Burroughs’ Banks Pays Off, 24-13

It’s too early to tell, but Burroughs High, despite the graduation of several key starters, is beginning to look like the team that advanced to last year’s Southern Section Northwestern Conference final.

In Friday night’s 24-13 nonleague win at home against previously undefeated Glendale, the Indians demonstrated the two signature characteristics of last year’s team: a balanced offense and a defense that gets stingier as the game progresses.

“We finally got our passing game in order. Our running game has always been there,” Burroughs Coach Butch McElwee said. “We had a different atmosphere tonight than in the past.”

Junior running back Andre Banks scored two second-half touchdowns for Burroughs on similar plays--an option on the right side. The first came from 8 yards and put Burroughs ahead, 14-13, with less than two minutes left in the third quarter, after Tommy Phillips’ point-after kick.

Banks, who finished with 75 yards in 16 carries, then scored from 6 yards with 7:34 to play.

“We used the same play against St. Francis and La Canada,” McElwee said. “Those guys were coming inside so we went outside.”

Burroughs’ other running back, Kevin Monaco, rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown in 20 carries.

Indian quarterback Marco Arcipreste completed 9 of 14 passes for 120 yards and had 1 pass intercepted. His counterpart, Richard Callister, completed 11 of 26 passes for 190 yards, but on critical third and fourth downs was under pressure and had 5 passes knocked down.

“Our defense is all new kids,” McElwee said. “We lost the kids, but we didn’t lose the talent.”

Glendale (3-1) had a chance to tie the score with less than six minutes to play, but officials ruled that receiver Rafik Thorossian trapped a 36-yard pass in the end zone on fourth down.

Burroughs completed the scoring on a 29-yard field goal by Phillips with 3:33 left.

“They’re going to give Hart a run for its money. That’s for sure,” Glendale Coach Don Shoemaker said of Burroughs (3-1).

Glendale led, 14-7, at halftime after stopping a Burroughs drive about a foot short on fourth and goal from the 1 with less than a minute to go.

The Nitros scored first on a 1-yard run by Thorossian on the first play of the second quarter.

Burroughs tied the score on a 2-yard run by Monaco capping a 7-play, 73-yard drive. The key play on the drive was a 41-yard pass from Arcipreste to Steve Hubbell.

Glendale temporarily regained the lead on a 3-yard run by Corey White with 7:25 left in the first half. The point-after attempt by Sang Lee was blocked.