Burleson vs Cleburne and Everman vs Arlington Seguin are the best games this week. Both this games will have a big impact on the playoff picture. Burleson and Everman would be considered the favorites. Personally I think Cleburne and Seguin need to win or they will be all but eliminated for a playoff spot.
Cleburne, Burleson set to add next chapter to War on 174 rivalry
By A.J. Crisp 13 hrs ago
Keon Long (4) and Cleburne’s defense will be tested this week against an explosive and balanced Burleson offense, led by a Division I recruit at quarterback in sophomore Dylan Raiola and junior receiver Luke Peterson, the leading receiver in Johnson County.
The Cleburne Yellow Jackets will visit the rival Burleson Elks in a big District 5-5A Division II showdown Friday as another chapter will be added to the War on 174 rivalry.
Both teams enter Friday’s meeting with 3-2 overall records and 1-1 marks in district play. Burleson’s loss in district play came against No. 1-ranked Aledo while the Elks’ win was over an Arlington Seguin team that beat Cleburne by 41 points.
While the Jackets own a 19-14 record in the series history dating back to 1976, Burleson is 12-3 in the past 15 meetings. The Elks have also won four straight over the Jackets by an average of 29 points per game the past four seasons.
“I think they’ve continued to be more dynamic,” Cleburne Coach Casey Walraven said of the Elks. “It seems to me over the years they’re getting more dynamic playmakers and they’re using them with great schemes. Coach [Jon] Kitna’s got them playing at a high intensity level with a lot of confidence and a lot of enjoyment. They’re well-coached and they’re excited to be out there. They’ve got great athletes and they’ve got big guys. You take all of that and you’ve got a combination for a really good football team.
“They’ve shown they’re one of the best teams in the district so far. In my 5 years here, I think this is the best Burleson team that we’ve played. They’re playing really good football.”
Burleson opened the 2021 season 2-0 before back-to-back losses to Azle and No. 1 Aledo. The Elks then notched an impressive 41-28 win over Arlington Seguin on Sept. 24 before last week’s bye.
“I feel like we’re fairly different in we don’t really talk about winning or losing as much as we talk about the kind of program and kind of young men we’re trying to build,” Kitna said. “But obviously we’re in this to win games. The Azle week was an emotional week where we were trying to clean up some character stuff in areas we felt like we were falling short as a program. The end result of that game was influenced by what went on that week. Obviously everybody is trying to catch Aledo.
“Seguin was a great win for us just because last year that was a rough game for us. It was really kind of a pivotal point in building our program and really it was a time where, as a program, we sat back with our players and coaches and said, ‘Alright, who’s in and who’s out?’ I really felt like we’ve come a long ways and I feel like that was a good measuring stick for us after what happened last year.”
While Kitna said he was proud of how his team “attacked the bye week” and used it to get healthy, the bye week also came at the opportune time for a Cleburne team that has had trouble fielding a consistent lineup on a weekly basis due to injuries and illness. But the Jackets will enter Friday’s game the healthiest they’ve been this season.
“I think it was really big for us,” Walraven said. “We were able to get a good handful of kids back, whether it was from COVID or concussion protocol or whtatever it may be, we were able to let those guys recover and get back. This is about as close to a full lineup as we’ve been since week 1. That’s what you want from the bye week and especially for a team that doesn’t have a lot of depth like us, it really helps us. We’re going to be able to have most of our guys and that’s what you want for any game is to be as healthy as you can possibly be.”
While Cleburne has already faced a number of tough challenges so far this season, Burleson may present the Jackets with their toughest test to date as the Elks employ an explosive but balanced offense full of elite skill-position players along with an aggressive defense that operates out of a unique scheme.
Offensively, the Elks are led by a talented trio in sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola, junior receiver Luke Peterson and senior running back Reece Williams, each of whom are among (or near) the statistical leaders in Johnson County. And Walraven spoke highly of all three.
Raiola — 105-of-166 passing for 1,505 yards with 11 touchdowns — already has offers from the likes of Texas, Baylor, Nebraska, Florida State, TCU and Georgia.
“I think [Raiola’s] one of the best quarterbacks I’ve seen since I’ve been coaching,” Walraven said. “For his age, he’s phenomenal. And he’s really gotten better — I saw him in the spring doing 7-on-7. He’s got a long ways to go before he’s Patrick Mahomes, but he reminds me of how Mahomes plays. He can extend plays. He’s able to throw from a lot of different release angles and get the ball out so quick. He’s a dynamic player with his arm and he makes smart decisions. He’s a good one.”
Peterson not only leads Johnson County with 658 receiving yards (32 receptions, eight touchdowns) but he’s also tied for the county lead in interceptions with four as a standout two-way starter. Walraven said Cleburne will “absolutely” have to be aware of wher Peterson is on the field on offense, defense and special teams.
“He is incredibly fast, No. 1, and he goes full-tilt on his routes,” Walraven said. “He’s got good hips on defense. He’s just an explosive player. You can’t let him beat you vertically because he’ll definitely get behind you quickly. As a kick returner and punt returner, he’s really dynamic with the ball in his hands. He plays with a lot of confidence and he should because he’s really good.”
Reece Williams
Burleson senior running back Reece Williams has helped provide balance to the Elks’ offense with high-IQ and tough running behind a strong offensive line. Williams and the Elks will try for a 2-1 start in district when they host Cleburne on Friday.
Providing balance to the Elks’ offense is Williams’ smart and tough running behind Burleson’s solid offensive line. Williams has 619 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 87 carries.
“They’re very difficult to defend,” Walraven said. “They’ve got a really good offense. Their running game, you can tell, is what they want to hang their hat on at the end of the day but obviously they have big plays and are just as dangerous throwing the ball. They don’t run the same offense as us but I feel like they approach it very similar. We’re both about 50/50 with passing and running. We both throw screens. We both want to take shots vertically. But at the end of the day we both need to run the football successfully. Schematically, some things are different but the approach is very similar.”
Kitna said all of the Elks’ production by their standout skill-position players starts and ends with the work in the trenches.
“We don’t really hide much in terms of what we think is important around here,” Kitna said. “We know the quarterback and an explosive receiver are going to get a lot attention. But our intention internally is about our big guys on both sides of the ball. Our offensive line has been playing tremendously pretty much all year and they’re learning each other still. We had one guy that played varsity football on that offensive line in the past that’s with us and the rest of those guys are JV guys who have worked their tails off and done a good job of embracing how we want to attack in the run game.
“Reece has been the beneficiary of that and he’s taken advantage of it. Reece is a high IQ kid who wants to know the ins and outs of what we’re doing. He’s running really well. He never played running back before so every week he’s getting better. With our O-line and tight end blocking the way we do, we’re on a progression where Reece can have one of those special types of years.”
While Cleburne’s offense has had its fair share of success so far this season, the Jackets will be tested on that side of the ball against a strong Elk defense led by Jordan Mays, Peterson, Brandon Shaw, Quintlon Ivory, Kydnall Cassidy and Jaden Balina-Ayers.
“The No. 1 thing about them on defense is how well they fly around to the ball,” Walraven said. “They are incredibly good at just getting to the football and taking a lot of pride in playing what their defense asks them to do. They play very aggressively with the scheme they use. They get 11 hats to the football frequently. They avoid giving up too many big plays. It’s a really unique scheme. You see it a little bit in college football. They’re real aggressive with what they do but at the same time they don’t give up the big play.”
Cleburne is led by junior quarterback Landry Shields (89-of-135 passing for 1,328 yards, 186 rushing yards, 17 total touchdowns), junior Jacarrean Gray (368 rushing yards, 217 receiving yards, four touchdowns), senior receiver Jason Pugh (399 receiving yards on 15 catches) and freshman running back Eli Martinez (354 rushing yards).
Kitna said he’s impressed with how Walraven and the Cleburne coaching staff utilizes their best athletes all over the field.
“I think the number of athletes they put on the field [is what stands out],” Kitna said. “I’ve said it since we played them last year and watching them this year, they’ve got the best tackling secondary that I’ve seen. If you’re not careful, they’re going to bruise your thighs. They do a great job of tackling back there. They’ve got a bunch of athletes who can play multiple different positions.
“I love what Coach Walraven does over there. Got a lot of respect for the culture he’s building. We got to be around them a bunch over the spring with 7-on-7 and track. I think he’s doing a good job of building that thing. For us, we’ve got our work cut out for us and we’ve got to be really careful because they’ve got a couple kids who can score from anywhere and a couple of kids who make a lot of turnovers on defense. Those couple things paired together is a dangerous combination especially coming out of your bye week.”
For the Jackets to have a chance at leaving Burleson ISD Stadium with a win Friday night, Walraven said they have to stick to their usual points of emphasis, but even more so when against a team as good as he believes the Elks are.
“On defense, we’re going to have to improve our tackling and not allow the big play,” Walraven said. “We have to limit what they want to do with the big plays. Raiola is going to do his thing and he’s going to be successful, you just have to limit how successful that is. We’re going to have to be smart about when he’s extending plays that we remain on our responsibility. We have to get lined up to multiple formations and tackle well.
“In special teams, they’re very aggressive like us. They love to onside kick it. Both of us have been similar in that approach. We’re going to have to smart on how our return team is and then kicking the ball smart to avoid Peterson.
“And offensively, we’ve got to take what they give us but we’ve got to find ways to be successful running the football and throwing the football. Most importantly, we have to take care of it; we can’t turn it over against a team like this. It’s all similar things to what we do each week but it gets magnified when you’re playing really good opponents like this.”