Burnet football running back’s skills, work evident in performance

CAPTION: Burnet sophomore Ethan Sanchez (3) embodies the traits of what coaches want in a running back. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

An outstanding performance by one Burnet High School football player may have been overshadowed by the play of the Bulldogs’ opponents, the Llano Yellow Jackets. And yet when Llano head coach Matt Green reflected on his team’s 38-31 victory, which was secured with 24 seconds left on the Jackets’ final offensive drive of the night, he first talked about Burnet sophomore running back Ethan Sanchez.

“He’s got a really nice combination,” he said. “Most of the time, people will talk about a good back, that he’s really quick and fast, which I think the kid is both. He is quick and he’s fast. He does have good moves in the open field, and he will absolutely make you miss, but I think this is a rare quality that you’re not going to hear people talk about at the upper levels of football in the NCAA and in the pros.”

And that is Sanchez’s stature. He stands at about 5 feet and 7 inches.

“He’s small as far as his height,” Green said.

But, the coach added, he doesn’t view that as a disadvantage.

“I do think he gets lost in there a little bit behind those big linemen,” he said. “He comes shooting through there at full speed, and he’s powerful. Just because he’s small in height doesn’t mean he’s not powerful – he has a lot of power.”

Those traits may help explain his 155 yards and a score on 14 carries, averaging 11.1 yards a carry. His touchdown came on a 46-yard run.

“He absolutely runs through tacklers,” Green said. “But again, I think sometimes he appears in the hole and the defense doesn’t exactly see him until he’s there. And so I think he’s got a lot of things going for him.”

Bulldogs head coach Ben Speer agrees.

“Ethen is flying both ways, doing a great job playing safety and coming in and just providing that punch,” he said. “He’s a sophomore, but he doesn’t play that way. One guy’s not going to bring him down. He’s not as strong as (graduate Josiah) Coronado, but he’s quicker and he broke tackles.”

The Llano coaches knew Sanchez was going to be a load before the two teams met Aug. 28.

“We were highly impressed with him on film,” Green said. “Clearly where they are the most dangerous is in the running back position.”

That’s because of senior athlete Bryan Johnson, who moves to different spots on the field depending on the play. Johnson had nine carries for 40 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 11 yards.

Sometimes a player looks better on film than in a game. But Green said that was definitely not true with Sanchez.

“It’s evident,” he said. “He runs extremely hard, he’s tough, but again he has speed, and he has shifty speed and power. That’s pretty rare to have all of those things. You normally have a couple of them, but to have them all is pretty rare. I think the lack of height is an advantage for him as well. You can’t find him in there. He’s a ball of fire when he comes through there.”

Sanchez and his teammates will welcome Taylor while Llano travels to play at Tuscola Jim Ned. Both games kick off at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4.