Burnet boys soccer competes well at Governor’s Cup
CAPTION: Burnet junior Ricardo Flores is one of three captains who has been offering insight and playing well. Photo by Martelle Ludecke/Luedecke Photography
The Burnet High School boys soccer team competed at the Governor’s Cup Elite Jan. 8-10 hosted by Georgetown Independent School District.
The Bulldogs, who made their debut in this event, lost to Georgetown High 6-0, Georgetown East View 6-0 and San Antonio Antonian Prep 4-0.
Burnet head coach Benjamin Boorman said the tournament served a far greater purpose.
“I scheduled those (Class) 5A games so that we would learn the speed and physicality that we need to compete at a high level,” he said. “I did play all my players. I intended on playing my starters at least the first half, and then I got everybody in in the second half. So we were always close in each of those games in the first half, and then our depth against 5A schools just showed in the second half.”
He noted Antonian Prep (6-9), a Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools member, is halfway through its season.
“They’re getting geared up to play their second half of district and get ready for the playoffs,” he said.
Georgetown and East View are both District 23-5A members.
“East View was really good, one of the better teams,” Boorman said. “(The match) was pretty much played on our half the whole time. And our boys were valiant – blocking shots and diving in front of the ball. I thought everybody played great.”
Reserve goalies played against Georgetown. There were some “keeper errors” throughout the contest as those Bulldogs gained playing experience and learned a lot, the coach said.
He added the contest should have been scoreless in the first half, but it wasn’t. As a result, he put in a “keeper who’s never practiced, who’s needed just in case. So he gave up four goals.”
“I think if I had to put starters in the whole time, we probably would have competed much better than that,” Boorman said. “We lost the three games but learned a lot about who we are. And I thought my captains did an amazing job of keeping everybody’s heads up and playing till the whistle.”
They are juniors Ricardo Flores, Marco Campos-Huerta and Rodrigo Valdez.
“They were amazing – fought hard and pushed everybody till the end,” the coach said. “I thought games could have been more out of hand if it weren’t for the efforts of those boys.”
The Governor’s Cup is a showcase event, which means teams play one match a day. It is spread over three weekends in January and draws the top programs from around the state.
“The Governor’s Cup is the premier tournament for the entire state because that’s where the state tournament is,” Boorman said. “It’s somewhat about the caliber of play. The premier teams all show up, and they know they’re going to play people in the playoffs or the best teams in the state. But I think even more important for those teams that are truly competing to be at the state level is they want to know what it’s like to play on that field, they want to know what it’s like to be in the hotel and to travel together. So it’s an absolute preparation for state and that’s why they get the best players and that’s why they have three weekends of it.”
Boorman sounded far from discouraged. Rather, he pointed to some realities that began with graduating many players in 2025 and that patience is needed right now.
“I lost so many seniors I’d worked with my whole career at Burnet,” he said. “To start over with freshmen, they’re all very good players, but their bodies haven’t fully developed yet. They’re still a little bit squirrely on the little things – making sure they’re getting all the things in that they’re supposed to do. These are things you teach through middle school and the junior varsity program. Their minds just aren’t geared up there yet. But it’s where I’m at and I think we’re going to grow. It’s an amazing opportunity for these young kids to play at this level and to haver that much responsibility on their shoulders early on. I think it’ll make us all better.”
Burnet will host Brownwood at 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, in a varsity only match.
CAPTION: Freshman Jayden Guerrero is learning how to play on the varsity level by logging plenty of minutes. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
