Burnet football looks to halt La Vernia in season opener
The Burnet High School football team travels to play at La Vernia at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, for the 2023 season opener.
Bear Stadium is located at 221 San Antonio Road in La Vernia.
The Bulldogs beat Bears the 36-25 last year to hand them one of their losses. La Vernia finished the season with a 9-3 record and reached the second round of the Class 4A Division I playoffs. La Vernia returns seven starters on offense and seven starters on defense.
“We’re going to have our hands full for sure,” Burnet head coach Bryan Wood said, “It’s a measuring stick for where we’re at.”
La Vernia junior Keegan Hajek was a reserve quarterback last season. He completed 39 of 71 passes for 478 yards with 6 touchdowns and 6 interceptions and had 56 carries for 345 yards and three scores. Senior running back Garrett Lamb had 116 rushes for 621 yards and 5 scores. Senior receiver Colten Schmid caught 61 passes for 1,032 yards and 13 touchdowns and is a two-time district Most Valuable Player and a second team all-state selection.
The Bears utilize a spread offense with two-back sets.
“Their offensive line is massive,” Wood said. “They’re going to try to control the line of scrimmage.”
Burnet will answer with senior linebacker Dash Denton, defensive back Gilbert Valdez and junior defensive backs Khris Kassner and Lew Laidler
The La Vernia defense is led by junior Kolby Gates, who had 102 tackles a year ago, tops for the team. Senior Cash Casas tallied 99 tackles.
Burnet will counter with running back Denton and receivers Garner Krause and Trenton Park, who are all seniors. Juniors Rhett Murray and Marcus Pimentel are vying for starting quarterback. Wood said there’s a good chance both will play against the Bears. Injuries have forced coaches to move linemen to various spots.
“We’ve mixed it around,” Wood said. “We’ve had to shuffle already. We’re pass blocking really well. It’s a matter of getting them in and working them where they belong. You don’t want to shuffle too much. We’ll keep that consistency and they’ll continue that line of communication the offensive line has to have.”
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