Burleson Centennial downs cross-town rival Burleson to win back Battle of the Boot

Burleson Centennial is known for its option-offense attack and when its running on all cylinders, it can be a match up nightmare, as the case against Burleson in Friday’s season opener.

Quarterback Phillip Hamilton led the charge for coach Kyle Geller’s attack as Centennial rushed for 400 yards on its way to a convincing 42-13 victory in the 11th edition of Battle of the Boot at Burleson ISD Stadium.

Centennial (1-0), No. 8 in the Fort Worth-area Class 5A preseason rankings, takes back the boot trophy after Burleson (0-1) routed the Spartans last season, which snapped their three-game winning streak in the series.

“Happy with a lot of things, obviously. The defense, other than a couple of big plays, had a good night. Like the vibe of our team,” Geller said.

With the win on Friday, Centennial takes the all-time series lead with a 6-5 record.

“All week we went in with a plan. Everything they ran we had an answer to. Coach Geller called a great game from the o-line to the receivers and d-line, we all executed,” Hamilton said.

Centennial’s defense had allowed 28 points per game last season, but the Spartans’ D play phenomenal behind Aidan Hicks and 3-star Texas Tech committed defensive back Chapman Lewis.

Lewis, who is No. 27 in the Star-Telegram Top 100, ranks in the Top 60 of all 2023 safeties in the country, according to 247Sports. He made several tackles on the night, including one that saved a touchdown ith 9:27 left in the fourth quarter. He is one of at least three defensive backs in the Fort Worth-area to be committed to Tech, joining Mansfield’s Brenden Jordan and Mansfield Timberview’s Jordan Sanford.

“Last year the score was like this, but the other way around. It was kind of embarrassing,” Lewis. “Feels so good to bring back the boot. Everyone at school was talking about it.

Both teams didn’t score on their opening drives, but Centennial still looked more crisp than Burleson.

The Spartans ran nine plays for 40 yards while the Elks had a 5-yard pass, two incomplete passes, a 5-yard penalty and a 15-yard penalty. The Spartans answered the bell with a 10-yard touchdown run from Jahiem Ababio off the pitch from Hamilton to give them a 7-0 lead with 4:38 left in the first quarter.

Three plays into the ensuing Burleson drive, Hicks picked off the first of two pass attempts in the first half and Centennial would turn it into points. On the Burleson 30, Hamilton rushed for 10 and 2 yards, and then made a heck of a play by breaking three tackles toward an 18-yard touchdown to make it 14-0 with 2:11 to go in the frame.

“Aidan is just a really tough kid. He’s played varsity football since his freshman year. He’s not afraid to put himself out there and make a play,” Geller said.

Hicks was able to get his second interception, but Centennial didn’t manage points.

“Hicks is a year younger than me and he’s a great player. He had two picks, a great punt return so look out for Aidan Hicks. You’ll be hearing his name a lot,” Lewis said.

Burleson got on the board with four minutes remaining in the half when sophomore quarterback JT Kitna hit Chase Torres for an 11-yard touchdown, Kitna’s first varsity score.

Kitna played just one game on varsity last season when Burleson went to the second round of the playoffs. Kitna is the son of Burleson coach Jon Kitna, who played 13 seasons in the NFL that included a stint with the Dallas Cowboys. The Elks were led by 5-star QB Dylan Raiola, who made the Star-Telegram all-area team.

Raiola is committed to Ohio State and the No. 1 ranked 2024 QB in the nation, but has moved to Chandler, Arizona.

Centennial got one more score in before intermission.

Jaosn Echavarria burst for a 21-yard gain, Hamilton had a 19-yard run and Elijah Zeh added a 13-yard rush before Hamitlon scored from 12 yards out to bring the score to 21-6 Spartans.

Hamilton had 91 yards on 12 carries in the first half. Centennial had 239 yards on the ground in the opening 24 minutes. Hamilton, No. 100 in the Star-Telegram Top 100, finished with over 120 yards rushing. He added a 36-yard scoring toss to Ababio in the third quarter and a 2-yard run late in the game.

“Phillip can throw the ball too, he’s not just a runner. But you expect it from a four-year starter. We expect a lot of great things from him,” Geller said.

Zeh scored on a 50-yard run and also finished with over 100 yards rushing. Ababio had 57 yards on the ground while Jason Echavarria added 51. Keyshaun Tucker chipped in 48.

Burleson also scored in the third on a 90-yard toss from Kitna to Mason Ferguson. Kitna finished with 194 yards passing and Ferguson made four catches for 129 yards.

“Our defense came out and let up 13 points. Any time you can give up only 13 points in a game, it looks good,” Hamilton said. “400 yards, that’s what we do, that’s our tradition. We’re going to run it, we’re going to run hard and play for each other.”