Burroughs football can’t finish against Arcadia

BURBANK — Points needed in the first half of a game that was in the balance were instead scored late when the outcome was all but inevitable.

Twenty fourth-quarter points were the result of the Burroughs High football team never giving up in its Pacific League opener with visiting Arcadia.

For the Indians, however, continued struggles from their offense in the first half prevented a potential upset. Instead, it was a 45-27 loss to Pacific League powerhouse Arcadia on Friday night at Memorial Field.

“Story of our year,” said Indians Coach Rand Holdren, whose team had its highest scoring output through four games. “We gotta finish. Last week we played one half; [week before] we played one quarter; tonight we played three quarters. We’re going to put together four quarters one of these games.”

Unwanted trends for the Indians were seen on both sides of the ball. Their defense, which had given up an average of 47.6 through the first three games, couldn’t slow down quarterback Dylan Guerra and the Apaches offense.

Guerra completed 32 of 40 passes for 447 yards and four touchdowns. He completed all of his last 19 attempts.

“That’s an all-star team, let’s call it what it is,” Holdren said. “We’re just average kids from Burbank competing against grown men from … everywhere.”

Burroughs senior quarterback, Nathan Piper, threw for 114 yards, including a touchdown. The senior also rushed for a touchdown.

Senior running back Luke Rogers was the workhorse of the Indians offense on Friday night, as he carried the ball 35 times for 76 yards.

Rogers put Burroughs (0-4) on the scoreboard with 12.8 seconds remaining in the first half. A seven-yard scamper cut the deficit to 17-7 going into halftime.

A 12-play drive compiling 72 yards and spanning both quarters of the first half had Burroughs as deep as Arcadia’s 12-yard line, but would end with a turnover on downs.

It was an opportunity to take the lead after the defense had held the Apaches to just a field goal in the first quarter as the guests jumped out to a 3-0 advantage.

Punts on each of the first two possessions of the first half were capitalized by the Apaches with a pair of touchdowns to increase their cushion to 31-7.

Nicholas Garcia, who played some quarterback, capped a 14-play, 80-yard drive with a dive into the end zone. A two-point conversion attempt that would have made the game a two-possession affair, failed.

Arcadia answered each Burroughs touchdown in a fourth quarter that combined for 34 points.

“We just need to focus on ourselves,” Holdren said. “Tonight was encouraging.”

The Indians will look to turn things around next week when they host Glendale on Thursday in a nonleague contest at Memorial Field.

Before the game Burroughs inducted its latest class into the Athletic Hall of Fame. This years inductees included: Gracie Coronado (basketball, track and field), Carolyn Brown (track and field, cross-country, soccer), Michael Tidik (tennis), Melody Sherman (track and field) Art Sullivan (boys’ basketball coach) and the 1993-94 Indians boys’ soccer team.