Game of the Week: Unbeaten Burlingame Panthers host Homestead

While the 2021 postseason is still a couple months away, Burlingame head coach John Philipopoulos likes the direction his team is headed.

“I think it has the potential (to be one of the better teams in recent years),” Philipopoulos said of the 2021 fall edition of the Panthers. He went on to say that this year’s senior class has experienced nothing but success as they have moved through the Burlingame program.

“These kids are winners,” Philipopoulos continued. “They’re all friends. It’s a big senior class and they’re all tight. … These kids feel like there is something to this group, which kind of adds to their sense of urgency.”

Having already taken care of Capuchino (35-0), American Canyon (31-6) and last week topped Sacred Heart Cathedral, 17-7, Burlingame is looking to stay undefeated in Week 4 as Homestead-Cupertino come to Burlingame Friday night in the Daily Journal’s Game of the Week.

Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Homestead plays in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s De Anza Division – which is on par with the PAL Bay. The Pioneers were one point away from being 3-0 themselves. They blasted Aragon 52-6 in the season opener and took down Fremont-Sunnyvale 27-9 in Week 2. Last week, however, King’s Academy nipped them, 20-19.

“They’re good. Well coached,” Philipopoulos said. “They’re similar to us.”

While the Mustangs may use a similar ground attack as Burlingame, the Panthers have opened up their passing game a little more this season and it has given them a balance that is not often seen at Burlingame. For one of the few times during the Philipopoulos Era, the Panthers are actually gaining more yards through the air than on the ground. Senior quarterback Ryan Kall is averaging 126.7 yards passing, while the Panthers ground game is averaging 124.3.

More importantly, Kall has thrown five touchdowns without any interceptions. Philipopoulos knew Kall had the ability when he served as the primary backup to Wyatt McGovern last year, and this is the type of performance Philipopoulos was expecting from Kall.

“(Our offense) is a nice mix of our traditional Wing-T and we’ve added some more spread elements,” Philipopoulos said. “We’re definitely throwing the ball a little more and that’s a testament to out quarterback Kall.

“Kall has been outstanding,” Philipopoulos continued. “This is his moment and I think he knows it.”

If Philipopoulos had his druthers, the ground game would be a little more successful. In 2019, the Panthers averaged nearly 6 yards a carry as they finished the season with more than 2,200 yards rushing. Through three games this season, Burlingame is rushing for just 4.3 yards a carry.

“We’d like to see some more consistency in our run game,” Philipopoulos said. “It’s been a missed assignment here and there … which is not uncommon. Those are the things we need to button up.”

Philipopoulos likes his stable of running backs and unlike years past, the Panthers are not relying on just one guy to get a bulk of the carries. Junior Lukas Habelt has been a workhorse early, leading the team with 199 yards on 41 carries, but nine different players have gotten a carry.

The Panthers may want to get their running game going a little bit more consistently to keep the Homestead offense off the field. The Mustangs average 179 yards on the ground. They feature a three-headed attack as Derek Sheerer, Zach Acton and Evan Blandini, who have combined for 384 yards and five touchdowns.

“Like us, they want to run the ball. They have three or four running backs they like to go to,” Philipopoulos said. “We want to try to turn them into a one-dimensional team.”

Be careful what you wish for, however. While Homestead only passes for 116 yards per game, they have two potential game breakers at wide receiver. Will Hook is a 6-5 senior who has six catches for 136 yards, averaging 22 yards a reception. Wyatt Hook is a 6-6 sophomore, who is averaging 12 yards on each of his eight receptions.

“They’re polished. They’re definitely a team to be reckoned with, that’s for sure,” Philipopoulos said.