By Ernie W. Webb III
BURLINGAME – Burlingame’s motto this season on social media is #LOCKIN. The Bearcats certainly were locked in Thursday night, thrashing Bennington 46-0 in one half during an opening round game of the Eight-Man Division I playoffs.
Burlingame (6-2) smothered the Bulldogs defensively, limiting Bennington (6-3) to 66 yards, including 30 rushing on 22 carries. The Bearcats also forced four fumbles on a soggy, cool night, recovering two, and scored on a pick-six.
“This is what we’ve been looking for all season, and we might be peaking at the right time,” said Burlingame coach Jeff Slater, whose team will play defending state champion Little River (9-0) next Friday. “I thought we were physical tonight and capitalized on the momentum.”
Momentum can shift quickly in eight-man, but Bennington never had it Thursday. The Bulldogs lost a fumble on their second play from scrimmage, and Burlingame scored less than two minutes into the game on a 2-yard run by quarterback Colby Middleton, who added the conversion on a run for an 8-0 lead.
Bennington went for it on fourth-and-14 in its own territory on the next possession, and the Bearcats came up with a stop to set up a short field. Facing a third-and-goal from the 7, Middleton bullied his way into the end zone on a run up the middle, then connected with running back Andrew Zeller on a conversion pass to push the advantage to 16-0.
“Colby Middleton has really picked it up; he’s been great,” Slater said. “We also played well up front, and that’s where it starts.”
The Bulldogs tried a gadget play on their next series with a running back rolling to the right and attempting to channel Patrick Mahomes with an underhand toss across his body. That didn’t work out as well as it typically does for the Chiefs, as Zeller jumped the route and raced 31 yards for a three-touchdown edge.
“I saw the ball coming my way and just went,” Zeller said. “Once I saw the open field, I just ran as fast as I could for the end zone.”
The Bearcats tried an underhanded pass of their own on the conversion, as Middleton hit Lance Noonan for a 24-0 lead 11 seconds into the second quarter.
Burlingame forced a punt on the next possession, then drove 59 yards in a little more than three minutes to go up 30-0. Middleton keyed the drive with a 42-yard run down the sideline on an option keeper, and scored on a 2-yard run.
The margin grew to 38-0 three minutes later when Zeller sprinted off tackle and past the defense from 11 yards out. Zeller also hauled in the conversion pass from Middleton.
Driven to end the game by halftime and drive to Dodge City to watch the Burlingame volleyball team in the Class 1A-Division I state tournament, the Bearcats stuffed Bennington on a fourth down play to set up the game-ending score.
With 36 seconds left, Middleton barreled into the end zone on a 4-yard run for a 44-0 lead. On the conversion, Matthew Heckman took a pitch and found Noonan in the back of the end zone for a 46-point edge.
Bennington drove past midfield, but the clock ran out, ending the game on the 45-point rule.
“The expectation in Burlingame is to be in the playoffs and be competitive once we get there,” said Slater, who is 65-17 with three state semifinals appearances at Burlingame. “We know we’re facing a big challenge next week. Our goal is to go down to Little River and be competitive.”
Middleton, who surpassed the 1,000-yard mark last week, rushed for 100 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries. Zeller added 18 yards rushing and 14 yards receiving.
Brody Murk had 43 total yards, including 29 receiving, for Bennington, while Ryker Greene completed 3 of 4 passes for 36 yards.
Burlingame has advanced to the second round of the playoffs in six of seven seasons after going 42 years without a win in the postseason.
BURLINGAME 46, BENNINGTON 0
Bennington 0 0 X X — 0
Burlingame 16 30 X X — 46
First Quarter
Burlingame – Colby Middleton 2 run (Middleton run)
Burlingame – Middleton 7 run (Andrew Zeller pass from Middleton)
Second Quarter
Burlingame – Zeller 31 interception return (Lance Noonan pass from Middleton)
Burlingame – Middleton 2 run (Run failed)
Burlingame – Zeller 11 run (Zeller pass from Middleton)
Burlingame – Middleton 4 run (Noonan pass from Matthew Heckman)
BEN BUR
First downs 4 9
Rushes-Yards 22-30 21-118
Passing yards 36 21
Passing 3-5-1 3-3-0
Total yards 66 139
Fumbles-lost 4-2 2-0
Penalties 3-30 1-5
Punting 2-36.5 None
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Bennington – Jaden Raccagno 9-15, Brody Murk 5-14, Ryker Greene 8-1. Burlingame – Middleton 16-100, Zeller 5-18.
Receiving: Bennington – Murk 2-29, Jawuan Allen 1-7. Burlingame – Zeller 1-14, Noonan 1-12, Heckman 1-(-5).
Passing: Bennington – Greene 3-4-0 36, Raccagno 0-1-1 0. Burlingame – Middleton 3-3-0 21.
