The Burnet Bulldogs came up just shy of the Rockdale Tigers Friday night. 

Despite Burnet’s gritty effort the much larger Tiger squad squeaked out a 24-17 victory. The Dawgs took an early 3-0 lead on a 34-yard Austin Huff field goal. Rockdale answered with a 40-yard field goal just three plays into the second quarter which knotted the game at three all.

The Tigers also cashed in their next possession which put them on top 10-3 with 9:21 left before the break. Burnet found themselves trailing 17-3 at the half after another Tiger score with just over a minute on the first half clock.

The Bulldogs opened the second half with an onside kick recovery and nine plays later Cory Cavender found the end zone bringing the score to 17-10 with just a couple of minutes off the third quarter clock. The Dawgs were back in business with a quick Tyler Krause interception but the drive ended with a missed field goal.

On a first down and 20 play Burnet QB Derek Kiser completed a screen to Trent Hafley who raced 48-yards for a score in the fourth quarter. Fans and players went crazy but were soon silenced with a block in the back call that erased the touchdown. Following a Burnet fumble on the very next play Rockdale marched 37-yards and tacked on a score with 6:29 left in the game, leaving the Dawgs trailing, 24-10.

There was still plenty of fight left in the Dawgs and with just 1:29 remaining in the game Kiser hooked-up with Blayne Parisher for a 33-yard score. Huff added the PAT bringing the contest to 24-17. After an impressive performance by the Dawgs’ defense and a couple of timeouts, the Tigers were forced to punt with just seconds left in the game. The Dawgs moved the ball down field with a couple of receptions, but with just three seconds left on the clock Kiser tossed up a prayer that was picked off, ending the game.

The Dawgs are now 1-1 and will travel to Marble Falls Friday night to face the Mustangs who also lost this week. 

For complete game coverage as well as stats and players of the week, pick-up Wednesday’s edition of the Burnet Bulletin.