San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Burbank 27, Edison 26 (OT)
Quick take: To beat Edison in overtime, Burbank needed to do something it struggled to do for the entirety of the second half — stop quarterback Roger Lopez from crossing the goal line. This time, it was on a 2-point conversion try to decide the game, and the Bulldogs’ defense rose to the challenge on back-toback attempts to escape with a 27-26 victory Friday night at SAISD Sports Complex.
“I prayed real quick right there,” Burbank coach Wendell Harris said, referencing the game-deciding two-point conversion attempt. “That’s a bigtime stop. Edison’s talented. They started driving on us, and that right there was a big stop. But [stopping them twice] determined they wanted it more, they wanted to win. And I’m very proud of our kids.”
Highlights: The reflexes of freshman Keven Hernandez led to Burbank’s first score of the game when the receiver snatched a deflected pass out of the air in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.
Kaleb Hernandez impressed fans of both teams with a 31yard catch, stretching his arms over the boundary while maintaining both feet in bounds to move the chains for Burbank (3-1, 2-0 District 13-5A-I). The drive ended when Edison junior defensive back Victor Rodriguez recovered a fumble in the backfield to halt Burbank’s momentum.
The next touchdown didn’t come until the third quarter, when Burbank quarterback Ramiro Salazar found senior receiver Andrew Buentello on a corner route for a 23-yard strike, putting the Bulldogs up 14-0.
Edison (1-3, 1-1) found the end zone in the third quarter when Lopez carried the ball on a designed run, shed a couple of tackles and rumbled over the goal line to slice the deficit in half.
Burbank all-purpose back Matthew Cortez took a fourthquarter handoff and was met by a defender in the backfield, but broke through the tackle and exploded through the middle of the field for a 54-yard run. The next play, Cortez punched in a 3-yard touchdown run to put the Bulldogs back in front.
With less than a minute left in regulation, Lopez connected with Isaiah Tovar on a fly route for a 40-yard gain, setting up a score a few plays later on another quarterback sneak. The missed extra point left the score tied at 20, sending the game into overtime.
Burbank scored on its opening drive in overtime on a 19-yard pass from Salazar to Kaleb Hernandez and turned to its defense to try and seal the win. Lopez rushed for his fourth touchdown of the game, and the Bears looked to go for the win instead of the tie. The first attempt failed, but was negated by a penalty. The second try was
also stuffed by the Bulldogs’ defensive line, cementing the 27-26 victory.
What it means: Burbank has established itself as one of District 13-5A’s top teams, sitting behind 3-0 Lanier, which had its bye this week. Salazar has been reliable behind center and showed an ability to improvise and turn negative plays into first downs, while the defense has been solid through the first four weeks of the season.
Edison can take several positive notes from this one, most notably holding an offense that scored 50 points last week to just three scores in regulation Friday. Lopez was a workhorse at quarterback, and the offensive line seemed to wear down the Burbank defensive front in the fourth quarter — a strategy Edison can duplicate in the future.
Quotable: “My emotions are everywhere right now,” Harris said. “I’m very happy for our team. I’m glad with how they finished the game. I’m very happy for our staff, their energy is high, they’re keeping the kids going. It takes all of us to get this going. It was an incredible game.”
Game balls: Buentello tallied 10 receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown, serving as a reliable outlet for Salazar all evening.
For Edison, Lopez completed seven of 12 passes for 113 yards while rushing 21 times for 77 yards and four touchdowns.
Up next: Edison hosts Sam Houston at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at SAISD Sports Complex. Burbank will take on Brackenridge at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at Alamo Stadium.