By Ernie W. Webb III
BURLINGAME – On a night when Burlingame honored its 1972 state championship team, the Bearcats channeled that squad’s defense during a dominating first half. Third-ranked Burlingame held a fast, athletic Cair Paravel team scoreless until the final play of the second quarter and intercepted four passes in a 57-26 win.
En route to the school’s only state football championship, the 1972 team did not allow a point in the postseason, winning the Class 1A title despite scoring only 15 points in three games. The 2022 crew stifled the Lions, capitalizing on a flurry of picks to build a commanding 35-0 lead in the second period.
“A lot of our top-end guys play in the secondary, and those guys were all over the place in the first half,” said Burlingame coach Jeff Slater, whose team improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in district play. “Tonight was a big night for the community. I told the kids to take a moment and look at the crowd and see how many people were here. We have great support.”
Burlingame typically has a big crowd, especially during their resurgence since 2014, but the 50th anniversary celebration combined with Homecoming festivities resulted in a large throng of people stretching from the north to the south end zone.
Fresh off a grueling, impressive win at No. 2 Chase County last week, the Bearcats wasted little time taking care of business, driving 54 yards on seven plays on their opening possession. On third-and-20, quarterback Colby Middleton hit tight end Timmy Roberts over the middle. Roberts took several hits on his way to the end zone, dragging three Lions across the goal line for a 7-0 lead.
On Cair Paravel’s first series, Burlingame’s Roman Bayless intercepted a pass. The Bearcats led 14-0 after Middleton connected with receiver Matthew Heckman on a 15-yard touchdown pass and Jose Arevalo kicked the extra point.
“I thought our defense played great in the first half,” Slater said. “We got the turnovers, and that allowed us to build the lead.”
Another pick on Cair Paravel’s next play gave Burlingame a first down inside the Lions’ 10-yard line. The Bearcats pushed the lead to 21-0 on the first play of the second quarter on Middleton’s short run. Late in the period, Burlingame tacked on a 1-yard Middleton touchdown for a 28-0 advantage.
Cair Paravel’s fourth interception of the half set up the Bearcats for another short drive from the 15. Middleton’s 4-yard jaunt gave Burlingame a 35-0 lead. The Lions (2-3, 0-2) countered quickly, marching 65 yards in 90 seconds to pull within 35-6 on Evan Will’s 5-yard run at the end of the half.
“I was thrilled with our defense in the first half,” Slater said. “That’s a very good team over there, and we did a good job of shutting them down early. And we made some adjustments in the second half on offense and played better.”
The Bearcats threatened to end the game on the 45-point mercy rule, but Cair Paravel’s offense started to click in the second half. Burlingame led 43-6 after Dane Winters’ 19-yard run four minutes into the third quarter, but the Lions answered with a 29-yard score by Jesiah Bonura.
Burlingame also led 50-12 and 57-20 after 36- and 17-yard touchdown runs by Middleton, but the Lions answered on the next possession both times to prolong the game.
“I think we got a little tired in the second half, especially the way their offense runs,” Slater said. “When we got tired, we had some miscommunication and missed some tackles. But, we beat a good team, and it’s a district win. I’m proud of the kids. They continue to play well.”
Middleton led the Bearcats with 276 total yards, including 179 through the air on 9-of-12 passing and 97 rushing on 25 carries. Heckman had 106 yards receiving, and Winters 95 yards (64 rushing, 31 receiving).
Will paced the Lions with 188 yards (88 passing, 84 rushing, 16 receiving), while Jase Pavlik threw for 115 yards. Jesiah Bonura and Jachin Bonura had 101 and 51 yards receiving, respectively.
BURLINGAME 57, CAIR PARAVEL 26
Cair Paravel 0 6 6 14 — 26
Burlingame 14 21 8 14 — 57
First Quarter
BHS – Timmy Roberts 30 pass from Colby Middleton (Jose Arrevalo kick)
BHS – Matthew Heckman 15 pass from Middleton (Arrevalo kick)
Second Quarter
BHS – Middelton 1 run (Arrevalo kick)
BHS – Middleton 1 run (Arrevalo kick)
BHS – Middleton 4 run (Arrevalo kick)
CP – Evan Will 5 run (Pass failed)
Third Quarter
BHS – Dane Winters 19 run (Heckman pass from Middleton)
CP – Jesiah Bonura 29 run (Run failed)
Fourth Quarter
BHS – Middleton 36 run (Arrevalo kick)
CP – Jachin Bonura 10 pass from Will (Ben Roeder pass from Will)
BHS – Middleton 17 run (Arrevlao kick)
CP – Ty Gossard 1 pass from Will (Pass failed)
GAME IN FIGURES
BHS CCHS
First downs 16 18
Rushes-Yards 36-161 20-126
Passing 9-12-0 18-32-4
Passing yards 179 203
Total yards 340 329
Punts 1-37 2-24.0
Fumbles-lost 1-0 0-0
Penalties 9-71 11-101
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Burlingame: Middleton 25-97, Winters 6-64, J.D. Tyson 5-0. Cair Paravel: Will 11-84, Je. Bonura 4-21, Ja. Bonura 2-17, Jase Pavlik 3-4.
RECEIVING – Burlingame: Heckman 5-106, Roberts 2-42, Winters 2-31. Cair Paravel: Je. Bonura 7-101, Ja. Bonura 5-51, Gossard 4-20, Will 1-16, T. Bonura 1-10.
PASSING – Burlingame: Middleton 9-12-0 179. Cair Paravel: Pavlik 8-16-3 115, Will 10-16-1 88.
