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Tag: Aiden Dagher

  • Burbank Football Loses To Visiting Muir 58-28

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    Burbank quarterback Deshawn Laporte stood tall in defeat versus Muir. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)

    By Rick Assad

    It’s late September and the Pacific League champion may have been crowned when Burbank High’s football team hosted powerful Muir on Friday night.

    When the clock hit triple zeroes at jammed-packed Kemp-Kallem Field on a brisk evening, the Mustangs emerged with a convincing 58-28 triumph over the Bulldogs.

    Burbank turned the ball over on two interceptions and had a fumble that was returned for a 22-yard touchdown by junior lineman/tight end Jason Brown with 8:25 left in the second period for a 28-7 lead.

    Burbank junior quarterback Deshawn Laporte’s 15-yard pass to senior wide receiver/strong safety Chase Miles (45 yards on two receptions) early in the third quarter, made the score 35-21.

    “It was a tough loss last night. As a team we didn’t play our best,” Miles explained. “We game-planned for their offense all week but couldn’t execute in the game. We just have to bounce back from this loss and learn from our mistakes for next week.”

    Muir led 14-7 after the first quarter and the visitors were in front 35-14 at halftime. The Mustangs also took a 45-28 advantage heading to the fourth period.

    Hector Valencia is Burbank’s head coach and even in defeat, thought his field general played hard.

    “Deshawn did a good job getting away from their really good defensive line,” he said of his signal-caller who hit 19 of 36 for 324 yards and two picks. 

    Muir showed its might by tallying a 27-yard field goal with 7:47 left in the third quarter by senior Matthew Zuniga to make it 38-21 and added three touchdowns over the next twenty-three minutes.

    Laporte’s 30-yard scoring toss to Miles evened the game at 7-7 with 5:20 left in the opening frame.

    Elijah Pendleton carries the ball for the Bulldogs against a tough and swarming Mustang defense. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)

    The Bulldogs (3-2 and 1-1 in league) drew within 28-14 on a Laporte to senior wide receiver/cornerback Elijah Pendleton (18 yards on two receptions) 12-yard pass and 2:26 remaining in the opening half.

    Laporte unloaded his fourth scoring pass with 5:22 left in the third period when he found sophomore wide receiver/safety Tyler Hudson (175 yards on eight catches) on a 37-yard aerial as Burbank came within 38-28.

    “We had a good week of practice and the team was prepared to face Muir,” Valencia said. “Unfortunately turnovers really hurt us today, plus a few critical penalties that killed some drives. Our players were in position on most of the big plays they had. They simply just out hustled us.”

    Valencia explained what it takes to beat a team like the Mustangs.

    “Muir just does not have many weaknesses, so if you make a small mistake, they capitalize on it really fast,” he said.

    Muir senior quarterback Trey Gamble also threw four touchdowns and his first came on a five-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver/defensive back Ethan Leyland as 9:44 was left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.

    With 1:31 left before halftime, Gamble (14 of 20 for 290 yards) found senior wide receiver/defensive back Alijah Smith (147 yards on five receptions) on a 63-yard strike for a 35-14 advantage.

    When Gamble and Smith hooked up on a 28-yard toss and 1:55 left in the third quarter, the Mustangs (4-1 and 2-0 in league) led 45-28.

    Deshawn Laporte threw four touchdowns in a 58-28 setback to the Mustangs. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)

    Gamble’s last scoring toss went to junior Deveon Blaylock (111 yards on five catches) and covered 38 yards and made it 52-28 with 8:41 left.

    Muir moved ahead 14-7 late in the first quarter on a one-yard jaunt by junior running back/linebacker David Cannon.

    Senior running back/defensive back Alijah Parker (11 carries for 60 yards) tacked on a nine-yard scoring run for the Mustangs that made it 21-7 and 8:45 left in the first half.

    Senior wide receiver Exodus Freeman had 66 yards on five receptions and junior tight end/middle linebacker Aiden Dagher added 20 yards on two catches for the Bulldogs.

    Leyland had the first interception for the Mustangs and junior wide receiver/defensive back Drew Long had the other.

    Burbank’s next league game will be against host Arcadia on Friday with a 7 p.m. start.

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    Rick Assad

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  • Burbank’s Second Half Rally Knocks Off Westwood 41-27

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    Burbank’s Deshawn Laporte threw four touchdowns in a 41-27 win over visiting Westwood. (Photo courtesy Doug Brown)

    By Rick Assad

    One week ago, Burbank High’s football team traveled to San Dimas and emerged with a lopsided victory, but there was just one problem.

    A few days later, it was revealed that an ineligible player had participated in the game for the Bulldogs and the win was forfeited.

    On Friday night at Kemp-Kallem Field on the Burbank campus, the Bulldogs used a 27-point second half to tally a convincing 41-27 nonleague triumph over Westwood, which is located in Mesa, Arizona.

    So for the record, this is the initial win of the season for Burbank (1-1).

    Junior quarterback Deshawn Laporte, two-way threat, tossed four touchdown passes with two going to senior wide receiver Exodus Freeman (game-best 152 receiving yards on six catches).

    Laporte also found Freeman with a 31-yard toss and 10:44 left in the fourth quarter for a 41-21 lead.

    “Me and my team executed with a lot of energy and came out with a big win,” said Laporte, who finished on 22 of 47 for 367 yards and had 10 yards on eight rushes.

    Thomas Adzhemyan scored a touchdown in the second half for the Bulldogs against the Warriors. (Photo courtesy Doug Brown)

    Hector Valencia is in his second stint as the Burbank head coach and was impressed.

    “I liked that the team rallied behind each other and about going for it on fourth down,” he said. “The defense looked over and said go for it. We got your back.”

    Valencia knows he has a team that can score points quickly and a defense that rallies to the football.

    “The defense caused some great turnovers with a few interceptions and fumble recoveries,” he said of the four turnovers by Westwood. 

    Valencia also had positive words for Laporte.

    “Deshawn was a little frustrated and being forced out but managed to still get out for some yards but the other team did a great job containing him,” he said.

    The Bulldogs (1-1) led 14-0 after the first quarter on a 10-yard strike from Laporte to senior Chase Miles (61 yards on five catches) with 5:55 and then unloaded a 31-yard bullet to Freeman with 1:53 left.

    The Warriors (0-1) then scored three straight touchdowns as junior running back Keshawn Barkus (154 rushing yards on 21 carries) cut the lead to 14-7 with 6:21 remaining in the second period and came within 14-13 on a 25-yard run by Barkus with 4:05 left.

    When Westwood senior quarterback Elliot Reed (12 of 37 for 125 yards and two interceptions) found senior tight end Preston Leavitt with a 12-yard toss and 38.6 second left before the intermission.

    Burbank takes the field for a nonleague game against Westwood. (Photo courtesy Doug Brown)

    Reed also drilled Leavitte with the two-point conversion pass for a 21-14 lead.

    Laporte evened the game at 21-21 with 9:19 left in the third period on a 41-yard bomb to sophomore wide receiver/cornerback/strong safety Tyler Hudson (108 yards on seven catches).

    Senior running back Thomas Adzhemyan added a six-yard scoring blast with 7:40 left in the third stanza for a 28-21 advantage.

    Senior wide receiver/cornerback Elijah Pendleton (46 yards on four receptions) added a 50-yard scoring run with 5:52 in the third quarter to make it 34-21.

    Reed’s six-yard scoring tally with 9:05 on the clock on the fourth frame sliced Burbank’s lead to 41-27.

    Senior wide receiver/cornerback Noah May-Vaughn and junior tight end/middle linebacker Aiden Dagher each had one interception for the Bulldogs.

    Burbank travels to Reno, Nevada to play a nonleague game next Friday versus Galena.

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    Rick Assad

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  • Burbank Football Preview: Bulldogs Have Unfinished Business

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    Burbank’s football team has unfinished business in 2025 after reaching the CIF Southern Section Division IX quarterfinals last year. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)

    By Rick Assad

    There is unfinished business for the Burbank High football team after finishing 9-3 overall and reaching the CIF Southern Section Division IX quarterfinals a year ago.

    The Bulldogs took on Highland at home and fell 42-28 which snapped a seven-game winning streak which included wins over Burroughs 42-21 in the regular-season finale and 47-42 against host Monrovia in the opening-round of the playoffs.

    Hector Valencia is in his second tour of duty as Burbank’s head coach and expects the team to do well, especially in the Pacific League where the Bulldogs went 6-1 for second place behind Muir.

    “I think the league should be more competitive this year. Coaches are getting more experience, and the new ones have experience,” he said. “Muir should be the favorite with the skills they have coming back but we have quite a few returners ourselves and plan to fight for the championship and we will not shy away from the competition.”

    Having a full team and it being healthy is the key to the season, according to Valencia.

    “We need to stay healthy and get the ball to your playmakers and fly to the ball on defense,” he stated.

    Coincidentally, the Bulldogs will play every game on campus except the season finale versus city rival Burroughs on October 30.

    On September 5, Burbank will travel to Reno, Nevada, to face Galena. All the games on the schedule start at 7 p.m.

    The Bulldogs have a strong offensive arsenal and should be able to compete for the Pacific League championship. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)

    The Bulldogs have several skilled players at key positions including junior quarterback Deshawn Laporte, who accounted for 39 touchdowns after tossing 28 through the air and 11 rushing.

    “My expectation for the team is to win the league, go to the CIF championship and then go to state,” he said. “Expectations for myself are being a leader and leading my team to a CIF championship and more.”

    Senior Elijah Pendleton played wide receiver and cornerback and averaged 50 receiving yards a game and finished with six scoring receptions in 2024

    Pendleton also ran for 73 yards per contest and added seven scoring rushes and also collected two interceptions.

    Sophomore wide receiver Tyler Hudson led the Bulldogs in receiving yards per game with 79.3 and added 11 scoring touchdowns.

    Senior Chase Miles is a wide receiver and a safety and can play anywhere on the field.

    “When it comes to competitiveness, I believe our will is very competitive this year because we still have a lot to prove,” he said. “After losing in the quarterfinals last year to Highland and then watching them win CIF, it made our whole team hungry and ready for this upcoming season.”

    Miles likes the team assembled and believes there is enough talent and potential to go a long way.

    “We still have a lot of returners and have gotten substantially better in the off-season, working out every day to improve ourselves,” he said.

    The season kicks off tomorrow at San Dimas for the Bulldogs and then they host Westwood on August 29. After a bye, Burbank plays at Crescenta Valley on September 19.

    Burbank’s defensive unit likes to swarm and go after the football. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)

    Burbank hosts Muir on September 26 and travels to Arcadia on October 3. The Bulldogs meet Pasadena at home on October 10. On October 17, the Bulldogs hosts Hoover and then make their way to Glendale on October 24.

    The seniors include Exodus Freeman [wide receiver and slot back], William Magee [wide receiver and cornerback], Thomas Adzhemyan [running back and strong safety], Paolo Seltenreich [tight end and defensive end], Johnny Sale [wide receiver, linebacker and safety] and Noah May-Vaughn [wide receiver and cornerback].

    The rest of the seniors are Giordan Lewis [wide receiver and outside linebacker], Ryan Honore [wide receiver and cornerback], Adrian Albarran [defensive back], Ryan Mendoza [kicker], Matthew Winn [offensive line and defensive end], David Saroyan [center, guard and defensive line] and Anthony Torres [offensive line and nose guard].

    The juniors on the team include Giovanni Bernardo, [running back and outside linebacker], Kaylem Valencia [fullback and outside linebacker], Nico Santillan [running back and outside linebacker], Troy Wells [running back and middle linebacker], Aiden Dagher [tight end and middle linebacker], Alan Garcia [wide receiver], Ronald Gordon [wide receiver and cornerback] and Soundwavyve Sayles [defensive end].

    The other juniors are Kordell White [defensive back], Onik Chalkdzhyan [wide receiver and defensive back], Juan Huezo [center, guard and defensive line], Jack Aguilar [offensive and defensive line], Nick Gonzalez [offensive and defensive line], Jehad Altayab [offensive line and nose guard] and Hayk Torgomyan [guard and defensive line].

    The sophomores are Diego Plancarte [wide receiver, cornerback and strong safety], Cassius Maydew [wide receiver and defensive back], Gavin Azizian [wide receiver and defensive back], Marc Naiem [defensive end], Juaquin Ruacho [running back and middle linebacker], Aiden Loveranes [offensive line and defensive end] and Harry Molia [tackle and defensive end].

     

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    Rick Assad

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