Homework pays off, 35-12

MEMORIAL FIELD — It was obvious in the early going of their Pacific League game that the Burroughs High football coaches had done a fine job scouting Pasadena.

From the opening of the first quarter, Indians’ defensive coordinator Ken Knoop was relaying to his players what play the Bulldogs were about to run, even before the ball was snapped.

It was that preparation that helped Burroughs jump to an early lead and ride that momentum to a 35-12 league victory Thursday at Memorial Field.

Burroughs Coach Keith Knoop, Ken’s older brother, said it is the job of his coaches to put in the time and get their team prepared for an opponent.

“That’s what we do, do the homework so we can have the team as ready as possible,” Knoop said. “Pasadena showed a lot of tendencies, and we wanted to exploit those tendencies as much as possible.

“The one thing that Pasadena did was they blitzed a lot more than we expected. In that fourth quarter, they were sending nine guys in there.”

The win was important for the Indians (4-2, 3-0 in league) because it kept them undefeated in league.

Burroughs and Burbank (5-1, 3-0), which defeated Glendale, 61-3, Friday, are the only two undefeated teams remaining in the league.

“We just have to open each door as they come,” Knoop said about the remaining four league contests. “We have Arcadia next week, and we have to focus on that game.”

The Indians looked impressive from the outset against Pasadena (3-3, 2-1). Burroughs began the contest with a workmanlike 66-yard, seven-play drive that culminated in an 11-yard touchdown run by senior running back Dalton Williams at the 8:21 mark.

Williams got his share of work early. He carried the ball 18 times and gained 106 yards, resulting in three touchdowns — all in the first half. His other two touchdowns came on two-yard runs.

Williams had just one carry in the second half.

Behind Williams’ solid running game, along with a fine passing game from quarterback Lucas Yanez, Burroughs powered to a 21-0 lead after one quarter.

The Indians increased their lead to 28-6 when Williams scored his final touchdown with 26.3 left in the first half.

The Burroughs defense stepped up in the first half, limiting the Bulldogs to just 86 yards of total offense. Williams, who also plays linebacker, recovered a fumble and Kohl Adams-Hurd had an interception in the first half.

With neither team able to score in the fourth quarter, Burroughs increased its advantage to 35-6 with 7:53 left in the game when Darrell Cunningham scored on a 20-yard touchdown run.

The Indians than gave up an 80-yard touchdown pass to the Bulldogs.

Knoop wasn’t exactly pleased with his team’s play late in the game, something that wasn’t lost on his players.

“We just have to play tough the whole game,” Williams said. “We can’t let up against anybody. We all have to bring it.”