Burbank Beats Chaminade 27 - 23

Defense does job in victory

FOOTBALL: A huge defensive stand with less than a minute left lifts Burbank past Chaminade, 27-23.
By Jeff Tully

MEMORIAL FIELD — There were plenty of reasons the Burbank High football team could use as excuses for not being able to beat Chaminade.The Bulldogs were coming off a crushing 35-point loss last week, were playing their second game in less than a week and were taking on an Eagles team from the tough Mission League that is ranked No. 7 in the Western Division.Despite all the variables stacked against it, Burbank stepped up big time and stunned Chaminade, 27-23, Thursday at Memorial Field, notching one of the biggest wins in recent program history.“We have never beat [Chaminade] — ever,” said Burbank Coach Ted Amorosi, whose team improved to 2-1. “This is a big win for us.”It wasn’t an easy win for the Bulldogs by no means.

It took a monumental defensive stand with less than a minute left, and a big interception by Cody Cardenaz, to secure the victory for Burbank.“I am just so proud of the effort by of these young men,” Amorosi said. “I’m also extremely proud of the way our defense played, and the job our defensive staff did of mixing things up the whole game.”That defense never played better than in the waning moments of the contest.


Down by four points, Chaminade (1-1) began a potential winning drive with 2:30 remaining from the Burbank 40-yard line. As precious time ticked off the clock, the Eagles drove the ball down to the 25-yard line and had a second-and-six situation.After two incomplete passes, Chaminade faced fourth down with 40.5 seconds left. On the crucial play, Eagles quarterback Anthony Vitto stepped back and let a pass fly into the endzone. However, Burbank senior defensive back Cody Cardenaz stepped in front of the receiver and snatched the offering for an interception, falling to the turf with his prize.“We knew they were going for the home-run ball,” said Cardenaz, an all-league defender in 2007. “The coaches just wanted me to play back far enough so they couldn’t put it in.”Cardenaz had quite a successful night.


Along with two interceptions, as a receiver, he also caught two touchdown passes, including a 68-yard effort. He ended the game with three catches for 110 yards.“Our defense was really able to step it up,” Cardenaz said. “It’s just a really great group.”That defense limited Chaminade to just 62 yards of total offense in the first half.The offense, on the other hand, played well at times, but also fell apart at others. Burbank was also its own worst enemy, as it committed nine penalties for more than 100 yards in the first half alone.The team also suffered from turnovers.“We just have to find a way to get over the turnover bug,” Amorosi said. “We have to be able to take care of the ball and not give the other team extra chances.”That defense also hounded Vitto all night, often flushing the passer out of the pocket and making him throw — unsuccessfully — on the run.Under pressure, the hard-throwing Vitto completed just five of 21 passes for 81 yards and two interceptions.



The Eagles came out gunning in the first quarter, taking a 10-0 lead.Burbank cut into the lead early in the second quarter when senior quarterback Kevin Hunter hit Jackson Diamond on 31-yard touchdown.The Bulldogs used a bit to trickery to score its next touchdown, as Nate Galles connected with Cardenaz on a 33-yard halfback option.Burbank took a 20-10 lead with 8:59 left in the third quarter when Hunter hit Cardenaz on a 68-yard pass play down the right sideline.Chaminade scored twice to take a 23-20 lead to put the pressure again on Burbank.The go-ahead touchdown came via a Burbank turnover. The Bulldogs had the ball at their own 19-yard line when Hunter threw a pass right into the hands of Chaminade linebacker Nick Grodotzke. Grodotzke took the offering and lumbered into the endzone untouched.


However, the Bulldogs responded by scoring at 11:54 of the fourth quarter on a three-yard sweep by Sam Bethany. Hunter completed nine of 13 passes for 180 yards and had two touchdowns and an interception. Because Burbank played a Zero Week game to begin the season, it will have a bye week coming up.That gives the Bulldogs more than a week to prepare for their Pacific League opener. The team will begin league play Oct. 3 against Pasadena at Pasadena City College. Last season, Burbank finished tied for fifth in the Pacific League and failed to qualify for the CIF Southern Section playoffs.