Burnet football rolls to homecoming win against Lake View

CAPTION: Burnet junior running back Josiah Coronado leads the Bulldogs to a big homecoming win against San Angelo Lake View. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

The Burnet High School football team crushed San Angelo Lake View 50-14 Oct. 4 to move to 4-2 on the year.

Next up is a road trip to Marble Falls (2-4) for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday, Oct. 11, at Mustang Stadium in the District 4-4A opener for both.

A powerful rushing attack against the Chiefs (1-5) paved the way to victory. The Bulldogs (4-2) racked up 363 of their 494 yards on the ground led by junior running back Josiah Coronado. He scored two touchdowns thanks to 18 rushes for 204 yards, averaging 11 per touch.

“Offensively, we wanted to hit it with our passing game,” head coach Ben Speer said. “We were doing such a great job running the ball. It’s great when you can get to that point. Josiah is special. He shows up and goes to work. He’s slippery. He’s strong. People don’t realize how strong he is. He’s hard to take down. He’s a great pass blocker and a pretty good wide receiver.”

The coach noted that many players ensure a runner has that type of production.

“Anytime you get somebody with 200 yards on the ground, you better look up and see who’s in front,” he said. “Your offensive line has been doing a great job. Those receivers are blocking. When you get three, four, five yards, that’s your offensive line — that’s those guys upfront. When you get past that, that has everything to do with your receivers blocking.”

Burnet led 14-0 after the the first quarter, 21-7 at the half, and 35-14 after three periods.

“We weren’t as clean and crisp in the first half as I would have liked,” Speer said. “I thought it should have been cleaner than it was. On paper, we should have taken care of business. I wasn’t pleased with the execution. We played more of a complete game in the second half. We went out there and finally put the pressure on them. I thought we had a lot better focus in the second half.”

Senior quarterback Rhett Murray completed 9 of 20 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Senior athlete Marcus Pimental caught two passes for 29 yards and a score and had three rushes for 11 yards and a touchdown and junior Riley Howell had the other touchdown pass from five yards out. Senior Colt Stanford had two receptions for 46 yards and two rushes for 21 yards and a score.

Junior running back Peyton Lopez and sophomore Bryan Johnson also scored a touchdown each. In all, the Bulldogs scored eight touchdowns.

Defensively, Lake View was held to 249 yards of total offense with only 33 yards on the ground. Linebacker Pimentel and senior Noah Billock continue to shine.

“They keep getting better and better every week,” Speer said of his defensive players. “The defensive line has shown up in depth. It’s great. We thought we’d get guys back. We’re rolling in people who are fresh, and there’s no drop-off. Anytime Marcus comes in at linebacker is a bonus. He’s getting better every game. You hold them to 14 points, that’s always good. We got two turnovers — that helps you a lot.”

His favorite part of the victory? Watching his players react to their teammates’ success.

“We got a lot of guys in the game,” the coach said. “Some of them showed us something. It’s always good to have a game where you can get everyone in. I think the best part is when those starters celebrate the success of those other guys; a guy who works his tail off for four years, and they know that guy has been there with them. They go crazy.”

CAPTION: The Bulldogs limited San Angelo Lake View to 249 yards of total offense. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography