By Ernie W. Webb III
COTTONWOOD FALLS – Several years ago, a group of grade school boys started a tradition of playing impromptu games of football while the high school team trudged through losses.
Those kids decided before they arrived at junior high that they were going to turn the program around, and those games in the shadows of the Friday Night Lights served as the beginning of a run to three straight trips to the state semifinals from 2015 to 2017.
As that team lifted a sleepy program into the limelight, another group of grade-schoolers dreamed about being the next wave of Bearcats. Five years later, that crew arrived with a thrilling 26-24 win Friday at No. 1 Chase County.
“I remember watching those teams, and I remember that they lost in the sub-state game three straight times,” said senior Matthew Heckman, who ended a Bulldogs’ threat with a critical interception late in the fourth quarter. “When I watched those games, I just wanted a chance to be in that position and get to state. I never imagined that was possible until this season. This was huge for us.”
A BIG-TIME OPPORTUNITY
A master motivator, Burlingame coach Jeff Slater knew Friday’s game was the perfect time to remind his team about the past.
“These kids looked up to those teams from 2015 to 2017. Many of them had brothers, cousins or friends who were on that team,” he said. “I reminded them how many big games those teams played in, and how exciting it was to win a lot of those big games. I told them, ‘This is your opportunity to win one of those games.’”
That opportunity brought a daunting task in a Chase County team that also came out of a long slumber and emerged as one of the best Eight-Man teams in the state. Ranked in virtually every poll, including No. 1 in the media poll, the Bulldogs are a bruising team with a sledgehammer for a quarterback in senior Mitchell Budke.
“We knew this was going to be difficult, but I love physical games like this,” said quarterback Colby Middleton. “These are the games I live for.”
SURVIVING THE FIRST HALF
At least for a half, the Bearcats survived as much as they lived. Chase County (3-1, 0-1 in District 2) barreled its way through Burlingame’s defense, piling up 247 yards during the opening two periods.
The Bulldogs gave the Bearcats (4-0, 1-0) a taste of what the next two hours were going to be like on the third play from scrimmage, as Budke cruised to his right on a quarterback sweep and coasted 61 yards for a 6-0 lead. His run on the conversion made it 8-0 59 seconds into the game.
Burlingame went three-and-out on its first series. Not exactly the start Slater was looking for on the road.
“There were times all night where it felt like we were going to crack,” he said. “But they never did. The kids kept hanging in there.”
The Bearcats came up with a big stop on fourth-and-4 midway through the first quarter, then shifted the momentum with a nine-play, 42-yard drive. Middleton scored on a 3-yard run to cut the deficit to 8-6. Moments later, Parker Haid recovered a fumble at the 30, setting up Burlingame’s second touchdown.
Midway through the second frame, Middleton connected with Dane Winters on a 14-yard scoring strike over the middle for a 12-8 edge.
“Guys were making plays all night, and not just the starters,” Heckman said. “It was a team effort. When we needed somebody to step up, they did. Every time we needed it, somebody made a play.”
BACK AND FORTH
Chase County’s rushing attack dominated much of the first half. Using a steady diet of quarterback sweeps and runs up the middle, the Bulldogs had 215 yards on 27 carries by halftime, including 152 yards from Budke.
A 65-yard drive chewed up nearly five minutes late in the second quarter, and Chase County led 16-12 after a 4-yard run from Budke and conversion pass from Budke to Cal Kohlmeier.
Needing a play to get the momentum back, Heckman took the ensuing kickoff from the 3 and ran through the middle of the Bulldogs’ coverage unit untouched. He shifted to the left and sprinted into the end zone as the Bearcats regained the advantage at 20-16.
The lead was brief. Chase County quickly marched 65 yards in two minutes, and Budke scored on another sweep from the 9-yard line on the final play of the half. The Bulldogs held a 24-20 edge after Brock Griffin’s conversion run.
‘EVERYBODY AS A TEAM’
That deflating end of the half carried over into the third quarter, as Burlingame turned it over on downs at Chase County’s 27. Considering how easily the Bulldogs moved the ball in the opening half, the Bearcats appeared to be in the danger zone.
“I think we were mad about the way we played in the first half,” said senior Tyler Lockwood, who has ascended from a role player to captain and an anchor on the offensive and defensive lines. “We knew they were going to be physical, and we weren’t being physical enough. That changed in the second half.”
That anger – and adjustments – fueled a transformation, especially on defense, after the intermission. The Bearcats limited Chase County to 98 yards in the final two quarters while holding the Bulldogs scoreless.
“The main adjustment was moving a linebacker to help with the quarterback sweep,” Slater said. “Budke is very good, and he is hard to stop. But we did a much better job in the second half of slowing him down.”
The defense stopped Budke on fourth-and-short on Chase County’s first possession of the third quarter, then came up with another game-changing play late in the period. On third-and-4 from Burlingame’s 29, Jace DeWitt charged into the backfield and tackled Budke for a 5-yard loss. When Budke’s pass fell incomplete on fourth down, the Bearcats had another stop.
“Jace DeWitt goes in and makes a huge play like that,” Heckman said. “It’s not just a couple of guys, it’s everybody as a team.”
That included Heckman early in the fourth quarter, as he returned from a leg cramp injury to hit Budke for a loss on fourth-and-3 from Chase County’s 38.
SURGING AHEAD
After a sluggish third quarter, Burlingame’s offense broke through in the fourth quarter in large part due to a key conversion on third-and-17 from its own 27. Middleton dropped back to pass, slipped away from a couple of sacks and whipped a pass across his body to the middle of the field. Winters raced in from the left side, diving and scooping the ball out of the air before it hit the ground. The 18-yard pass gave the Bearcats new life.
“I made a mistake on a drive earlier by not giving Colby Middleton the ball when we went three-and-out,” Slater said. “I wasn’t going to do that again. We put the ball in the hands of our best player, and he made a play, and Dane made a great catch.”
The rest of the possession looked a lot like most of Chase County’s drives, with Burlingame’s offensive line of Lockwood, Haid, Timmy Roberts and Jason Davidson paving the way and Middleton bowling through defenders. The final play of the series was one of the game’s most physical, as Middleton followed his line to the 5-yard-line before crashing into three Chase County players at the goal line. All four players fell into the end zone as Burlingame surged ahead 26-24 at the 7:52 mark.
“You want to talk about kids buying in … Tyler Lockwood and Jason Davidson worked extremely hard in the offseason to get to this point,” Slater said. “Now, it’s their time. And we’ve got steady, solid sophomores in Parker and Timmy. I couldn’t be more proud of those kids.”
ICING THE GAME
Chase County still had nearly eight minutes to counter, and the Bulldogs appeared to have the momentum again when Budke battered his way through a handful of tackles to pick up a first down on fourth-and-7 from his own 18. After a facemask penalty, Chase County had a first down at Burlingame’s 38.
On the next play, Budke ran to his right on an apparent sweep before stepping back and lofting a pass downfield. Heckman dropped back quickly, leaping into the air for an interception at the 17 with 4:39 left.
“I bit on the run at first, but then I saw him hesitate and ran back,” Heckman said. “I felt like I had it as soon as he let the ball go.”
The Bearcats converted a third-and-8 three plays later when Middleton scrambled to his left and dumped a pass off to Dane Winters before being sacked. Winters picked up 15 yards for a critical first down. Then, on second-and-16, Middleton ran through a giant hole up the middle, diving for a game-clinching first down. He finished with 85 tough yards on 25 carries.
“We take a lot of pride when he and the other guys have a big game,” Lockwood said. “This is a great win for Burlingame. It means a lot to us after seeing what those teams before us did.”
After Friday’s win, Burlingame demonstrated it has the potential to go just as far, if not further, than those teams.
Middleton had 168 total yards to lead the Bearcats, while Winters had 50 yards receiving and Heckman 49 yards receiving. Burlingame did not commit a turnover, while Chase County had two.
Budke rushed for 241 yards on 32 carries, and Kohlmeier had 56 yards on 12 rushes.
BURLINGAME 26, CHASE COUNTY 24
Burlingame 6 14 0 6 — 26
Chase County 8 16 0 0 — 24
First Quarter
CCHS – Mitchell Budke 61 run (Budke run)
BHS – Colby Middleton 3 run (Pass failed)
Second Quarter
BHS – Dane Winters 14 pass from Middleton (Run failed)
CCHS – Budke 4 run (Cal Kohlmeier pass from Budke)
BHS – Matthew Heckman 77 kickoff return (Timmy Roberts pass from J.D. Tyson)
CCHS – Budke 8 run (Brock Griffin run)
Fourth Quarter
BHS – Middleton 9 run (Pass failed)
GAME IN FIGURES
BHS CCHS
First downs 11 17
Rushes-Yards 29-90 47-313
Passing 10-18-0 3-13-1
Passing yards 105 32
Total yards 195 345
Punts 3-39.3 N/A
Fumbles-lost 1-0 2-1
Penalties 3-40 8-50
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Burlingame: Middleton 25-85, Tyson 2-3, Winters 2-2. Chase County: Budke 32-241, Kohlmeier 12-56, B. Griffin 2-13, Wyatt Griffin 1-3.
RECEIVING – Burlingame: Winters 4-50, Heckman 5-49, Roberts 1-6. Chase County: Dominic Cauthers 2-18, Landon Doty 1-14.
PASSING – Burlingame: Middleton 9-12-0 83, Tyson 1-6-0 22. Chase County: Budke 3-10-1 32, W. Griffin 0-3-0 0.
