In the last month, Burlingame has selected an overall player of the game, an offensive player, defensive player and special teamer on its MaxPreps team page.
The selections show the Bearcats’ talent with running back Robert Hutchins and lineman Paul Holt, and talented depth, especially with the sophomore class.
Burlingame, 5-0 and ranked No. 5 in 8-Man I, has rolled through a difficult stretch of Marais des Cygnes Valley, Frankfort, Waverly and Lebo. Hutchins earned two overall player awards and one offensive honor. Holt was player of the game last week.
Sophomore quarterback Dalton Sporing was overall player versus Frankfort, and offensive player in Week 2. Senior wide receivers Clay Thomas and Harrison Summers have earned offensive honors. The defense has three selections: junior Anthony Hovestadt, sophomore Tristan Lee, senior Layton Dreyer and Hovestadt.
Special teams has featured freshman Seth Greenwood, sophomore Colton Noonan and sophomore Raymond Hovestadt (there was no special teams selection in Week 3).
“I have been pleased,” coach Jeff Slater said. “We have had numerous guys step up.”
On Friday, Burlingame, looking for its first playoff appearance since 2004, travels to Rural Vista (4-1) in a critical 8-Man 1, District 3 matchup. The winner gains a big advantage in district play.
Slater has asked his team to have a playoff-like atmosphere throughout the week.
“That’s one thing these kids want – all offseason, the playoffs,” Slater said.
Noonan, who returned a kick and punt for a score for the Bearcats in Week 4, will miss Friday’s game with a concussion.
Last season, Rural Vista led Burlingame 28-6 before the Bearcats came back for a 40-34 victory. Last fall marked the first year of a co-op, between tradition-laden Hope and perennially struggling program White City, to form the Rural Vista Heat.
The Heat finished 5-4 in 2014 had an average score of 39-34. This season, the Heat has just one loss. Slater noticed the Heat’s excellent fundamentals and technique in film study.
“That’s the difference of that next level of team,” coach Jeff Hostetter said. “Is you have got to play the little things well, and you have got to be prepared, and you have got to have all the fundamentals down, that’s very important. That’s one of the things that I preach – sometimes it seems pretty simple in there, but a lot of times just the simple things of blocking and tackling … really make a difference.”
The Heat have a quality 46-0 victory in Week 1 versus Little River (4-1), and a 68-20 injury-plagued defeat to Solomon in Week 3.
“This year, the kids kind of know what I expect out of them,” Hostetter, who is 213-70 in his career, said. “That first year, you don’t know what to expect coming in there, and there were a lot more expectations than they were ever used to. The kids from Hope were pretty much used to it.”
This season, the Heat’s average margin is 45-19. Rural Vista’s roster is mainly filled experienced juniors. All-league quarterback Trace Hostetter returns, along with all-conference running back Jaryth Barten; both are juniors. Eli Flemming has stepped into the backfield, too. Juniors Mason Hinkle and Joey Carson are returning starters at defensive back and linebacker, respectively.
“A lot of it is our experience that we got from last year,” Hostetter said. “Sometimes when you play a lot of young kids, you have got to take a few bumps and bruises along the way, but they really learn a lot for the next year – really helps you for the next year.”
Burlingame ranks No. 1 in the classification with 282 points scored. Hutchins has rushed 68 times for 623 yards and 13 scores, while Sporing has rushed 43 times for 328 yards and eight scores. He has completed 43 of 79 passes for 657 yards with a 13/1 TD/INT ratio.
Sporing started at safety as a freshman. Slater coached him in junior high and knew he could expand the offense with the sophomore. Slater calls him a quiet, composed leader who is an extension of the coach on the field.
“The kids want to go to battle for him,” Slater said.
Holt, an honorable mention all-state selection in 2014, leads the team with 67 tackles, 10.5 for loss. Slater said Holt and Dreyer have significantly raised their levels in 2015; Holt to first team all-state caliber and Dreyer to all-state.
Dreyer was a role player last season and has not missed a weight room session in two years. Named a team captain, he has played with confidence and set the tone. He ranks second with 51 stops for a unit that’s allowed 18 points a contest.
“That was the one spot going into the season that I had a few concerns about,” Slater said of his defense.
In 2014, Burlingame did not have a special teams score, but returned three fumbles for touchdowns. This season, the Bearcats have five defensive/special teams scores, including two interceptions and a fumble. Plus, Anthony Hovestadt returned another interception to the 1-yard line.
“The big thing is, with defensive and special teams touchdowns, it’s a huge momentum shift,” Slater said.
Special teams already have produced 306 return yards, compared to 480 last fall. The Bearcats have not allowed an opponent to score on special teams.
In the Waverly win, Burlingame had Noonan’s two returns plus a recovered onside kick. Assistant coach Eric West runs the special teams units. Burlingame practices kickoffs Tuesday, punts Wednesday and runs through everything in pregame Thursday.
“We have a great sophomore class that really buys into the offseason work, and so rewarding those guys is getting them onto the special teams, and they take that very seriously,” Slater said. “For some of the other schools in the league, they do varsity starters. For us, they give us that good depth, and then they give us excellent special teams execution.”
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