By Rick Assad
Two critical elements were at play when the Burroughs High football team hosted Arcadia in the Pacific League opener at Memorial Field and they were decisive in the home team winning 21-13 on Friday evening.
They included the spectacular performance by running back Matteo Tarca and the other was the Bears’ stout defense which kept pressure on the Apaches’ quarterback who was pressured throughout and usually had a few seconds to get off a pass or be sacked.
Tarca’s career-best 268 yards on 24 carries resulted in three touchdown runs and showed what the junior is capable of doing on a nightly basis.
Senior quarterback Mingus Allen, who completed eight of 16 passes for 78 yards and one interception, played well and managed the game efficiently and had just one interception in the second half.
Burroughs senior tight end/linebacker Rocco Melillo caught four passes for 54 yards and played solid defense.
“We fought and got a hard and tough win,” first-year Burroughs coach Laron Johnson said. “I liked how they stayed focused, and they wanted this win. My defense rose to the occasion.”
The Bears (3-1 and 1-0 in league) scored first when Tarca, who had 11 double-digit yard carries that resulted in 225 yards.
The longest dash of the night was a 52-yard scamper with 11:21 left in the second quarter that made it 7-0.
During the five-play, 84-yard march, Tarca rushed the ball three times and accounted for 61 yards.
The Apaches (1-3 and 0-1 in league) answered that score with a drive that began at the Burroughs 23 and consumed six plays including a three-yard scoring run by junior signal-caller Jacobi Law and 1:29 left before halftime as the Bears pulled ahead 7-6.
Midway through the third period, the Apaches moved in front 13-7 when Law found sophomore wide receiver Ethan Long who grabbed a six-yard pass and capped the 72-yard, 12-play excursion with 5:30 remaining before the fourth quarter.
Tarca took over in the final period as he added two touchdown runs and they made it 14-13 with 6:16 showing.
On the six-play march that began at the Burroughs 40, Tarca had a jaunt of 25 yards before adding a 20-yard scoring dash.
Tarca carried the ball 14 times for 170 yards in the second half after accounting for 98 yards on 10 rushes in the opening half.
The icing on the cake was Tarca’s five-yard scoring run with 1:04 remaining in the final period as the hosts pulled ahead by eight points.
This 80-yard drive was a thing of beauty as the Bears used eight plays, seven of which Tarca carried the ball and gained 80 yards.
“I liked how our defense fought till the end. We were put in some bad spots field position wise, but we made plays for the most part when we needed to,” Keith Recchia, the defensive coordinator said. “We’re young on defense, so mistakes are going to happen. They’re growing and improving every game.”
The next game on the schedule for Burroughs is a matchup with host Glendale at Moyse Field on Friday, September 27.
