Burke County knocks off undefeated Glenn Hills
By Anne Marie Kyzer Staff Writer

Burke County's Chris Lauriston #61 pushes past a Spartan while Cornelius Washington #80 swings around the outside to put pressure on the quarterback.

It was defensive coordinator Eric Luke's turn this time.

After Burke County High School's 11-6 upset of previously unbeaten Glenn Hills High School, Coach Luke got the ice shower after the game.

Spurred by an explosive defensive effort, the Bears (2-2) took down the Spartans on Homecoming night in the Bear Den.

The Bears defense was so on fire that wide receiver Bobby Burum said he knew when he ran in the Bears' only touchdown that they would win the game.

"I thought, 'We are going to win this,'" he said breathlessly after a post-game celebration in front of the home side stands. "I knew the defense would hold them."

Defensive lineman Tim Prophet said its confidence like that among the players that will win them ballgames.

"There's a lot of trust that we have in one another, and that's what will take us to the top," he said with an excited grin.

Fellow lineman Kenote Gross agreed, and added that when the offense does their job, it draws a line for the defense.

"If they can step up, we can step up," he said.

Gross said the Bears had to hold their ground to get the win, and that they did.

When the Spartans ran for a touchdown with 4:13 left in the first quarter, it didn't look good.

But that was the last time Glenn Hills would have the chance to celebrate a score for the remainder of the game.

The Bears held the Spartans to 96 yards total offense, compared to their own 222 yards.

"We really wanted to win this game," Gross said. "We tried not to give up any plays at all, because if we gave up a lot, (Glenn Hills) would take the victory home."

Prophet called the match-up intense, but said he knew they had a job to do.

"We fought, and we finished the job," he said. "One more score (by Glenn Hills) and we could have lost it. We knew we had to finish."

The drive the players showed Friday night is what head coach Eric Parker has been trying to instill in them all season.

The Bears put four on the board with an unusual two safeties, both in the second quarter.

For the first, Burke County had Glenn Hills backed up to their own 17 yard line when Arsenio Strong sacked the quarterback for a loss on a third down play. The Spartans lined up in punt formation but a sloppy snap sailed through the end zone.

Two drives later for Glenn Hills, the same scenario worked again for the Bears. The Bears sacked the Spartan quarterback for a loss on a third down play close to the Spartan goal line and forced another punt situation. Another bad snap and the Bears had two more points on the board.

When the team headed to the locker room at halftime, the Bears trailed 4-6.

Coach Parker said he told his players they needed to play well and finish the game, and the team listened.

The Bears came back after halftime to score on their first possession in the third quarter.

On a third down play less than three minutes into the half, Burum snatched up a pass from Burke County quarterback Tyler Hammett and sprinted half the length of the field into the end zone.

Nathan Chance's kick was good to put the Bears up 11-6, where the score would stay until the clock ran down.

Terrell Brigham and Chris Rainge took the charge out of the Spartans in the fourth quarter on two of their last three drives with interceptions. The last came with just over a minute to go, giving Burke County a chance to enjoy the last seconds in possession of the ball.

Coach Parker enjoyed the win, which is the Bears' second in a row, and applauded the team's defensive effort. But he said he has "guarded optimism."

"We are making progress," he said, and then he put his hands on his hips and gave a short laugh. "But we'll go back to work Monday, and I'm sure we'll be fussing and raising sand again."

NOT ON OUR WATCH

The Bears succeeded in keeping a perfect record against Glenn Hills. The Bears have never lost a game to Glenn Hills in Burke County High School's history. Their record stands at 18-0, and represents the most wins against any team they have ever played.

DEMOLITION CREW

The Burke County defense tore apart any hopes Glenn Hills had of scoring after the first quarter. Aresenio Strong and Kenote Gross each tallied seven tackles, while Cornelius Washington and Bobby Burum recorded six each. Gross, Washington, Tim Prophet and Bryant Wesby recorded 8 tackles for losses between them. The Spartan offense often found themselves scrambling to make plays under pressure from the Bears defense.

UP NEXT Burke County will travel to Harlem High School Friday, Oct. 5. Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m. Last year, the Bears hosted Harlem in the Bear Den for their first match-up ever and shut the Bulldogs down 20-0.