Burleson enters year No. 2 under Kitna as Elks look to 'close the gap'
Aug. 26—Editor's note: This season preview story is published in the 2021 Johnson County GRIDIRON Guide.
The Elks have gone 6-4 in each of the past three seasons but six wins hasn't been enough to get in the postseason for Burleson, which hasn't qualified for the playoffs since 2017.
Not only did Burleson face all of the same challenges that every other program dealt with because of COVID, but the Elks were also in the midst of a head coaching change for the first time in nearly a decade.
Last year, Burleson ISD hired Jon Kitna, a former NFL quarterback and former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach, as the new head football coach of Elk football. But during Kitna's first week on campus, things came to a screeching halt as COVID shutdowns began.
While there's always an adjustment period for a program in year 1 of a head coaching change, the restrictions and lost time due to COVID last year presented even more challenges in Kitna's first season with the Elks. So much so that Kitna said he doesn't even consider last year as a true "first season."
"I really look at this as year 1 because so much of what we do is based on character training: the things we do day in and day out training coaches and kids based on a transformational coaching model," Kitna said. "With us not being able to meet together the way we want and having to do things so disjointed the whole year [in 2020], I feel like we weren't able to build the culture we wanted. So I look at this as year 1 and we're excited about it.
"The ones that are here have bought in to what it's going to take to close the gap. That's our motto this year, closing the gap. That gap is the gap between our performance and our potential. Those things only happen by pushing through glass barriers that you've erected in your own life. Our kids had a great offseason. We're excited to get going."
While Kitna believes players will have a better grasp of what's expected both on and off the field in year 2, he's hoping last year's COVID protocols won't be as restrictive in terms of building not only the Burleson football program, but the student-athletes they coach.
"We coach them really hard and we have high standards for our whole program," Kitna said. "Without being able to have those intimate team meetings and character-building sessions we do daily, especially during the season, I think there could be some confusion as to where this passion is coming from.
"When we have a passionate response to body language or attitude or effort, it could come across as, 'My coach is mad or doesn't like me,' but really it's a form of love pushing you towards your potential. I think the kids get that. They understand we love them. We're not shy about telling them we love them. Now we're able to have the meetings in which we can really train that character piece and define what true love looks like."
This year's senior class for the Elks hasn't been a part of a playoff team as Burleson's last playoff appearance came in 2017. And while Kitna said making the playoffs is a goal for the Elks this year, they're more focused on what it takes to get there.
"It's a goal but it's a goal for every single team starting the year," he said. "That's what we talked about. We have a goal of making the playoffs and making a run in the playoffs but every team has that goal, right? So what are we going to do to close the gap?
"We've gotten bigger, faster and stronger in the offseason. Our kids really bought into the weight room and what we do. The most important thing is, what do we do with all of that now? They've got to be ready to come to practice. There's going to be bumps in the road, so how do we respond? We'll see how far that takes us and if we can close the gap. I believe every team has potential to reach a certain ceiling and we have to find what that potential is for us."
Burleson graduated a deep senior class of more than 30 players off last year's team and, going into practice this year, Kitna said he expects a senior group of about 30 this year.
"We usually see a dip in our numbers in the second year of our program because people find out there's a buy-in cost to this," Kitna said. "So our senior class this year is about 30. But we've got a lot of young guys who will play for us."
BURLESON OFFENSE
The Elks experienced a great deal of success offensively in 2020, scoring at least 21 points every game and averaging just under 40 points per game for the season.
But Burleson returns only a couple of starters off last year's unit as the Elks graduated not only the majority of their offensive line but key skill pieces such as quarterback Jalen Kitna (now at the University of Florida) and all-county running back Jarrett Austin (now at Navarro), among others.
It's not often a team loses a Division I quarterback and replaces him with another potential DI QB, but that's the case in Burleson. While Kitna said every player has to "earn their right" to play, sophomore Dylan Raiola will be the Elks' starter at QB. Even though Raiola — 6-foot-3, 210 pounds — hasn't thrown a varsity pass yet, he already has offers from Baylor, Florida State, Georgia, Nebraska and TCU.
"What stands out about him is his approach and he's got a lot of physical tools you look for," Kitna said. "He can make a lot of throws on the field that some people can't, especially at that young age. He's only played quarterback for a year-and-a-half now. His upside is amazing. His competitiveness and his desire to want to learn football is amazing. What really separates him is his work ethic, which is non stop.
"He comes from a great pedigree. Obviously, his dad [Dominic Railoa] played 14 years in the NFL. His mom was a college scholarship athlete. His older sister is a scholarship volleyball player at TCU. The best of the bunch, his youngest brother Dayton, is a rising eighth-grader."
One of Raiola's go-to targets in the passing game will be Luke Peterson, a two-time all-county selection who hauled in 16 touchdowns last year despite missing two games with injury.
"Luke obviously had a good year last year, and really did all of that in about seven-and-a-half games," Kitna said. "... He has phenomenal ability. When he's on top of his game, he's uncoverable. We're moving him around to a lot of different places and that requires a commitment from him to want to learn. So far he's been up to the task and we expect great leadership from him."
The Elks suffered a big loss at the wide receiver position in Conan Doyle, who suffered an ACL injury this summer.
"He's like having four different players on the field because he can play so many different positions and is so smart," Kitna said. "We're really heartbroken to not have him this season."
Abreham Word could be in line for a bigger role this season at receiver while Drue Saenz, a key defensive player, may also see snaps at receiver. Kitna said they're excited about the potential of several young newcomers in the mix at wide receiver. The Elks are also looking for big things out of Isaiah Lopez at tight end.
Going into the season, there was no clear-cut No. 1 option at running back for the Elks as they look to replace the production of Austin.
"I really believe in competition," Kitna said. "Unless there's a guy returning who's already done it, I believe you gain a lot by earning something in a competition. The leader [a week into practice was] Reece Williams but we expect great competition out of Isaac McLaughlin and Quintlon Ivory. We're super excited about our running backs as we go forward."
The key to making it all work, however, will be the play up front.
"It starts with the linemen," Kitna said. "Football games, no matter what level, are won in the trenches. We feel good about seven to eight of our linemen. They're going to have to play well every week and be really tuned in to our game plan. If they play well, we're going to play well. We want to run the football and be explosive in pass game. Most people say that but we're pretty committed to it. We're a rhythm, detail-oriented system. It's about these guys doing what we ask them to do down in and down out and we'll be fine."
Leading the way on the offensive line will be Daniel Hull, the only full-time returning starter. Burleson's coaching staff moved defensive line standout Evan Baltazar over to offensive line to strengthen that unit.
"Daniel Hull played tremendously last year," Kitna said. "He's a super strong player, just a mauler. We like the young guys we have that have been committed to this program and the offseason. We've seen some of these guys add 40 to 50 pounds of muscle and have increased their squats by over 150 pounds. We're excited about them. Baltazar coming over and being able to play offensive line is a huge help for us. I think that's where he projects in college being 6-3, 330 pounds and can move really well. Tyler Jones will also be big for us."
BURLESON DEFENSE
Burleson's defense was a bit inconsistent throughout the 2020 season and the Elks are looking to improve on that this year.
The key word for Burleson's defense is versatility. Not only do the Elks employ a versatile scheme, but Kitna said they put an emphasis on players having multi-positional versatility as well.
"We're a multiple defense," Kitna said. "We can go from a three-man front to a four-man front to a five-man front on any down. We're really excited about our defense. We have a lot of guys who played a lot of minutes last year. We run a really hybrid style of defense so we ask our players to be very multiple in what they can do and embrace the learning process."
The Elks return eight defensive starters from a year ago, although a few of them may wind up playing different positions, which Kitna said is something they do in their defensive system.
"I think [versatility] is what high school football is about, to be honest. If you've been in a program that's established and you're choosing from 250 kids every year, you can say, 'This guy is a linebacker, this guy's a safety.' But in high school, these kids are growing and progressing so we build a defensive system that is high school-friendly that allows a player to grow into positions. Maybe he's not quite fast enough to be a safety but not big enough to play as an inside linebacker, but he's got good talent so we put him in a position to be successful."
In six wins last year, Burleson allowed just 16.5 points per game on defense. But in their four losses, the Elks gave up 43.75 points per game defensively.
One focal point for Burleson's defense entering 2021 is cutting down on giving up the big play.
"We need to cut in half the amount of explosive plays we give up in a game," Kitna said. "Last year, we'd be really good for 75 percent of the plays in a game but we gave up too many explosives. Those come from busted assignments mostly or missed tackles but we feel a lot better about them understanding this system. It's a different system. It's hard to teach and not a lot of people run it. But I think we have a better grasp of it this year. It's going to be about us eliminating the amount of explosive plays we just give to teams."
Leading the way on defense for the Elks going into the season will be Quintlon Ivory, Drue Saenz and Jordan Mays.
"Ivory played really well for us last year and we're excited about him this year," Kitna said. "Drue Saenz on the back end is coming off a solid year and is going to play well for us again.
"And Jordan Mays has a chance to be an all-state football player. Nobody had a better offseason than him. He can squat 600 pounds, bench 365 pounds and he shows up every single day. He plays with great ferocity and snap and violence and has a great football IQ. He's not afraid of being coached. He's going to have to be leader of defense this year."
Kyndall Cassidy, Lane Hammitt, Dylan Dubois and Jess Ackerman were competing for starting positions at linebacker for Burleson during camp and Kitna said he likes what he's seen from them early in practice.
In addition to Ivory and Saenz, Kitna is also high on Brandon Shaw in the defensive backfield.
"Brandon played on JV last year because he was ruled ineligible as a transfer," Kitna said. "He's got a great mental approach. Those three [Ivory, Saenz, Shaw], in particular, we feel really, really good about."
In addition to key returners, the Elks also have a couple new pieces to work with as move-ins, including Jaden Balina-Ayers and Kalun Blair.
Balina-Ayers, who can play outside linebacker or safety, was an all-district defender at Forney last season while Blair, who is a physical specimen at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and runs a 4.7, comes over from L.D. Bell.
"Jaden Ayers is coming over with his dad, who we hired," Kitna said. "He played a lot as a sophomore at Forney. He's an impact player at the linebacker/safety level. And Kalun Blair, who is a junior, is going to be an absolute star."
