San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Burbank 41, Jefferson 13
Quick take: The Burbank Bulldogs scored on all but two of their possessions to roll past the Jefferson Mustangs 41-13 at Alamo Stadium on Friday night. The Bulldogs improved to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in District 14-5A-II. The Mustangs fell to 4-3 overall and 3-3 in district.
Highlights: Burbank opened the game by recovering an onside kick after Jefferson had won the toss and elected to receive. The Bulldogs scored on their fourth play of offense when quarterback Keven Hernandez threw a
37-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Izzy Zapata with 10:30 left in the first quarter.
Hernandez kept it himself for the Bulldogs second touchdown when he scored on a 2-yard run with 9:34 left in the second quarter. That score capped off a drive that had started back at the Bulldogs 1-yard line and went 99 yards in 15 plays.
A little over seven minutes later, with 2:56 left in the second quarter, the Bulldogs went in front 21-0 when Hernandez connected with running back Johnny Alvarado for a 32-yard touchdown pass.
Jefferson was able to get into Burbank territory on all three of its drives in the first half, but the first drive ended at the Bulldogs 45 with a punt. The Mustangs second drive ended at the Bulldogs 34 with a turnover on downs.
The Mustangs’ final drive of the first half got to the Bulldog 8-yard line before it ended with a turnover on downs with 42 seconds left in the half.
Burbank increased the lead to 28-0 on their first drive of the third quarter. Hernandez threw a 7-yard pass to Zapata with 10:35 left in the third quarter to put the Bulldogs up by four touchdowns.
Jefferson finally got on the board on their first possession of the third quarter. Quarterback Amonte Carter scored on a 14-yard run with 8:03 on the third quarter clock to cut the Bulldog lead to 28-6. Burbank was able to block the extra point to keep the score at a 22-point margin.
Burbank running back Johnny Alvarado scored the next touchdown when he broke through the Mustangs for a 2-yard score with 5:32 left in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs put their second team in for the fourth quarter, but backup quarterback Roman
Garcia added the final touchdown of the night for Burbank. Garcia threw a 2-yard pass to Rene Espinoza with 9:12 left to play to give Burbank a 41-6 lead.
Jefferson answered on their next drive with a 1-yard scoring run by Carter. This time the extra point was good and the Mustangs cut the deficit to 41-13 with 5:05 left to play.
What it means:
Burbank keeps hold of second place in the district race. The Bulldogs also won their sixth straight game against Jefferson. Jefferson has not beaten Burbank since the 2016 season. The Mustangs now find themselves in a group of four teams that are 3-3 or 2-4 who will likely battle it out for the final playoff spot in the final few weeks of the season.
Game balls: Hernandez was 12-of-13 for 242 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 84 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Izzy Zapata had 93 yards and two touchdowns on four catches. Jefferson quarterback Amonte Carter carried 20 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
Up next: Jefferson plays will be at McCollum next Friday night, while Burbank hosts Harlandale at the SAISD Sports Complex next Thursday. Both games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.