Burnet boys soccer loses to Brownwood, ties Fredericksburg

CAPTION: Always lurking around the goal are Ricardo Flores (11), Rodrigo Valdez (22), Gilverto Barajas (9) and Justin Morales Martinez (21). Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

The Burnet High School boys soccer team lost to Brownwood 5-0 Jan. 16 after tying Fredericksburg 1-1 Jan. 13.

Trailing Fredericksburg’s 1-0 in the first half, Ricardo Flores scored the goal with an assist from Marco Campos-Huerta in the second half.

“I thought it was fantastic,” head coach Benjamin Boorman said. “We scheduled all those really tough (Class) 5A and 6A opponents at the beginning. And it could go either one of two ways: it can really destroy their confidence and stop their belief or it can build tenacity and build grit. Watching them play against Fredericksburg, which is a tough team and went to the third round of playoffs, they vetted.” 

The Bulldogs won numerous 50-50 balls that allowed them to stay with the Billies.

“We were more aggressive than they were,” the coach said. “We were passing the ball and playing at a higher level. So for us to compete – it just meant the world to me that the boys had responded to the adversity. So I was very pleased with how they played that game, especially for our first real home game of the season and to defend our turf was great.”

The Billies scored on a corner kick in the first half “where it was like a pinball going around the middle of the six-yard box, and one of their guys back-heeled it as a goal,” Boorman said. 

“It wasn’t set up,” he said. “They were better (during that play). We had better chances.”

At the intermission, Boorman gave his players some truth.

“‘The goal that they scored was by happenstance,'” he recalled saying. “You’re in control of this game.’ And I really focused back on our guys were winning 50-50 balls. ‘You are the ones who are the aggressors in this game. You need to believe that you can put it in.’ And that seemed to do the trick.”   

The coach said that Flores plays the same way as graduate Hector Arredondo Ramirez, who was an all-region player last year. But it took him to two years to become that.

“He changed his mentality,” Boorman said. “He no longer thought other guys on the team were going to take it. He took it upon himself to change the game. And Ricardo is that way now. I saw him watching Hector last year and realizing that there were guys that were bigger than him, that were able to kind of push him out of the way. And he realized ‘I don’t have to succumb to what they’re doing. ‘So yeah I can go around them and I can beat you guys.’ And so that’s what he’s doing this year. He’s a game-changer-kind-of kid.” 

Flores and Campos-Huerta have scored 99 percent of the goals this season, the coach said.

As for Brownwood, Boorman was complimentary.

“I have to give it to (Brownwood),” Boorman said. “I have now had a chance to play them for four years, whether that be middle school football or high school soccer or traveling to them for varsity football, and I just see a great program where they build athletes and also the fans have been respectful and supportive. It’s just a good community and so I have to give them props where props are due.”  

The Bulldogs have a bye Tuesday, Jan. 20, and will start District 25-4A by traveling to play at Liberty Hill Legacy Ranch Friday, Jan. 23, with the junior varsity taking the field at 5 p.m. and the varsity at 7 p.m.

Burnet will practice and participate in team-bonding activities leading to the district opener.

CAPTION: Burnet midfielder Humberto Jaimes Arredondo waits for his opportunity to go for the ball. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography