By BRET H. MCCORMICK, Journal Sports
Coming off a 50-carry performance in a Week 5 loss to Grant, Buckeye junior running back Jim Burlew could have used an extra week of rest.
Burlew carried a light load Thursday night as he and the Panthers (4-2) made quick work of Bolton in a 67-0 victory during their annual Squirrel Bowl game.
The parish’s top rusher through five games, Burlew needed just five touches Thursday night to score three short touchdowns as Buckeye opened a 40-point lead in just over 15 minutes of game action. Burlew finished with 33 rushing yards in the game.
“He’s an old-school back getting 30, 40, 50 carries a game,” Buckeye coach Ben McLaughlin said. “We’ve lightened the load on him all during the week because he’s at that point we’re midway through the season. He’s gotten all the reps he needs. I’m glad that he gets a little bit of a week off this week because next week with Bunkie coming to town is gonna be super tough.”
Buckeye struck first on its third offensive play as junior quarterback Adam Brodnax found junior Haidyn Boone in the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown. The Panthers added a Burlew 3-yard TD along with an Ashton Hawthorne 20-yard score on an end-around receiving TD, his first of the season. Burlew added 5-yard and 3-yard TDs sandwiched around a Jesse Standlee 61-yard run.
Christian Morace added two rushing touchdowns (5 and 3 yards) for the Panthers, and Matayo Sutter’s 11-yard TD made the score 60-0. The final score of the game came on a 35-yard pick-six by Cameron Burns.
McLaughlin said he was proud of the Panthers for staying focused in spite of the Squirrel Bowl distractions and playing against an inferior opponent.
“Every game it’s about playing to our standard,” McLaughlin said, “but in a game like that you can really emphasize it. … Don’t look at records. Play to our standard. Play every play, you know, the silent film. Play every play to our standard.”
TIOGA 49, PINE PRAIRIE 0
Travis Adams scored three first-quarter touchdowns and Cace Malone added two TD passes as the Indians opened up a 41-point lead after one quarter of action.
The Indians’ streak of games with interceptions returned for touchdowns ended at five, but star defensive back Ja’Corian Norris made it four straight games with a TD by returning the opening kickoff 70 yards.
Josh Loyd took an end-around pass from Malone 26 yards into the end zone, and Adams ran 32 yards for his first of three touchdowns to give the Indians a 21-0 lead. Adams later added TD runs of 8 yards and 1 yard, while Malone hit Ryan Reeves for a 49-yard TD.
A Kentavius Bates 12-yard run in the third quarter was the only score in the second half for the Indians (5-1).
Adams gained 50 yards on just four carries as he scored on each of his last three touches, while Bates added 50 rushing yards on six carries. Malone finished 3-of-4 passing for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
WEST MONROE 31, PINEVILLE 0
West Monroe (5-1, 1-0 2-5A) gained over 400 yards of offense, led by senior quarterback Hayden Federico, who rushed for two TDs and threw an 80-yard TD to David Moore in the victory.
Pineville (2-4, 0-1) was unable to take advantage of four fumbles by West Monroe. The Rebels of Central Louisiana managed 175 yards of offense in the game, led by sophomore Ayden Tate’s 114 rushing yards.
MENARD 42, PICKERING 0
Freshman Wyatt Heyward scored two touchdowns before the Eagles ran their first offensive play, returning the opening kickoff 71 yards and recovering a Pickering fumble in the end zone to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead with 10:20 to play in the first quarter.
Jake Vaughn threw a touchdown pass and ran for another in the first quarter, while Aidyn Moran added a 31-yard TD run for the Eagles, who needed just 23 plays and 204 yards of offense to improve to 3-3 and 1-0 in District 4-2A play.
NEVILLE 51, PEABODY 0
The Warhorses (4-2, 0-1 District 2-4A) turned the ball over six times in the first half, including two fumbles that were recovered for Neville defensive touchdowns, as the Tigers opened up a 35-0 halftime lead.
Peabody’s best drive came at the end of the first half, but a fumble at the Neville 1-yard line was recovered by the Tigers (5-1, 1-0) to keep the Warhorses off the scoreboard.
The turnover parade continued in the second half as Peabody fumbled on its first play and Neville returned it for a touchdown for a 41-0 lead.
Peabody showed an ability to move the football against Neville’s stout defense with senior Nate Francis making several big runs and the Warhorses hitting a couple of big plays in the passing game. Larry Roberts passed for 111 yards in the game but couldn’t consistently connect with his receivers.
MONTGOMERY 36, NORTHWOOD-LENA 14
Sophomore quarterback A.J. Butler ran for 100 yards and a touchdown while also passing for a score to lead the Gators, who fell to 1-5 on the season and 0-1 in District 3-1A.
Montgomery started the game with a pick-six by Ayden Gongre, who also caught a touchdown pass as the Tigers opened a 28-8 lead at halftime.
Butler’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Jahari McCoy cut the deficit to 14 in the third quarter, but the Tigers put the game away thanks to a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown by Mason Jordan, his second of the game.