By Ernie W. Webb III
BURLINGAME – Burlingame coach Jeff Slater had a succinct message for his team after Thursday’s opening-round beatdown of St. Paul: “Now, it gets real.”
The Bearcats (9-0) haven’t had a close game all season, and that continued in an Eight Player Division II playoff opener with a 54-0 rout. That will change next week when third-ranked Burlingame hosts traditional power and fourth-ranked Hanover (8-1) Nov. 8 in a regional clash.
“I have a ton of respect for Coach (Matt) Heuer and the Hanover program, and we know that is going to be a big challenge,” Slater said. “I told the kids before the season that Eight Man II is the gauntlet … but we are part of that gauntlet.”
That gauntlet includes arguably four of the top five teams in the division from Districts 2 and 3, including Burlingame, Hanover, Frankfort (7-2) and Axtell (9-0 and on a 48-game winning streak).
“My mom (Julie Slater, one of the most successful volleyball coaches in state history) always says you have to beat the best to be the best,” Slater said. “That’s what it’s going to take to compete for a state championship.”
The playoff journey began with another dominant victory, as the Bearcats held St. Paul (2-7) to 44 yards and one first down, which came more than three minutes into the second quarter. Burlingame limited St. Paul to 22 yards on 19 carries.
“There are some things we can do better, but I thought the defense played well,” Slater said. “We did a good job of taking care of business.”
The Bearcats needed less than a minute to get on the board, scoring on a 14-yard pass from JD Tyson to Dane Winters, a prolific duo that had another big night with a combined five touchdowns, including three through the air.
Burlingame pushed the lead to 14-0 on Tyson’s 42-yard run and Winters’ conversion and had a 22-0 advantage following a 19-yard scoring strike from Tyson to Winters and Timmy Roberts’ conversion run.
When Winters hauled in a 20-yard touchdown pass from Tyson, the Bearcats had a 30-0 lead with two minutes remaining in the first period.
Roberts, who led the team with 46 yards rushing on just three carries, scored on a 14-yard rumble early in the second quarter and added a 45-yard touchdown reception on a perfectly thrown touch pass from Tyson.
Tyson scored the final touchdown on a 9-yard run, and freshman Jude Aguilar added the conversion for the final margin of victory.
Tyson had 153 total yards, including 138 passing on 7-of-8 accuracy, while Winters had 85 yards on five receptions. Roberts had 99 yards, including 53 receiving and 46 rushing.
BURLINGAME 54, ST. PAUL 0
St. Paul 0 0 X X — 0
Burlingame 30 24 X X — 54
First Quarter
BHS – Dane Winters 14 pass from JD Tyson (Pass failed)
BHS – Tyson 42 run (Winters run)
BHS – Winters 19 pass from Tyson (Timmy Roberts run)
BHS – Winters 20 pass from Tyson (Roberts run)
Second Quarter
BHS – Roberts 14 run (Winters pass from Tyson)
BHS – Roberts 45 pass from Tyson (Roberts pass from Tyson)
BHS – Tyson 9 run (Jude Aguilar run)
GAME IN FIGURES
SPHS BHS
First downs 1 11
Rushes-Yards 19-22 9-74
Passing 3-6-0 7-8-0
Passing yards 22 138
Total yards 44 212
Punts 2-25.5 None
Fumbles-lost 2-0 0-0
Penalties 1-10 3-23
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – St. Paul: Devin Vogel 6-14, Brec Norris 8-8, Preston Heitman 4-2, Jackson Beachner 1-(-2). Burlingame: Roberts 3-46, Tyson 3-15, Winters 3-13.
RECEIVING – St. Paul: Beachner 1-10, Vogel 1-6, William Devereaux 1-6.
PASSING – St. Paul: Norris 3-6-0 22. Burlingame: Tyson 7-8-0 138.