BURNET — In what was arguably the Taylor High School varsity football team’s best defensive effort all season, the Ducks lost a hard-fought 13-7 contest on the road Nov. 3 against the rival Burnet Bulldogs.
“They played hard.
They gave us a chance to win and we just have to capitalize on opportunities,” Taylor head coach Earven Flowers said after the game. “We missed two field goals and dropped some balls on first down. We’ve got to do a better job in terms of game control.
Coaching-wise, we got some opportunities. We can run the ball a little bit and guys pull it and throw it out there in bad situations.”
In a scoreless contest for most of the night, the Taylor defense shined against Burnet.
With both teams trading punts in the first quarter, the Bulldogs were finally able to move the ball on offense deep into Ducks’ territory. However, Taylor senior safety Luke Thompson made a leading interception in the end zone with seconds left in the first quarter to keep Burnet off the board.
In need of a spark on offense early in the second quarter, a Taylor gamble paid off as senior Jackson Meller took the snap on the fake punt and rushed to midfield for a first down. After both Taylor and Burnet had multiple drives stall on offense, the Bulldogs got something going as they marched downfield late in the second quarter.
However, the Ducks again came up clutch on defense as Taylor’s defense swarmed a Burnet receiver inside the fiveyard line to make the tackle as time expired in the second quarter of the scoreless game.
“We did a good job defensively,” Flowers said.
“They hold up as long as they can, but we’ve got to score points. Usually, we score more than seven points.”
Taylor’s defense continued to its stellar play throughout the third quarter, and frustrated Burnet’s offense. Burnet would finally break through in the fourth quarter after converting a fourth-down-and-three at the Taylor 33-yard line. A few plays later, the Bulldogs scored on a short touchdown run to get on the board 7-0 with 8:59 left in regulation.
Needing a spark, Taylor sent its offense back on the field but was unable to convert a fourth-down-and-long as Burnet got the ball back with momentum in Taylor’s territory. The Bulldogs scored a few plays later to make it 13-0 but the extra point was no good.
However, Taylor was not done yet as the offense was finally able to get something going.
Ducks’ senior quarterback Joshua Mikulencak engineered a quick drive offensively downfield that was capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by senior running back Marcus Jackson. With the extra point by senior kicker Isaac Castro, the Ducks were down just 13-7 with 4:27 left in the fourth quarter.
The Taylor defense would then give the offense one final shot with roughly two minutes left in the game after the Ducks forced a Bulldog punt. A Mikulencak pass was intercepted in Taylor territory, and Burnet was able to kneel out the rest of the clock.
Taylor High School varsity football junior linebacker Nick Treuter (6) and a flock of Ducks make a tackle Nov. 3 during the Ducks’ district road game against Burnet High School. Photo by Andrew Salmi
Ducks varsity football senior linebacker Jaden Rush reads the opposing offense Nov. 3 during Taylor’s road game at Burnet. Photo by Andrew Salmi
“Just execute,” Flowers said. “Things were there all night. It’s not going to be a big play every time, and I think when it’s not a big play sometimes people get frustrated, in terms of the kids. But we take what they give us and keep executing, and when you get a chance to get points.”
The Ducks finished the 2023 regular season with a 5-5 overall record and a 2-3 mark in 4A-1 District 13 play. Taylor will play the top-ranked team 4A-1, the Greyhounds of Boerne High School, in the bi-district round of the playoffs at a neutral site and date still to be determined.
