By Rick Assad
On a Friday night when every point truly mattered, Matteo Tarca delivered the goods for the Burroughs High football team when it faced Crescenta Valley at Moyse Field.
The junior running back/outside linebacker rushed for 334 yards on 39 carries and scored four touchdowns in a dramatic 37-35 Pacific League game, but the winning points came on an 18-yard field goal from senior Braden Turner in the closing moments.
When the Falcons forged ahead 35-34 with 10:54 left in the fourth quarter on a 33-yard scamper from junior running back/linebacker Leonidas Grant, a fumble on the kickoff by the Bears saw Crescenta Valley get the ball back at the Burroughs 44-yard line.
The Falcons (4-4 and 3-2 in league) ran four plays and then punted from the Bears’ 28, forcing the winning drive to begin deep inside Burroughs’ territory.
The Bears used a well-executed 16-play, 91-yard trek down the field before making the winning kick with twenty-five seconds left.
Tarca carried the ball a dozen times and picked up 79 yards on this final march and churned out 201 yards on 26 rushes in the second half.
Tarca had a dozen plays in which he gained 10 yards or more and had runs of 39, 30, 24, 23 and 19 yards.
Burroughs coach Laron Johnson knows the game wasn’t perfect and some aspects of the team need to be cleaned up but was still pleased with the outcome.
“The offense really stepped up and showcased some impressive plays. It’s frustrating to see the defense struggle, but if the offense keeps performing like that, they can definitely carry the team,” he said. “Consistency on both sides will be key moving forward.”
Each team scored in the first period as Tarca barreled into the end zone from a yard out and 9:35 left for a 7-0 lead that capped the 49-yard, five-play march.
When senior quarterback Mingus Allen (seven of 15 for 69 yards and 27 yards on seven carries) drilled senior tight end/linebacker Rocco Melillo (51 yards on three receptions) with a 27-yard pass and 5:49 left in the second frame, the Bears (6-2 and 4-1 in league) tied it at 14-14 that ended the seven-play, 66-yard drive.
Tarca’s 24-yard scoring jaunt with 10:49 remaining in the third period saw the Bears get within 21-20 and the three-play march was set up by Turner’s 40-yard punt return.
Burroughs captured the lead 26-21 after Tarca scored on a nine-yard run as 6:38 was left in the third period. The drive began at the Burroughs 42 and consumed nine plays.
Tarca’s six-yard tote with 1:11 left in the third period and Allen’s two-point conversion toss to Melillo handed the Bears a 34-28 lead and finalized a 66-yard, 11-play drive.
Grant added scoring runs of 22 yards with fifteen seconds left in the second quarter as the Falcons led 21-14 at halftime and also tacked on a 20-yard carry with 6:03 remaining in the third frame as Crescenta Valley pulled in front 28-26.
The Falcons evened the score at 7-7 when senior quarterback Dominic Saris hit Grant with a 19-yard pass as 3:04 remained.
The Burroughs’ defense gave up five touchdowns but escaped with a win and Keith Recchia, the defensive coordinator, is still hopeful his squad will respond.
“We have to play better on defense the whole game. We have a couple of injuries up front and the inexperience showed,” he said. “Hopefully our guys use it as a learning experience and we can improve next week.”
The Falcons pulled ahead 14-7 with 9:07 showing in the second quarter as junior running back/linebacker Daniel Lopez blasted into the end zone from five yards.
Crescenta Valley and Burroughs went toe-to-toe, and each played with heart and desire which says a great deal about both programs.
Burroughs takes on Pasadena next Friday on the road in a league game with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
