Fine accomplishments for Bulldogs

This is the second in a four-part series looking back on the sports accomplishments of the four local high schools over the past school year. This installment is Burbank High:

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League championships were hard to come by during the 2010-11 campaign for the Bulldogs teams. In fact, no Burbank squad was able to claim a Pacific League title.

The football team came closest, staying in contention for a crown late in the season. However, the Bulldogs lost their final game of the regular season to place third. Burbank (7-4) did have a winning season, as it lost in the first round of the Southeast Division playoffs to Santa Fe, 28-14.

Despite the lack of team success, Bulldog athletes did enjoy a wealth of accomplishments as individuals.

Leading the way was senior track and field and cross-country standout McKenzie Paul.

In cross-country, Paul placed 11th in 18 minutes, 44 seconds at the CIF Southern Section finals and was the lone Bulldogs qualifier in the CIF prelims, finishing sixth in her heat with a time of 18:12. In addition, Paul ran to a fourth-place finish (19:19.94) in the Pacific League finals.

In the track and field season, Paul advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division I finals in the 800 meters. She also ran to a league championship in the 1,600 (5:05.54) and the 800 (2:15.30). The crown in the 800 was her third straight.

For her efforts, Paul was named the 2010 Girls’ Cross-Country Runner of the Year as well as the 2011 Girls’ Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

In football, Ryan Seidler and Ulisies Ochoa were important players in helping Burbank enjoy success.

Seidler, a linebacker, and Ochoa, a running back, were rewarded for their fine efforts during their 2009 junior seasons by being named to the All-CIF Southern Section Southeast Division first team.

As seniors this past season, Seidler and Ochoa stepped up their games, putting up big numbers and breaking school records for the Bulldogs. And for the second year in a row, the two players were honored with All-CIF first-team accolades.

Seidler — the league defensive player of the year — led the league with an impressive 151 tackles and averaged nearly 14 a game. In addition, he caused two fumbles and recovered two more.

Ochoa ended his career at Burbank as the most prolific runner in school history. In his senior season, the first-team all-leaguer and All-Area running back carried the ball 180 times for 1,255 (seven yards a carry) and had 18 touchdowns. He ended his tenure as the career leader in yards (3,078), breaking Kenny Walker’s previous record of 2,410, set in 1972-73. In addition, he has two of the top three marks in rushing yards in a season (1,504 in 2009 and 1,255 in 2010) and is No. 1 in career 100-yard games (15) — among other marks.

Senior quarterback Adam Colman also put up big numbers, completing 129 of 241 passes for 2,066 yards, 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

Colman was also a standout on the boys’ basketball team.

Colman wasn’t the only talented multi-sport athlete at Burbank.

Perhaps the most versatile athlete of the year was senior Jordan Card, who played four sports — girls’ water polo, girls’ golf, swimming and track and field.

During her senior year, Card was a versatile threat for the Bulldogs in water polo. Along with her abilities as a scorer, she also played lock-down defense, and was usually assigned to the opponent’s best offensive player.

Card scored 132 goals, setting a new-single season mark. She broke the previous record of 124 set by Catalina Casas in 2005. In addition, she collected 68 steals and had 22 assists and 15 blocks.

She already set the Burbank career goals mark the previous season after tallying 99 as a junior.

Along with winning All-CIF honors, Card was also named the Pacific League Player of the Year.

Under Coach Carlos Pelayo, Burbank (19-8) put a scare into league-champion Crescenta Valley in the Pacific League Tournament, falling to the Falcons, 10-9, in a semifinal match.

Card also enjoyed an individual championship during the track and field season, capturing the Pacific League title in the discus.

Card’s polo teammate, Sarah Tubert, also excelled in two sports, as she was also a standout on the Bulldogs’ girls’ volleyball team.

In volleyball, the first-team all-league selection had 281 assists to go along with 107 digs, 61 kills, 30 blocks and 23 aces. In polo, Tubert had 258 blocks at the goalkeeper position to set a new Bulldogs single-season mark, earning her first-team all-league accolades.

Tubert is currently playing for the USA National Deaf Women’s Volleyball Team.

During the winter season, the girls’ soccer team had a good year, led by senior forward Anabell Gonzalez. A first-team all-league pick, Gonzalez was the Pacific League’s most dangerous offensive weapon, scoring 18 goals to go with three assists.

Although the Burbank baseball team failed to make the playoffs, the squad received a solid performance from junior catcher Paul Frias.

The All-Pacific League first-teamer batted .481 (38 for 79) and had a .772 slugging percentage. Along with driving in 25 runs, he scored 28 and had eight doubles and three home runs.

Also in the spring, the Bulldogs’ boys’ track and field team had a league champion in Brandon Weiss, who took the boys’ discus event.

In boys’ swimming, Burbank’s Alex Lambert advanced to the CIF Masters Meet and broke two school records along the way.