Late Gonzales comeback stopped; Burnet posts 29-21 win

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Gonzales High School reached the Burnet six-yard line with 41 seconds left in the game, but turned the ball over on downs, sealing the visiting Bulldogs' 29-21 win Friday, Sept. 4 at Apache Stadium. 

The Apaches will now seek their first win of the year on the road against Fredericksburg (2-0), which routed Jarrell 54-14 (Jarrell lost to Burnet 46-6 last week). 

After being blanked 35-0 by El Campo last week, the Apaches sought to get their offense in gear. 

The Apaches trailed 9-0 after the first quarter, but did manage to drive to the Bulldogs' 20 before turning the ball over on downs.

Gonzales finaly hit paydirt, however, with a 8-play drive that was capped by Derrick Garza's 5-yard run with 8:23 left in the first half. The conversion made the score 9-7.

The teams traded punts before the Bulldogs went up 16-7 on an 28-yard pass from Jaxson Denton to Braedon Howell. 

But the Apaches answered with a 54-yard pass play from Jarren Johnson to Josh Esparza with 51 seconds left in the half. The two-point conversion failed on an incomplete pass. 

Burnet tried to go deep in the waning seconds, but Carlos Verastegui pulled down an interception to end the threat. 

Burnet, however, dominated the third quarter, both on the scoreboard and on the clock. 

The Bulldogs opened with a 13-play, 70-yard drive that chewed up 5:13 off the clock. It ended on Marcus Escamilla's 22-yard run. The PAT made it 23-13.

The Apaches' following drive ended in an interception that would've been a pick-six except for it being called back to the Apaches' 30 on an illegal block against the Bulldogs. 

Unfazed, the Bulldogs took six plays to score, with Escamilla's second scoring run of the night. 

The Apaches answered with a drive that left them inside the Bulldogs' 5-yard line before again turning the ball over on downs. 

Gonzales' defense tightened and not only forced Burnet to punt from its   own 4-yard line, but saw that punt shagged – setting Gonzales up on the 18.

Gonzales faced a fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line. This time, the team converted on Braden Barfield's touchdown run. Johnson ran in the two-point conversion to make the score 29-21.

Barfield made a big play defensively on the next series, using a hard tackle of a Bulldog receiver to turn a completion into a drive-ending  incompletion. The Bulldogs punted from its own 40, but again shagged the kick. 

The Apaches took over on their own 46 with 3:25 to go in the game. 

The Apaches drove, but got no closer that the 6-yard line when they ran out of downs. 

Please see the Thursday, Sept. 10 print and e-edition of the Inquirer for more on the game and a preview of next week's game. 

 

Gonzales High School

2020 Football Schedule

(0-0, 0-2)

• Aug. 28: El Campo 35, Apaches 0

• Sept. 4: Burnet 29, Apaches 21

• Sept. 11: @ Fredericksburg, 7:30 p.m.

• Sept. 18: @ LaVernia, 7:30 p.m.

• Sept. 25: vs. Jarrell, 7:30 p.m.**

• Oct. 2: Open

• Oct. 9: @ Giddings, 7:30 p.m.*

• Oct. 16: vs. Smithville, 7:30 p.m.*

• Oct. 23: @ LaGrange, 7:30 p.m.*

• Oct. 30: vs. Navasota, 7:30 p.m.*

• Nov. 6: @ Cuero, 7:30 p.m.*

*District 12 4A-2 game

**Homecoming

#Senior Night

District 12 4A-2 results

Sept. 4:

• Burnet 29, Gonzales 21

• Wimberly 33, Cuero 14

• Navasota 33, Sealy 28

• Columbus 28, Giddings 21 OT

• Canyon Lake 61, La Grange 23 

• Yoakum 21, Smithville 7

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