By Ernie W. Webb III
When Burlingame coach Jeff Slater asked me to speak to his team the day before the Bearcats’ Lyon County League showdown against Lebo last week, I had no idea what I was going to say. I knew that he wanted me to talk about the history of Burlingame’s program, and I knew that the perspective of somebody who experienced the school’s dark era was an important part of the message.
I knew quite a bit of that history before Slater asked me to join the team after practice, but I had forgotten some of the uglier details. The thing that stood out the most was a stretch from 1995 through 2003. During that time, Burlingame went 5-74. Think about that for a moment. Burlingame is 6-0 this season after crushing Hartford 76-0 on Friday night in a game in which the Bearcats could have scored 100 points in the first half.
I won’t divulge most of what I said to the kids last Thursday, but 5-74 was an important part of the message, as was mentioning several embarrassing losses through the years. Another important part of the speech was simply to say thank you to the upperclassmen for their commitment to winning. That is something that was missing in Burlingame for far too long.
I couldn’t help but think about the past Friday as I watched the Bearcats throttle the Jaguars, leading 46-0 after the first quarter and 70-0 just a few minutes into the second quarter. It wasn’t that long ago that Burlingame was on the other side of scores like that.
“I feel like we can develop kids, and as long as they put the work in, we will always be competitive,” Slater said. “One of the things I love about Burlingame is the kids give me everything they have. That’s why it’s a great place to coach and live. As long as they come out for weights and work, we will be fine.”
Burlingame’s rise from the ashes has been well documented in this space, but it’s worth repeating: The last decade has been a golden era in football. The Bearcats have been to four state semifinals, won six league championships, are closing on their fifth district title, and have never had a losing season under Slater, who is 86-24 in 10-plus years. From 1978 through 2013, the school won the same number of games.
What the school is accomplishing these days is something we as fans should never take for granted. I know I was incredibly humbled when Slater asked me to speak to his kids and thoroughly enjoy watching his teams play.
As for Burlingame’s destruction of Hartford, the Bearcats ran just 21 plays on offense but had 297 yards, including 170 passing and 127 rushing on 12 carries (nearly 11 yards per attempt). JD Tyson continued a prolific senior season with 188 total yards, including 170 through the air on 6-of-7 accuracy.
Dane Winters had another explosive game, scoring on four of his five touches. In addition to a 39-yard touchdown run and scoring receptions of 52, 19 and 40 yards, Winters returned an interception 80 yards for a score.
Timmy Roberts added 59 yards, including 42 rushing and a pair of touchdowns, Brock Moon had a 17-yard reception for a score, and Blake Middleton had 30 yards rushing, including an 18-yard touchdown jaunt.
Defensively, Burlingame completely dominated Hartford, holding the Jaguars (0-6) to minus-33 yards. Hartford had minus-33 yards rushing on 22 carries and fumbled seven times, losing four.
Burlingame hosts Reno County Home School next Friday and finishes the regular season Oct. 25 against Rural Vista.
BURLINGAME 76, HARTFORD 0
Burlingame 46 30 X X — 76
Hartford 0 0 X X — 0
First Quarter
BHS – Dane Winters 39 run (Drake Skirvin pass from JD Tyson)
BHS – Timmy Roberts 1 run (Pass failed)
BHS – Brock Moon 17 pass from Tyson (Skirvin pass from Tyson)
BHS – Winters 80 interception return (Tyson run)
BHS – Winters 52 pass from Tyson (Winters run)
BHS – Winters 40 pass from Tyson (Roberts run)
Second Quarter
BHS – Tyson 18 run (Roberts run)
BHS – Winters 19 pass from Tyson (Skirvin pass from Tyson)
BHS – Roberts 14 run (Skirvin pass from Tyson)
BHS – Blake Middleton 18 run (Run failed)
GAME IN FIGURES
BHS HHS
First downs 13 13
Rushes-Yards 12-127 22-(-33)
Passing 6-9-0 0-4-1
Passing yards 170 0
Total yards 297 -33
Punts None 4-28.3
Fumbles-lost 0-0 7-4
Penalties 4-20 2-10
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Burlingame: Winters 2-51, Roberts 4-42, Middleton 4-30, Tyson 1-18, Nick Seele 1-(-14).
RECEIVING – Burlingame: Winters 3-111, Skirvin 1-25, Roberts 1-17, Moon 1-17.
PASSING – Burlingame: Tyson 6-7-0 170, Seele 0-2-0 0.