Late drive carries Burleson into playoffs

Posted Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009 Comments   (0) Print Share Share Reprints
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Special to the Star-Telegram

WEATHERFORD — Burleson running back Blake Smith racked up 236 yards against Weatherford.

But his final four proved to be the biggest.

Smith capped an 80-play drive with a 4-yard touchdown run with 20 seconds left to give the Elks the lead, and eventually, a 30-27 victory at Kangaroo Stadium.

"I knew when they called 33 lead that I was going to score," Smith said.

With the victory, Burleson (7-3, 3-3 in 3-5A) advances to play Arlington High at Cowboys Stadium at 9 p.m. on Friday in the first round of the playoffs. The loss cost the Kangaroos (5-5, 3-3) a playoff berth, after they lost a tiebreaker to Richland that was determined by a point differential.

Smith, who went over the 200-yard mark for the third straight game, rushed for 63 yards on 14 carries on the final drive. The Elks’ offense, which sputtered in the second half, came alive when it need too.

"We dug deep, and we did what we did best," coach Mel Maxfield said. "It showed so much poise."

Weatherford struggled in the first quarter, falling behind by 14 points, but the Kangaroos strung together two touchdowns to keep the score close.

By the second half, Weatherford’s defense had stumped the Burleson’s running attack. Kangaroos quarterback Mitchael Rucker capped a 16-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, which give Weatherford the lead. But when the Weatherford defense needed a stop, it came up short.

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