Burnet football hits the road to Gatesville

CAPTION: Burnet senior running back Josiah Coronado is the workhorse in the Bulldogs’ rushing attack that is averaging almost 200 yards a game. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

The Burnet High School football team is traveling play at Gatesville at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26.

It’s only the second time this season the Bulldogs (1-3) are hitting the road this season.

The Hornets (4-0) have lopsided wins against McGregor 55-12 Sept. 19, Mexia 35-6 Sept. 12, Glen Rose 30-7 Sept. 5, and Taylor 48-15 Aug. 29.

Burnet is Gatesville’s (4-0) homecoming opponent. As part of the celebration, the program is welcoming back members of the 2000 state champion Hornets, who beat Abilene Wylie 14-10 for the Class 3A Division I state title.

The Bulldogs, whose lone win this season is against Little River Academy 31-28 Sept. 12, are facing a lethal Hornets offense and stingy defense.

Gatesville is led by two-year starting quarterback Gehrig Keeton, who has completed 149 of 277 passes for 2,336 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions and has 33 carries for 46 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior running back Cy Burns, a two-year letterman, has 97 carries for 683 yards and nine scores and junior running back Samuel Howard III has 41 carries for 183 yards and three touchdowns and a 12-yard receiving touchdown.

Senior receiver Amos Phillips has 27 catches for 523 yards, a 19.4-yard average, and eight touchdowns this seson and sophomore receiver Grady Keeton has 29 catches for 497 yards and three touchdowns during a two-year span.

Burnet head coach Ben Speer, who was a defensive coordinator, said Burns stuck out to him because of his willingness to do what is necessary to move the chains.

The Hornets are averaging 224 passing yards and 114 rushing yards per contest.

“They are executing,” he said. “We’ve got to get them off the field. We’ve got to handle them for sure. We’ve got to make sure we’re not watching and hoping somebody else makes (the play). So I think they’ll be up for it.”

Burnet will counter with a power run game led by senior Josiah Coronado, who has 70 rushes for 359 yards this season. In the last two games, has averaged about 120 yards but hasn’t scored a touchdown.

“He’s getting up there,” Speer said. “He’s having a phenomenal year. He smiles and he’s just like, ‘Ah, it doesn’t matter.’ Like, we don’t notice. It’s kind of hard to do all the work and see the things (and not have the payoff of scoring). He’s a great teammate.”

The coach credits the senior running back for putting the Bulldogs in position for wins simply because defenses must know where he’s lined up at every play. He refuses to go down on first contact and will carry defenders to move the chains.

Junior Bryan Johnson has emerged as the Bulldogs running quarterback. This season Johnson has 26 rushes for 245 yards and six touchdowns. Senior running back Peyton Lopez has 18 carries for 106 yards. As a team Burnet is averaging 192 rushing yards per game.

The Bulldogs are looking for improvement in the passing game where they have completed 31 of 79 passes for 333 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions as a unit. Senior receiver Matthew Williams has 11 catches for 207 yards and two touchdowns including a 75-yard score.

Speer noted time is of the essence. The Bulldogs begin District 4-4A Division I play at home against Marble Falls. The winner of that contest takes a giant step toward qualifying for the postseason.

“We’ve got to get it right Oct. 10th to make sure we’re right direction,” Speer said.