CORSICA -- Since dropping a 35-14 win over Gregory on Aug. 30, Burke has quietly pieced together a winning streak. It reached five straight on Friday with a 54-14 victory over Corsica-Stickney in The Daily Republic’s Game of the Week.
“We are happy with our guys,” Burke coach Mike Sebern said. “We seem to have great leadership and we seem to be going in the right direction.”
Burke continued its upward trajectory with an all-around team win over the Jaguars on Friday. The Cougars were sound on defense and multi-dimensional on offense.
“We figured they would do some stuff to stop our running game right away,” Sebern said. “But we kind of weared on them a little bit. Our quarterback is able to throw the football and that helps to open things up a little bit.”
In the first quarter, quarterback Hunter Van Nieuwenhuyse, who recorded 93 passing yards, threw a dart to Jaden Frank and he weaved his way for a 54-yard touchdown run. Corsica-Stickney later intentionally took a safety as it was pinned deep into its own possession on a fourth-and-20.
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Leading 10-0, Burke (5-1) began to wear on Corsica-Stickney’s defense with its rushing attack. Finn Hanson scored a pair of second-quarter touchdowns as Burke pulled away for a 24-0 lead. He finished with 39 rushing yards, while Ethan DeLong added a team-high 40 on the ground.
“I can’t do well without my linemen and they are a big help,” Hanson said.
The Jaguars (2-4) seized some momentum late in the second quarter, but the Cougars snatched it right back. Corsica-Stickney’s Caden Van Drongelen got his team on the board with a touchdown run with 53 seconds left before halftime. The Cougars took advantage of a short kickoff and moved the ball down the field as the clock ticked down. A scrambling Van Nieuwenhuyse connected with DeLong on a 39-yard touchdown reception with nine seconds left before halftime and a 32-8 advantage.
“I wasn’t going to go for it,” Sebern said. “We got a decent chunk of yards there and I thought all right we will try it. We were able to score and that was big.”
The Cougars carried the momentum into the second half as Hanson continued to churn out yards.
“For the most part I thought we were in position,” Corsica-Stickney coach Jason Broughton said. “But our guys didn’t tackle well. We weren’t near physical enough to play with these guys.”
Corsica-Stickney’s final touchdown came on Jaylen Kemp 34-yard pass to Bryce Bordewyk.
Van Drongelen gained a team-high 75 yards and seven tackles for the Jaguars on the ground. Brendan Wentland and Devin Vanderham each added six tackles.
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The Jaguars will host Tripp-Delmont/Armour/Andes Central/Dakota Christian on Oct. 14.
The Cougars will host Kimball/White Lake on Oct. 14.
“It’s going to be a big one and I am looking forward to it,” Hanson said.
