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Lynn Classical Rams Football '08

Fri, Oct 31, 2008 07:00 PM @ Gloucester
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Senior's return adds new dimension to Fishermen offense

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Thursday, November, 06 By On Football Matt Langone

GLOUCESTER - In case anyone forgot what kind of dimension Taylor Burbine adds to the Gloucester High football team's offense, what happened on Friday night at Newell Stadium served as a reminder.

In his first game back after missing the last three contests with a shoulder injury, the senior wingback/cornerback was the catalyst behind the Fishermen's dominant 49-0 victory over Lynn Classical. Channeling his inner Reggie Bush, circa 2005 at USC, the speedy Burbine scored a touchdown on each of his first three touches of the game to spark the huge win.

After scoring Gloucester's first TD on a 9-yard pass from quarterback Rick Gallant in the first quarter, the 5-foot-9, 150-pound Burbine did the rest of his damage in the most spectacular of fashions.

On Gloucester's next play from scrimmage, Burbine broke an 88-yard touchdown run with a combination of dazzling cuts and pure open-field speed to give the Fishermen a 14-0 lead with 10:27 left in the first half. Nearly four minutes later, he added a 33-yard touchdown catch from Gallant, in which he picked up 25 yards after the catch by zigging and zagging through defenders with slick juke moves.

They were the type of runs that you had to see to fully appreciate.

"That is what Taylor does," said Gloucester head coach Paul Ingram about Burbine's TDs. "He is just great in the open field. At any second he can break one, and you really have to account for him."

Burbine finished the game with 94 rushing yards on just four carries and 42 yards receiving on two catches, and his services weren't really necessary in the second half with his team already up 28-0 at the break.

For the season, the steady dual-threat is averaging 12.9 yards per carry (20-258) and is his team's second-leading receiver with 161 yards. He has also got into the end zone four times.

But more important than his stats, is his overall presence on the field.

In the games that Burbine missed, Gloucester lost to Swampscott (28-20) and had sluggish starts against Peabody and Revere before going on to win those two games handily by scores of 41-12 and 30-12 respectively. Still, Gloucester and its current 7-1 record appears to be headed back to the postseason, and having Burbine will be key to its success.

"We can do a lot of stuff with Taylor at wingback and get him the ball in different ways," said Ingram. "I know he is a little frustrated that he doesn't get the ball as much. But we try to get it to him at the right times with reverses and counters and pass routes.

"He suits what we want to do very well."

Perhaps feeding off the return of Burbine, the Fishermen played one of their most complete games of the season.

Obviously the defense was tremendous, forcing six turnovers en route to the shutout. The offense was also fantastic on the ground and in the air. The Fishermen rushed for 295 yards as a team, led by Burbine and junior Conor Ressel (64 yards, two TDs), while Gallant was 5 for 7 passing for 87 yards and two TDs.

Classical also helped Gloucester out on two separate occasions in the second quarter, by going for it on fourth down, deep in its own territory. The first time was a manageable fourth-and-five at the Rams 40-yard line, already trailing 14-0. The second was an absolute head scratcher as Classical went for a fourth-and-nine at its own 33, trailing 21-0.

"We're pretty good with a short field," said Ingram. "I was very happy with our performance."

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