West Catholic 34, Roman Catholic 28 (OT)

Burrs Outlast Cahillites in Shore Thriller

    Saturday marked the eighth straight year the Burrs’ football team opened the season versus the Cahillites of Roman Catholic. And for the third time in eight tries they left the seashore with a win. In an exciting and back and forth contest, the Burrs needed overtime to slip by a solid Roman club.

     First, it was the defense that came up huge in the overtime session, as they prevented the Cahillites from reaching the end zone on four chances. Faced with a fourth down opportunity from the three-yard line, Roman pitched the ball to their star rusher, Kassiem Everett, who had run wild all afternoon. However, the Burr defense was ready and strung the play out, forcing Everett out-of-bounds near the line of scrimmage.

     Next, it was the offense’s turn. A penalty for too many on the field pushed the ball back to the fifteen, but it didn’t matter. On their first play, the Burrs capitalized when senior running back Raymond Maples roared through the middle for the game-clinching touchdown. IT capped a great day for one member of the Burrs terrific backfield.

     West returns every member of last season’s potent backfield in Maples, senior running back Rob Hollomon, senior fullback Juan Rozier, and senior quarterback Curits Drake, who will be attending Penn St. next fall.

     Every member played a part in the win today. Hollomon started the scoring with a 25-yard run. He later added a 20-yard touchdown that put West up 28-14 midway through the fourth quarter. Earlier in the game he had a lovely 89-yard kickoff return for a score, but it was wiped out by a Burr penalty. Drake rushed for 82 yards on 14 totes, and added another 42 through the air. Rozier did an admirable job as a lead blocker.

     All total, the Burrs amassed 360 yards of offense, with 318 of them coming on the ground. Of course, none of this would have been possible without solid play from the boys on the offensive line. These members include: junior center Jake Zuzek, senior guards Paul Murtagh and Covisia Wilson, senior tackles Victor McNair and Austin Peters, and sophomore tight end Jim Lynch.

     Defensively, the Burrs had a tough time handling Everett, who torched them for 206 yards on 18 carries. However, there were promising moments at times. This side of the ball has traditionally been one that had improved as the season moved along. Today’s leading tackler was junior linebacker Dante Dickens with nine stops. Maples and senior linebacker Jordan Culbreath each contributed five stops and each recovered a fumble.

     Junior kicker Tim Carroll was instrumental with a 4-for-4 showing on PATs. He also recorded a touchback on a kickoff. Otherwise, the special teams will need to improve. A penalty negated a kickoff return. Also, the Burrs allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown and surrendered a block punt that led to Roman tying the game.

      This year’s team has high expectations and there is no reason why some of their goals can’t be reached. This is the first year the Philadelphia Catholic League will play in the PIAA and at the state level. The Burrs play at the 2A level and are widely considered to be a state title contender. Only time will tell what happens come November and December, but in the meantime this West club has plenty of work to do in order to reach such lofty heights.

     Next week, the Burrs will travel to East Falls and take on Penn Charter from the Inter-Ac league. The Quakers are usually a tough team that is always organized and well-coached. This won’t be an easy game for West if they don’t come prepared to play. Game time is noon on Saturday.