Burnet football pushes Brownwood to play better
CAPTION: The Brownwood Lions and the Burnet Bulldogs didn’t shy away from contact during their four-quarter battle at Gordon Wood Stadium Sept. 8. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
The Burnet High School football team lost to Brownwood 24-10 Sept. 8.
The Bulldogs (1-2, District 13-4A Division I) welcome Giddings at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, to Bulldog Field.
Wood said he was interested to see how his players would respond after a decisive win against Llano last week. Burnet junior quarterback Rhett Murray, senior receiver Grant Jones and the offense gave him an immediate answer.
Murray found Jones on a 61-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the game.
Junior kicker Aden Sanchez added the 26-yard field goal to give Burnet a 10-7 half-time lead.
But it could have been more. The Bulldogs were moving the ball again on their second series. A big completion resulted in reaching the Lions’ 20-yard line. But the Lions knocked out the ball from behind and recovered the fumble to turn the Bulldogs away.
“Trying to do too much,” Wood said.
At the intermission, just like a week earlier, Burnet had the lead and were able to put the opponent away. Wood wanted to see his players continue the good momentum they’d established.
“I didn’t want them to come out flat,” he said. “I was interested in how we were going to start. Our kids the previous week did it right.”
Instead, he said, the Bulldogs didn’t get what they wanted. Brownwood played the second half like the No. 8 team in the state in scoring two touchdowns in the third stanza.
“In the second half, there was a huge letdown for whatever reason,” the coach said. “We looked like we played flat the third quarter. The third quarter was a momentum shift.”
Field position played a factor in igniting the Lions. They got to the Burnet 40-yard line on the kickoff.
“That was a punch in the gut,” Wood said. “We play a little flat and give up the touchdown. At 14-10, it was a gut punch, so to speak.”
Offensively, the Bulldogs had 101 yards on the ground and 171 in the air for a total of 271 yards to Brownwood’s total offense of 240.
“They’re the No. 8 team in the state for a reason,” he said. “I think they’re really good defensively, but we still moved the ball.”
Murray completed 11 of 18 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, while junior quarterback Marcus Pimentel completed 6 of 11 passes for 46 yards. Senior running back Dash Denton had 10 rushes for 48 yards, while junior running back Khris Kassner had 8 carries for 30 yards. Senior receiver Trenton Park had 7 receptions for 72 yards, while Jones caught 3 passes for 58 yards and a score.
Wood noted that teams learn more from losses than from wins, and he and his staff are studying the film and the roster to ensure the Bulldogs are positioned for success.
“There are things we got to spend time fixing before district play,” he said. “We have a better grasp of what we’re trying to do. We’re going to have to evaluate personnel and make some decisions that are a fix. We have to find the right mix.”
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