Bulldogs top Mustangs in clash of unbeatens

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – KEY CONTEST: Medina quarterback Jason Hellwig scrambles to get away from a Burgard defender during the Mustangs loss to the Bulldogs this afternoon in a key B- North match up of unbeatens at Buffalo’s All High Stadium.

BUFFALO – A pair of touchdowns off big special teams plays at the outset of the second half propelled Burgard to a 51-12 victory over Medina this afternoon in a key battle of B North Division unbeatens at All High Stadium.

Leading by a narrow 13-12 margin at the half, Burgard broke the game wide open in the first three minutes of the second half. The Bulldogs first returned the opening kickoff 82 yards for one touchdown and then returned a blocked punt 25 yards for another score to quickly open up a 25-12 lead.

Later in the quarter Mediina gambled and lost on a fourth down play at the Mustangs 39 and Burgard capitalized on the short field to score agin on an 8 yard run by Rayshawn Jones to boost the lead to 32-12.

The Bulldogs then capitalized on a Medina fumble to score again before the disastrous third quarter ended to up the lead to 39-12.

Burgard added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make it 51-12 before play was stopped with just over four minutes remaining due to an injury to Medina’s Thomas Follman. Follman was transported by ambulance to the hospital to be checked out for what Medina coaches described as a concussion.

“It was a tough ending to a bad day,” Medina coach Eric Valley said. “Burgard has very good team but we played a tremendous first half. They just wore us down in the second half and the turnovers just killed us.”

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – MUSTANG ON THE MOVE: Medina running back Brett Pecoraro picks up yardage against the Burgard defense.

Turnovers proved especially disastrous in the first half as Burgard picked off a pass on just Medina’s second play from scrimmage and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown and a lightning quick 7-0 lead.

Medina did answer back with touchdown on a 45 yard pass completion from quarterback Jason Hellwig to Dan Brown but the two point conversion attempt failed leaving Burgard up 7-6. Hellwig had pass completions of 10 yards to both Dylan Lewis and Ty Horovat and Kyle Barna added a nine yard run during that drive.

However, it took Burgard just three plays to get that score back as the Bulldgos turned a short screen pass into a 63 yard touchdown play to move out to a 13-6 lead.

Medina again came battling back, this time on a 32 yard Hellwig to Barna touchdown pass midway through the second quarter, to pull with in one at 13-12 as the two point conversion attempt again failed.

A fumble recovery near midfield by Devin Joy, which was forced by Barna, set up the scoring opportunity as a 16 yard pass complete from Hellwig to Brett Pecoraro keyed the drive.

The Mustangs though could get no closer as Burgard wasted little time in breaking the game wide open at the outset of the second half on the touchdowns off the kickoff return and the blocked punt.

Medina is now 2-1 and 3-1 overall while Burgard is 4-0, 4-0.

Medina next hosts Lew-Port for Hoemcoming at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

In other B-North action over the weekend Cheektowaga (3-0, 3-1) defeated Amherst (1-2, 1-3) 43-3, Bennett (2-2, 2-2) downed Lew-Port (1-2, 2-2) 36-14 and Maryvale (1-2, 1-3) topped Barker/Roy-Hart (0-4, 0-4) 38-16.