Burnet football season ends in a 41-40 loss to Taylor

CAPTION: The Burnet Bulldogs fought hard and to the end during its loss to Taylor Nov. 4. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

The Burnet High School football team’s season concluded in a 41-40 loss to the Taylor Ducks Nov. 4.

Taylor (5-5, 2-3) recovered an onside kick with 1 minute 38 seconds left in the contest and ran out the clock for the win.

The Bulldogs (4-6, 1-4) trailed 34-24 after three quarters of play and forced the Ducks to punt.

That allowed Burnet junior running back Dash Denton to score on back-to-back drives in the fourth stanza. The first came on a three-yard run to cap a seven-play, 80-yard drive that took 2 minutes to complete. Denton also scored the two-point run to trim the deficit to 34-32 with 8:24 left in the contest.

Taylor answered with an 11-play, 72-yard drive that ended when senior quarterback Ryan Valdez hit senior receiver Jarvis Anderson on a screen that went 18 yards to the end zone. The extra point gave the Ducks a 41-32 lead with 3:48 left in the game.

Denton scored the final touchdown when he finished a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Junior quarterback Grant Jones hit senior receiver Braden Ellett-Clark on the two-point pass to trim the deficit to 41-40 to set up the onside kick.

Mother Nature delayed the start of the contest by about two hours.

The Ducks scored on all four of their first-half possessions to build a 27-18 lead at the half.

But the Bulldogs struck first thanks to going 78 yards in 12 plays capped by a trick play when Jones handed the ball to Denton who ran toward his right and stopped to throw back to Jones who drifted to the left and walked into the end zone from 16 yards out. The extra point was missed and Burnet led 6-0.

Taylor junior running back Jackson Meller ran 63 yards for the touchdown on the Ducks’ opening drive. Jones blocked the extra point to keep the game tied at 6-6.

Burnet senior running back Jose Rodriguez got the Bulldogs going on their second drive, carrying the ball three consecutive times resulting in 39 yards. The drive ended when Jones hit junior receiver Garner Krause for a 39-yard touchdown. The two-point pass failed but Burnet led 13-6.

Anderson capped the next Taylor drive with a 14-yard touchdown run completing it in eight plays and covering 69 yards. The extra point was added for a 13-12 advantage with 2:51 left in the first quarter.

After the Ducks forced the Bulldogs to punt, Valdez engineered a 10-play, 84-yard drive though senior defensive back Braden Ellett-Clark made it difficult. Valdez threw a pass that was caught by both Ellett-Clark and Anderson. Officials awarded possession to the offense resulting in a 26-yard touchdown and a 20-12 lead with about 10 minutes remaining in the half.

But Burnet wouldn’t go away. They marched 73 yards in 11 plays capped by a two-yard Denton touchdown run. Jones scored on the two-point run but a holding call moved the Bulldogs 10 yards. The Ducks stiffened on the next attempt and led 20-18 with 4:45 left.

Taylor added a touchdown when sophomore running back Andrias Fisher scored on a 37-yard run to finish a six-play, 80-yard drive for a 27-18 lead at the half.

Burnet had 561 yards of total offense with 355 yards on the ground and 206 in the air, all unofficial. Taylor had 362 yards of total offense with 245 on the ground and 117 in the air, all unofficial.

Denton had 15 carries for 169 yards and four touchdowns. Jones completed 11 of 18 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown, had 14 rushes for 73 yards and caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Denton. Ellett-Clark caught four passes for 80 yards.

Burnet’s misses on two-point attempts and extra points resulted in missing out on seven points. The Bulldogs also had a fumble inside the Taylor 20-yard line.

Meller had 5 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown. Anderson had 6 rushes for 44 yards and a score and caught 4 passes for 57 yards and 2 touchdowns. Valdez completed 7 of 10 passes for 117 yards and 2 scores.

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