For the second straight game, the Burroughs High football team allowed 50 points, but in Friday’s encounter versus Canyon at Memorial Field, the Indians looked much better after mustering three touchdowns in a 50-21 setback in a nonleague match.
Senior quarterback Nathan Piper (13 of 26 for 69 yards) scored on a one-yard run that made it 15-7 with 2:01 left before the half.
Piper’s score, which capped a 19-play, 78-yard drive, was the first points for the Indians, who were blanked on the road against West Ranch, 54-0, in the season opener.
Junior Aiden Forrester picked off a pass and returned the ball 83 yards that cut Canyon’s lead to 29-14 with 6:53 left in the fourth quarter.
When Forrester, who has extraordinary speed and quickness, ran back the kickoff 97 yards, it shaved Canyon’s edge to 43-21 with 2:35 showing.
“Special teams was great,” Burroughs first-year coach Rand Holdren said. “The effort is what’s important that we can take away. We had a rough outing last week. This week we really focused on working to finish and sell out.”
Holdren liked the effort. “These kids are learning. They fought together,” he said. “These boys acting like a team. Being proud to be out here. I’m proud of them.”
Sophomore running back Luke Rogers garnered a team-best 48 yards on 17 carries for the Indians (0-2).
The Cowboys (1-1) jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as junior quarterback Aydyn Litz tossed three scoring passes in the first half.
Canyon took a 7-0 lead with 10:09 on the clock when Litz tossed a lateral to senior running back Shawn Gallagher, who unloaded a 50-yard laser to junior wide receiver Aiden Corcoran.
After a mixup in the Indians’ backfield that resulted in a safety with 1:16 left in the opening frame, the Cowboys were ahead 9-0.
When Litz (13 of 22 for 252 yards) found senior wide receiver Nico Shields (118 yards on six receptions) with a 75-yard strike early in the second quarter, Canyon moved in front 15-0.
With 1:45 left before the break, Litz connected with senior wide receiver Carson Strickland (66 yards on two catches) on a 60-yard toss that gave the Cowboys a 22-7 edge.
Litz capped off the first-half scoring with a 10-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver James Mendibles (23 yards on two receptions) with 25.1 seconds left as Canyon pushed the lead to 29-7.
Senior running back Jake Acquaviva (147 yards on 17 rushes) tacked on a four-yard scoring romp with 5:24 left in the contest that put the Cowboys (542 total yards) in front 36-14.
When Litz crossed the goal line from a yard out with 2:50 showing in the game it became 43-14.
Senior running back Caleb Magno found the end zone on a 10-yard sprint that ended the scoring with 1:14 left and made it a 29-point differential for the Indians (96 total yards).
Burroughs’ next game will be Thursday against Harvard-Westlake when it hosts the Wolverines with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
