New look Burnet football readies for Davenport
CAPTION: Burnet junior Trenton Park (10) and the Bulldogs have made adjustments in personnel and possibly scheme based on who’s available for their home game against Comal Davenport. Photo by Martelle Ludecke/Luedecke Photography
The Burnet High School football team is preparing to welcome another top District 13-4A Division I team to Bulldog Field at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28.
Comal Davenport (7-1, 2-1) is looking to remain in second place in the district standings but must win at one of the toughest home venues in the state to stay there.
Burnet head coach Bryan Wood saw what others have already witnessed. The Wolves are athletic and fast.
“The speed factor is what stands out,” he said. “We haven’t played anybody who’ll be as fast.”
They’re fast to the football, fast to the line of scrimmage and want to be equally fast moving up the field, he added.
“They run 80-plus plays a game,” the Bulldogs coach said. “They’re real athletic.”
He added that he saw the Wolves at a track meet during the spring and his film study simply validates what he thought before. Davenport’s scheme complements the Wolves’ natural abilities and talents.
Offensively, Davenport is led by junior quarterback Triston Hamlin, who has completed 128 of 193 passes for 1,989 yards, 22 touchdowns and 6 interceptions and has 29 rushes for 111 yards. Senior running back Shastin Golden has 191 carries for 1,653 yards and 23 touchdowns and 8 catches for 87 yards and a score. Junior receiver Kyler Payne has 35 catches for 637 yards and 11 touchdowns and senior athlete David Miller has 41 catches for 533 yards and 2 scores.
“They like to spread out and throw,” Wood said. “I compare them to Early as far as what they do schematically. I’m hoping we learned from that.”
Defensively, the Wolves match up with what the Bulldogs want to do.
“They’re very athletic in the secondary,” he said. “We’ll have to establish some sort of a running game. If we can keep the ball away from them, I think that’s the best defense for them.”
The absence of senior quarterback Tanner O’Hair has forced the Bulldogs to move some pieces. Junior Grant Jones takes over that position, but Wood noted O’Hair isn’t the only senior the team will miss.
“Tanner stands in the pocket, and he was getting better,” Wood said. “Tanner’s leadership is something you just can’t replace. We’ve had a good week of practices. Grant has handled it well. And it’s not just Grant handling the new load. I love this team. It’s a fun group to coach. They’ve stepped up. It’s a hard-working group that’s frustrated that we’ve had games in our grip. They give everything they got.”
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