Best Bulldog moments of 2023

The BCISD athletic program enjoyed many successful sports moments in 2023. Several individuals advanced all the way to state, school records fell, and many of Burnet’s teams enjoyed playoff runs. While there are some changes on the horizon in Burnet sports it’s widely believed that more success is on deck for 2024.

Here’s a look back, month by month, at some of the 2023 sporting accomplishments making headlines.

January- In early January it was the Lady Dawgs making big news. The basketball girls kicked off district with a nice win over Marble Falls who was a preseason favorite. In the Jan. 11 edition the Lady Dawg soccer team was praised for their 5-0 record and the fact that they had outscored their opponents an amazing 32-1.

In mid-January head girls’ soccer coach Kim Myhre was celebrated for her 100 win and Burnet’s soccer girls moved to 11-0 winning their host tournament.

On Jan. 25 it was swimming that garnered the props with the top headline. Burnet earned nine swimming district championships. Isabel Lunsford earned four golden district medals and set two school records. Hayden Brown also earned four gold medals at district. A total of 17 Burnet athletes set new personal records at the district meet.

Powerlifting and softball got their start before the month ended setting up a busy February.

February- Swimming continued to make waves into February. The first edition of the month was led by the headline, Green Wave sending 13 to State.

Braden Ellett-Clark signed a letter of intent to play football for Mc-Murry and the basketball teams were about halfway through district play.

Spring tennis also joined the party taking to the courts in February.

The playoffs were inching closer for basketball and Burnet’s soccer teams spent a Saturday in Jarrell earning two big district wins.

Senior swimmer, Isabel Lunsford, earned two state silver medals in her final swims for Burnet. She took second in the 100 fly and 200 free at State. Diver, Julia Jenkins, placed fourth at state and Hayden Brown took sixth in the 200 free.

Girls basketball finished district with a 5-4 record and went into the playoffs as the No. 3 seed. Unfortunately, before February ended the girls’ season came to a close with a 55-48 Bi-District loss to Waco Connally.

Burnet’s boys basketball team missed the playoffs after two late losses to Lampasas, in triple overtime, and Marble Falls putting an abrupt halt to their season.

The month ended with the Lady Dawg soccer team boasting a 7-0 district record while the softball teams began scrimmage play.

March- Baseball began March with a 4-1 week while the softball team earned four wins at the Stephenville tournament.

Burnet’s Muscle Dawgs qualified 10 athletes to compete at Regionals.

Basketball All-District selections were released with seven Lady Dawgs and five Bulldogs being named. Zaria Solis was chosen as the overall District MVP.

Props were also given to Tatum Salinas and Aly Van Zandt as the two piled up their fifth-straight tournament win in tennis.

Presley Crawford was praised in the editorial as well for recording 36 strikeouts on the week.

March also added track to the mix.

Numerous Lady Dawg lifters earned regional medals. Abby Smith and Maddi Moise were the top dogs at Regionals with each punching their tickets to state.

Four male lifters earned their way to regionals.

Burnet’s soccer team made history. The girls finished district 12-0 being the first in the program’s history to win a district championship. The soccer boys went 5-5 in district to earn the No. 4 spot for the playoffs.

Isabel Lunsford made it official to swim at USMMA after her impressive career at Burnet.

District play began for Burnet’s teams on the diamonds.

Abby Smith finished seventh at the state powerlifting meet. Maddi Mosie hit her fifth homerun of the season and also lifted at the state powerlifting meet in the third week of March.

Bulldog baseball opened district 3-0.

March ended with pole vaulter Brayden Hill setting a new school record at 14’9.

The boys soccer team lost their Bi-District game while the girls beat Canyon Lake 5-1 in the first round.

Baseball ended March play at 5-0 in district; the Lady Dawgs were 3-0 in district.

April- The month of April brought on more excitement. The varsity Lady Dawg soccer team was riding a 15 game win streak entering the Regional Quarterfinal round versus Boerne, they fell short 3-2, but what a season, 25-3-1. The 2024 squad shows just as much promise. All-District honors included 13 players and two coaches, including the District MVP, Amelia Griffin and the Coach of the Year, Kim Myhre.

The April editions were full of track photos, who knew at this point though that three BHS track athletes would soon be state champions.

Burnet drew large crowds for the 40 Annual Bluebonnet Festival.

The April 19 edition recognized state bound tennis players, Ally Van Zandt and Tatum Salinas.

There was also a host of softball players photographed for little league night at the varsity game.

Nine of our soccer boys earned All-District selections, four first teamers.

By late April the Lady Dawg softball team had earned the district championship for the first time in 21 years. Maddi Moise was pictured with her record setting homerun ball number nine.

May- The baseball boys were pictured celebrating, after a Moses Deluna score led to a 4-3 win over the Marble Falls Mustangs. The BHS baseball team carried fans on quite a ride in 2023, creating lifelong memories, including an all-night affair in an early May playoff game versus Salado that wasn’t over until the wee hours of the morning. Due to severe weather and several rounds of large hail the game didn’t start until midnight. It was a thrilling 4-3 win for the Dawgs.

Most years in the month of May our BHS sports coverage slows down, but not in 2023. Five state bound track athletes, a host of Bulldogs signing letters of intent, and the best BHS softball season ever gave us fans plenty to talk about.

The Lady Dawg softball team had an amazing 2023 journey winning 11-straight games late in the season. Those wins led to a district championship, bi-district championship, and area championship. The Lady Dawgs fell short, 6-4, 3-1 in the semifinal round to the two-time defending state champ Liberty Lady Panthers out of the Houston area. Liberty lost 9-7 to Calallen in the state championship.

The Burnet rodeo was another crowd pleaser, and photos filled the pages in a mid-May edition.

Seven on seven athletes began taking space on pages in late May along with powder puff action shots, and Gen-Tex parade photos. The 2023 BHS graduation was soon upon us; thousands gathered at Bulldog field to cheer on each senior who crossed the stage.

The May 31 edition was the closing of anther school year, but with so many athletes competing at the state level 2023 was one for the record books.

Hudson Bennett left an almost unbelievable mark in BHS track, including another state gold medal on his way out, in a season where he overcame an enormous setback to get to run in the first place.

The greatness of Victor Aviles perhaps pushed his teammate. It was a picture-perfect ending for both as each collected gold medals in Austin at state.

Freshman, Asah Roy also ran her way to state, quite a feat for a freshman.

BHS pole vaulters Brady Rygaard and Brayden Hill pushed one another all the way to state, and Hill too brought home gold from Austin.

Baseball All-District selections were released, and Trey Morrow was named the Newcomer of the year.

The Lady Dawg softball program captured four superlative spots on the All-District list. Presley Crawford was named Pitcher of the Year, Camrynn Guthrie was selected as the Catcher of the year, Maddi Moise garnered the tile of Offensive Player of the Year, and Lexi Leatherwood was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

June- In the month of June things slowed a bit, but BHS camps were underway, and two Burnet baseball players played in the All-Star game at Dell Diamond. Braden Ellett-Clark and Tanner O’Hair represented Burnet well in the June 11 game. O’Hair was named the offensive MVP of the game; both helped their team to a 4-2 win.

Sadness filled our community when the news of Donald Fawcett’s passing was learned. Mr. Fawcett, a lifelong Bulldog fans was loved by many.

In June’s final edition six Lady Dawg softball players earned state recognition. They were Presley Crawford, Maddi Moise, Journey Denton, Camrynn Guthrie, McKenzie Davis, and Addie Grace Hernandez.

July- The calendar soon rolled to July. July was a quiet month for Burnet sports coverage but there was an interesting story about a 98.7-pound catfish that was wrestled from its cave by Justin White and Drew Moore.

August- In a blink vacation time was over and the month of August was here. Twoa- days began at BHS and

Memories… see Page 12 the nice new Student Activity Center was getting broke in as hundreds of athletes showed up ready to put in work for their fall sports seasons. The Aug. 9 edition showcased photos of dozens of brave football moms walking a day in their son’s shoes, going through skills drills and learning the XX and OO of football. It was the second annual Mom’s Day.

By mid-August every BHS fall sports team was ready to show off their skills. The Lady Dawg volleyball team earned their first win with a 3-0 sweep over Lago Vista.

Meet the Bulldogs soon took place. BHS coaches introduced a lot of talented athletes to a community that already knew good things were in store for the fall.

September- September got here fast and by that time the BHS cross country teams knew they had something special at every level, but those BHS girls’ teams were something extra special, and Asah Roy had just claimed gold in Temple.

The varsity football team soon played their home opener against Llano, defeating a good Yellowjacket team, 49-12.

A photo of coach Bryan Wood and senior Will Johnson celebrating after a blocked punt score said it all.

The mid-September Burnet Bulletin editions had a variety of photos featuring cross country, swimmers, tennis, football, the reunion group shot of the state finalist Bulldogs from 2002, and a photo of varsity QB Rhett Murray tossing a deep pass in a 35-7 win over Giddings.

The final Sept. 2023 Bulletins had a collage of homecoming photos including King and Queen, Grant Jones and Elle Skelton. Several cheerleaders, Highlandettes, and prom royalty were recognized in photos along with several volleyball players soaring to victory.

Unfortunately, September 2023 also brought sadness to our community as we learned of the passing of Mr. Andy Feild, a former Bulldog himself and a lifelong fan.

Mr. Feild, a very respected man in Burnet passed after a lengthy battle at the age of 75.

October- The first edition featured a photo of Oatmeal Queen and standout student athlete Abby Smith on the front page. A large photo of eighth-grade football player Deegan Warden leading the charge in a 24-18 win over Jarrell also appeared.

When Burnet’s cross country teams swept the district championships in Marble Falls in mid-October, they earned most of the paper space that week. It was an incredible week for the program.

By late October the Lady Dawg volleyball team was celebrating a playoff berth being clinched as well as their parents and seniors at their final home game.

It was an emotional week that included Coach Wood and his men earning a playoff spot with a 45-20 win over Canyon Lake. That win was also Coach Wood’s 200 as a Texas varsity football coach putting him in rare company. Wood received that game ball and a spot in the player of the week category along with Trenton Park, Grant Jones, and Sam Rodriguez.

Before October could end things got wild. How crazy was it? If you made the journey to Davenport, you witnessed firsthand the greatness the Bulldogs rose too in their 4134 win. It was a brilliant addition to a man’s lifelong resume.

The Hoot-n-Hollar swim meet was a hoot and added lots of art to October’s final edition.

November- It was soon November and the enthusiasm around BHS reached a new level. A host of cross country runners competed at state in early November. The Lady Dawgs sent a full team for the first time since 2014. Abby Bennight, Kaycie Banton, Brooke Bowman, Adriana Briggs, Amelia Griffin, Marissa Aviles, and Halle Maxwell made up the state team. Due to injury Asah Roy could not finish the season.

There were also two boys who ran at state, Victor Ailes and Isaias Zarate. It was a dream year for coach Kristi Jones in her first season as head coach.

By mid-November the Lady Dawg volleyball team had added a few more gold balls to the trophy case claiming a bi-district and area championship before falling out to China Spring in the quarterfinals. It was another fantastic season for coach Crystal Shipley, who reached 100 wins in 2023, and her girls.

The Bulldog football team was still going strong in mid-November. They knocked off Somerset in the pouring rain, 4217 for a bi-district championship, a first for Burnet since 2014. As November came to an end the Bulldogs season did as well. A loss to Port Lavaca Calhoun at Area ended the Dawgs season.

The Nov. 29 edition of the Burnet Bulletin brought on the Christmas spirit as well as lots of basketball photos. Mrs. Claus, AKA Darlene Denton was captured in a photograph reading to children at Christmas on the square. Anyone who knows Mrs. Denton knows what a gem she is to our community.

Before the month ended 10 Lady Bulldog volleyball players were honored on the All-District list. Zaria Solis was named the District’s Co-MVP.

December- The final month of the year brought lots of basketball action and news of a big shake-up in the BCISD athletic program.

In the first edition of the month the Lady Dawgs basketball team took center stage after cruising through the Little River Academy tournament 5-0 for the championship. MaeSyn Gay, Sydney Lough, and Zaria Solis were named to the All-Tournament team.

On the boys’ side of basketball, the Dawgs went 3-2 at the Lorena Tournament. Excitement around basketball was growing and it was reported that Baylor Dawes scored an impressive 29 points versus Rapoport.

Final football stats for the 2023 season were released. Grant Jones was Burnet’s leading receiver with 1,003 yards in 2023. Trenton Park finished with 95 tackles on the season. Rhett Murray threw for 2,191 yards and Dash Denton rushed for 1,001 yards.

Finally, in week two of December the football All-District Awards were released. Grant Jones was named the District’s Overall MVP. Trenton Park was honored as the Defensive Utility Player of the Year, and Rhett Murray was named Newcomer of the Year.

The Lady Dawg basketball team played 13 games in two weeks going 12-1. The boys’ basketball team earned big wins over Taylor and Cedar Creek.

Soccer took to the fields and both teams had good scrimmages to get things going.

In the Dec. 20 edition it was announced that head football coach Bryan Wood and Burnet CISD Athletic Director Kurt Jones would both be leaving the program at the end of the 2023-24 school year.

After 23 years in Burnet athletics Jones announced his retirement. Coach Wood led the Bulldogs for three years and many grew fond of the way he led his program. Both men will be missed next season, but the school board will be working hard on the right replacements for Burnet.

Tennis All-District selections were released, and Burnet’s girls cleaned up with six selections a near clean sweep.

Swimmers swam their final meet before district in December and Lady Bulldog volleyball player Zaria Solis was honored with a TGCA Class 4A All-State award.

With the year winding down Burnet’s basketball team got in their final tournament action of the year. The boys traveled to Fredericksburg and the girls played in the Leander Glenn Invite to close out the year.

District basketball play starts this week, the first week of January. And soon a new spring will be upon us with all new teams and athletes looking to raise the bar in 2024.

Hope you had a blessed Christmas, and we wish you all a Happy New Year. Let’s go Dawgs!