Burdine’s Three Touchdowns Lead Catholic Past John Paul II
Little Rock Catholic 50, John Paul II 13
FRISCO, Texas — Luke Burdine rushed for three touchdowns and Phillips Blair added two as Little Rock Catholic defeated John Paul II of Plano 50-13 Saturday at The Star. Both teams finished 1-1.
Blair gained 109 yards on six carries. Burdine finished with 61 yards on 10 attempts, and the Rockets totaled six rushing touchdowns.
Safety Pate Capps forced a fumble on John Paul II’s opening possession, giving Catholic the ball at the Cardinals’ 5. Blair scored from the 1 two plays later for a 7-0 lead. Capps finished with eight tackles, including one quarterback sack.
John Paul II answered with Connor Chapman’s touchdown pass to Gus Kahn, tying the game with 4:33 remaining in the first quarter.
Burdine’s 6-yard touchdown run put Catholic ahead 14-7. Silas Smith then recovered the ensuing kickoff in the end zone for another touchdown, extending the lead to 21-7 with 1:16 left.
Burdine scored again with 8:18 remaining in the second quarter. Parker Phillips and Granger Colclasure recorded consecutive sacks on the Cardinals’ next possession, helping force a punt.
Stratton Robinson’s 3-yard touchdown run with 4:33 left gave Catholic a 35-7 halftime lead.
Blair scored on a long keeper on third-and-12 during the opening possession of the second half, making it 41-7.
Kahn caught consecutive passes during John Paul II’s answering drive. The Cardinals converted fourth down with a quarterback scramble, then scored on a keeper with 5:16 remaining in the third quarter.
Charlie Smith returned the ensuing unsuccessful extra-point attempt for two Catholic points, making it 43-13.
Burdine completed his three-touchdown game with a 3-yard run on fourth-and-2 with 6:42 remaining. Patrick Harrington’s sixth extra point made it 50-13.
John Paul II forced Catholic’s only punt in the fourth quarter. The Rockets subsequently stopped the Cardinals on fourth down and finished with kneeldowns.
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
Catholic – Phillips Blair 1-yard run (Patrick Harrington kick), 9:35, Catholic 7-0.
John Paul II – Gus Kahn 30-yard pass from Connor Chapman (kick good), 4:33, 7-7.
Catholic – Luke Burdine 6-yard run (Patrick Harrington kick), Catholic 14-7.
Catholic – Silas Smith kickoff recovery in the end zone (Patrick Harrington kick), 1:16, Catholic 21-7.
2nd Quarter
Catholic – Luke Burdine touchdown run (Patrick Harrington kick), 8:18, Catholic 28-7.
Catholic – Stratton Robinson 3-yard run (Patrick Harrington kick), 4:33, Catholic 35-7.
3rd Quarter
Catholic – Phillips Blair touchdown run on third-and-12 (conversion failed), Catholic 41-7.
John Paul II – Quarterback touchdown run, scorer unconfirmed (extra-point attempt unsuccessful), 5:16, Catholic 41-13.
Catholic – Charlie Smith returns John Paul II’s extra-point attempt for two points, 5:16, Catholic 43-13.
4th Quarter
Catholic – Luke Burdine 3-yard run on fourth-and-2 (Patrick Harrington kick), 6:42, Catholic 50-13.
Players Who Stood Out
Luke Burdine, Catholic running back: 10 carries for 61 yards and three touchdowns. Scored twice before halftime and added a 3-yard touchdown on fourth-and-2 in the fourth quarter.
Phillips Blair, Catholic quarterback: Six carries for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Opened the scoring with a 1-yard keeper and scored on third-and-12 during Catholic’s first possession after halftime.
Pate Capps, Catholic safety: Eight tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. His opening-possession strip-sack gave Catholic the ball at John Paul II’s 5 and set up Blair’s first touchdown.
Silas Smith, Catholic outside linebacker/special teams: One fumble-recovery touchdown. Recovered a kickoff in the end zone with 1:16 remaining in the first quarter. Also made tackles on Catholic’s first two kickoff coverages.
Gus Kahn, John Paul II receiver: One touchdown reception. Caught the first-quarter pass that tied the game at 7-7 and consecutive passes during the Cardinals’ third-quarter touchdown drive.