Refugio Loss Fuels No. 3 Mason's Drive in 2018

MASON, TX-- The no. 3-ranked Mason Punchers have something to prove after falling short against Refugio in the Class 2A Division I Regional Final in December. That was the fourth year in a row the two powerhouses squared off in the regional final.

It was the third consecutive year in which the Punchers fell to Jason Herring’s squad from south Texas. That struck a bit of the cord with the Mason players and staff.

“Obviously, our kids disappointed in getting beat by Refugio,” head coach Kade Burns said. “We were fortunate enough to beat them the first time we played them. They’re a fantastic football team. They’ve won Region IV the last three years in a row.”

While the loss stung the Punchers, Burns says it “helped drive the offseason” for his squad.

“We put the score up on the board for the kids to see,” Burns added. “We talk about the game, we talk about the things we probably could have done better...It’s the driving force, it’s the fuel that our kids have, not just to play them, but to get ourselves to win that last game.”

The “last game” Burns is referring to is the state championship, a place the Punchers haven’t been since 2014.

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While the goal is to get back to AT&T Stadium, Mason isn’t overlooking any minor details in preseason.

“That’s a long ways away,” Burns said. “Everybody in the state of Texas is 0-0 right now. Everybody wants that shot to go play for the big one, to win the state championship. We talked to our kids about that as a part of our goals, but, at the end of the day, if you’re in this time of the year...if you don’t take care of the fundamentals as far as blocking, tackling and footworks and angles and things like that, you won’t get a shot to go play in the big one...It’d be a disservice to our kids to talk about that. If the success of a team is determined by winning state championships or not, then there’s a lot of great teams that don’t do that.”

Veteran leadership will be key to accomplishing the Puncher’s “daily goals” throughout the season. Despite graduating a large class of 19 seniors, they return six starters on each side of the ball from last year’s team.

That includes their entire backfield of quarterback Otto Wofford and running backs Jake Cockerham and Klay Klaerner.

“Those guys work well with one another from an offensive and defensive standpoint,” Burns said of the trio. “They have real high football IQs. When they make a mistake, a lot of times they know it before a coach says anything. It definitely helps with the overall morale and the togetherness of the team.”

Also coming back is first team All-State lineman Lucas Martin, who measures in at 6-foot-3 and 270 pounds.

“It’s definitely beneficial,” Burns said. “We have most of the guys in the skill positions and we have most of the linemen back. We graduated a class of 19, which is a big class for us, but we also have 20 returning lettermen coming back...I think we’re ahead of the game than in the past few years from an offensive standpoint.”

Burns also praised his team for having a “high football IQ.”

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“It really helps and kind of jumpstarts everything,” Burns added. “Sometimes, during two-a-days, it may be a little boring to them, but they understand what their expectations are around here. That obviously helps us as far as getting started.”

Mason will also have one of the toughest non-district schedules in Class 2A. All five non-district games will be against Class 3A teams, including games against 3A no. 17 Sonora and no. 13 Wall.

“It’s exciting,” Burns grinned. “It’s going to be a tremendous test. We’re going to see a couple of different styles of offense from the teams we play. Wall’s going to be a dive-option pitch responsibility, we’ll have a couple of spread teams in there and we’re going to get Comanche, who’s coming off an outstanding season. They’re going to run the wing-T right at you and take three yards and be happy with it.”

Last year, Mason’s defense was stellar. They allowed just six points per game. Prior to their 38-14 loss to Refugio, that average was a staggering 3.6 points per game.

Burns thinks the offensive variety will get the Punchers ready for a deep playoff run.

“Those will definitely be helpful for us,” Burns said. “At the end of the day, a lot of those games are hyped and it’ll be good competition for us. It’s good for football, it’s good for the communities, but those non-district games are getting you ready for the ones that really count. Hopefully, those teams will get us ready for the games with gold footballs riding on it.”

Mason opens the season with Wall on the road on Aug. 31.