Burnet football beats Little River Academy
CAPTION: Burnet senior Cayden Kiley and the Bulldogs earn their first win of the season. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
The Burnet High School football team defeated Little River Academy 31-28 Sept. 12.
“This is guys’ first win (of the season),” head coach Ben Speer said. “They had a chance to really go beat somebody way earlier, and we didn’t get it done. That’s a learning curve. The guys are going to work.”
The Bumblebees (0-3) led 7-0 in the first quarter thanks to a nine-yard run.
But the Bulldogs (1-2) scored 14 points thanks to a pair of touchdown runs by junior quarterback Bryan Johnson. The first went for three yards and the other went for four. Senior kicker Marco Campos-Huerta added the extra points for the 14-7 lead at the half.
Academy senior running back Bryan Grissom scored on a 37-yard run to tie the game at 14-14.
Campos-Huerta kicked a 35-yard field goal for the 17-14 lead.
But the Bumblebees came right back to score on an 85-yard touchdown on the kickoff for the 21-17 advantage.
Sophomore quarterback Fisher Powell ran to pay dirt from nine yards out to give the Bulldogs a 24-21 lead going into the fourth quarter.
With under six minutes left in the game, Burnet senior linebacker Adler Goehring and a bunch of Bulldogs applied pressure that forced the Bumblebees to turn the ball over on downs.
Johnson added his third touchdown, this time from 11 yards out for the 31-21 advantage.
But Academy senior Jayvion White ran the kickoff back 86 yards to trim the deficit to 31-28 with about four minutes left.
Academy tried an onside kick and didn’t get it.
At the two-minute warning, Burnet faced a fourth down on the Academy 40-yard line.
The Bumblebees held and got the ball back in the final minute.
“We have a chance, when you look at it, we’re up 10 and trying to finish the game with first downs,” Speer said. “We’re sustaining a drive that would have sealed the game. But we kicked to them, and they returned it.”
Burnet senior defensive end Riley Howell busted through the line on a reverse and waited for the play to develop then he and junior defensive back Rodrigo Valdez went after the Bumblebee as he threw into traffic. That’s when senior defensive back Cason O’Hair intercepted the ball to seal the win.
“(O’Hair) ended up in a safety position,” Speer said. “He’s having to come up and run support because they’re holding their box. We’ve got to play the run. It’s a great job.”
Earlier, Valdez intercepted a ball he returned near the goal line, which was the result of heavy pressure from Howell.
The coach also was pleased with junior linebackers Alex Perez and Bryan Johnson.
“Those guys are just growing up,” he said. “They’re watching film, and they see things. That’s how you feel good. You want that, especially from juniors. For those guys, they’re just digesting things.”
Senior linebacker Adler Goehring had 16 tackles during the game.
“That’s an excellent number for him,” Speer said.
The Bulldogs had 41 rushes for 246 yards en route to earning 263 yards of total offense on 64 plays. Senior running back Josiah Coronado had 18 rushes for 91 yards, while senior running back Peyton Lopez had six carries for 58 yards and Johnson finished with six rushes for 45 yards and three touchdowns and senior receiver Cohen Jorpeland had four rushes for 40 yards.
“It was hard fought watching Josiah,” Speer said. “His yards after contact are unbelievable. He makes us look pretty good. Big night for Josiah. He was named homecoming king, and then goes out and carries the ball 18 times for 91 yards.
“The other senior, Peyton Lopez, stepped up in spot relief,” he added. “When we have to go get a short down, we run Bryan Johnson in at quarterback. He’s playing both ways. He got about six or seven pressures. We can lean on him. Another one on offense is Cohen. That’s a good change-up. He’s a senior who just steps up. Also, when that happens, you’ve got downfield blocking.”
Sophomore quarterback Fisher Powers completed four of 18 passes for 17 yards and an interception. Speer noted the quarterbacks are starting on the varsity for the first time this season.
“We did a good job of moving the ball,” Speer said. “We missed wide open guys. Those are important things – we have to learn some of that. Those are our guys, and we’re coming with them. The kid didn’t get down on himself. He wants it more – trying his hardest. In athletics, sometimes you can try too hard to get it done. Sometimes you miss out on the little things that help. That’s part of the maturity process.”
The Bumblebees had 176 rushing yards on 39 carries en route to earning 230 yards of total offense.
“We have to execute better on offense,” Speer said. “You can’t give up 14 points on special teams. We’re not placing the ball on the right spot. Credit to them. It makes it a nail biter at the end. A lot of that comes back to inexperience. It’s a learning curve the guys have to work through.”
He noted opponents are facing the Bulldogs with the same preparation and intention of earning a win, too. So it’s imperative the Bulldogs continue to play for four quarters, he added.
“We’ve got to work to finish these teams,” he said. “We’ve got to be able to do that going forward. We can’t just hang out and wait for something because we’ll make it happen. Several times, we get some momentum, and we’ve got to see things go. And we’ve got to learn to do this as well. So that’s all part of the season, part of growing.”
Burnet welcomes Fredericksburg (0-3) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19. The Billies have lost to Kerriville Tivy 48-10 Sept. 12, Wimberley 28-21 Sept. 5 and Lampasas 52-14 Aug. 29.
