There have been some close games and upsets in the Burbank-Burroughs football series that dates back to 1949.
But that was not the case Thursday night when the teams met at Memorial Field in the regular season finale.
Burbank scored on the first play from scrimmage and were in complete command from start to finish in a 62-14 Pacific League victory.
“Defensively, I like the way they played,” Burbank coach Hector Valencia said. “Offensively we knew we were going to click.”
Burbank’s offense did more than just click. Quarterback Deshawn Laporte completed 24 of 26 passes for 464 yards and seven touchdowns.
“The team executed real well. We came out and played hard and got the W,” Laporte said.
Burbank (8-2, 6-1 in league) needed just 15 seconds to score as Elijah Pendleton took one of Laporte’s baby passes and went 65 yards for the touchdown.
The Bulldogs scored three more times in the first quarter. Pendleton scored his second touchdown on a 20-yard pass. Exodus Freeman scored on a 37-yard touchdown with 2:58 left in the first quarter and Chase Miles scored on the final play of the quarter, a 17-yard pass from Laporte.
Tyler Hudson scored on a 13-yard screen pass with 2:30 left in the first half to make it 34-0.
Kaylem Valencia intercepted a pass by Burroughs quarterback Brandon Chapparo and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half.
Burbank led 42-0 at halftime.
“The way they play at that level is amazing. We need to do that if we want to play at that level,” Burroughs coach Jose Calzadilla said of Burbank.
Burbank received a 75-yard touchdown from Laporte to Miles with 4:46 left in the third quarter.
Burroughs (3-7, 3-4 in league) finally got on the board with 3:30 left in the third period as Chapparo scored on a 4-yard run.
Burbank added another touchdown before the end of the quarter as Tyler Hudson had an incredible run that saw him elude a number of tackles before going 26 yards into the end zone.
Burroughs added a touchdown with 6:41 remaining, as Troy Acosta scored on an 8-yard run.
Chapparo led Burroughs with 76 yards rushing. The Bears also got 59 yards from Sho Fujita.
Burbank will find out its fate for the CIF playoffs on Sunday when pairings will be released.
There are three more games left in the regular season and the Burbank High football team knows where it stands, virtually in the CIF Southern Section playoffs.
Friday night host Burbank won the battle of the Bulldogs, 35-14, over Pasadena in a game that was essentially for second place in the Pacific League.
Burbank’s next two games are against Hoover and Glendale, both of which are winless in league.
So now Burbank will aim to work on eliminating the few mistakes that it did make, most of which were on penalties.
“We try to focus on making plays when we’re supposed to and capitalize on mistakes from the other team,” Burbank coach Hector Valencia said.
Valencia said keeping his team sharp will be a challenge in the final weeks of the regular season.
“We have to run our offense in the first half. We cannot just stop practicing and competing,” Valencia said of the idea of playing in some lopsided games.
Burbank (5-2 overall, 3-1 in league) got on the board early against Pasadena as Elijah Pendleton scored on a 12-yard pitch from Deshawn Laporte with 10:29 left in the first quarter.
Pendleton added a second touchdown later in the quarter to give Burbank a 14-0 lead.
Burbank took a 21-7 lead with 6:43 left in the first half when Laporte hooked up with Tyler Hudson on a 1-yard touchdown pass.
Laporte hooked up with Chase Miles on a 13-yard touchdown with 2:20 left in the first half.
Burbank added a third-quarter touchdown when Laporte hooked up with Johnny Sale on a 19-yard pass.
Pasadena (4-3, 3-1) added a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, a 1-yard run by Synncere Pitts.
Defensively Burbank was solid, intercepting Pasadena quarterback Dutch Burbidge three times.
Miles, Noah May-Vaughn and Kaylem Valencia each had an interception.
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].
