EARLY – In a wild, back-and-forth encounter, the Class 4A Division I Burnet Bulldogs scored on a 4-yard touchdown run and added a two-point conversion in the waning seconds to upend the Early Longhorns, 49-48, on Homecoming Friday.
Early (2-3), which was a 20-point underdog to Burnet (3-2) according to Harris Ratings Weekly, trailed 41-35 in the fourth period, but touchdown passes of 39 and 71 yards staked the Longhorns to a 48-41 advantage late – their first lead of the game.
The Longhorns also faced a 28-14 deficit late in the first half and rallied behind scoring tosses of 7 and 24 yards to knot the score at 28 at the break
Burnet also scored the first touchdowns of the game as well, but never led by more than 14 points and could not put the Longhorns away.
Early finished with 497 yards of total offense – 354 passing and 143 rushing.
Quarterback Jaxyn Price completed 26 of 48 passes for 354 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions, while rushing for 40 yards and a score. Jeremy Brown again led the receiving corps with eight grabs for 136 yards and three touchdowns, Cedrick MorelanMorelan contributed seven grabs for 86 yards and a touchdown, and Caleb McCullough finished with two receptions for 54 yards with a trip to the end zone.
On the ground, Griffin Cheslock churned out a team-best 84 yards and he crossed the goal line once.
Burnet generated 456 total yards – 255 through the air and 201 on the ground.
Tanner O’Hair was 11 of 20 with three scoring tosses – all to Braden Ellet-Clark, who finished with four catches for 122 yards. Trenton Park tacked on four receptions for 61 yards and Grant Jones finished with three receptions for 72 yards.
The Bulldogs’ ground game was led by Dash Denton with 94 yards and two touchdowns and Jones with 73 yards and a pair of trips to the end zone.
Next week, the Longhorns experience their bye before opening District 2-3A Division II action Oct. 7 at Ballinger (0-5), which was blanked by Mason, 55-0, Friday night.
