Burbank Comes From Behind to Stay Undefeated

Burbank pulls out late victory
Bulldogs score winning touchdown in final two minutes to earn 33-27 league win against Arcadia.

By Jeff Tully
Published: Saturday, October 31, 2009

ARCADIA — The Burbank High football team had 3:11 and one final drive to keep its hopes of a Pacific League championship alive.Trailing Arcadia on Friday late in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs needed to march 55 yards and score a touchdown to give them a chance at winning the contest against the Apaches.

Burbank proved up to the task, as the team scored the winning touchdown with 1:55 remaining to complete a 33-27 come-from-behind victory at Arcadia. The win was important for the Bulldogs (7-1, 5-0 in league) because it kept them undefeated in league and tied for first place with cross-town rival Burroughs (6-2, 5-0).

Burbank Coach Hector Valencia said his squad’s winning drive shows the true character of his Bulldogs.“They had the confidence that they could come back and win the game for us,” said Valencia, who is in his first year. “They weren’t about to give up. That’s what’s great about this team; they were not going to quit.”The winning drive was capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Adam Colman to Anthony Cervantes. On the play, Cervantes came across the field, dove and outstretched the ball, coming down with the prize in the end zone. Colman ran in the two-point conversion attempt to give the Bulldogs a six-point lead.

The Apaches (1-6-1, 1-4) tried to mount a winning drive, but Burbank defender Sam Bethany intercepted a pass with 50 seconds remaining to seal the victory.“Adam just did a great job for us tonight,” Valencia said. “He threw a lot of good passes that were dropped.” Colman completed 11 of 22 passes for 242 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Burbank fell behind, 21-18, at the half and trailed, 27-25, with 4:55 left in the contest. The Burbank defense did a solid job shutting down the Arcadia running game, as it gained just 54 yards.However, they couldn’t stop its passing game and quarterback Garrett Tuck. Tuck completed 23 of 36 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns.“We made a lot of mental mistakes, especially in the first half,” said Valencia, whose team committed 10 penalties for 83 yards in the first half alone.