BURLINGAME — The Burlingame Panthers keep finding ways to win.
With just over six minutes remaining, Burlingame quarterback Carlo Lopiccolo threw deep to a wide open Gray Goodman, who waltzed into the end zone for a 67-yard touchdown to give Burlingame (5-3, 3-1 PAL Bay) its first lead of the night en route to a 17-10 win over Terra Nova. The victory guaranteed the Panthers a CCS playoff berth for the eighth straight year.
After Burlingame’s go-ahead score, Terra Nova moved to the Panthers’ 39 on its next possession, but on fourth-and-10, quarterback Nate Gordon threw deep down the sideline and was intercepted by Robert Uhrich, giving the ball back to Burlingame with two minutes to play.
Following a three-and-out, Terra Nova got the ball back with one final shot to tie the game, but Gordon was sacked on the last play of the game near midfield to seal the Panthers’ victory.
“We felt like, if we could keep it close and get to the fourth quarter, we’d make a play, and that’s exactly what happened,” Burlingame coach John Philipopoulos said. “Our kids were determined. We weren’t going to lose tonight. Senior Night, trying to clinch a CCS berth, we weren’t going to lose. If we just keep that mentality, it’s going to take us much further.”
Terra Nova (2-6, 1-3) was clearly the better team in the first half. The Tigers moved the ball nicely down the field on their first possession before a holding penalty derailed them.
They turned the ball over on downs in the red zone midway through the second quarter before finally capitalizing with two and a half minutes left in the half. Gordon capped a nine-play, 59-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Richard Walls from nine yards out, and Terra Nova led 7-0. Gordon completed 23 of 30 passes for 228 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.
Burlingame had a response just before the half, getting a 23-yard field goal by Aidan Faust.
Terra Nova made it 10-3 with a field goal in the third quarter, then Burlingame finally got its offense going. The Panthers drove to the Terra Nova 1, and Alec Meredith punched it in on the final play of the third quarter. The game was tied 10-10 entering the final period.
“It was frustrating,” Philipopoulos said of the rough start for the Panthers. “They had a great defensive game plan. We remained patient, we didn’t panic. Our defense was playing lights out.”
Terra Nova started its next drive back at its own 10 and moved the ball swiftly down the field. But Burlingame’s Dimitri Rally recovered a Terra Nova fumble at the Panthers’ four.
A series of running plays moved Burlingame out of the shadow of its end zone, then Lopiccolo hit Goodman with the winning touchdown pass.
“Gray made an amazing catch,” Lopiccolo said. “Coach had a lot of confidence in me this week. My offensive line stepped up for me.”
Burlingame remained unbeaten at home and in second place in the Bay division. They also won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
“We could have easily packed it in, but we had a couple stops late in the game,” Philipopoulos said. “Our defense has really played big the last couple weeks. Great tackling, great schemes, great coverage down the field. We’re just really coming into our own on the defensive side of the ball.”
