STRASBURG — It’s funny where teams get their bulletin board fodder.
For Burlington, it was nothing their Class 1A quarterfinal rivals from Byers said or did, it was the omission of its program in a newspaper article about the playoffs.
“It’s funny where coaches get and use stuff,” Cougars coach Glynn Higgs said. “But it works.”
No. 3 seed Burlington (10-1) cruised into the semifinals Saturday at Strasburg’s Winter Field with a 48-7 blistering of No. 6 Byers.
The Cougars host a semifinal game next Saturday against Western Slope League champion Hotchkiss (10-1).
The talk going in was how Burlington’s stingy defense would match up against Byers’ high-powered offense. The first two plays of the game answered that question.
On the first play, Byers quarterback Jordan Dodge was intercepted by Spencer Cure. The Cougars turned that into a Christian Ramos score after a six-play, 38-yard drive.
The next Bulldogs snap saw Micah Trahan fumble the ball into Spencer Deines’ hands at the Byers 19-yard line. Cure hooked up with Trenton Rico on the next play, just 20 seconds after the first score, and just like that, it was 14-0.
“That first pick set the tone for the game,” said junior linebacker Shadd Whitmore, who had two of the four Dodge interceptions. “It’s fun to play a team like that, that throws around and gives you the chance to get some picks.”
Byers (9-2) answered with a Dodge-to-Bryan Weikel score, but the turnover bug jumped up and bit the Bulldogs again on their next possession.
“You’ve got to hit the hole quick or throw the ball quick,” Byers coach David Dodge said. “Getting behind the 8-ball like we did early on didn’t help matters much.”
Byers had a drive that moved into Cougars territory, but Whitmore intercepted an ill-advised Dodge pass and went 64-yards the other way to deflate the Byers balloon.
“I thought our kids played well, and their offense is good and the Dodge kid throws the ball well,” Higgs said. “We adjusted our coverage after they scored the first time, and we also got a lot of pressure on him.”
The steady Burlington offense did the rest. Deines led all Cougars with 88 yards on six carries, and Cure completed an efficient 4-of-6 passes for 54 yards and two scores.
Burlington 14 21 13 0 — 48
Byers 7 0 0 0 — 7
Bur. — Ramos 3 run (Buchem kick). Bur. — Rico 19 pass from Cure (Buchem kick). By. — Weikel 53 pass from Dodge (Hasenbalg kick). Bur. — Whitmore 64 interception return (Buchem kick). Bur. — Ramos 16 run (Buchem kick). Bur. — Deines 5 run (Buchem kick). Bur. — Mettling 87 kickoff return (kick failed). Bur. — David 13 pass from Cure (Buchem kick).
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
