Burroughs senior defensive back John Alajijian (white jersey) chases down San Marino’s Ryan Singhal during the Indians’ season opening 30-14 victory eight days ago.
Jesse Craven, Burroughs High School’s first-year head football coach, had waited well over a year for the Indians’ debut, but it took less than half a game to get a read on the character of his ball club.
After falling behind host San Marino 14-3 in the first 14 minutes of last week’s season opener, Craven got a taste of what he hopes he hopes will be regular fare as Burroughs dominated the remainder of the contest, controlling the line of scrimmage, ball, scoreboard and clock on the way to a 30-14 non-league win.
“I have been placing an emphasis on toughness, discipline and conditioning, so I am very happy in those regards,” said Craven after the contest. “We have a young team and there is lot to build on.”
Once the Indians got on-script, San Marino received a healthy dose of Burroughs senior tailback Luke Rogers, who carried 30 times for 205 yards and a touchdown. When the Titans gravitated towards Rogers, sophomore Marcus Manahan made them pay, gaining an additional 47 yards on nine attempts, including two touchdowns.
JBHS quarterback Jonathan English – himself a former running back – rounded out the ground game with eight carries for 39 yards and a score. English was fluent through the air, completing seven of 13 passes for 106 yards, distributing the ball to four different receivers, including Rogers, Vincent Harris, Drake Vickers and John Alajijian.
Just a freshman, kicker Brody Kemp opened the scoring by nailing a 30-yard field goal through the uprights, a kick that would have been good from at least a dozen more yards out.
The Indians’ defense was also impressive, led by junior linebacker Angelo Toscano, who recorded a game-high five tackles. Two-way platers Alajijian (four tackles), Rogers (three), Vickers (three) and Manahan (two) were joined in the stat book by Jose Oliveros, Brandon Sowers, Jerry Garcia who recorded two stops apiece.
“Jose [Oliveros] played well on both the offensive and defensive lines and Jerry [Garcia] made a few crushing tackles that turned the momentum in our favor,” said Craven.
Like most involved in the sport, Craven was elated to be back on the field following the pandemic-induced break.
“I thought it was a good opportunity to go out and compete after three weeks of practice,” said Craven. “I have really only been coaching this team for about a month, so we are very early in the building process. Credit to San Marino, and I thought they were really tough and made a lot of good adjustments. They were great kids and the administration couldn’t have been nicer. It was a great experience.”
