Burnet football loses to Gatesville
CAPTION: Burnet junior quarterback Bryan Johnson scores the Bulldogs’ only touchdown against Gatesville as offensive linemen Traeton Nelson (left) and Shane Ikonen celebrate. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
The Burnet High School football team lost to Gatesville 15-9 Sept.26 in a non-district contest.
“They’re a tough team,” Bulldogs head coach Ben Speer said. “They’re undefeated for a reason.”
The defenses dominated throughout the matchup and hinted at to what kind of game it would be in the opening stanza by forcing punts.
The Hornets (5-0) took a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter when senior receiver Amos Phililips caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Gehrig Keeton.
Midway through the quarter, the Hornets pinned the Bulldogs inside their 25-yard line and forced a punt. Gatesville started the drive on its own 49-yard line and drove to the Bulldogs’ 21-yard line. But the Bulldogs held and forced a turnover on downs with about five minutes left in the half.
The Burnet offense began a drive of its own, reaching the Gatesville 40-yard line. The drive ended when Gatesville sophomore Grady Keeton caught an interception on the Hornets’ 23-yard line.
Still, the Bulldogs forced the Hornets to punt.
Both teams exchanged possessions in the final minutes of the second quarter. Burnet senior Matthew Williams caught an interception with less than a minute remaining in the half to keep the score at 7-0 in favor of the Hornets.
The Burnet defense forced Gatesville to punt on its first possession of the second half to set up the Bulldog offense on the Hornets’ 49-yard line.
The Bulldogs began a meticulous drive and reached the Gatesville two-yard line thanks to a run by junior quarterback Bryan Johnson. The drive ended on a 20-yard field goal by Marco Huerta-Campos to trim the deficit to 7-3 with five minutes remaining in the third period, which was the score headed into the final quarter.
Burnet senior defensive end Riley Howell recovered a fumble on Bulldogs’ 28-yard line to begin began the fourth period.
But the Bulldogs went backwards, resulting in a Gatesville safety and a 9-3 Hornets lead early in the final stanza.
On the ensuing Gatesville drive, the Burnet defense returned the favor by pushing the Hornets backwards resulting in a punt that put the Bulldogs offense at midfield.
The Bulldogs’ drive started by getting chunk yards as they worked their way to the red zone. On fourth down on the Hornets’ 36-yard line, sophomore quarterback Fisher Powell completed a 39-yard pass to receiver Williams to get to the Gatesville three.
Junior quarterback Bryan Johnson completed the drive with a three-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game at 9-9 with five minutes left in the contest.
After the kickoff, the Hornets were determined to break the tie and run out the clock. On third-and-13, Phillips caught the pass and reached the Gatesville 46-yard line. From there they had positive gains until they got to the Burnet 37-yard line when they suffered a five-yard loss.
With two minutes remaining, Gatesville decided to punt. But junior Rodrigo Valdez came out of nowhere to block it and give the Bulldogs first and 10 on the Hornet’s 36-yard line.
“We were close all night,” Speer said. “We kept encouraging the kids, there’s an opportunity to flip the field. The ball went straight in the air. We waited for it to come down. Had it been anywhere else, we scoop and score. It was great. We grabbed it on the way down.”
But Phillips caught the interception on the Gatesville 34-yard line with a minute left in the contest to keep the game tied.
Phillips was the culprit again, catching a pass on a play that ended on the Burnet 30-yard line.
Gatesville scored the go-ahead touchdown in the final seconds of the contest on a 19-yard catch by Clark Allman from Gehrig Keeton.
The Hornets had 18 rushing yards and 252 passing yards for 270 yards of total offense. They were 5 for 12 on thid down and didn’t convert their only fourth down attempt.
Gehrig Keeton completed 19 of 37 passes for 252 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Philips had 12 catches for 123 yards and a score, while Grady Keeton caught four passes for 62 yards, and senior Clark Allman had two receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown.
“We’re getting so close to being a great group,” Speer said. “We’re staying positive with the kids. They played really well even when they’ve been on the field a lot. They do a good job of not giving up.”
Sophomore quarterback Fisher Powell completed 9 of 18 passes for 110 yards and two interceptions and had four carries for 30 yards. Johnson had eight carries for 57 yards and a touchdown, while senior running back Peyton Lopez had six rushes for 42 yards, and senior running back Josiah Coronado had nine carries for 19 yards. Williams had three receptions for 74 yards, while senior Trenton Park had four catches for 34 yards.
The Bulldogs had 148 rushing yards and 112 passing yards for 260 yards of total offense. They went 2 for 13 on third down, converted their only fourth down try, and had nine pentalties for 55 yards, some of which were false starts.
“We had opportunities,” the coach said. “Penalties hurt us. Some were legit; some we’re struggling to find. That’s the way the ball goes. It’s definitely weird. We did some good things. We’re just not gelling on offense. We’re going to get it figured out on offense.”
Burnet prepares for a road trip to San Angelo Lake View (4-1) at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, in its final pre-district contest. Lake View lost to Levelland 40-33 Sept. 26 after beating Lubbock High 50-49 Sept. 19, Lamesa 44-27 Sept. 12, Snyder 49-28 Sept. 5, and Fort Stockto 42-7 Aug. 29.
“We have one more opportunity to get it right,” Speer said. “We have a big opportunity this week.”
