By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
To say game one of the Steve Tenhagen era didn’t start well for the Burlington football team would be an understatement.
Visiting Racine Case jumped out to a 19-0 lead 15 seconds into the second quarter, and what was supposed to be a celebratory night honoring legendary Burlington coach Don Dalton was quickly becoming a mess.
But that’s when the Demons finally began to click with Tenhagen’s offense, which relies on quick strikes and big plays.
Burlington went on a furious 27-7 rally to take a 27-26 lead in the fourth quarter, but a combination of turnovers, penalties and an explosive Eagles offense were too much to overcome in a 44-34 defeat.
On a night where Dalton, who coached Burlington to 22 conference championships in 27 years, spoke to a spirited crowd of former players and fans, Case got the last laugh.
“We’d like to come out on the other side of the scoreboard, but we’re going to move forward,” said Tenhagen. “We ran into some road bumps with turnovers and 15 penalties. It’s tough to overcome things like that. I’m proud of the way we battled.”
Thanks to a touchdown run from quarterback Brad Burling and a scoring pass from Burling to Kyle Jones in the second quarter, Burlington cut Case’s lead to 26-14 at the half.
The Demons came out hot in the third quarter, as running back Hunter Melby scored from 12 yards out to cut the lead to 26-20 with 8:16 remaining.
On that same drive, Melby dragged three Case defenders into the end zone on a spirited 30-yard score, but it was called back due to holding.
After another Demons stop, Burling went back to the air to give the team the lead.
He lofted a beautiful deep ball down the right sideline, and Ty Wiemer caught it in stride and walked into the end zone for a 26-yard score.
The Brian Dankle extra point gave Burlington a one-point lead.
The Demons’ defense stepped up again with a three-and-out, and Burlington seemed in control with 10 minutes to play.
However, on a first and 15, Burling’s pass over the middle was picked off by a sliding Bryce Leipzig, who took it to the house for a 45-yard touchdown. A two-point play gave Case a 34-27 lead.
“It flipped the game,” Tenhagen said. “A score for us would’ve been huge. We read progressions low to high, but the safety made a great play. It changed the momentum dramatically.”
Then, the Demons committed another crucial blunder on their next drive.
On fourth and 6 from around their own 35, Burlington punter James Tully faked the punt and ran to the right. Unfortunately, Case snuffed it out and took over with excellent field position.
Tully made a big catch on third and 13 to keep the drive alive before the punt.
“That’s a rugby-style punt,” Tenhagen said. “It’s based on the read throughout the punt. We made the wrong read, but that happens at times. We’ll get it cleaned up. It was a big point in the game, and they didn’t have a returner back. That’ll come with experience.”
The Burlington defense continued to battle with its back against the wall. Case was only able to advance 10 yards to the Burlington 23 before fourth down.
With wet conditions, Case was able to convert on a 40-yard field goal and take control of the game with 5:11 to play.
Burlington got stuffed on a fourth and 1 on its next possession, and a 13-yard Tyus Scaife-Harris touchdown scamper sealed the deal at 44-27.
Burling tacked on another rushing touchdown to close the scoring.
Overall, Burlington racked up 500 yards of offense, as Burling passed for 251 yards and ran for 162. But four turnovers and a host of penalties thwarted the Demons’ chances.
Case ran for 300 yards, led by Brannan Jeremy’s 135 and Tyrese Pinson’s 104.
Burlington gave up a kickoff return for a touchdown, a pick-six and an 81-yard touchdown run.
However, the team showed resiliency by making it a game after falling behind 19-0.
“We missed a little execution in the beginning,” Tenhagen said. “We missed some tackles, and Case has some good backs. We played well and went up and down the field eventually. It took us awhile to get going.”
“We must build on this. If we sit and let this determine where we’re going, it doesn’t do us any good.”
Melby finished with 72 yards rushing. Wiemer led the Demons with six catches for 95.
Frankie Hozeska, playing in his first varsity game, caught six passes for 77 yards.
Burlington (0-1) will host Racine Horlick Friday night. Case (1-0) hosts Waterford (1-0).
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