Burnet football’s rally falls short against Canyon Lake

CAPTION: Burnet junior linebacker Trenton Park tackles Canyon Lake senior Helijah Johnson for a loss Oct. 21. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

The Burnet High School football team lost to Canyon Lake 28-14 Oct. 21 in a District 13-4A Division I match-up.

The score was tied at 7-7 at the end of the first quarter. An injury to Burnet senior quarterback Tanner O’Hair put junior Grant Jones in that position in the first half for the rest of the contest.

“They did a great job of rallying around Grant,” Burnet head coach Bryan Wood said. “You’re playing so hard and you’re giving yourselves a chance to win every game.”

Burnet junior Jace Haberer intercepted a Canyon Lake pass on the Bulldogs five-yard line. That set up a 95-yard drive that ended when Haberer caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Jones. But the Hawks scored about a minute later for a 14-14 at the half.

In the third quarter, Canyon Lake regained the lead 21-14.

The Bulldogs, however, were poised to respond.

They reached the Hawks’ five-yard line and got to the half-yard line and went out of bounds without scoring on the drive.

“We couldn’t put the ball in,” Wood said.

Canyon Lake responded with a drive that ended with a one-yard rushing touchdown midway though the final stanza put the game away.

“Defensively, I thought we played great again,” Wood said. “Our kids are flying around. We’re getting stops early. Our kids are playing with relentless effort. I thought we played extremely hard. We only gave up one big play all night.”

The Bulldogs had 273 yards of total offense, while the Hawks had 343. Jones completed 8 of 12 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Dash Denton had 14 carries for 29 yards and a score. Junior receiver Garner Krause had 4 receptions for 152 yards.

Canyon Lake senior Helijah Johnson had 18 carries for 89 yards and caught 3 passes for 57 yards and a score. Senior quarterback Hunter Anderson had 7 carries for 37 yards and 2 touchdowns and completed 4 of 7 passes for 87 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.

After the game, a Bulldog told Wood that “it seems like every game we’re so close.” That’s when the coach went to Phillips 3:14 that talks about pressing toward a goal.

“That’s a hard conversation to have,” he said. “In life you press on. You press on until it happens. I think we’re really, really close to being a good football team, I think our kids are fighting their tails off. You have to keep swinging the hammer until the rock finally breaks. They’re grinding for sure.”

Burnet welcomes Comal Davenport at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, to Bulldog Field, 1400 Bulldog Stadium Drive. The Wolves (7-1, 2-1) beat Lampasas 55-34 Oct. 21.

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