By Ernie W. Webb III
BURLINGAME – With five trips to the state quarterfinals and four appearances in sub-state since 2015, Burlingame really didn’t have anything to prove going into Friday night’s regional title game against blue blood Hanover.
That didn’t stop the third-ranked Bearcats from making a statement, though, as they knocked off the second-ranked Wildcats with a bruising 36-24 win.
“I don’t think we needed to get respect tonight. We’ve had a consistent program for a while now,” said Burlingame coach Jeff Slater, whose team travels to Frankfort next Friday for a spot in the Eight-Player Division II semifinals. “It’s a big win because it came against a team that people around the state will notice. I have a ton of respect for Coach (Matt) Heuer. He’s one of, if not the, best coach in Eight Man, and he has a great program.”
Hanover (8-2) has won six state championships since 2008, but Burlingame (10-0) played with moxie from the outset, battering the Wildcats with a punishing ground game that chewed up 242 yards on 44 carries. Usually a prolific passing team, the Bearcats threw only nine passes on a cold, rainy night.
“We knew we had to be physical tonight,” said Dane Winters, who continued an outstanding senior season with 177 total yards and two touchdowns. “We expect to win here, and we’ve been ready for this game for a long time.”
If there were any questions about the Bearcats’ regular-season schedule, which included seven games ending early due to the 45-point rule, they were answered quickly. Burlingame (10-0) needed three plays to take a lead they never relinquished.
Senior quarterback JD Tyson, who rushed for 144 grueling yards on 28 carries, opened the game with runs of 11 and 5 yards before hitting Winters on a beautifully thrown deep ball between two defensive backs for a 34-yard touchdown. Tyson’s conversion run gave the Bearcats an 8-0 edge just 1:55 into the game.
“We sensed all week that the kids were really focused,” Slater said. “I could tell early that we were locked in on defense. This group watched their older brothers and cousins win a lot of big games, and now it’s their turn. They’ve always been a great group and are used to winning. This is a game they wanted, and that showed from the start.”
Burlingame came up with a stop in Hanover’s territory on the next possession, but fumbled inside the 10-yard-line while driving for a two-score lead. The Bearcats got another stop on the next series, then drove 49 yards in eight plays for a 14-0 advantage. Tyson scored on a 1-yard dive early in the second period.
Hanover countered with a drive that took nearly five minutes, pulling within 14-6 on 27-yard toss from Rieken Stallbaumer to Hunter Kickhaefer on fourth-and-11. Kadrick Cohorst connected with Camron Jueneman on the conversion to make it 14-8.
Burlingame regained control at the end of the half when Tyson barreled across the goal line on a 3-yard run in the closing minute. Tyson found Brock Moon in the back of the end zone for a 22-8 lead.
“We did a good job of answering when they scored,” Slater said. “I was really pleased with the way we played on defense tonight. We were able to maintain control.”
Much of that had to do with a suffocating run defense that limited Hanover to 36 yards on 18 carries. The Wildcats trailed by as many as 22 points early in the second half after Winters caught a pass from Tyson on fourth-and-7, broke away from a tackle and scored from 34 yards out. Timmy Roberts’ conversion run pushed the lead to 30-8.
“I texted Dane early today and asked if he was ready,” Slater said. “And his response was, ‘Been ready.’ That was not a surprise. That’s just who these kids are.”
Hanover cut the deficit to 30-16 early in the final frame on an 8-yard pass from Cohorst to Tanner Bruna, but the Bearcats re-established a three-possession lead late in the quarter on a nifty 13-yard run by their signal-caller. On third-and-long from the 13, Tyson bowled into the middle of the defense before spinning back to the left and sprinting to the pylon for a 36-16 advantage.
The Wildcats narrowed the final margin on a 24-yard scoring strike from Stallbaumer to Camron Jueneman with a little more than two minutes remaining.
Tyson and Winters had a hand in all 348 yards accumulated by Burlingame’s offense. In addition to 144 yards on the ground, Tyson threw for 106 yards. Winters had 98 yards rushing and 79 receiving. Roberts added two catches for 16 yards and Moon one for 9 yards. The Bearcats racked up 21 first downs.
Stallbaumer paced Hanover with 125 yards passing.
BURLINGAME 36, HANOVER 24
Hanover 0 8 0 16 — 24
Burlingame 8 14 8 6 — 36
First Quarter
BHS – Dane Winters 34 pass from JD Tyson (Tyson run)
Second Quarter
BHS – Tyson 1 run (Pass failed)
HHS – Hunter Kickhaefer 27 pass from Rieken Stallbaumer (Camron Jueneman pass from Kadrick Cohorst)
BHS – Tyson 3 run (Brock Moon pass from Tyson)
Third Quarter
BHS – Winters 34 pass from Tyson (Timmy Roberts run)
Fourth Quarter
HHS – Tanner Bruna 8 pass from Cohorst (Cohorst run)
BHS – Tyson 13 run (Pass failed)
HHS – Jueneman 24 pass from Stallbaumer (Jueneman pass from Stallbaumer)
GAME IN FIGURES
HHS BHS
First downs 10 21
Rushes-Yards 18-36 44-242
Passing 14-24-2 6-9-0
Passing yards 154 106
Total yards 190 348
Punts 2-44.0 1-18
Fumbles-lost 3-1 3-2
Penalties 3-30 8-65
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Hanover: Alec Jueneman 6-17, Braylon Meyn 2-11, Cohorst 9-8, Stallbaumer 1-0. Burlingame: Tyson 28-144, Winters 16-98.
RECEIVING – Hanover: I. Jueneman 2-39, Kickhaefer 2-30, Meyn 5-28, A. Jueneman 2-28, Cohorst 1-19, Bruna 2-10. Burlingame: Winters 3-79, Roberts 2-18, Moon 1-9.
PASSING – Hanover: Stallbaumer 9-16-2 125, Cohorst 4-7-0 26, Meyn 1-1-0 3. Burlingame: Tyson 6-9-0 106.