Trojans fall to Burlington in week two of districts

STAFF REPORTS

The Girard Trojans football team lost a hard-fought game Friday night against the Burlington Wildcats in week two of district play.

To start the night, Burlington received the kickoff and wasted no time finding their way to the end zone, scoring on the second play of the game.

Now on offense, the Trojans fired back with a short drive up the field but were unable to penetrate the Wildcats’ defense and were forced to punt.

Girard’s defense revealed more fire this time around, forcing the Wildcats’ to slowly work their way up the field until another big run was allowed up the middle. This brought the score to 0-14 with less than six minutes left in the first quarter.

At this point it seemed as if the Wildcats were taking over, but the Trojans refused to lie down and stepped up their intensity.

After returning the Wildcats’ kickoff to nearly the 50-yard line, Girard fought their way up the field in five plays to find themselves seven yards out of the end zone.

Girard’s Camden McFarland finished the drive with a run up the middle after receiving a handoff from quarterback Kyler Siebert to bring the score to 7-14.

The Trojans kept the momentum rolling on the following kickoff by forcing Burlington to fumble and recovering the ball on Burlington’s 30-yard line.

However, Burlington immediately intercepted the Trojans’ pass to get the ball back on their five-yard line.

The Wildcats could not get past the Trojan defense and found themselves in a punting situation from their 12-yard line at the end of the first quarter.

Girard took possession on Burlington’s 29-yard line to start the second quarter.

The Trojans maintained offensive possession for over five minutes on this drive and finally found their way into the end zone again after a one yard run by McFarland.

Girard pulled ahead of the Wildcats after Siebert completed a two-point conversion with a run up the middle to bring the score to 15-14.

However, Burlington answered with another touchdown after a six-play drive to bring the score to 15-22 after a completed two-point conversion.

After forcing the Trojans to punt, the Wildcats’ quarterback scrambled for a 78-yard touchdown to bring the score to 15-28 at the end of the first half.

To begin the second half, the Trojans received the ball but were soon forced to punt.

Girard’s defense turned around and forced Burlington to turn the ball over on downs with 6:52 left in the third quarter.

The Trojans could not find their way past the Wildcats’ defense, however, and were forced to punt again.

Burlington could not get past the Trojans’ defense in the third quarter but carried their possession over into the fourth and scored on the first play to bring the score to 15-36.

On the first play after receiving the kickoff, Siebert found receiver Kreed Curran and completed a 24-yard pass to move their way into Burlington territory.

The Trojans capitalized on the drive after Siebert launched a 27-yard pass to Josiah Thomason in the end zone to bring the score to 21-36 with 7:48 left in the second half.

Burlington scored again on a 69-yard run by their quarterback to bring the score to 21-44 with less than three minutes left to play.

The Trojans retaliated with a strong offensive drive ending in another touchdown by Thomason after motioning and receiving a handoff from Siebert.

This brought the score to 28-44 with nine seconds left in the game.

For the second week in a row, Girard remained persistent until the final moments of the game.

Unfortunately, the Trojans were unable to capture the victory and their district record was brought to 1-1. Their overall season record now is 3-5.

The Trojans will host the Iola Mustangs this Thursday for Senior Night in their third game of districts.