Ozzy
12-12-2003, 09:40 AM
Gainesville, Burnet carry civic pride into championship game
10:36 PM CST on Thursday, December 11, 2003
By SCOTT McDONALD / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
GAINESVILLE – When folks poured into the Fried Pie Company and Restaurant on the town square this week, the only thing hotter than the coffee and fruit pies was conversation about the Gainesville football team.
About 4 ½ hours south of Gainesville, in the Hill Country town of Burnet, locals there gather at the Highlander Restaurant to chat about the Burnet Bulldogs.
The football teams of these two small towns will meet at 8 p.m. Saturday at Texas Stadium in the Class 3A Division I state championship. And what a showdown it promises to be, as both are brimming with confidence and looking invincible with 14-0 records.
"The whole town is abuzz about Gainesville Leopards football," first-year Gainesville coach Jeff Cordell said. "It's exciting and good for the kids."
Fundamentally sound
Gainesville and Burnet each marched to the championship game with little resistance, but Burnet has more playoff experience. Burnet, the No. 1 team in the Associated Press 3A state poll, lost in the title game last year to Everman. No. 2 Gainesville hasn't been to a state final since 1978.
Both teams run a spread offense, but they pile up yards in different ways. Gainesville likes getting the ball to Terrius Purvey, a 1,772-yard, 29-touchdown running back who averages 9.1 yards a carry. Burnet uses a quarterback-receiver tandem that many call one of the best in state history.
Quarterback Stephen McGee, who has orally committed to Texas A&M, has thrown most of his passes and touchdowns to receiver Jordan Shipley, the state's all-time leader in receptions, receiving touchdowns and receiving yards. Shipley has committed to Texas.
During Gainesville practices, Cordell and an assistant coach wore the jersey numbers of Shipley and McGee to simulate the Burnet offense.
"It gives our defense a better feel of where those guys will be on the field and helps us adjust quicker," Cordell said.
Both teams are sound in all three phases – offense, defense and special teams – of the game and both have solid offensive and defensive lines. Both teams have four shutouts this season, and both received their biggest tests of the year during the playoffs.
Burnet's came last week in a tough 21-14 win over Jasper. Gainesville kicked a field goal with less than two minutes remaining to pull out a 24-21 win over Forney in a state quarterfinal.
14 down, one to go
With only one loss in its last 29 games, Burnet has been a relatively high profile team expected to make a run at this year's state championship. In early November, ABC's Prime Time featured Burnet and its football team and how as many as 10,000 fans show up each week to cheer at games.
Burnet also made headlines in the local area when the community raised money to help Corey Fulbright, a former Everman player who broke his neck during the state final between Everman and Burnet last year in San Antonio.
Gainesville, however, has flown under the radar to an undefeated record. It plays in the same district with Celina and Pilot Point – two schools that get more press because of winning streaks, state championships and a shared coach, G.A. Moore.
Gainesville also played under the shadows of two-time defending state champion Everman and Forney, the team that many predicted would challenge Burnet for the title.
Each team has come close to winning a state title, but neither has done it. How does Gainesville complete its surprising run?
"We just have to keep doing what we've been doing for 14 weeks," said Darcel McBath, a strong safety who has orally committed to TCU.
Bring it home
Signs at area businesses in Gainesville show support for the team, and many vehicles are painted with white shoe polish.
"We're going to bring home the title," Gainesville quarterback Chris Brown confidently said after practice Tuesday. "I know [Burnet] has a pretty good team, but we think we're better."
E-mail smcdonald@dallasnews.com
Gainesville (14-0) vs. Burnet (14-0), Class 3A Division I state final, 8 p.m. Saturday, Texas Stadium, Irving
10:36 PM CST on Thursday, December 11, 2003
By SCOTT McDONALD / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
GAINESVILLE – When folks poured into the Fried Pie Company and Restaurant on the town square this week, the only thing hotter than the coffee and fruit pies was conversation about the Gainesville football team.
About 4 ½ hours south of Gainesville, in the Hill Country town of Burnet, locals there gather at the Highlander Restaurant to chat about the Burnet Bulldogs.
The football teams of these two small towns will meet at 8 p.m. Saturday at Texas Stadium in the Class 3A Division I state championship. And what a showdown it promises to be, as both are brimming with confidence and looking invincible with 14-0 records.
"The whole town is abuzz about Gainesville Leopards football," first-year Gainesville coach Jeff Cordell said. "It's exciting and good for the kids."
Fundamentally sound
Gainesville and Burnet each marched to the championship game with little resistance, but Burnet has more playoff experience. Burnet, the No. 1 team in the Associated Press 3A state poll, lost in the title game last year to Everman. No. 2 Gainesville hasn't been to a state final since 1978.
Both teams run a spread offense, but they pile up yards in different ways. Gainesville likes getting the ball to Terrius Purvey, a 1,772-yard, 29-touchdown running back who averages 9.1 yards a carry. Burnet uses a quarterback-receiver tandem that many call one of the best in state history.
Quarterback Stephen McGee, who has orally committed to Texas A&M, has thrown most of his passes and touchdowns to receiver Jordan Shipley, the state's all-time leader in receptions, receiving touchdowns and receiving yards. Shipley has committed to Texas.
During Gainesville practices, Cordell and an assistant coach wore the jersey numbers of Shipley and McGee to simulate the Burnet offense.
"It gives our defense a better feel of where those guys will be on the field and helps us adjust quicker," Cordell said.
Both teams are sound in all three phases – offense, defense and special teams – of the game and both have solid offensive and defensive lines. Both teams have four shutouts this season, and both received their biggest tests of the year during the playoffs.
Burnet's came last week in a tough 21-14 win over Jasper. Gainesville kicked a field goal with less than two minutes remaining to pull out a 24-21 win over Forney in a state quarterfinal.
14 down, one to go
With only one loss in its last 29 games, Burnet has been a relatively high profile team expected to make a run at this year's state championship. In early November, ABC's Prime Time featured Burnet and its football team and how as many as 10,000 fans show up each week to cheer at games.
Burnet also made headlines in the local area when the community raised money to help Corey Fulbright, a former Everman player who broke his neck during the state final between Everman and Burnet last year in San Antonio.
Gainesville, however, has flown under the radar to an undefeated record. It plays in the same district with Celina and Pilot Point – two schools that get more press because of winning streaks, state championships and a shared coach, G.A. Moore.
Gainesville also played under the shadows of two-time defending state champion Everman and Forney, the team that many predicted would challenge Burnet for the title.
Each team has come close to winning a state title, but neither has done it. How does Gainesville complete its surprising run?
"We just have to keep doing what we've been doing for 14 weeks," said Darcel McBath, a strong safety who has orally committed to TCU.
Bring it home
Signs at area businesses in Gainesville show support for the team, and many vehicles are painted with white shoe polish.
"We're going to bring home the title," Gainesville quarterback Chris Brown confidently said after practice Tuesday. "I know [Burnet] has a pretty good team, but we think we're better."
E-mail smcdonald@dallasnews.com
Gainesville (14-0) vs. Burnet (14-0), Class 3A Division I state final, 8 p.m. Saturday, Texas Stadium, Irving