Menlo-Atherton football goes big in win over Burlingame

“We did what we do well,” said M-A head coach Chris Saunders.

And what the Bears do well is get the ball in the hands of their playmakers and all the big-name Bears got their hands on the ball.

Quarterback Matt MacLeod was his usual stellar self. He completed 9-of-11 passes for 226 yards and had touchdown passes of 6, 29, 55 and 56 yards.

Receiver Jalen Moss, who announced earlier Friday that he was committing to play in college at Fresno State, caught four passes for 58 and scores of 6 and 29 yards.

Jeremiah Earby, who committed to Cal earlier in the season as a defensive back, caught only one pass — but it went for a 55-yard score.

Running back Dane Fifita didn’t touch the ball a lot, but he made his touches count. He carried the ball four times for 58 yards and caught one pass that he turned into a 56-yard touchdown.

“That’s one heck of a football team,” Philipopoulos said. “They’re one of the best teams in the section.”

M-A wasted little time in putting points on the board. After recovering Burlingame’s onside kick attempt on the opening kickoff, the Bears needed just three plays to find the end zone.

That tied for the longest scoring drive of the night for the Bears.

MacLeod opened with a 13-yard gain to Moss on a screen to the right. On the next play, MacLeod hit Johnnie Barbie with a screen to the left that went for 31 yards down to the Burlingame 6.

MacLeod capped the three-play drive by rolling to his right and hitting Moss for a 6-yard score and a 7-0 lead.

“Can’t start faster than that,” Saunders said.

Burlingame went three-and-out on its first possession, with M-A taking over near midfield.

It would be one of only a handful of drives that did not go the Bears’ way. After moving the ball to the Panthers’ 2-yard line, M-A, in order:

- false started

- drew a personal foul penalty

- false started

Now facing first-and-goal the Burlingame 27, MacLeod was sacked by Panthers defensive end Abe Haba, who came flying in for a 13-yard loss. That was followed by Sohail Erekat and Xavier Breuning combining for a sack of MacLeod and the Bears were forced to do something they rarely do.

They punted.

“We penalized ourselves out of a scoring opportunity,” Saunders said. “We’ll address that.”

All told, M-A finished with 105 yards in penalties on 11 flags.

It didn’t matter much, however. After Burlingame picked its initial first down of the game — thanks to M-A’s second personal foul call of the quarter — the Panthers eventually punted the ball back early in the second quarter.

Again, M-A needed just three plays to score. This time, it was Fifita who starred. He picked up 13 yards on a first-down run from his own 29. After he was stopped for a 2-yard gain on second down, Fifita received a screen pass from MacLeod. A punishing block from Soane Faasolo sprung Fifita for a 56-yard score to put the Bears up 14-0.

“He’s a special player,” Saunders said of Fifita.

And just to prove they don’t need the offense on the field to score, it was the defense that gave the Bears their third score of the game, and it was Fifita getting his second touchdown in less than two minutes.

After Burlingame picked up a first down, the Panthers were facing second-and-9 at their own 34. Quarterback Ryan Kall fumbled the snap and Fifita came swooping in from his defensive end spot, scooping up the loose ball and scooting 32 yards for the score.

“That’s his second one of the year,” Saunders said.

Burlingame punted again on its next possession and M-A needed just one play for a 28-0 lead. Taking over at his own 45, MacLeod found Earby in single coverage down the field. Despite a defender running stride for stride, Earby easily made the catch and went into the end zone for a 55-yard strike, before waltzing to the sideline, dancing a little jig.

Burlingame came out with renewed energy to start the second half, taking the kickoff and quickly moving the ball from its own 12 down to the M-A 28 before the drive stalled and the Bears took over on downs.

Fifita gained 25 yards on a run that saw him start on the right side of the field and was finally tackled near the Burlingame sideline on the left side of the field.

Following a 4-yard run, MacLeod finished his night with 29-yard scoring pass to Moss to cap — what else? — a three-play scoring drive.

Burlingame prevented the shutout by putting together their best drive of the game. Starting at their own 39, the Panthers marched 61 yards on 13 plays, with Joey Nawrocki scoring from 6 yards out.

“We had some holes open up,” Philipopoulos said. “And they closed real quick.”