BIG19
12-11-2003, 08:48 AM
Gainesville will try to add state title to its football tradition Leopards to face high-scoring Burnet in Class 3A final
By Avery Holton
AMERICAN-STATESMAN CORRESPONDENT
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Since the midst of the Great Depression, Gainesville has fielded one of the state's more successful high school football teams. The Leopards have made 14 playoff appearances in the past 23 years, and 25 since 1936. In five of the past six decades, Gainesville has made at least four trips to the state playoffs. The school has reached the state final three times and has sent dozens of players into the college ranks.
"But no trophy," said James Millen, a retired salesman and resident of Cooke County, of which Gainesville is the hub. "That's what these people want: some closure."
Gainesville -- with a first-year head coach and a No. 3 state ranking -- is now just one step away from a state title, which could be won Saturday in the Class 3A Division I championship game at Irving's Texas Stadium.
The trouble is, top-ranked Burnet (14-0) stands in Gainesville's way.
"We've got a good deal of respect for (Burnet). They've got a lot of great talent down there," said Gainesville Coach Jeff Cordell, 34, who was 9 years old when the Leopards reached their last state final in 1978, a game that ended in a 21-12 loss to Brownwood.
"We know that we won't be able to stop them, but we can try to contain them."
Burnet outscored teams 473-74 in the regular season, and didn't allow more than three touchdowns in a game until Nov. 22, when the Bulldogs beat Wharton in the regional playoffs. Despite allowing an uncharacteristically high 37 points, Burnet still trounced Wharton by 33 points before slipping through its next two playoff games to reach the state final.
"It won't be easy, but we've got the right philosophy and the right players," Cordell said.
The Leopards (14-0) have relied largely on a run-and-gun offense led by quarterback Chris Brown, who has thrown for 1,411 yards and rushed for 707.
"We put the ball in play. Movement is key," said Cordell, who took over the Gainesville program this year after spending four seasons as the team's defensive coordinator.
And if Brown is off -- and he usually isn't, as his 16-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio shows -- Cordell can call on junior running back Terrius Purvey to slice through defenses. Purvey rushed for a little more than nine yards a carry during the regular season, and has scored 29 touchdowns.
In their past two playoff games, though, Gainesville surrendered a halftime lead before rallying to win, creating some anxious moments in the town of 15,538 people just a few miles south of the Texas-Oklahoma border.
Poor tackling and a slow-reacting defense put the Leopards into a 14-6 hole against Forney in the state quarterfinals two weeks ago, but Gainesville rallied for a 24-21 victory. Last week, Gainesville trailed Abilene Wylie 17-13 at halftime before coming back for a 37-24 triumph.
Then again, Burnet trailed Jasper 14-7 last week in its playoff semifinal before the Bulldogs scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to win 21-14. Burnet's game-winning touchdown pass from Stephen McGee to Jordan Shipley came with only 17 seconds to play.
In the end, one team -- Gainesville or Burnet -- will have to lose Saturday.
"Always a heartbreak around here. Wish it wasn't that way, but it is," Millen said. "Just talk to someone from that '78 team, and he'll tell you."
By Avery Holton
AMERICAN-STATESMAN CORRESPONDENT
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Since the midst of the Great Depression, Gainesville has fielded one of the state's more successful high school football teams. The Leopards have made 14 playoff appearances in the past 23 years, and 25 since 1936. In five of the past six decades, Gainesville has made at least four trips to the state playoffs. The school has reached the state final three times and has sent dozens of players into the college ranks.
"But no trophy," said James Millen, a retired salesman and resident of Cooke County, of which Gainesville is the hub. "That's what these people want: some closure."
Gainesville -- with a first-year head coach and a No. 3 state ranking -- is now just one step away from a state title, which could be won Saturday in the Class 3A Division I championship game at Irving's Texas Stadium.
The trouble is, top-ranked Burnet (14-0) stands in Gainesville's way.
"We've got a good deal of respect for (Burnet). They've got a lot of great talent down there," said Gainesville Coach Jeff Cordell, 34, who was 9 years old when the Leopards reached their last state final in 1978, a game that ended in a 21-12 loss to Brownwood.
"We know that we won't be able to stop them, but we can try to contain them."
Burnet outscored teams 473-74 in the regular season, and didn't allow more than three touchdowns in a game until Nov. 22, when the Bulldogs beat Wharton in the regional playoffs. Despite allowing an uncharacteristically high 37 points, Burnet still trounced Wharton by 33 points before slipping through its next two playoff games to reach the state final.
"It won't be easy, but we've got the right philosophy and the right players," Cordell said.
The Leopards (14-0) have relied largely on a run-and-gun offense led by quarterback Chris Brown, who has thrown for 1,411 yards and rushed for 707.
"We put the ball in play. Movement is key," said Cordell, who took over the Gainesville program this year after spending four seasons as the team's defensive coordinator.
And if Brown is off -- and he usually isn't, as his 16-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio shows -- Cordell can call on junior running back Terrius Purvey to slice through defenses. Purvey rushed for a little more than nine yards a carry during the regular season, and has scored 29 touchdowns.
In their past two playoff games, though, Gainesville surrendered a halftime lead before rallying to win, creating some anxious moments in the town of 15,538 people just a few miles south of the Texas-Oklahoma border.
Poor tackling and a slow-reacting defense put the Leopards into a 14-6 hole against Forney in the state quarterfinals two weeks ago, but Gainesville rallied for a 24-21 victory. Last week, Gainesville trailed Abilene Wylie 17-13 at halftime before coming back for a 37-24 triumph.
Then again, Burnet trailed Jasper 14-7 last week in its playoff semifinal before the Bulldogs scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to win 21-14. Burnet's game-winning touchdown pass from Stephen McGee to Jordan Shipley came with only 17 seconds to play.
In the end, one team -- Gainesville or Burnet -- will have to lose Saturday.
"Always a heartbreak around here. Wish it wasn't that way, but it is," Millen said. "Just talk to someone from that '78 team, and he'll tell you."