panthers’ 6-yard line, where Holmes hit Drew Kiser for a touchdown.
The teams went into the half with Liberty Hill holding a 21-16 lead.
In the third quarter, Liberty Hill came out firing. Garrett Wright connected with Slade Cummins for a 50-yard touchdown, and the Panthers added a two-point conversion for a 29-16 lead.
The Panthers added two more touchdowns for a 44-16 lead.
Burnet added one more score with 1:19 left in the game when Holmes and Gallardo connected for a 50-yard touchdown, but it would be the last of the game.
The Bulldogs return home Friday, Oct. 28, when they host the Lampasas Badgers with kickoff at 7:30 p.m.
daniel@thepicayune.com