‘A hard fought matchup’: Arlington Seguin holds on to defeat Burleson in season finale

BURLESON – Arlington Seguin hung on to eventually subdue a stubborn Burleson squad in a contentious penalty-marred contest, 29-27, at Elk Stadium Friday night.

The Cougars (6-4, 4-3) needed to win and victories from Everman and Mansfield Summit to qualify for the playoffs. Summit won, but Everman did not; Seguin is eliminated from playoff contention.

In a wild finish, Burleson quarterback Caden Ward sneaked over from the 1-yard line. It was the second time he had done so in the game with 1:09 left.

The Elks (2-8, 2-5) went for the onside kick. They appeared to recover it, but the player who did so also made contact with the ball a yard short of the minimum 10-yard travel distance. From there, Seguin ran out the clock and Burleson had no more timeouts.

That was not unusual. What was unusual was where the Elks kicked the ball. It was from the Seguin 15-yard line. That was because there was a flurry - three in fact - of personal fouls following the touchdown and extra point by Seguin that, when combined, moved the ball to that point.

There were also a couple of ejections. Hence, the illegal contact by the Burleson player for the ball occurred at the 6-yard line.

It was all too typical of on-field behavior throughout the game. Several fights broke out particularly in the first half. The teams combined for 225 yards in penalties.

Despite the lack of sportsmanship, both coaches were gracious to one another afterwards.

“There was a lot of emotion out there on both sides,” said Burleson Coach Chad Worrell. “I thought our kids did a good job of staying composed during the second half and playing hard. And that’s what we’ve stressed. Those guys gave a great effort tonight.”

“I think it was a big step forward, probably the hardest we played all year for four quarters,” he added. “Our defense had some big stops tonight. I can’t stress enough how proud I am of the way our kids played. They’ve (Cougars) got a talented bunch. Our district is super tough. Good teams are staying home.”

The respect was mutual. His counterpart concurred.

“It was a hard-fought matchup,” said Gordon. “Hat’s off to their coach. He’s doing a great job in his first year. They came out and gave us all we wanted. Obviously, in this league, you’ve got to play for 48 minutes and the game went down to the last second.”

One big play that turned momentum Seguin’s way just as it was going in favor of Burleson came midway in the third quarter. Ward had just sneaked across from a yard out to pull within five points, 18-13.

The Elks attempted a 2-point conversion. They succeeded but the score was nullified by a holding penalty. So, Burleson attempted a PAT instead. It was blocked and returned by Seguin’s Cam Cole the opposite direction for 2 points.

“A four-point swing on that PAT,” noted Worrell. “That obviously turned out to be the difference in the game.”

Minutes later, running back Chase Ramirez, who doubles as kicker, booted his second field goal. This time, it was from 35 yards to push the Seguin advantage to 23-13.

Seguin nursed that two-score lead until late in the fourth quarter, but one play can make a difference. It was provided single-handedly by the Elks’ Tre Cushionberry who had earlier caught a pass for Burleson’s first touchdown.

This time the junior as a defensive back notched an interception at his 32-yard line and returned it 68 yards down the sideline for a pick-six, eluding tacklers en rout. It gave Seguin a 23-20 lead with 2:33 left.

Only 20 seconds later, Seguin reinstated the 10-point margin and quarterback Sirawn Evans redeemed himself, tossing to an open Malachi Meche at the post for a 45-yard touchdown on third-and-16. Meche caught six passes for a game-high 74 yards.

The final touchdown by Burleson was a 70-yard, seven-play drive highlighted by a 28-yard catch by Cushionberry, who made a circus catch despite tight coverage to the Seguin 37-yard line. A personal foul penalty was tacked on.

For Seguin, Ramirez rushed 17 times for 105 yards and a touchdown. Evans was 11-22-2 passing for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

For Burleson, workhorse Nate Jackson ran 28 times for 111 yards. Ward was 7-17-0 for 87 yards and a TD.

This story was originally published November 4, 2023 at 1:49 AM.