Burnet boys soccer ready to embark on challenging season

CAPTION: Burnet head coach Benjamin Boorman returns for his fourth year in charge of the Burnet High School boys soccer program will new challenges await. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Burnet High School boys soccer team begins the 2026 season by traveling down U.S. 281 South to Mustang Stadium for a scrimmage against Marble Falls.

Junior varsity B plays at 4 p.m., junior varsity A competes at 5 p.m. and the varsity at 6:30 p.m.

The Bulldogs qualified for the Class 4A Division I playoffs after finishing the District 25-4A campaign with a 7-6-3 record for third overall. They lost to San Antonio Davenport 3-0 in a bi-district match.

This year’s Burnet team returns seven starters. They are all-district first team selections Marco Campos-Huerta, a junior, and Genesis Ceron, a senior, second team members Ricardo Flores and Rigo Valdez, who are both juniors, and honorable mention Roberto Montoya, a senior. Other returning lettermen are Alfredo Jaramillo Gonzalez and Dwight Lopez.

The varsity will have 24 players.

Head coach Benjamin Boorman, who is entering his fourth year at the helm, noted these Bulldogs bring plenty to the pitch.

“This year’s team has great athleticism,” he said. “They are overall stronger, faster and more skilled than last year’s team.”

Last year the University Interscholastic League announced each sport, with the exception of football, will have a Division I and a Division II state champion. Each district will still have four playoff berths in each sport. Once district play concludes, the district chair will use each team’s high school enrollment numbers to determine which two will play in the Division I or large school postseason tournament and which two will play in the Division II or small school tournament.

Boorman said District 25-5A soccer coaches welcomed Liberty Hill Legacy Ranch to the district for 11 total members. That meant playing 20 matches in district play. District coaches decided to create their own Division I — Burnet, Jarrell, Austin LBJ, Austin Northeast Early College and Austin Travis — and Division II – Austin Achieve, Austin Eastside Memorial, Florence, Georgetown Gateway’s girls program, Lago Vista and Legacy Ranch.

Division I members will play each other twice and will play Division II members once. Division II members will play each other twice and Division I members once. The top two teams in each division will enter the playoffs.

“If it is tied, it’s a shared district championship,” Boorman said.

To get ready for the season the Bulldogs co-host a scrimmage with the Lady Dawgs against Lampasas Tuesday, Dec. 16, where they are also participating in a toy drive. The junior varsity play plays at 3:20 p.m. and the varsity at 7 p.m.

“Whichever school has more new toys and books donated wins a trophy,” Boorman said. “This is the third annual toy drive.  Lampasas won the first year. Burnet won last year. We began this idea because the soccer programs were looking at giving back to our community and doing a service project.  Our season aligns so closely with Christmas, so helping children in need at this time is a great thing we can do to bring joy at the beginning of our season.”

Fans interested in participating can bring toys or books for children ages 2-17 with them to the stadium or to the high school front office. The new and unopened toys and books will be given to the Hill Country Children’s Advocacy Center in Burnet.

Burnet finishes its scrimmages in Pflugerville Thursday Dec. 18 before breaking Dec. 22-26 for the Christmas holiday. The Bulldogs return to compete in the Kerrville Showcase Jan. 1-3.