By Ernie W. Webb III
BURLINGAME – As Trent Spiker’s pass floated into the end zone, Burlingame’s Kris Hovestadt positioned himself in front of Braden Simmons, bracing for an interception. Hovestadt wasn’t about to let the Bearcats lose on Senior Night, wrapping his arms around the ball and pulling it away from Simmons as they wrestled to the ground.
That pick capped a wild comeback, as Burlingame rallied from a three-touchdown deficit late in the third quarter for a 36-28 win over the Mustangs. The win not only improved the Bearcats to 5-2, but also secured a home playoff game for the sixth time in seven seasons. Burlingame will host Bennington (6-2, 3-2) in the opening round Thursday.
Trailing 28-22, the Bearcats were on the ropes late in the fourth quarter after a fumble deep in their own territory, but the defense came up with a critical fourth-down stop when linebacker Colby Middleton stuffed Simmons on a shovel pass at the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal from the 4 with 3:01 left.
Middleton then took over on offense, breaking loose for a 20-yard run on third and short to extend the series. On a first-down play from Doniphan West’s 37, the junior quarterback dropped back, evaded two defenders in the backfield and patiently weaved his way to the 8. Two players later, he jogged untouched into the end zone to tie the game with 41 seconds left.
In overtime, two Middleton runs gave Burlingame the lead for the first time, and Lance Noonan tacked on the two-point conversion on a shovel pass. After a 15-yard loss on a snap over Spiker’s head, the Mustangs threw an incomplete pass on second down and the interception on third.
The Bearcats had to earn the right to host a playoff game, as Doniphan West (3-5, 2-3 in district play) dominated much of the first three quarters. Burlingame didn’t have an answer for Spiker in the first three periods, as the quarterback raced around the end on several off-tackle plays while racking up nearly 200 yards on the ground.
The Mustangs scored easily on their first two drives, marching 65 yards in nine plays on the first and 54 yards in five plays on the second. Kole Franken scored on a 13-yard run on the opening series, and Spiker sprinted 30 yards untouched on a keeper on Doniphan West’s second possession.
Burlingame (5-2, 4-1) scored the first time it had the ball on a long-time consuming drive. The Bearcats ran more than six minutes off the clock, going 65 yards on 11 plays. Middleton’s 4-yard run and Noonan’s conversion reception knotted the score.
The Mustangs took control during the next two quarters, scoring on another 30-yard run by Spiker midway through the second quarter and pushing the advantage to 28-8 late in the third period on Franken’s 4-yard jaunt.
A little more than a quarter away from the daunting task of traveling to Canton-Galva in the opening round of the playoffs, Burlingame’s saved its season with 20 unanswered points during the final 13 minutes of regulation.
The Bearcats rallied behind a passing game that they haven’t relied on much this season. In the closing moments of the third quarter, Matthew Heckman hauled in a 38-yard scoring strike from Middleton on fourth-and-2. Four minutes later, Burlingame pulled within 28-22 on Heckman’s 30-yard touchdown grab.
After forcing a punt midway through the fourth quarter, the Bearcats lost a fumble at their own 22 with 6:38 remaining. The Mustangs picked up a first down at the 7, but Burlingame’s defense stood its ground with a critical stop to set up the game-tying drive.
Middleton accounted for 367 of Burlingame’s 372 yards, rushing for 193 yards on 28 carries and throwing for 174 on 14-of-20 accuracy. Heckman had 101 yards on six receptions and Noonan 64 yards on seven catches.
Spiker rushed for 191 yards on 26 carries, while Franken had 73 yards on 19 attempts. Doniphan West will play at Canton-Galva on Thursday.
BURLINGAME 36, DONIPHAN WEST 28
Doniphan West 8 14 6 0 0 — 28
Burlingame 8 0 8 12 8 — 36
DW – Kole Franken 13 run (Trent Spiker run)
BG – Colby Middleton 4 run (Lance Noonan pass from Middleton)
DW – Spiker 30 run (Run failed)
DW – Spiker 30 run (Spiker run)
DW – Franken 4 run (Run failed)
BG – Matthew Heckman 38 pass from Middleton (Dane Winters pass from Middleton)
BG – Heckman 30 pass from Middleton (Run failed)
BG – Middleton 1 run (Run failed)
BG – Middleton 6 run (Noonan pass from Middleton)
DW BG
First Downs 17 14
Rushes-Yards 50-279 31-198
Passing Yards 12 174
Passing 2-6-1 14-20-0
Total yards 291 372
Fumbles-Lost 2-0 1-1
Penalties 6-48 6-54
Punting 2-44.5 1-49
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Doniphan West – Spiker 26-191, Franken 19-73, Braden Simmons 5-15. Burlingame – Middleton 28-193, Winters 1-7, Kris Hovestadt 2-(-2).
Receiving: Doniphan West – Simmons 2-12. Burlingame – Heckman 6-101, Noonan 7-64, Trever Quaney 1-9.
Passing: Doniphan West – Spiker 2-6-1 12. Burlingame – Middleton 14-20-0 174.