By Ernie W. Webb III
BURLINGAME – When Jeff Slater started as Burlingame’s football coach in 2014, the Bearcats had six winning seasons in the playoff era (since 1969). With Friday’s 54-8 drubbing of Hartford, Burlingame has never had a campaign below .500 under the longtime coach. That’s 12 seasons, 12 winning records.
“I learned a long time ago that you always want to celebrate wins,” said Slater, now 95-26 at Burlingame. “Winning is hard to do. These kids work hard, our staff works hard to win on Friday nights, so I’m always going be happy about that.”
A week after starting quarterback Danny Cain suffered a leg injury, Burlingame opted for a game plan far less reliant on his draws and sweeps. The result was a prolific passing attack in which Cain completed 16 of 20 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns, including three to tight end Brock Moon.
“It was good to get multiple guys going tonight to build some confidence, but we also had some pieces go down,” Slater said. “It’s part of football, it’s that time of year. Kids are playing banged up this time of year. We are making modifications through the week to get to Friday as healthy as we can.”
The Bearcats (5-1, 3-0 in district) needed only 36 plays to generate nearly 400 yards of offense, most of which came through the air.
Burlingame needed less than two minutes to strike first on a 33-yard touchdown run by sophomore Blake Middleton. Moon, who had 101 yards on six receptions, tacked on the conversion with a run for an 8-0 lead. Moon added a 3-yard touchdown catch three minutes later, and Blake Middleton scored on a 1-yard plunge for a 20-0 edge after the first quarter.
“I think Blake Middleton is really coming on strong,” Slater said.
The Bearcats pushed the margin to 26 points when Drake Skirvin hauled in a short crossing pass from Cain and raced 65 yards to the end zone. Hartford’s lone highlight came after a Burlingame fumble, as Keenan Renfrow scored on a 16-yard pass from Carson Menke to record the Jaguars’ first points of the season.
“I thought our energy was flat tonight. Not sure if no school today factored into that, but it’s the time of year where we want to start playing our best football,” Slater said. “Too many penalties are creeping up, and we need to get that addressed quickly.”
The Bearcats countered with two touchdowns in the final moments of the first half, first on a short run by Jude Aguilar, then on a 20-yard reception by Moon. Burlingame led 40-8 at halftime.
The Bearcats wasted little time ending the game early in the third quarter. Moon scored on an 11-yard pass from Cain, and David Noonan added a 5-yard touchdown run. The game ended four minutes into the second half on Cain’s conversion run.
Burlingame finishes the regular season with two difficult games, first against a high-scoring offense in Reno County and then on the road against a physical Rural Vista team for the district championship.
“These next two weeks, regardless of result, are going get us prepared for playoff football,” Slater said. “Our preparation, our focus, our discipline, our execution will all be magnified these next few weeks
“Next week will be our toughest test of the season. We see an elite QB and well-coached team. If our preparation and attention to detail isn’t on point, this team will make you pay. I hope to see our kids attack this week and embrace the challenges ahead.”
Cain had 276 total yards to lead Burlingame, while Skirvin had 140 and Moon 101 yards receiving. Middleton rushed for 70 yards, and Aguilar had 49 total yards. Hartford (0-6, 0-2) finished with only 44 total yards, including minus-7 rushing yards on 18 attempts.
On defense, Moon had eight tackles, Aguilar six and Dawson Richman five.
BURLINGAME 54, HARTFORD 8
Hartford 0 8 0 X — 8
Burlingame 20 20 14 X — 54
First Quarter
BHS – Middleton 33 run (Moon run)
BHS – Moon 3 pass from Cain (Run failed)
BHS – Middleton 1 run (Pass failed)
Second Quarter
BHS – Skirvin 65 pass from Cain (Pass failed)
HHS – Renfrow 16 pass from Menke (Wilkinson run)
BHS – Aguilar 1 run (Pass failed)
BHS – Moon 20 pass from Cain (Middleton run)
Third Quarter
BHS – Moon 11 pass from Cain (Pass failed)
BHS – Noonan 5 run (Cain run)
GAME IN FIGURES
HHS BHS
First downs 4 18
Rushes-Yards 18-(-7) 16-138
Passing 8-15-0 16-20-0
Passing yards 51 261
Total yards 44 399
Punts 4-16.8 N/A
Fumbles-lost 2-1 3-2
Penalties 4-36 6-53
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Hartford: Blankley 8-3, Menke 6-(-2), Heckathorn 4-(-8). Burlingame: Middleton 6-70, Aguilar 6-29, Noonan 2-24, Cain 2-15.
RECEIVING – Hartford: Heckathorn 3-25, Wilkinson 4-22, Trester 1-4. Burlingame: Skirvin 7-140, Moon 6-101, Augilar 3-20.
PASSING – Hartford: Menke 8-15-0 51, Kelley 0-1-0 0. Burlingame: Cain 16-20-0 261.