Burleson falls just short to Midlothian despite valiant efforts of senior QB

On senior night, Burleson senior quarterback Blake Myers did all he could to lead the Elks past Midlothian in a crucial District 5-5A Division II football contest Friday night.

Myers ran for three scores and threw for another but it wasn’t enough as the Elks fell to the Panthers 32-30 at Burleson ISD Stadium.

Burleson (5-4, 3-4) has the week off before closing out the regular season at Cleburne on Nov. 8. The Elks need a victory to stay in the playoff hunt. Midlothian (6-2, 4-2) plays host to Cleburne next Friday.

With 5:26 remaining, Myers scored on a 27-yard run that cut the Panthers’ lead to 32-30. On the ensuing 2-point conversion, Myers was stopped a yard short of the goal line leaving the Elks down by two points.

Myers finished the game with 188 yards rushing on 14 carries. The senior scored on runs of 84, 25 and 27 yards. Myers also threw for 120 yards and a touchdown.

Midlothian took possession of the ball at its own 25 and was able to run the clock out thanks to its running game. The Panthers converted a pair of fourth-and-1 situations on the drive on quarterback sneaks by Nicholas De Los Santos.

The Panthers used their running game to control the clock all night. Midlothian, which attempted two passes, ran the ball 62 times for 256 yards. Fullback Ethan Hill rushed for 143 yards and two scores on 26 carries.

Leading 21-9 at halftime, the Panthers went up 24-9 midway through the third quarter on a 35-yard field goal by Shane Reasonover.

After a fumble recovery by Adyn Schwarzer, the Elks cut the lead to 24-17 when Myers hit Jaxon Winburn for a 33-yard touchdown with 5:25 left in the third quarter.

Midlothian went back up 32-17 with 10:27 to play on a 2-yard run by Hill. On the point-after attempt, a bad snap sent holder Riley Angel scrambling to make a play. Angel fired a pass to the near sideline that Hill caught for a two-point conversion.

Down 15, the Elks didn’t give up as Myers scored from 25 yards out to cut the Panthers’ lead to 32-24 with 9:04 remaining.

Burleson’s defense forced a three-and-out, then Myers scored his third touchdown of the game but the 2-point conversion failed.