STATE SEMIFINAL PREVIEW: BURTON VS. MART
The Burton Panthers and the Mart Panthers will battle it out tonight (Thursday) in the Class 2A Division II State Semifinals.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7pm at Kelly Reeves Stadium in Round Rock. The game can be heard live beginning with the pregame on KWHI 1280AM, 101.7FM, KWHI.com, and the KWHI app.
Both teams had deep runs in the playoffs last year before losing to a common opponent. Burton lost to Falls City in the Region Championship Game, while Mart lost to Falls City in the State Semifinals.
Despite not having any home games this season due to the construction of a new stadium, the Burton Panthers are 13-0, and making their fourth trip to the State Semifinals.
Head Coach Jason Hodde recognized the support from the fans as one of the biggest keys to his team’s success this season.
Burton won the District 14-2A Division II Championship.
In the playoffs, they defeated Milano 46-0 in Bi-District, Rocksprings 55-0 in Area, Chilton 7-0 in the Region Semifinals, and Granger 27-7 in last week’s Region IV Championship Game.
The offense is led by Runningback Tyrone Gilmon, who has carried the ball 120 times for 1,172 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.
Delvin Gantt has 100 carries for 901 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also has seven catches for 143 yards.
Runningback Pierson Spies has 116 carries for 810 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Mart, who was the pre-season favorite to win the State Championship, is 14-0 this season.
They won the District 10-2A Division II Championship.
Their playoff run has included a wins over Liden Kildore 67-14 in Bi-District, Cushing 77-7 in Area, Bowie 58-0 in the Region Semifinals, and Lovelady 56-6 in last week’s Region III Championship Game.
Hodde knows that it is going to be a tough game.
Mart is led by Quarterback Jonah Ross, who is 135-199 passing for 2,254 yards. He has 33 touchdown passes to just 3 interceptions.
He has also carried the ball 104 times for 954 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Mart’s leading rusher is Sophomore Runningback J.D. Bell, who has 112 carries for 1,714 yards, and 32 touchdowns.
Their leading receiver is Brandon Lundy, who has 41 catches for 758 yards and 16 touchdowns.
The winner of tonight’s (Thursday’s) game moves on to the State Championship Game to face either New Home or Albany. Those two teams play tonight (Thursday) at 7pm at the Mustang Bowl in Sweetwater.
The Class 2A Division II State Title Game is Wednesday, December 14, at 7pm at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.