Burnet soccer wins summer league championship

CAPTION: The Burnet High School Bulldogs and Lady Dawgs are all smiles after winning the June Summer League title that drew more than 120 athletes from Burnet, Florence, Lampasas and Marble Falls. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

The Burnet High School soccer first team won the summer league tournament title June 26 to end four weeks of league play.

Burnet entered three teams into the league that included three Lampasas squads, two Marble Falls teams, and a squad from Florence. In all, more than 120 boys and girls played.

Burnet Lady Dawgs head coach Kimberly Myhre served as the league director and Bulldog Field was the site of league play. Last year, Marble Falls hosted the league and tournament, but scheduling conflicts in 2023 prevented the Mustangs and Lady Mustangs from hosting. So the Bulldogs and Lady Dawgs stepped in. And coaches at both schools were happy to see their athletes play.

“My kids loved it,” Myhre said. “I knew I wanted to do it again. Our numbers this year were huge.”

Myhre polled players to find out their availability, and they chose to start games each Monday at 4 p.m. The 100-yard field was divided in half to allow two contests to be played at once. Each team had to have three girls on the field at all times or there was a forfeit.

“It was good competition,” Myhre said. “Summer is pivotal to playing together and having fun and getting to work.”

Organizers kept scores and used records from contests played the first few weeks of June to seed each team for the single-elimination tournament that was played June 26. Because there were nine teams entered, Marble Falls team one was seeded first and received a bye in the first round. Myhre said Burnet was happy to play and beat Marble Falls in the championship.

Burnet one, which has 21 girls and 36 total players, won three contests during the tournament to win the title.

“That speaks volumes,” the league director said. “I had 10 girls who were on my (junior varsity) play (in the summer league). As a program, they wanted to get better, they wanted to play. It was cool to see those numbers. As a team, it keeps the camaraderie going. We’re working together as a team and getting in the work. You get better for winning championships in the offseason. Tryouts are in November, and we’ll be better (for the 2024 season).”

Burnet, Florence and Marble Falls are in District 25-4A. The Lady Dawgs and the Mustangs won the 2023 district titles with the Lady Mustangs finishing as the runners-up, while the Bulldogs were fourth in the district. All four advanced to the playoffs. Myhre noted Florence had 18 athletes commit to playing, which illustrates the importance of preparation to each of the programs.

“Every week, Florence had a big number,” Myhre said. “Marble Falls had only six girls playing, three on each team. You could see the growth in them.”

Myhre added that her players are extremely motivated by how their 2023 season ended, a 3-2 loss to Boerne High in the the third round of the playoffs. The programs will meet during the pre-district season in what could be another foreshadow of a postseason contest.

“I think it keeps them in contact and motivated,” she said. “‘I want to go compete and do well.’ I think it’s great for us to keep playing. It’s exciting to see what’s next.”

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