SAN MATEO, Calif. - A 65-yard kickoff return by Lucas Meredith to start the game quieted the roaring Hillsdale crowd, and Burlingame kept on rolling from there on the way to a 36-12 win Friday night in a PAL-Ocean matchup.
The Panthers (5-1, 2-0 PAL-Ocean) scored 28 points in the first quarter alone to stun the Knights (0-7, 0-3).
“Everyone doing their job, and everybody giving 100 percent basically gave us the win,” said Burlingame quarterback Jordan Malashus.
Malashus did his part in keeping the Panthers’ momentum high in the first quarter. He passed for 84 yards and three touchdowns, his longest being a 54 yard pass to his brother, Devon Malashus, who ran behind the Fighting Knights’ safeties to score an easy walk-in touchdown.
“People were wide open because the safeties were slow, and we had faster guys who were able to make plays downfield,” said Jordan Malashus.
The Fighting Knights' defense was also slow to adjust to the Panthers’ offensive firepower, allowing over 141 yards of total offense in the first quarter. Hillsdale's woes continued in the second quarter as a result of the injury of their quarterback, JP Lyssenko. Burlingame defensive end Noah Lavulo charged up through the Hillsdale offensive line and tackled Lyssenko to force a fumble recovered by the Panthers. Lyssenko did not return to the game after that.
“What allowed me to be successful was their o-line," said Lavulo. "I think that was the weakness of the offense and it played right into my plan, I just got through the o-line every time."
On the very next play the Panthers turned the ball over, and to replace the injured Lyssenko for the Knights was Quincy Sherman, a dual wide receiver and running back who was not accustomed to the quarterback position. He did not throw the ball once before the end of the first half, but he was able to run for 50 yards on quarterback draws alone.
Sherman’s unfamiliarity with the position was on display as he fumbled on three snaps, one of them resulting in a safety for the Panthers.
Despite a troubling start, Sherman got back on his feet and drove the Fighting Knights down the field to score their first touchdown of the game. The Knights gained momentum on a 27-yard run by Baby Tongamoa, who finished with 46 rushing yards on the day. Sherman ended the drive on a one-yard rushing touchdown.
The Fighting Knights put one more touchdown on the board after an errant throw by Wyatt McGovern resulted in a 20-yard pick-six by Ethan Landry.
Despite that mistake, the Panthers were able to cruise to the victory and will face a hot Kings Academy team next Friday, who come in with a six-game win streak after defeating Sequoia, 51-10. Hillsdale will look for its first win, at home against South San Francisco.
