Trio ready for playoffs

Trio ready to open playoffs
FOOTBALL: Burroughs, Burbank get home games and Bell-Jeff hits the road in first-round games.

By Jeff Tully, Burbank Leader
Published: Tuesday, November 17, 2009

BURBANK — It’s been decades since the Burbank High and Burroughs football teams both had first-round playoff home games. However, while the Bulldogs and Indians will enjoy the comfy confines of Memorial Field for their CIF Southern Section postseason games this week, Bellarmine-Jefferson has to hit the road for its playoff opener.

Because Burbank and Burroughs share the same venue, the two will play on different days in Southeast Division games. The Indians will host a tough Diamond Ranch team at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and the Bulldogs will host Alhambra on Friday in a 7:30 game. The Guards will be at Boron Friday for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

After tying for the Pacific League championship last week, Burbank received the league’s No. 1 seed and Burroughs is the No. 2 seed. With Memorial Field slated to be torn down and rebuilt early next year, it might be the last opportunity for the teams to play on the venue that has been hosting the cross-town Big Games since 1949.“After Burroughs plays on it Thursday, I can just imagine what the field is going to look like when we play on Friday,” Burbank Coach Hector Valencia said. “It was pretty bad Friday.”

The condition of Memorial Field is probably way down the list of concerns for Burroughs Coach Keith Knoop. He has to worry about a talented Diamond Ranch team.“They are beasts,” Knoop said. “We just don’t ever seem to get a break for the playoffs. This is a very good team and they have a lot of talent.”The Indians (7-3) will take on a team that is 4-6. However, most of those losses have come against tough competition, including defeats against Colony, 25-20, Chino Hills, 17-14, Bishop Amat, 41-13 and Charter Oak, 12-0. The Panthers — second in the Miramonte League — have an outstanding running back in Amari Staten (235 yards against Los Altos) and a solid quarterback in Gus Viramontes. Burroughs counters with a quality running back of its own. Senior Dalton Williams has 182 carries for 1,444 yards and 21 touchdowns. His yardage total puts him fourth on the Indians’ all-time single-season list.

Burbank (8-2) will take on an Alhambra team that likes to throw the ball. Senior quarterback Darian Cazarin has completed 132 of 241 passes for 2,022 yards, 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Moors (6-3 and third from the Almont League) have only 590 rushing yards this season.The Bulldogs posses a much more balanced offensive attack behind running backs Ulises Ochoa (137 carries for 1,151 yards and 12 touchdowns), Leo Rodas (116 for 726 and six touchdowns) and quarterback Adam Colman (100 of 171 for 1,601 yards, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions). Colman is fifth all-time in passing yardage in a season. In 2008, the Bulldogs advanced to the quarterfinals and won their first playoff game in 81 years.

Boron (8-2) — the Desert Mountain champion — should pose a tough task for Bell-Jeff (6-4 and third in the Santa Fe League).“That’s what you get when you finish third in your league,” Guards’ Coach Rolando Aguirre said. “They are good, but beatable.”The Bobcats have a solid running game behind Reggie Heard (99 for 810 and nine touchdowns) and Leroy Taylor (96 for 736 and 11 touchdowns). Quarterback Josh Core (53 for 92 for 911, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions) runs the offense.The Guards have received a huge effort this season from junior running back/receiver Micah Shirley. Shirley has 77 carries for 902 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing and has 44 catches for 651 yards and eight touchdowns. He has even thrown for a touchdown.“We are just going to have to come out tough and battle,” said Aguirre, whose team made it to Northeast Division quarterfinals in 2008.