Lanier 36, Burbank 20

Quick take: With no available quarterback on the roster, sixth-placed Lanier rushed for 315 yards and four touchdowns to shock playoff-bound Burbank 36-20 on Friday night at Alamo Stadium.

“If you know anything about Lanier High School, you know our tradition is Vok pride,” Lanier coach Sal Téllez said. “Voks never say die, and this is how we play.”

Highlights: Lanier (4-6, 4-5 District 14-5A) opened the scoring with an explosive 59-yard run by senior Jeremiah Huizar to give the Voks a 6-0 lead.

Burbank (7-3, 6-3) answered later in the first quarter when quarterback Keven Hernandez tossed a 13-yard fade route to Jarod Romero, who punched the ball over the defending cornerback and came back down with it for a touchdown.

Junior running back Mario Torres regained the lead for Lanier early in the second quarter, following a host of blockers over the goal line for a 9-yard touchdown rumble. With two minutes remaining before halftime, Lanier sophomore Markeis Dixon ran in a 9-yard touchdown on a quarterback keeper to push the Voks’ lead to 21-7.

On the following possession, Burbank senior running back Matthew Cortez capped off a swift three-play, 27-second drive with a 55-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to seven entering the intermission.

Cortez added to his touchdown total on Burbank’s opening drive of the second half, originally fumbling the handoff before recovering it off the bounce and dashing 12 yards into the end zone to pull the Bulldogs to within one.

Late in the third quarter, Burbank appeared to be setting up for a double pass play, but Lanier cornerback Frankie Sanchez forced and recovered a fumble in the backfield before taking it 44 yards to the house. The 2-point conversion made it a two-possession game, 29-20, with three minutes left in the third quarter.

Defenses controlled the majority of the fourth quarter, but Dixon added a 21-yard touchdown run with 45 seconds in the game left to seal the 36-20 victory for the Voks.

What it means: The win ends the season on a positive note for Lanier and offers a foundation to build upon for its young core going into next year. Burbank already secured its playoff berth, but it could drop from second to third place in the district if Harlandale defeats McCollum on Saturday night.

Quotable: “It’s huge for our seniors to end the season on a high note despite the season that we had,” Tellez said. “But it’s also huge for our underclassmen. Moving on and getting this momentum for the offseason, for the summer, it’s huge for us.”

Game balls: Torres registered 23 carries for 140 yards and one touchdown, while Dixon added 15 rushes for 60 yards and two scores. Huizar added 15 carries for 115 yards and another touchdown for the Voks.

For Burbank, Cortez led the way with 15 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns.

Up next: Burbank’s playoff opponent will be determined after this weekend’s slate of games, while Lanier’s season has come to a close.

Kin Man Hui/Staff photographer Lanier’s Mario Torres extends himself to get a touchdown in the first half to help the Voks take a first-half lead against Burbank during their game Friday night.