By Rick Assad
There is unfinished business for the Burbank High football team after finishing 9-3 overall and reaching the CIF Southern Section Division IX quarterfinals a year ago.
The Bulldogs took on Highland at home and fell 42-28 which snapped a seven-game winning streak which included wins over Burroughs 42-21 in the regular-season finale and 47-42 against host Monrovia in the opening-round of the playoffs.
Hector Valencia is in his second tour of duty as Burbank’s head coach and expects the team to do well, especially in the Pacific League where the Bulldogs went 6-1 for second place behind Muir.
“I think the league should be more competitive this year. Coaches are getting more experience, and the new ones have experience,” he said. “Muir should be the favorite with the skills they have coming back but we have quite a few returners ourselves and plan to fight for the championship and we will not shy away from the competition.”
Having a full team and it being healthy is the key to the season, according to Valencia.
“We need to stay healthy and get the ball to your playmakers and fly to the ball on defense,” he stated.
Coincidentally, the Bulldogs will play every game on campus except the season finale versus city rival Burroughs on October 30.
On September 5, Burbank will travel to Reno, Nevada, to face Galena. All the games on the schedule start at 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs have several skilled players at key positions including junior quarterback Deshawn Laporte, who accounted for 39 touchdowns after tossing 28 through the air and 11 rushing.
“My expectation for the team is to win the league, go to the CIF championship and then go to state,” he said. “Expectations for myself are being a leader and leading my team to a CIF championship and more.”
Senior Elijah Pendleton played wide receiver and cornerback and averaged 50 receiving yards a game and finished with six scoring receptions in 2024
Pendleton also ran for 73 yards per contest and added seven scoring rushes and also collected two interceptions.
Sophomore wide receiver Tyler Hudson led the Bulldogs in receiving yards per game with 79.3 and added 11 scoring touchdowns.
Senior Chase Miles is a wide receiver and a safety and can play anywhere on the field.
“When it comes to competitiveness, I believe our will is very competitive this year because we still have a lot to prove,” he said. “After losing in the quarterfinals last year to Highland and then watching them win CIF, it made our whole team hungry and ready for this upcoming season.”
Miles likes the team assembled and believes there is enough talent and potential to go a long way.
“We still have a lot of returners and have gotten substantially better in the off-season, working out every day to improve ourselves,” he said.
The season kicks off tomorrow at San Dimas for the Bulldogs and then they host Westwood of Arizona on August 29. After a bye, Burbank plays at Crescenta Valley on September 19 to kick off the Pacific League season.
Burbank hosts Muir on September 26 and travels to Arcadia on October 3. The Bulldogs meet Pasadena at home on October 10. On October 17, the Bulldogs hosts Hoover and then make their way to Glendale on October 24.
The seniors include Exodus Freeman [wide receiver and slot back], William Magee [wide receiver and cornerback], Thomas Adzhemyan [running back and strong safety], Paolo Seltenreich [tight end and defensive end], Johnny Sale [wide receiver, linebacker and safety] and Noah May-Vaughn [wide receiver and cornerback].
The rest of the seniors are Giordan Lewis [wide receiver and outside linebacker], Ryan Honore [wide receiver and cornerback], Adrian Albarran [defensive back], Ryan Mendoza [kicker], Matthew Winn [offensive line and defensive end], David Saroyan [center, guard and defensive line] and Anthony Torres [offensive line and nose guard].
The juniors on the team include Giovanni Bernardo, [running back and outside linebacker], Kaylem Valencia [fullback and outside linebacker], Nico Santillan [running back and outside linebacker], Troy Wells [running back and middle linebacker], Aiden Dagher [tight end and middle linebacker], Alan Garcia [wide receiver], Ronald Gordon [wide receiver and cornerback] and Soundwavyve Sayles [defensive end].
The other juniors are Kordell White [defensive back], Onik Chalkdzhyan [wide receiver and defensive back], Juan Huezo [center, guard and defensive line], Jack Aguilar [offensive and defensive line], Nick Gonzalez [offensive and defensive line], Jehad Altayab [offensive line and nose guard] and Hayk Torgomyan [guard and defensive line].
The sophomores are Diego Plancarte [wide receiver, cornerback and strong safety], Cassius Maydew [wide receiver and defensive back], Gavin Azizian [wide receiver and defensive back], Marc Naiem [defensive end], Juaquin Ruacho [running back and middle linebacker], Aiden Loveranes [offensive line and defensive end] and Harry Molia [tackle and defensive end].
