http://www.smdailyjournal.com/artic...pulls-away-from-south-city/1776425150840.html
In a matchup featuring two of the more potent running games in the Peninsula Athletic League, it was all about the defense.
The Burlingame Panthers walked away with a 26-14 home win over the South City Warriors in Friday’s final primer before the start of league play. While neither team could maintain an offensive rhythm, South City actually outgained Burlingame 219-180 in total offense.
It was the slimmest margin of victory for the unbeaten Panthers (4-0), who in three previous games outscored opponents 95-27.
“This is really the first team that pushed us to the edge, and we responded,” Burlingame head coach John Philipopoulos said.
After South City (2-2) tied it 7-7 with 4:26 remaining in the third quarter, Burlingame scored on back-to-back possessions to all but put the game out of reach.
Senior running back Joevani Garcia stretched over the goal line with a 5-yard scoring run to give the Panthers a 13-7 lead at the end of the third quarter. Then three plays into the ensuing South City possession, Burlingame free safety Vinny Ferrari nabbed an interception to give his team the ball back near midfield. Five plays later, Laipeli Palu bounced off tackle to virtually walk into the end zone to extend the Panthers’ lead to 19-7 with 8:29 remaining in regulation.
The usually rush-oriented Panthers totaled just 99 ground yards. Palu gained a game-high 54 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns. Senior running back Ben Williams totaled 23 yards on four carries. Garcia had 21 yards on 10 carries despite having the game’s single longest gain with a 17-yard pickup in the first half to set up Burlingame’s first score.
“We don’t need big plays all the time,” Garcia said. “We can just nickel and dime to get yards and get the [win], and that’s what we did today.”
Burlingame’s defense did the rest. It was and emotionally-charged game for both team’s defensive lines, but the emotion was nearly South City’s undoing in the first half. The Warriors simply could not rein in the first-half penalties, getting flagged for 143 yards in the game, including 103 in the first half. The tally included four unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, two on the same play.
“It was a team we thought we were able to compete with and we let the emotion get the most of us,” said South City coach Jay Oca.
The Panthers got a foothold on good field position from the outset. After South City opened the game by turning the ball over on downs at the Burlingame 44-yard line, the Panthers leveraged a score on their second possession. The Panthers benefitted from a poor South City punt, coupled with a 15-yard penalty for an illegal block, to take possession at their the Warriors’ 26-yard line. After a pair of Garcia runs moved the ball to the 7-yard line, Palu dashed in off right tackle for an easy score, giving Burlingame a 7-0 lead near the end of the first quarter.
The score remained the same into the second half. South City came out of the halftime locker room more disciplined and held Burlingame to a three-and-out on the half’s opening possession. Then the Warriors got a head of steam and drove downfield 62 yards on 14 plays — including a crafty 6-yard keeper by quarterback Kolson Pua on fourth-and-3 to keep the drive alive — with fullback Peter Lopez scoring on a 2-yard blast to tie it 7-7.
“I feel like they have a really good offense,” Burlingame defensive tackler Vraj Patel said.
After Burlingame jumped out to a 19-7 lead, Patel and the rest of the Panthers defensive line put their stamp on an exceptional effort. South City got a 38-yard kickoff return by junior Juan Borrero to its own 48-yard line. But after the Warriors advanced into Burlingame territory on a late-hit penalty by defensive end Bassel Mufarreh, the Panthers pushed them backwards.
On first down, Patel sacked Pua for a 5-yard loss. Mufarreh got to Pua on the following playing, sacking him for a loss of 10 yards. Two plays later, South City turned the ball over on downs to set up Burlingame's final score.
“We started running more slants by defensive tackles, but mainly [the reason we stopped them] was just teamwork,” Mufarreh said.
The Panthers took over at their own 47-yard line. Seven plays later, Burlingame quarterback Cam Kelaita connected with junior tight end Jack Baker for a 23-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 26-7.
South City added one more score on its final drive with a entertaining bootleg fake by Pua from the Panthers’ 5-yard line. Pua drew the defense in with the ball tucked low, then flipped a quick underhand pass all the way to the back of the end zone to senior receiver Paul Matamea, who was all alone for the touchdown grab, capping the night’s scoring.
South City center Fernando Palomino was helped off the field in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. Oca said Palomino had a slight sprain, but should be good to go when the Warriors open PAL Ocean Division play Oct. 9 against Half Moon Bay. Warriors guard and defensive end Tavai Tuitasi was playing on a sprained ankle, which he suffered last week in a 40-0 loss to Serra.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m hurt,” Tuitasi said. “I just need to play with my team.”
After a bye week, Burlingame opens PAL Bay Division play Oct. 9 hosting Aragon at 7 p.m. Philipopoulos said the matchup with South City was a good platform for the upcoming league schedule.
“It’s a good win for us and a good game to get us ready for Bay Division football,” Philipopoulos said.
In a matchup featuring two of the more potent running games in the Peninsula Athletic League, it was all about the defense.
The Burlingame Panthers walked away with a 26-14 home win over the South City Warriors in Friday’s final primer before the start of league play. While neither team could maintain an offensive rhythm, South City actually outgained Burlingame 219-180 in total offense.
It was the slimmest margin of victory for the unbeaten Panthers (4-0), who in three previous games outscored opponents 95-27.
“This is really the first team that pushed us to the edge, and we responded,” Burlingame head coach John Philipopoulos said.
After South City (2-2) tied it 7-7 with 4:26 remaining in the third quarter, Burlingame scored on back-to-back possessions to all but put the game out of reach.
Senior running back Joevani Garcia stretched over the goal line with a 5-yard scoring run to give the Panthers a 13-7 lead at the end of the third quarter. Then three plays into the ensuing South City possession, Burlingame free safety Vinny Ferrari nabbed an interception to give his team the ball back near midfield. Five plays later, Laipeli Palu bounced off tackle to virtually walk into the end zone to extend the Panthers’ lead to 19-7 with 8:29 remaining in regulation.
The usually rush-oriented Panthers totaled just 99 ground yards. Palu gained a game-high 54 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns. Senior running back Ben Williams totaled 23 yards on four carries. Garcia had 21 yards on 10 carries despite having the game’s single longest gain with a 17-yard pickup in the first half to set up Burlingame’s first score.
“We don’t need big plays all the time,” Garcia said. “We can just nickel and dime to get yards and get the [win], and that’s what we did today.”
Burlingame’s defense did the rest. It was and emotionally-charged game for both team’s defensive lines, but the emotion was nearly South City’s undoing in the first half. The Warriors simply could not rein in the first-half penalties, getting flagged for 143 yards in the game, including 103 in the first half. The tally included four unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, two on the same play.
“It was a team we thought we were able to compete with and we let the emotion get the most of us,” said South City coach Jay Oca.
The Panthers got a foothold on good field position from the outset. After South City opened the game by turning the ball over on downs at the Burlingame 44-yard line, the Panthers leveraged a score on their second possession. The Panthers benefitted from a poor South City punt, coupled with a 15-yard penalty for an illegal block, to take possession at their the Warriors’ 26-yard line. After a pair of Garcia runs moved the ball to the 7-yard line, Palu dashed in off right tackle for an easy score, giving Burlingame a 7-0 lead near the end of the first quarter.
The score remained the same into the second half. South City came out of the halftime locker room more disciplined and held Burlingame to a three-and-out on the half’s opening possession. Then the Warriors got a head of steam and drove downfield 62 yards on 14 plays — including a crafty 6-yard keeper by quarterback Kolson Pua on fourth-and-3 to keep the drive alive — with fullback Peter Lopez scoring on a 2-yard blast to tie it 7-7.
“I feel like they have a really good offense,” Burlingame defensive tackler Vraj Patel said.
After Burlingame jumped out to a 19-7 lead, Patel and the rest of the Panthers defensive line put their stamp on an exceptional effort. South City got a 38-yard kickoff return by junior Juan Borrero to its own 48-yard line. But after the Warriors advanced into Burlingame territory on a late-hit penalty by defensive end Bassel Mufarreh, the Panthers pushed them backwards.
On first down, Patel sacked Pua for a 5-yard loss. Mufarreh got to Pua on the following playing, sacking him for a loss of 10 yards. Two plays later, South City turned the ball over on downs to set up Burlingame's final score.
“We started running more slants by defensive tackles, but mainly [the reason we stopped them] was just teamwork,” Mufarreh said.
The Panthers took over at their own 47-yard line. Seven plays later, Burlingame quarterback Cam Kelaita connected with junior tight end Jack Baker for a 23-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 26-7.
South City added one more score on its final drive with a entertaining bootleg fake by Pua from the Panthers’ 5-yard line. Pua drew the defense in with the ball tucked low, then flipped a quick underhand pass all the way to the back of the end zone to senior receiver Paul Matamea, who was all alone for the touchdown grab, capping the night’s scoring.
South City center Fernando Palomino was helped off the field in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. Oca said Palomino had a slight sprain, but should be good to go when the Warriors open PAL Ocean Division play Oct. 9 against Half Moon Bay. Warriors guard and defensive end Tavai Tuitasi was playing on a sprained ankle, which he suffered last week in a 40-0 loss to Serra.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m hurt,” Tuitasi said. “I just need to play with my team.”
After a bye week, Burlingame opens PAL Bay Division play Oct. 9 hosting Aragon at 7 p.m. Philipopoulos said the matchup with South City was a good platform for the upcoming league schedule.
“It’s a good win for us and a good game to get us ready for Bay Division football,” Philipopoulos said.
