WEST CATHOLIC 63, PALISADES 20

State AA First Round Playoff

Nov. 22ND, 2008


Burrs Breeze in State Playoffs Opener


     Not even the jitters of the school’s first ever state playoff game could slowdown the explosive Burr offense this past weekend. In a spectacle that has been repeated throughout the fall, the Burrs raced, zoomed, and sped all over Allentown’s Salisbury High School field in devastating fashion. When the carnage was complete, the Burrs had surpassed sixty points for the fifth time this season. In four other contests they have scored at least fifty points in a game. Today, they jumped on a helpless Palisades team early and rolled to a 63-20 victory.


     On a cold and brisk afternoon, the Burrs did their best to keep their fans warm with one exhilarating run after another. After the defense started the game with a three-and-out and a punt, the offense wasted little time taking over. On just their second play from scrimmage senior running back Rob Hollomon sprinted off right tackle for a 64 yard touchdown. There would be no looking back!


     The defense forced two more punts without yielding a first down after R. Hollomon’s score. These defensive stands were followed by a pair of scoring runs (13 & 10 yards) by senior quarterback Curtis Drake. Just like that only 7:46 was played, but the Burrs had built a commanding 22-0 lead.


     In the early stages of the second quarter, R. Hollomon was at it again with his second and third touchdowns of the game. First, he scored from five yards, and then he followed this up with an exciting 73-yard gallop. With still more than half the second quarter left, the Burrs saw their lead rise to 35-0.


     The Pirates would answer with a score to make it 35-7, but the Burrs would come back with yet another score. This time Drake threw to R. Hollomon right off the line of scrimmage. The speedster did the rest with a 25-yard touchdown.


     Again, Palisades displayed a no-quit attitude and marched 61 yards in just under 40 seconds. They would go on to score with 7 seconds left in the half and draw with 42-14.


     After receiving the ball to begin the second half the Burrs wasted little time restoring the mercy rule status. On their first play of the half, Drake chucked a beautiful deep post to senior wide receiver Eric Young, who made the catch in stride and then fought his way to pay-dirt.


     The next time West got their hands on the ball, again, it took just one play to insert yet another dagger. Doing the honors this time was senior running back Raymond Maples on a 50-yard romp. Later in the quarter, Maples would add a 14-yard run to close out the scoring for the Burrs.


     West’s three-headed monster of a backfield was simply sensational! The terrific trio of R. Hollomon (6-243), Drake (10-157), and Maples (8-112) combined for 512 rushing yards on 24 carries, including SEVEN Touchdowns. Drake was also 3-for-3 passing for 98 yards. All total, the Burrs whipped up 592 yards in offense on just 33 plays.


  1. R.Hollomon’s four total scores gave him 37 on the season, which ties a city record. Drake output pushed his career passing yards over 3,000 and career rushing yards over 2,000.

  2. S.

     Assisting in the path-clearing department were: junior center Jake Zuzek, senior tackle Victor McNair, senior tackles Austin Peters, senior guard Paul Murtagh, senior guard Covisia Wilson, sophomore tight end Jim Lynch, and senior fullback Juan Rozier. Kudos!


     Junior kicker Tim Carroll went 7-for-8 on extra-points and broke a record in the process. He now has 77 total PATs on the season, besting the previous mark of 73. Congrats!


     Defensively, Maples was rock solid with six total tackles and a fumble recovery. Senior defensive back Haleem Hayward forced a fumble and made five solo tackles. Sacks were had by; senior defensive end Chris Williams (six solo tackles), jr. defensive tackle John Ruppert (1.5), and senior defensive end Artis Carroll (.5). Junior linebacker Dante Dickens hustled for five stops, while sophomore defensive back Brandon Hollomon made three solo tackles and as many pass defends.


     Nest week, the Burrs will compete in the state quarterfinal. They will take on District-2’s Dunmore Bucks. The Bucks reside in the Scranton area and lost in the state AA final last season. They have a four-year starter at quarterback and a bruising back, who as junior already is the school’s all-time leading rusher. Luckily for Burr fans the game will be played close to home at Northeast High School. It is set for Friday night, 7 o’clock. Trust me folks, but you be hard-pressed to find a more exciting team in Southeastern PA, so make sure you take the opportunity to see the Burrs in person this Friday night. The Burrs welcome your support!


Side-note: Friday is Black Friday and Northeast High, though not real far, isn’t exactly easy to get too in a timely manner. So, I encourage everyone to give themselves plenty of time in making the trip. Dunmore is known to travel well, so the Burrs can use all of the support they can get. I just don’t want to see some unfortunate Burr fans arriving in the second quarter because they sat in traffic. Smile!