By Jennifer Eisenbart
Sports Editor
For two football teams heading in two different directions, Friday night’s regular-season final between Burlington and Union Grove offered a similar end feeling.
Satisfaction in how each team played was what both head coaches walked away with after BHS pulled away with 21 unanswered points and 49-20 victory at Union Grove.
BHS improved to 5-2 in the Southern Lakes Conference and 6-2 overall, while Union Grove dropped to 0-7 and 0-8.
Still, BHS coach Hans Block thought his team responded well after Union Grove pulled to within 28-20 in the third quarter.
“I tip my hat to Union Grove,” Block said. “They came out and battled. They did not look like an 0-7 team.”
And Union Grove head coach Justin Davis seemed pleased with the lessons his team had learned this year.
“When I took over this program, my goal was to start from the foundation up to build the needed success,” Davis said. “Friday night was the culmination of that successful foundation.
“The character of this team surfaced,” he added. “They played their hearts out for the right reasons and they did it together.”
Burlington jumped out to an immediate 13-0 lead, thanks to a 58-yard touchdown reception by Ty Dennis and a 23-yard rushing touchdown by Chad Redmer.
Tate Koester responded with the first of his three touchdowns for the Broncos, but BHS quarterback Jayden Essman came up with another huge pass to Dennis – this time for 44 yards and a score.
Kasey Solofra converted the two-point reception for the Demons, and BHS would lead 28-14 at the half – with Koester adding a score for UG and Ross Canales one for Burlington.
However, Union Grove came out and took the ball down the field on the opening drive of the second quarter, with Koester scoring his third touchdown with 4:11 left in the quarter.
At that point, Block said his team may have let up a little bit.
“I think the kids just though this was going to be easy, it was no big deal,” he said. “That was kind of a wake-up call for our kids.”
The starters then drove down the field and scored, Essman capping the drive with his third touchdown pass of the night to Dennis, this time from 14 yards out.
Canales would added his second touchdown of the evening in the fourth quarter, and Parker Thompson scored on a five-yard run to cap the 21 unanswered points from the Demons.
BHS put up close to 500 yards of offense, finishing with 482. Essman completed 5 of 9 passing for 159 yards, three touchdowns and a two-point conversion, while BHS picked up 323 yards on the ground.
Union Grove finished with 244 yards of offense – most coming from Koester, who finished with 155 yards on 30 carries and all three of the Broncos’ scores.
The Demons now head to the playoffs, opening on the road Friday at 7 p.m. against No. 3 seed Watertown.
“We’re going to need to play well,” Block said. “We want to possess the ball as much as we can.”
Watertown quarterback Tarek Yaeggi has passed for more than 2,000 yards this season (2,185 yards and a 119.5 quarterback rating), and the Goslings have a decent running game to compliment that.
Essman, meanwhile, may not have the same gaudy numbers, but has almost been equally efficient, with a 117.2 quarterback rating and 1,254 yards.
Redmer has 807 yards rushing on the season, averaging 6.2 yards per attempt.
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