Determination is obvious trait of Burnet football in 2023

CAPTION: Burnet seniors Dash Denton and Will Johnson celebrate a Bulldogs touchdown during the win against Early. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

A stunning outcome. That’s the only way to describe the end of the 2022 Burnet High School football team’s season — a 41-40 loss to Taylor in week 11 that gave the Ducks the fourth and final playoff berth from District 13-4A Division I in the regular season finale.

The lack of points in one key area also didn’t help the Bulldogs. They missed a two-point conversion to begin the contest and kept chasing those points throughout the game.

So it’s no wonder that in 2023, the Bulldogs are playing like a team on a mission with a determination to have a different outcome at the end of this regular season.. Their wins haven’t come down to a point here and there. They are averaging 34 points a game and allowing 21. But most of those points allowed came from the 49-27 loss to La Vernia Aug. 25 and the 24-10 setback to Brownwood Sept. 8. In the wins against Early, Giddings and Llano, Burnet is allowing a total of 29 points.

The Bulldogs have won two in a row, and that doesn’t happen without some outstanding play. When fans think of the Bulldog offense, typically they think of seniors Dash Denton, Grant Jones, Will Johnson and Trenton Park. Because of their value on other units, the commitment to rotate in different ball carriers, receivers and defenders is obvious, so it made signaling out one Bulldog as the breakout player the first part of the season incredibly difficult.

Still, there’s no denying junior Khris Kassner’s value at running back and linebacker. Against Early, he was among the leaders in tackles with seven and a quarterback pressure. At running back, he has 28 carries for 179 yards and four touchdowns. His rushing touchdowns are tied with Denton for team leader.

“I really think he’s a great player who’s overlooked,” head coach Bryan Wood said. “And I think he likes that. He’s under the radar. He’s on our kickoff team. He makes tons of tackles and plays every down on defense. He and Dash rotate for us. They’re equally talented at linebacker and running back.”

Wood looks for specific traits of a smart player.

“Football IQ,” he said. “They have to understand the game. It’s about alignment and assignment. They have to be able to recognize where they need to be.”

Park fits that description.

“He’s one of the smartest I’ve been around,” the coach said. “He understands what his strengths are, where to line up. He works on his technique. He does those things repeatedly. He does them over and over again.”

The Bulldogs were searching for a new starting quarterback after Tanner O’Hair graduated. That battle between Rhett Murray and Marcus Pimentel went into the week one match-up against La Vernia. Afterward, the quarterbacks made it obvious and Murray took the job. Sometimes this type of competition can divide a locker room. But not at Burnet, and Wood credits one duo for that — the quarterbacks themselves.

“It’s unreal,” he said. “I couldn’t be more proud of either of those guys. Rhett won the job, but he was Marcus’ backup on the junior varsity. He puts in the time, watches the film. Kudos to him. Marcus has handled it with extra high character. He’s a dude, he has big character. I was nervous about it. When Rhett got it, I was concerned it could shake up the locker room. And it hasn’t because of Marcus. Marcus didn’t let it happen. He’s been 100 percent Bulldog. He’s going to give his heart every day. I don’t think I’ve ever praised a back-up as much as I have Marcus.”

But Pimental isn’t the only persistent Bulldog in the program. Wood said he especially appreciates the efforts of the junior varsity players, who serve as the scout teams.

Coaches think so much of the scout teams that they created the Rudy Award named after Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger of the University of Notre Dame, who inspired his teammates by the way he played as a scout team defensive end. The movie “Rudy” is about him.

Wood noted the scout team’s primary role is to get the varsity ready to play on Fridays by mirroring what the opponent will do while also getting ready to play their own contests on Thursdays. In short, there’s very little recognition for the scout team players, who are mostly sophomores.

Burnet coaches choose a different Rudy recipient each week.

“We put their picture in the scouting report and have their picture in the field house,” Wood said. “They know their end game is to be a varsity guy. I think those JV guys don’t get enough credit. It’s not always rewarded. Our JV guys do a great job of giving us looks. We try to recognize them.”

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