By Dick Dornan
MyBurbank Sports Editor
It was a tough night for the boys in blue. And I’m not talking about the Dodgers 3-2, 13-inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. In a Pacific League thriller at Glendale High School, Burbank suffered a heartbreaking 48-47 overtime loss to Crescenta Valley that ended in dramatic fashion and sent the Falcon faithful into delirium.
Trailing 40-32 with 5:12 remaining in the game, Burbank (5-1, 2-1) forced overtime on a seven-play, 68-yard drive that culminated when James Williams crossed the goal line on a six-yard scamper. Tony Toledo’s two-point conversion run tied the game at 40 with 2:57 left.
Crescenta Valley (5-1, 2-1) drove the ball down to the Burbank 15-yard line with nine seconds showing on the clock. On second down and 10, the Falcons missed a 32-yard field goal and gave Burbank hope to pull out a game when its defense struggled throughout the contest.
Overtime in high school, also known as the “California tie-breaker,” features both teams beginning on their 25-yard line. Crescenta Valley won the flip and elected to play defense first.
On the very first play from scrimmage, the Bulldogs took a 47-40 lead when Williams juked out two defenders and ran for a 25-yard touchdown that brought thunderous cheers from the Burbank fans.
Williams’ fourth touchdown run of the evening gave him a school-record 263 yards on 20 carries. He broke the previous record of 246 yards by Bob McCalmont set against Burroughs in 1952. Williams was dominant all night with his cutbacks and breakaway speed. The 61-year-old record was destined to be broken by the sleek-footed junior.
Crescenta Valley began its possession with a fumble and 13-yard loss that put the ball back on the Burbank 38-yard line. CV resorted to a double-reverse flea flicker in which Gadsby launched a 38-yard pass to Chase Walker who caught it over the out-stretched arms of a Burbank defender for a touchdown.
Down 47-46, CV elected to go for the two-point conversion and the win. They succeeded sending their sideline into bedlam and Burbank’s into stunned silence.
Gadsby rolled to his right and found Walker in the back of the end zone who made a nice grab while keeping both feet inbounds by mere inches.
They say football is a game of inches and that held to be true on the game’s final play. Burbank, ranked No. 5 in the Southeast Division, suffered its first loss of the year while Crescenta Valley bounced back from a self-imploded 24-17 defeat to Burroughs last week.
Offense was the theme of the evening as each team punted only once while accumulating more than 1,000 yards in combined total offense. Burbank rolled up 505 yards but gave up 268 yards of passing to CV quarterback Brian Gadsby and more than 240 yards on the ground.
Burbank and Crescenta Valley combined to score on the first five possessions of the game with the Falcons taking a 21-13 lead into halftime after scoring on a fumblerooski. Williams scored Burbank’s first two touchdowns on 43 and 59 yard runs.
With 7:48 left in the second quarter, the explosive offenses of both teams came to a screeching halt when the two teams combined for five turnovers to end the first half.
The Bulldogs and Falcons exchanged scores throughout the third quarter- 21-19 CV, 27-19 CV, 27-25 CV, 34-25 CV and 34-32 CV to end the period.
Two of Burbank’s third quarter touchdowns came courtesy of quarterback Ryan Meredith connecting with wide receiver Oharjee Brown for scores of 21 and 27 yards.
Meredith completed nine of 21 passes for 171 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Brown caught four passes for 85 yards while teammate Dorian Housholder garnered four passes for 78 yards.
Burbank is now in a must-win situation next Friday when they play Muir (3-0 in league) at Memorial Field. Muir, the defending league champion, defeated Burroughs, 45-7, Friday night. Burbank, Crescenta Valley, Burroughs and Arcadia are currently tied for second place.
