By Michael Finnegan / Contributor
A late-season surge put Hillcrest back in the playoffs after a two-year absence. A postseason victory, however, will have to wait at least another year.
Kaufman quarterback Ty Burleson threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score during a 49-21 win over the Panthers in a Class 5A Division II bi-district game on Friday at Franklin Stadium.
“He’s got a strong, accurate arm,” said first-year Hillcrest coach A.D. Madise. “Kaufman is a well-coached program and simply put, they outplayed us.”
The Lions (7-4) raced out to a 21-0 lead early in the game and never looked back. After a blocked punt midway through the second quarter, Burleson took advantage of the short field and connected with Justin Prox on a 12-yard touchdown pass.
“It’s a loss,” said Madise. “Any loss stings, especially in the playoffs, but I’m proud of the season we had this year, and our seniors should be proud, too.”
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The Panthers (7-4) marched down the field on the ensuing possession, and Jacoby Ogbonna’s 1-yard scoring rush cut the lead to 21-7 with 1:18 remaining in the second quarter.
It was the first of two touchdowns for Ogbonna, who finished the night with just under a hundred yards of total offense.
But Kaufman answered immediately. The Lions went back up three scores when Prox scored on a 15-yard run just before intermission. Prox rushed for 90 yards on eight carries and hauled in three receptions for 32 yards.
The lead increased to 35-7 at the beginning of the third quarter after a 9-yard touchdown pass from Burleson to Jeremiah Brown, who led all receivers with eight catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
Asher Randall threw 41-yard touchdown pass to Ogbonna on a second-and-long play with five minutes left in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 35-14. But again, the Lions struck back.
Johnathan Wren went off tackle for a 50-yard touchdown run to make the score 42-14 late in the quarter, icing the game. Wren rushed for 117 yards on 12 carries.
The Panthers scored late in the game on a 10-yard touchdown run by Isaac Dorn. The senior rushed for 73 yards on 14 carries.
