Burnet football loses to Llano
CAPTION: Burnet sophomore running back Ethan Sanchez hurdles Llano senior defensive back Caden White as he gets closer to the end zone. Photo by Martelle Ludecke/Luedecke Photography
The Burnet High School football team lost to Llano 38-31 Aug. 28 in the season opener for both teams.
Trailing 31-17 entering the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs looked to make a comeback.
“We’re just trying to calm down,” Burnet head coach Ben Speer said. “You can’t let your highs be too high and your lows be too low. We were down probably four starters going into that game. We knew we were going to be against the wall all night. The more they got into the game, they got comfortable with it. A lot of guys don’t have any varsity experience, they don’t have starting experience, much less varsity experience. It’s just getting them to believe. You feel that emotion — you feel it — and everyone just feeds off of it.”
Burnet forced a turnover on downs on a drive that reached the Bulldogs’ 17-yard line.
The Bulldogs took over on their 28-yard line on a drive that ended when Andrew Hudgins caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Fisher Powell to trim the deficit to 31-24. Senior kicker Marco Campos-Huerta added the extra point.
The Burnet kickoff team recovered the onside kick on the Llano 49-yard line. Senior athlete Bryan Johnson scored on the ensuing drive to tie the game at 31-31.
On the ensuing drive, Llano got to the Burnet 49-yard line, but the Bulldogs stiffened and the Yellow Jackets punted.
By the two-minute warning, the Bulldogs were on the Llano 45-yard line, but went backward. The Jackets forced a turnover on downs on their 43-yard line. Senior quarterback Luke Davis tucked and ran and was eventually tackled on the Burnet 32-yard line. He threw a pass to senior receiver Cash Lynch, who was tackled on the two-yard line. Then Davis called his own number and ran it in for the 38-31 lead with about a minute left.
Llano sophomore defensive back Tanner Stone ensured a Jackets win by catching the interception near midfield.
Speer commended his players for playing with all they had until the final whistle.
“I think we really started just getting stops and then with your backs just running hard, and everybody really just starts competing, and it’s infectious,” he said. “It just starts to roll in your favor and when we go and tie it, and then we kick it and pin them deep, and then we get them to punt, you’re just thinking, ‘We’re just gonna go, we’re fixing to go put this in.’ They believed that. Did it happen? No, but as I told the kids after the game, ‘Man I’m so proud. Yes, it’s a loss, and I hate losing, and I don’t want to be OK with losing, but I can be proud of effort. I can be proud that you didn’t quit when we go down 31-17.’ I told the kids I’m glad we’re not OK with being OK. I was just so proud of the fight back and it was a good game. If you bought a ticket, you definitely got your money’s worth.”
The defenses highlighted the first quarter.
The Jackets scored on their opening drive thanks to Pablo Sapula connecting on a 30-yard field goal for the 3-0 lead.
The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard in the second quarter on a 47-yard run by sophomore Ethan Sanchez after a fumble recovery by senior defensive back Rodrigo Valdez. The extra point was good to give Burnet a 7-3 advantage.
Hudgins intercepted the ball, giving the Bulldogs possession on Llano’s 14-yard line. Campos-Huerta connected on a 44-yard field goal for the 10-3 lead.
Davis and Lynch connected on several passes, including one for a 26-yard touchdown to tie the game at 10-10.
After a Burnet punt, Llano sophomore running back Cole Landers had a couple of long runs to get the Jackets to midfield. Another Davis-to-Lynch long pass put the Jackets inside the Burnet red zone. Landers got the Jackets to the three-yard line and Davis did the rest for the 17-10 lead at the half.
CAPTION: Burnet senior running back Bryan Johnson (7) and sophomore running back Ethan Sanchez (3) put their arms up signaling touchdown. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
The Bulldogs took the opening drive of the second half, marching around 80 yards on a drive that ended when Johnson scored on a run from one yard out to tie the contest at 17-17.
Llano responded by scoring on its first offensive drive of the half, starting at its own 25-yard line and ending when Davis ran 56 yards to paydirt.
Though the Jackets didn’t recover the onside kick, senior defensive back Emerson Pool intercepted deep in Llano territory.
Landers had a long run, reaching the Burnet 32-yard line. Davis capped the drive with a five-yard run to the end zone for the 31-17 advantage headed to the fourth quarter.
“If the game ends that way, there’ll be a lot of people like ‘it’s OK, you did really well, you played well and they’re just a better team, they got everybody returning on their line. That’s the best line they’ve had since 2022, maybe even better,'” Speer said. “I don’t know if it was really something that we said – it’s something that kids just decided that maybe going down two scores kind of freed our kids up. They cut loose. Maybe the best way to describe it is ‘there’s nothing to lose here guys. Let’s go throw it all against the wall and see what sticks and get after it.’ And they did that.”
Llano had 158 passing yards and 338 rushing yards for 496 yards of total offense. Davis completed 9 of 18 passes for 158 yards with a touchdown and interception and had 24 carries for 97 yards and four touchdowns. Landers had 23 rushes for 198 yards and two catches for 19 yards. Lynch had six catches for 125 yards and a scored and senior receiver Caden White had a 14-yard reception.
The Bulldogs had 128 passing and 191 rushing yards for a total of 319 yards of offense.
Junior quarterback Fisher Powell completed 4 of 8 passes for 87 yards with a touchdown and an interception, two rushes for nine yards, and three receptions for 11 yards, while junior quarterback Cooper Evans completed 7 of 16 passes for 41 yards and two interceptions.
Sanchez had 14 carries for 155 yards and a score and caught a 36-yard pass, while Johnson had nine rushes for 40 yards and two touchdowns. Hudgins caught two passes for 51 yards, Cooper Allen had two receptions for 11 yards, Luke Laidler caught two passes for 10 yards, and Alex Perez had a nine-yard reception, who are all seniors.
Though the game didn’t turn out the way the Bulldogs wanted, Speer said he exited Llano Stadium with one clear feeling.
“Some coaches say there’s no such thing as momentum,” he said. “I beg to differ. Can you define it? No. Can you put your finger on it and say that’s it? You can feel it, and the kids felt it. I was really proud of our kids. That’s when momentum makes a difference the most. You’re feeling good because you just went down and scored and then you flip around and you have to be out on the field on defense and all the sudden, you don’t feel as tired. You start feeling that momentum, you start feeling that emotion. And it’s not ‘I hope my buddy makes a play, it’s ‘I’m gonna make a play.’ The confidence they’ve gotten themselves to establish something and get it going and get it moving. What a great atmosphere. That’s what you want. That’s Texas high school football, two Hill Country towns going at it 30 miles apart. The fans are involved and they know each other on both sides. You see after the game how the kids come together and they talk because they’re friends. I have people on the other side coming to shake my hand and give me hugs. It’s what you want in a rivalry game. That’s great for both communities.”
