Ozzy
12-12-2003, 09:52 AM
Leopards look to knock out Burnet
Preview of GHS state championship game
By DARIN ALLRED
Register Sports Editor
Ladies and gentlemen ... welcome to the main event.
Two heavyweights will meet at Texas Stadium Saturday in a battle for a title. But it's not a boxing match, it's a state championship football game.
All year, Gainesville Leopards coaches have talked about their season being a 15-round fight. Well the last round will be fought Saturday at 8 p.m. when the Leopards (14-0) take on top-ranked Burnet (14-0) for the Class 3A Division I state championship.
For Gainesville players, it is the biggest day of their lives. For the coaches, it ranks right up there too.
"In my athletic career it is the most exciting thing," Leopard head coach Jeff Cordell admitted. "I have played in some big conference games in college and several playoff games in high school, but this is by far the most exciting. The most exciting thing was getting married and the birth of my two kids, but this ranks right up there next to them."
Whether the Leopards would even get to the state finals was in doubt the last two weeks, at least in the first half of their last two games. Gainesville trailed at the half in games against Forney and Abilene Wylie, but was able to come from behind in both games.
"You look at any level of football, the first half is a half when you try to feel each other out," Cordell said. "They are going to get some big plays on you and you are going to get some big plays on them. You try to figure out what they are doing to you offensively and defensively. People don't always line up exactly the way you see them on film. You have to make adjustments. At halftime, the first thing we do is meet together as a staff and talk about what they are doing to us. We make adjustments and we go in and talk to our kids. And our kids are so well coached that we can make a minor adjustment and it makes a huge difference."
Both Forney and Abilene Wylie were able to get some big plays against the GHS defense in the first half. But in both games, the Leopards were able to settle down and play better ball in the final 24 minutes.
"We know at this stage of the game, we're not going to go out there and shut people out and have 400 yards of offense like we did in the regular season," Cordell said. "The teams we are playing now are quality football teams. Hats off to our kids and our coaching staff not to go out there and panic and give up. The kids have a goal and that is to win the state championship."
Gainesville will have their hands full once again this week with the Burnet Bulldogs. If Saturday's game is a title fight, then the Leopards are Rocky Balboa and the Bulldogs are Apollo Creede.
One is the heavyweight champion (Burnet) who has been in title fights before. Burnet played in the state championship game last year (losing to Everman) and has been ranked No. 1 all season. They have an All-State quarterback (Stephen McGee) and an All-State receiver (Jordan Shipley).
Gainesville is the challenger, like Rocky, who has surprised people with their 14-0 record. The Leopards were ranked No. 18 in Texas Football magazine's preseason poll. GHS has not played in a state championship game since 1978. They hadn't even made it past the second round of the playoffs since 1992 before this year. Their offensive and defensive lines have been outsized all year. Yet, they find ways to win.
Burnet averages 47.7 points per game on offense and allows just 8.4. They won their semifinal game over Jasper 21-14 on a touchdown with 17 seconds remaining.
"There's a reason they have been the No. 1 ranked team all year in every poll imaginable. They do things very well," Cordell said. "They are very well coached in all three areas of the game, offense, defense and special teams. To look at them and see them play in person confirms that they are a very good football team."
The Bulldogs will run the spread offense with 4 receivers and one back. They have a big, strong-armed quarterback (McGee) that has orally committed to Texas A&M. Shipley, one of the top receivers in the state in any classification, has orally committed to Texas.
Their offense is very similar to the one used by Bridgeport, a team the Leopards have defeated the past two years.
"They remind me of them just because of the style of offense they run," Cordell said. "But as far as the caliber of players they put out there, they have a lot more weapons than Bridgeport. They do so many things with so many different people. It's hard to try to key in on one aspect of the game. We want to go out there and contain them. We're not going to stop them. It's unrealistic to think you are going to shut them down with their high-powered offense. What you have to do is hang in there, keep the ballgame close and let our offense take over. I think our offense can have success against their defense."
In last week's semifinal, the Bulldogs trailed Jasper 14-7 with under 8 minutes remaining in the game but found a way to come back and win. But how did Jasper hold the high-octane Burnet offense to just 21 points?
"Jasper ran a ball-control offense. From what I heard they are a spread offense like we are, but they came out and put three people in the backfield and just ran the ball and tried to move the chains," Cordell said. "Defensively, they kind of confused McGee back there. They had a great game plan and executed it for about 47 minutes and 43 seconds I guess it was. Costly turnovers that Jasper had late in the game and a very questionable penalty thrown by an official kind of swung the momentum back to Burnet's side."
Gainesville's offense and defense isn't too shabby either. The Leopards average 40.4 points a game and give up just 7.9. They average 375 yards of total offense, while their defense allows just 185 a game.
So now, the two top teams in 3A Division I will meet at the state's most recognizable stadium with a championship on the line.
The Leopards watch the movie "Rocky" on the bus on the way to games. Saturday, they get their chance to join Rocky as champions.
LEOPARD NOTES: Burnet has scored at least 49 points in 7 of their 14 games this year. They scored 70 in a playoff game against Wharton ... The Bulldogs lost to Everman in the state championship game last year 35-14 ... Bulldog receiver/defensive back Jordan Shipley was the only player in the state to be named All-State on both offense and defense last year ... Leopard fans will sit on the opposite side of the stadium from where they sat for the Forney game. The Leopards will dress in the Dallas Cowboys locker room ... Although game time is listed as 8 p.m., the game could actually start earlier or later. The Gainesville-Burnet game is the third game of a tripleheader at Texas Stadium Saturday. The second game will start 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game, and the third game will start 45 minutes after the end of the second game. Denton Ryan and Highland Park will play in the first game at 1 p.m. Southlake Carroll and Allen will play in the second game at 4 p.m. Leopard fans will be on the same side of the field as Highland Park and Allen.
Preview of GHS state championship game
By DARIN ALLRED
Register Sports Editor
Ladies and gentlemen ... welcome to the main event.
Two heavyweights will meet at Texas Stadium Saturday in a battle for a title. But it's not a boxing match, it's a state championship football game.
All year, Gainesville Leopards coaches have talked about their season being a 15-round fight. Well the last round will be fought Saturday at 8 p.m. when the Leopards (14-0) take on top-ranked Burnet (14-0) for the Class 3A Division I state championship.
For Gainesville players, it is the biggest day of their lives. For the coaches, it ranks right up there too.
"In my athletic career it is the most exciting thing," Leopard head coach Jeff Cordell admitted. "I have played in some big conference games in college and several playoff games in high school, but this is by far the most exciting. The most exciting thing was getting married and the birth of my two kids, but this ranks right up there next to them."
Whether the Leopards would even get to the state finals was in doubt the last two weeks, at least in the first half of their last two games. Gainesville trailed at the half in games against Forney and Abilene Wylie, but was able to come from behind in both games.
"You look at any level of football, the first half is a half when you try to feel each other out," Cordell said. "They are going to get some big plays on you and you are going to get some big plays on them. You try to figure out what they are doing to you offensively and defensively. People don't always line up exactly the way you see them on film. You have to make adjustments. At halftime, the first thing we do is meet together as a staff and talk about what they are doing to us. We make adjustments and we go in and talk to our kids. And our kids are so well coached that we can make a minor adjustment and it makes a huge difference."
Both Forney and Abilene Wylie were able to get some big plays against the GHS defense in the first half. But in both games, the Leopards were able to settle down and play better ball in the final 24 minutes.
"We know at this stage of the game, we're not going to go out there and shut people out and have 400 yards of offense like we did in the regular season," Cordell said. "The teams we are playing now are quality football teams. Hats off to our kids and our coaching staff not to go out there and panic and give up. The kids have a goal and that is to win the state championship."
Gainesville will have their hands full once again this week with the Burnet Bulldogs. If Saturday's game is a title fight, then the Leopards are Rocky Balboa and the Bulldogs are Apollo Creede.
One is the heavyweight champion (Burnet) who has been in title fights before. Burnet played in the state championship game last year (losing to Everman) and has been ranked No. 1 all season. They have an All-State quarterback (Stephen McGee) and an All-State receiver (Jordan Shipley).
Gainesville is the challenger, like Rocky, who has surprised people with their 14-0 record. The Leopards were ranked No. 18 in Texas Football magazine's preseason poll. GHS has not played in a state championship game since 1978. They hadn't even made it past the second round of the playoffs since 1992 before this year. Their offensive and defensive lines have been outsized all year. Yet, they find ways to win.
Burnet averages 47.7 points per game on offense and allows just 8.4. They won their semifinal game over Jasper 21-14 on a touchdown with 17 seconds remaining.
"There's a reason they have been the No. 1 ranked team all year in every poll imaginable. They do things very well," Cordell said. "They are very well coached in all three areas of the game, offense, defense and special teams. To look at them and see them play in person confirms that they are a very good football team."
The Bulldogs will run the spread offense with 4 receivers and one back. They have a big, strong-armed quarterback (McGee) that has orally committed to Texas A&M. Shipley, one of the top receivers in the state in any classification, has orally committed to Texas.
Their offense is very similar to the one used by Bridgeport, a team the Leopards have defeated the past two years.
"They remind me of them just because of the style of offense they run," Cordell said. "But as far as the caliber of players they put out there, they have a lot more weapons than Bridgeport. They do so many things with so many different people. It's hard to try to key in on one aspect of the game. We want to go out there and contain them. We're not going to stop them. It's unrealistic to think you are going to shut them down with their high-powered offense. What you have to do is hang in there, keep the ballgame close and let our offense take over. I think our offense can have success against their defense."
In last week's semifinal, the Bulldogs trailed Jasper 14-7 with under 8 minutes remaining in the game but found a way to come back and win. But how did Jasper hold the high-octane Burnet offense to just 21 points?
"Jasper ran a ball-control offense. From what I heard they are a spread offense like we are, but they came out and put three people in the backfield and just ran the ball and tried to move the chains," Cordell said. "Defensively, they kind of confused McGee back there. They had a great game plan and executed it for about 47 minutes and 43 seconds I guess it was. Costly turnovers that Jasper had late in the game and a very questionable penalty thrown by an official kind of swung the momentum back to Burnet's side."
Gainesville's offense and defense isn't too shabby either. The Leopards average 40.4 points a game and give up just 7.9. They average 375 yards of total offense, while their defense allows just 185 a game.
So now, the two top teams in 3A Division I will meet at the state's most recognizable stadium with a championship on the line.
The Leopards watch the movie "Rocky" on the bus on the way to games. Saturday, they get their chance to join Rocky as champions.
LEOPARD NOTES: Burnet has scored at least 49 points in 7 of their 14 games this year. They scored 70 in a playoff game against Wharton ... The Bulldogs lost to Everman in the state championship game last year 35-14 ... Bulldog receiver/defensive back Jordan Shipley was the only player in the state to be named All-State on both offense and defense last year ... Leopard fans will sit on the opposite side of the stadium from where they sat for the Forney game. The Leopards will dress in the Dallas Cowboys locker room ... Although game time is listed as 8 p.m., the game could actually start earlier or later. The Gainesville-Burnet game is the third game of a tripleheader at Texas Stadium Saturday. The second game will start 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game, and the third game will start 45 minutes after the end of the second game. Denton Ryan and Highland Park will play in the first game at 1 p.m. Southlake Carroll and Allen will play in the second game at 4 p.m. Leopard fans will be on the same side of the field as Highland Park and Allen.