ATHERTON, CA – The BBK Show, otherwise known as the Ben Burr-Kirven Show, was in full effect Saturday afternoon in Sacred Heart Prep’s 37-13 rout of visiting Oak Grove in the first round of the Central Coast Section Open Division Playoffs.
Oak Grove attempted to take an early 3-0 lead on a 48-yard field goal from Joel Gomez, which had more than enough leg in to it, but hit the left upright and was no good.
It would turn out to be the Eagles' only shot at a lead, as SHP took quick advantage, moving down field on 11 plays in just over four minutes and capping off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run from Burr-Kirven to give SHP a 7-0 lead with 2:22 to play in the first quarter. BBK rushed five times for 44 yards on that drive; he finished with 194 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
“It’s not me, it’s the whole team. The offense has been a machine all year. The touchdowns are a credit to the o-line - it’s not me at all,” said Burr-Kirven, who has produced 14 rushing touchdowns in the last six games since returning from injury on October 17.
Mason Randall was an integral part of the Gators’ offense from under center, completing 9 of 13 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns. His first score came around the seven-minute mark of the second quarter when he rolled out to the right on play action and found Riley Tinsley open in the flat for a five-yard score.
The second was a 32-yard pass to Nick O’Donnell in which Randall escaped defenders and found a leaping O’Donnell in the end zone. A 60-yard touchdown run by Burr-Kirven came in between the two passing scores.
“We came out here, we knew we were going to play a strong team in Oak Grove,” said Randall. “Really, especially in the Open (Division), seeds don’t really matter because you know you’re going to face a tough opponent. We knew we had to come out strong and execute, and I think we did that.”
In addition to SHP’s offense performing well, the defense also did its part, holding the Eagles to a single touchdown before a second in garbage time against backup players. That one score came late in the first half when OG quarterback Darrell Fontenette dropped back and tossed one up from 29 yards out to his top receiver Jose Mejia Jr., who managed to make the catch on his back despite tripping and falling in to the end zone, cutting Sacred Heart Prep’s lead to 21-7.
Anu Tuiono accounted for more yards than any of his teammates, still only managing to rack up a measly 38 yards on 10 carries. Fontenette was 3 for 8 for 35 yards and a touchdown, while his backup Miguel Serrano achieved about the same during his few plays at the end of the game.
“Sacred Heart Prep did a really good job taking care of the trenches. We didn’t get stops – we didn’t man between the tackles,” said Oak Grove coach Jay Braun. “We weren’t getting stops, so we didn’t give our offense a lot of opportunity. Hats off to them.”
The loss, Oak Grove’s first since September 26, drops the Eagles to 7-4 and into the consolation side of the Open Division Bracket. They take on second-seeded Milpitas on the road next week, which fell to Bellarmine 9-6 in overtime on Friday.
“We’re going to work hard. We’re going to know it’s our last game and we’re going to know there’s nothing to lose a game by, so you know there’s not going to be a lot of pressure on our guys," Braun said. "I’m just going to tell them to go out and enjoy their last 48 minutes of playing football here."
As for the Gators, they now sit 11-0, the first time the feat has been accomplished in school history. SHP will face Los Gatos next week in the semifinal round. The Wildcats are coming off a 28-0 blowout loss of WCAL co-champion Serra.
“We’re going to have to really, really prepare well, practice hard. They are an excellent football team, we know that,” said SHP coach Pete Lavorato. “We know coach (Mark) Krail goes a great job with those young guys, they’re just a really good football team.”
Oak Grove and Milpitas kickoff on Friday at 7 p.m. at Milpitas, while Sacred Heart Prep and Los Gatos get underway on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Independence High in San Jose.
