Interceptions on the first and last drives plagued the Burbank High football team which fell to Canyon 34-27 in a nonleague match at Memorial Field on Friday night.
The potential winning drive began at the Bulldogs 11-yard line and advanced to the Cowboys 20, but senior quarterback Guy Gibbs (11 of 27 for 110 yards) had his toss picked off.
Canyon (1-1) then ran the clock out and collected the win after never trailing. Burbank (1-1) fell behind 20-10 at the intermission, but rallied and came within one score of the lead.
“We didn’t execute in the first half,” Burbank coach Richard Broussard said. “I’ve got to do a better job. It’s all on me, 100 percent.”
The Bulldogs received a three-yard scoring run from junior tailback Darnell Williams (36 yards on eight carries) with 1:09 left in the third quarter that lowered Canyon’s lead to 34-20.
Gibbs had a one-yard sneak and 7:56 left in the fourth quarter that moved the Bulldogs to within 34-27.
The Bulldogs had three rushing scores and a pair of field goals from junior kicker Andrew Rovira of 24 yards with 1:09 left before the half that trimmed the lead to 20-10 and 33 yards that cut the advantage to 27-13 with 6:23 on the clock in the third quarter.
“We couldn’t finish drives,” Broussard said. “We have to do a better job. We saw some things that we liked [on film], but we didn’t execute. We didn’t play well in all three phases.”
The first time Burbank had the ball, Gibbs was intercepted by senior outside linebacker Henry Arellano.
The miscue set up Canyon’s initial touchdown as senior quarterback Miles Fallin drove his team 74 yards on 13 plays that ended when running back Arellano crossed the goal line from three yards out and 5:28 showing in the first quarter.
Burbank tied it at 7-7 after a punt was recovered by senior linebacker Jake Kelley as the Bulldogs took over at the Cowboys 12-yard line.
Two plays later, senior running back Nick Warren (99 yards on 22 rushes) scored on a four-yard burst and 3.6 seconds left in the opening quarter.
The Cowboys responded with 13 unanswered points as Arellano (29 carries for 98 yards) capped a four-play, 23-yard drive with a four-yard burst and 10:48 remaining in the second quarter that made it 14-7.
Canyon’s lead was extended to 20-7 when Fallin’s 10-yard offering to senior wide receiver Brian Stuart (five catches for 41 yards) closed a 64-yard, eight-play march and 5:10 left before the half.
On Canyon’s first possession of the second half, Fallin (16 of 26 for 249 yards and one interception) drove the Cowboys (385 total net yards) from their own 37-yard line and used six plays with Arellano cashing in on a four yard waltz and 9:13 left in the third quarter for a 27-10 cushion.
“You can’t put yourself in a hole and expect to get out,” Broussard said of the continued deficit that Burbank experienced all evening.
The score became 34-13 on Canyon’s next series as Fallin located senior wide receiver Camden Apsay (93 yards on five receptions) with a 24-yard bullet. The drive consumed 80 yards and eight plays.
The Bulldogs (276 total yards) visit powerful Downey next Friday in a nonleague contest that begins at 7 p.m.
