Burnet football beats Little River Academy

CAPTION: Burnet junior running back Josiah Coronado runs for more than 100 yards during the win against Little River Academy Sept. 13. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

The Burnet High School football team beat Little River Academy 49-35 Sept. 13 for the Bulldogs’ first win of the season.

They also gave Ben Speer his first career win as a head coach.

“I wanted it for them,” he said. “It’s getting them the rewards. I’m happy for our coaches. I hired five new ones. They trust me. They believe in what we’re doing. We’re doing things right. This is the way we’re doing it. It was really, really satisfying for those guys. It was good.”

The Bulldogs (1-2) were rolling thanks to scoring 21 points in the first quarter and 14 more in the second before the Bees answered.

“You start getting breaks going your way,” Speer said. “We settled down and figured out who we are. We asked the kids, ‘What do you want?’ They said, ‘We want to win.’ I said, ‘OK, what are you willing to commit to? Are you willing to get less playing time? Will you play a different position? When you start playing for one another, it’s fun.”

Senior running back Khris Kassner got the Bulldogs going thanks to catching a 12-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Rhett Murray. Junior kicker Sam Rodriguez added the extra point.

Murray threw the other two touchdown passes in the first quarter. Junior fullback Riley Howell caught one for 45 yards, while senior quarterback Marcus Pimentel caught the other from eight yards out.

Pimentel and senior receiver Colt Stanford each scored on two-yard runs for a 36-0 lead.

The Bulldogs were able to take advantage of Academy trying to convert a fourth down with a fake punt it didn’t get and recovering an onside kick that surprised everyone, including many on the coaching staff.

“Sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug,” Speer said. “Kudos to our coaches and our kids for being ready.”

Little River (1-3) scored two touchdowns to trim the deficit to 36-14 at the half.

Pimentel opened the third stanza with a one-yard touchdown run on the first drive of the half and then caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Murray for a 49-21 lead.

Murray completed 24 of 31 passes for 276 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Junior running back Josiah Coronado had 17 rushes for 118 yards. Howell caught wo passes for 50 yards and a score, while Stanford had five catches for 47 yards, and Kassner caught four passes for 44 yards. In all, Burnet had 482 yards of total offense.

“It was good to execute going in and keeping things simple,” Speer said. “They went out and played hard. We wanted to keep things simple and mix the offense with the pass and run. It ended well for us.”

Defensively, the Bulldogs made enough plays late to ensure they left with a victory. Junior Trevin Park led with seven tackles, while senior Alejandro Ochoa and Kassner had 6 each. Kassner also recovered a fumble. Senior Aden Sanchez caught an interception.

“It was good to see more kids involved,” the coach said. “As much as we make it about kids, coaches realize we need to put them in the right spots. We’re figuring out who can play what.”

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