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Sports

John Burroughs Rips Lutheran North, 53-16

The well-balanced Bombers get contributions from the entire team.

The John Burroughs football players and coaches received the red carpet treatment from their fans as they walked from the Lutheran North football field up a hill to the team bus on Saturday.

John Burroughs earned the accolades. The Bombers ripped unbeaten Lutheran North, 53-16, in a key Metro League game. North is a team the Bombers could face in the first round of the 2011 Class 3 state playoffs.

The mercy rule was used in the final six minutes, 29 seconds of the game. The running clock may have been started sooner had it not been for a slow start in the first quarter due to turnovers and penalties.

But in the final 36 minutes, John Burroughs outscored Lutheran North by a 41-8 margin. Both teams are now 4-1 overall, 2-1 in the Metro League.

"I expected a knockout, drag out fight to the end," said John Burroughs coach Gus Frerotte, who was animated along the sidelines.

"We were ready for a fight and we gave them a good fight. I thought we had a lot of fun. I'm having fun. I had my football. It's fun watching them make plays."

John Burroughs' spread offense finished with 464 yards of total offense (233 passing, 231 rushing). Where to begin with the individual success? Let's start with senior quarterback Davey Holmes, who completed 16-of-24 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns.

Holmes spread the success to two junior wide receivers, who each had five catches and one touchdown of 17 yards in Peter Schnuck, a converted quarterback, who totaled 66 yards and Foye Oluokun, who accumulated 108 yards.

Then there's the running game, highlighted by junior runningback Ezekiel Elliott and sophomore running back Jake Wood. Elliott gained 133 yards on 19 attempts and four touchdowns of 12, 13, one and 43 yards. Wood rushed for 53 yards on eight carries and one touchdown of 25 yards.

The credit for the offensive balance goes to the line play of junior center Griff Palan, senior left guard Bear Kaminer, junior left tackle Jimmy Fort, junior right guard Solo Ceasay and junior right tackle Chris Hanrahan. "They couldn't focus on one player," Elliott said. "They had to focus on the whole team. If we wanted to win the game, we had to buckle down and play Burroughs football."

John Burroughs' hard-hitting, ball-hawking defense was equally successful. The Bombers recorded six turnovers, four of which set up touchdowns. Schnuck, also a safety, had two interceptions, returning one for a 53-yard touchdown in the first half.

Elliott, Oluokun and junior Jack Grady, all linebackers, also had one interception apiece while senior linebacker Sam Hefler recovered a fumble. Junior linebacker Christian Bledsoe had a team-high eight solo tackles. Kaminer, another linebacker, was involved in 12 tackles, seven were solos.

"So many kids did so many different things, which is what you want," Frerotte said. "We try to teach technique and fundamentals and do the right things. Our kids played extremely well and extremely hard."

Schnuck has adjusted to his position change. "It's been a lot of fun," Schnuck said. "It helps Davey has been playing really well. I'm liking it. I've been flying all over the field.

"I really like how I get to go out and play defense. It's been working out real well so far. I had to make the plays. As long as we're winning, I can't complain. It's a fun game for me right now."

Elliott said the lopsided win over Lutheran North proved John Burroughs is a state threat in Class 3. "We had to make a statement," Elliott said. "We can make another playoff run."

Schnuck said the the 45-20 loss to MICDS on Sept. 10 and the slow start against Lutheran North was not indicative of the way John Burroughs can play.

"After we settled down, we started to send the message we wanted to, and we really buckled down and played a great football game in the final three quarters. The MICDS football game was an anomoly. We're a much better football team than we showed that day. We've really matured as a team. A lot of people stepped up today. It was a real big game for us. We're going to be tough to beat the rest of the way."

Said Holmes: "We came out in the last three quarters and played like animals."

John Burroughs' next test will be against Class 3 state contender Ste. Genevieve (4-1), which has a balanced spread offensive attack like the Bombers, at 1 p.m. on Oct. 1 at Leland Field.

Said Frerotte: "We're looking forward. Good and bad, let it go and move on."

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