Playoff Football Preview: Burbank vs. Serrano
BURBANK VS. SERRANO
•WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
•WHERE: Memorial Field (Burroughs High)
•RECORDS: The Bulldogs are 5-6; the Diamondbacks are 11-0
•LAST WEEK: Burbank defeated Don Lugo, 40-20; Serrano defeated Canyon Country Canyon, 23-7
•OUTLOOK: It looks like a challenging task for the Bulldogs, as they take on No. 1-seeded Serrano in a CIF Southern Section Division VII quarterfinal game. Burbank, which finished third in the Pacific League behind champion Crescenta Valley and runner-up Muir, won its first playoff contest since 2017 when it defeated Don Lugo last week. With their starting quarterback and back-up both injured, senior Vincent Vang took over the signal-caller duties and helped lead the Bulldogs to the win. Senior running back Isaac Glover had a stellar game for Burbank with 23 carries for a program playoff best of 244 yards and three touchdowns. Burbank had a team total of 376 offensive yards. In 11 games, Glover has rushed for 1,082 yards in 191 carries and has 12 touchdowns. The Bulldogs, under coach Adam Colman, have been successful the last few weeks without junior starting quarterback Aram Araradian, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury. Last week was the third straight game the signal-caller missed after injuring his shoulder in a league game against Muir on Oct. 14. In eight games, he has completed 112 of 199 passes for 1,933 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Leading the receiving corps is senior Ben Burnham (957 yards, 40 catches, eight touchdowns) and junior Brandon Pena (869 yards, 49 catches, seven touchdowns). Under coach Casey Maholchic, Serrano has steamrolled through the season without a hiccup. The Diamondbacks captured the Mojave River League championship with a 5-0 record. The closest a team has come to defeating Serrano was Apple Valley (the league runner-up), which lost, 17-7, in a league contest. Serrano has an accomplished quarterback in senior Parker Chaffee, who has completed 68 of 119 passes for 1,485 yards, 22 touchdowns and two interceptions. On the ground, senior Wahkill Sullivan has 141 carries for 1,245 yards and 11 touchdowns. The winner of Friday’s contest will advance to the Division VII and take on Ventura or Cypress on Nov. 22.
•SOMETHING INTERESTING: Burbank was one of four Pacific League teams to win their opening-round playoff games last Friday. Also earning victories were Crescenta Valley, Muir and Pasadena.
